I left for ecuador for a month in august 2012. The closer we got to the start of the trip, the more anticipation we felt. But also the nervousness increased constantly. After all, this was my first long distance trip and besides, the girls weren't supposed to join me until a week later.
So 7 days all alone in ecuador. WOW. I know, I know, not a thought worth mentioning for the pro-all travelers, but very disturbing for me newbie at the time.
Especially since I've heard true horror stories from some acquaintances. Stories ranged from armed robberies of tourists to sexual harassment to hostel break-ins.
And so that you don't let stories like this scare you away from a trip to ecuador, here are my experiences and some tips about safety. You can read the whole trip report on my website http://www.Thoringi.Info/ read.
– 7 days ecuador – alone –
First of all, the old town areas of quito are very well secured. Especially in the evenings and at night, one encounters numerous security guards in public places, who are obviously employed by the city.
They are not armed and neither are the police, but you will notice the watchful eye protecting tourists and foreigners in particular. Obviously trying to counteract the bad image of south american cities in terms of security. Nevertheless, you should not become careless, the alleys of quito hold some risks for tourists, and not only at night.
– protect your luggage –
If you want to explore quito, you first have to endure a mostly adventurous bus ride. After all, the city area stretches over 30 kilometers and you are not always lucky to find a good downtown hostel.
First of all: riding a bus in quito is great! The narrowness is suffocating and the smell is hard to bear, but it is much more exciting than a guided city tour. It's great to watch people and explore parts of the city outside the city center. Besides, a ride costs only a few cents.
Beside all the fascination you should still always take care of your luggage. In the crowd, the backpacks are slit open much too quickly without you noticing anything. Therefore, in the bus always carry the bag / backpack on the front of the body and have a good view.
If you then wander through the city, it would be quite a hassle to carry the luggage on the front side. Nevertheless, you should not be careless here either, already on the first day my backpack was open and I did not notice anything. Fortunately, they only opened the large compartment, here was only my sweater in it, which was apparently not suitable as a prey.
The following idea worked wonderfully: simply pull the rain cover for the backpack over it and strap it tightly. This way no one can get to your zippers and also when you slit your pockets you make it harder for possible thieves.
Small bonus tip: if you sit in the restaurant / cafe, the backpack with the chest buckles simply strapped to the chair. Simple and effective.
– identity papers and money –
Biggest horror of every woman traveling alone: the passport is gone! To prevent this, I have also taken my identity card with me. With this I can not enter the country, but if the passport should really get lost, you have at least an original identity document to the woman.
I also made copies of the passport, which were stowed in different places: in the backpack, in the wallet and at the hostel operator of my trust. In addition I had taken a photo of the passport with the cell phone and the camera in each case. Maybe a little too much of a good thing, but better once more than once too little.
Money: of course you should not keep all your cash in one place. Again, I had a small supply in my backpack as well as in the hostel.
My tip for handling cash in the city: in addition to your normal wallet, take a small wallet with you, in which only a few dollars are stowed away. These are easily enough to pay for food/drinks or other things.
When the small purse is empty, simply refill it unseen, for example in the toilet. A bulging wallet and large amounts of cash could give others too quickly stupid ideas, and we do not want that.
Apart from cash, I would always carry at least 2 debit or credit cards from different banks. Just for safety in case one gets lost, you enter the pin wrong or the card gets damaged.
– travelling at night – as a woman
When I was traveling alone, I didn't attract much attention due to my relatively dark complexion and black hair (I didn't experience what a blonde woman would face in ecuador until a week later and was very grateful to be the brown guy.)
Of course, my backpack and especially my terrible spanish quickly outed me. As I said, it is relatively harmless during the day if you follow simple safety measures.
Being out and about at night in quito is a different matter altogether.
First of all: I don't drive a bus at night! No matter where I wanted to go, I only went by cab in the dark. Most of the cab drivers had a touching protective instinct towards me, as a european and moreover as a woman alone. No matter where I went, the cab drivers always waited until I arrived safely. Whether in the hostel or in a pub.
This feeling of security has been well worth the $2 travel cost to me!
If you are out and about in quito at night, you surely have only one destination: mariscal sucre! The city's nightlife center is home to countless restaurants, clubs and pubs. The mariscal also has a mainstream and an insider section.
In the mainstream area, just off the main street, not only the prices, but also the offerings and music, are rather european. Clearly designed for tourists only. Here, even as a woman alone, you can move around reasonably safely.
However, if you want to really party and immerse yourself in the party world of quito, you have to venture through the small alleys of mariscal. Here, the streets are less busy and the characters are also a lot shadier. With all emancipation: here I would NEVER walk around alone as a woman!
Here applies strength by numbers, preferably with male companions.
Once you have reached the club of your choice, it is important to pay attention to the drinks.
European women, especially blonde women, are automatically seen as wealthy, making them a popular target for male flirtation attempts. According to the south american way, these can be quite boisterous and harassing.
Even though most of the guys are harmless and can be restrained by a (very) definite NO, I was definitely warned several times about drugs in clubs. And I do not mean here the supposedly funny drugs, but K.O drops and the like. So always keep the drink in your hand. Should you ever be unsure if someone had access to your drink: better order another one!
I know this all sounds terribly paranoid, but caution is the mother of china as we all know.