I have taken many photographs of children during my many years of travel. With their natural innocence and curiosity, children make wonderful subjects for photography.

This week’s featured travel photo is the Little Girl from Mindo, Ecuador. I was walking back to my small hotel along a dusty unpaved street - just before reaching the entrance, a young girl of about 6 years old standing on the shoulder of the road happened to catch my eye. I believed she lived next door to my hotel.

Holding a flower in one hand, wearing checkered trousers and a colorful pullover, the little girl looked so very cute and innocent. Unable to resist the temptation, I pulled out my camera and took a picture of her.

The look on her face is priceless - she seemed to be totally mesmerized by the camera just like ‘a deer caught in the headlights’. I consider this picture to be one of my most memorable travel photographs.

Situated at 5.000 feet above sea level,
Mindo is a popular mountain resort located about 2 hours from Quito

For the 3rd consecutive week in a row, my travel photo of the week features some dramatic mountainous scenery in the tropics.

This photo of Mount Imbabura was taken from my hotel in Otavalo, a colonial town located in the highlands of Ecuador. Otavalo is at an elevation of 2560 meters (8500 feet) above sea level, and Mount Imbabura, an inactive volcano which rises to an elevation of 4630 meters (15,160 ft), dominates the tropical landscape. The summit as you can see is covered with snow.

Now consider that the peak of Huayna Picchu (Peru) is about 2,720 meters (8,900 ft) above sea level, and the summit of Doi Chiang Dao (Thailand) is only 7,200 ft above sea level – comparing these altitudes with the elevation of Otavalo (8500 feet up) and the towering Mount Imbabura, puts the issue of altitude into perspective.

Waking up in the morning in Otavalo, to see the ‘giant in the sky’ looming in the background gave me a feeling of elation.

I have visited a number of big cities in South America including Bogotá and Cartagena in (Colombia), Lima and Cuzco (Peru) and Quito (Ecuador). While Cartagena, located on the Caribbean Coast of Colombia, was utterly charming and romantic, I would choose Quito as being the most beautiful city overall. Located at about 9,200 feet above sea level, Quito’s physical setting is absolutely magnificent - Ecuador’s capital city straddles a long narrow valley which is situated between two mountain ranges.

Old town Quito, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, reminded me a lot of me a lot of hometown of San Francisco, with its steep cobblestoned streets and old world charm. Walking through the old quarter, there are many streetside cafés and small shopping enclaves that feature a variety of very tasteful boutiques and art galleries. On the last night that I was in Quito, I hired a taxi to take me up to El Panecillo, the large hill topped by a statue of La Virgen de Quito. Located a couple miles outside the old city, the view from this vantage point after sunset is absolutely heavenly.

If you’d like to get a taste of Quito, I have put together a short slideshow video of about 3 minutes in duration. Quito es magnifico!

It’s been over a year since I returned from my epic 2½ week adventure to South America, where I visited both Peru and Ecuador. The memories will always be with me, as I have already produced two travel videos on PERU, and I have just completed a very artistic travel piece on ECUADOR. The new video features the older section of Quito - a UNESCO World Heritage site; Otavalo - two hours away from Quito and site of the most popular Indian artisan market in Ecuador (with the magnificent Mount Imbabura looming over the town), and Mindo- a popular mountain resort, and a longtime favorite with birdwatching enthusiasts. I am hoping to return to South America sometime next year (funds willing) – Brazil is next on my list.

Please note: The travel video on Ecuador is a wee bit long at 11 minutes but I suggest you watch it in its entirety. It is that good!

Have you ever totaled up the number of countries that you have visited in your lifetime? Furthermore, how many times have you traveled to each particular country? Breaking it down even further, what places/cities have you visited (with at least one overnight stay) in each destination/country? If you answer all these questions carefully, you’ll have put together your own TRAVELER’S RESUME.

Let’s start out with yours truly. My inaugural trip as a traveler happened in Dec. 1973 when I went to Mexico for 3 weeks. Over the ensuing 35 years, I have traveled to 25 different countries. If you look at my RESUME, you will see that I’m very partial to the tropics. Call me the tropical traveler if you may.

NORTH AMERICA:

• Mexico (18)

Puerto Vallarta (3), Mexico City (3), Guadalajara, Villahermosa, Merida,
Mexican Caribbean – Cancun (4), Playa del Carmen (2) and Tulum; Oaxaca (5),
Puerto Escondido (5), San Blas(2) Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo,
Baja California - Cabo San Lucas (4), La Paz and Loreto,
Costa Alegre - La Manzanilla (2) and Bahia de Navidad

CARIBBEAN:

• Jamaica (30+)

Kingston, Blue Mountains, Port Antonio, Montego Bay, Ocho Rios, Negril,
South Coast - Black River, Treasure Beach and Milk River Bath; Cockpit Country,
Mandeville and Christiana

• Barbados (6)
• St. Lucia (2)
• Antigua
• Dominican Republic

Santo Domingo and Sosua Beach

• Cuba

Havana and Varadero Beach

• St. Vincent
• Trinidad
• St. Maarten/St. Marten
• Bahamas

Nassau and Eleuthera

• Caribbean/Panama Canal Cruise

SOUTH AMERICA:

• Colombia

Bogota, Cartagena and San Andres Island

• Peru

Lima, Cusco, Sacred Valley including Machu Picchu, Amazon basin

• Ecuador

Quito, Otavalo and Mindo

CENTRAL AMERICA:

• Costa Rica (6)

San Jose (6), Heredia (2), Sarapiqui (2), Manuel Antonio (3), Dominical,
Pacific Lowlands – Carara ; Guanacaste – Canas and Palo Verdes NP (2), Tamarindo Beach (2), Ocotal and Los Innocentes; Jaco, Tortugero, Monteverde (2), Osa Peninsula, La Fortuna and Arenal (4),
Caribbean Coast- Cahuita (2) and Puerto Viejo; Wilson Botanical Gardens
(San Vito), San Gerardo de Dota and Nicoya Peninsula - Playa Samara

• Guatemala (2)

Guatemala City (2), Antigua (2) and Lake Atitlan

WEST AFRICA:

• Ghana

Accra, Gold Coast, Kumasi

• Togo

Lome

• Mali

Bamako and Mopti

• Ivory Coast

Abidjan

SOUTHEAST ASIA:

• Thailand (7)

Bangkok (7), Chiang Mai (5), Mae Sa Valley (2), Phuket (3), Koh Lanta, Koh Jum,
Koh Samui (2), Koh Chang (5), Pattaya (3), Khao Sok National Park, Chiang Rai Province – Doi Tung (2), Mae Salong (2) and Chiang Kong; Kanchanaburi (2),
Sangkhlaburi, Sakaeo, Sukhothai (2), Ayutthaya and Mae Hong Son Province-Pai (2), Soppong and Mae Hong Son (2)

• Laos

Vientiane, Luang Prabang, Mekong River Cruise

• Cambodia

Siem Reap(Angkor Wat)

EUROPE

• England

London Area

Please note: Number in Parentheses () indicates the number of visits

Feel free to submit your Travel Resume here!

The Owl (Caligo memnon) at 6 inches wide is the largest butterfly in Costa Rica. While not considered as glamorous as the blue morpho or some of the other brilliantly colored species in Costa Rica, I think the Owl holds his own in the butterfly beauty sweepstakes. The upperside of the wings (when the wings are open) are two shades of brown – a creamy mocha with dark chocolate fringes. The hindwing underside pattern (when the wings are folded) reveals a large eyespot in the middle of the wing which superficially resembles the eye or face of an Owl, hence the butterfly’s name. There are various theories on the function of the large eyespot. One of the most popular is that the eye pattern confuses or scares away potential predators - mostly small birds or small lizards. I have observed this butterfly in two locales – La Paz Waterfall Garden in Costa Rica and Mindo Butterfly Garden in Ecuador.

Located at 9,000 feet above sea level, Quito - the capital of Ecuador- is one of the most beautiful cities that I have visited. Straddling a long and narrow valley, the city lies at the foot of the still active Pichincha volcano. Old Quito, a UNESCO world heritage site, has a lot of ambiance with its outstanding colonial architecture and steep cobblestone streets. Illuminated by the many street lamps in the area, the buildings in the old quarter have a magical golden glow at night. For an excellent panoramic view of the city, I recommend that you go to El Panecillo, the large hill topped by a statue of La Virgen de Quito. Located a couple miles outside the old city, the view especially after sunset is magnificent

Old Quito throbs with activity during the daylight hours, however at night almost all businesses are closed and the area is literally deserted with the exception of the police who are stationed at almost every corner and the occasional pickpocket who is looking for an easy mark. What must come as a shock to some people, the official currency in Ecuador is the same as the United States – the US dollar; this has been the situation since 1999. Bills come in various denominations - 1, 5, 10, 25, 50 and 100. Quito is also very affordable – a delicious fruit shake or smoothie costs only 50 cents and a strong cup of coffee about one dollar. I didn’t see any Starbuck cafes at all, a welcome relief!

Comparing to Quito to Cusco in Peru - I liked Quito a lot more as it wasn’t overrun with tourists, street vendors, curio and souvenir shops.

After arriving at Hotel San Francisco in old town Quito, I asked the young man at the hotel reception desk “Where can I get the best exchange for American travelers checks?” He directed me to the bank around the corner, about a 5-minute walk. Once inside the bank, I surveyed the scene and there must been at last 300 or more people waiting in line. I had never seen anything like this before in my life. Two minutes later, I bolted out of the bank and returned to my hotel. Shaking my head, I told myself that there was no way ‘in hell’ that I was going to wait in a line like this - it would take at least 2 hours to get serviced. Back at my hotel, I told Fernando, the young hotel clerk, about the mob scene at the bank and asked him if there wasn’t somewhere else I could exchange the monies.

Fernando directed me to a currency exchange bureau about one block from the bank. As it was getting close to closing time, I hurried over to the bureau. Presenting my travelers checks to the clerk, I asked him in my best Spanish - I would like to exchange some American Travelers checks? He asked me how many? I replied three hundred USD. He proceeded to cash my checks, giving me $294 in US dollars and explained to me in Spanish that there was a service fee of 6.00 ($2.00 per check). Shaking my head, I told him in broken Spanish that I did not want US dollars but the local currency. He shook his head, and insisted this was the proper exchange. I kept pleading that I wanted the local currency. In response, he said, “ Senor, I am giving you the local currency” shooting me a strange look. It was then that it dawned on me that the US dollar is the official currency in Ecuador. I was a little shocked to say the least. When I returned to the hotel, I did a little research on the Internet and discovered that the US dollar has been the official currency in Ecuador since 1999. Too bad, I didn’t do my research before I arrived in the country.

I live close to San Francisco, a city that has a reputation for excellent Italian restaurants. Over the years, I have been to a number of these restaurants to have a pasta dish and to be honest with you, I have been very disappointed. Either the sauce is nothing to write home about or the pasta tasted like it came from Safeway. Believe it or not, the most delicious pasta dishes that I’ve had in recent memory was in Quito, Ecuador, upcountry Thailand and in Barbados of all places. Who would have of thunk?!?! In Quito, the name of the restaurant was Spaghetti, an upscale eatery located in the Mariscal tourist district. I was pleasantly surprised - the vegetarian penne pasta had a very delicious herbal-based sauce, and mixed in with the pasta was spinach and cooked mushrooms. Muy sabroso…The cost ? About $7.00USD.

In Barbados, the restaurant was located close to the Casuarinas Beach Club in the upscale resort district known as St Lawrence Gap. The owners were a middle-aged couple from Sicily, and Mama Mia that lady cooked up a very delicious pasta dish for me…

Too bad that in San Francisco Bay Area, nothing can compare to these two wonderful culinary experiences….

Entering the Mariposas de Mindo (Mindo Butterfly Garden), I was greeted by the resident security guard, Nero, a beautiful charcoal gray 3 1/2 year old Neapolitan Mastiff who weighs 135 pounds. Despite Nero’s imposing presence, he’s a very lovable at heart and acts like a free spirited, playful puppy. In dog years, he’s a veritable teenager. I must say I really hit it off with Bruno as he posed for a number of photographs for me. Nero seems so gentle and harmless, but at the same time I would hate to get on his bad side. I can only imagine if some customer gave his owners a bad time, Nero would intervene and utilize his ample skills as security guard, with force if necessary. In my opinion, Nero is doing a very good job

Nero’s employer, Mrs. Rosie Gomez de la Torre, is the owner and founder of the Mariposas de Mindo. Born in Ecuador, Rosie was brought up in the United States only to return to her native country some 15 years ago. Settling down in Mindo, Rosie and her family started the Butterfly Gardens sometime in the late 1990’s - it became Mindo’s first eco-attraction. In this beautiful little garden, you’ll find over 20 species of butterflies in cultivation. The best time to observe the butterflies is early in the morning as they energize themselves by basking in the sun. If Nero, the resident security guard, is in a good mood, maybe he’ll pose for some pictures for you too!

Rosie and her family are ardent environmentalists in Mindo, a town where ecotourism finds itself clashing now with greedy developers. On the road to the gardens, you’ll see two road signs with environmental messages.