Ecuador- Love Life!

[snooper2]

(FYI, their website is really slow and I'm directly connected to the same router an NSA tap is on )

http://en.ecuador.travel/

A microcosm of sensations and flavours in the centre of the planet: that is Ecuador. A unique country, where all the cultures, peoples and landscapes of Latin America merge to form the world's most perfect fragrance.

Ecuador is located on the Equator in the northwest of South America. It borders Colombia and Peru to the north, Peru to the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. With a surface area of 283,561 square kilometres, it is the eighth largest country in South America, and the geography of its four regions is very diverse: Andes, Amazon, Pacific Coast and Galapagos.

Four worlds converge on its territory, from the warm Pacific Coast that gradually rises towards the snowy heights and temperate valleys of the Andes mountains, eventually dropping down to the green Amazonian carpet of biodiversity. All as a prelude to a sublime reward: the Galapagos Islands.


Nice Place to Hang!

&feature=player_embedded



Mountain Climbing!



Cotopaxi – one of the most popular climbs in Ecuador, Cotopaxi is one of the highest active volcanoes on Earth. The volcano is 5987 meters high. The climb is something of a walk to the summit, though climbers will need equipment such as gaiters, crampons, an axe, a helmet and ropes to get to the peak. The climb starts at midnight and takes between five and seven hours with two or three hours to return. Many who start the climb do not make it to the top. To get to Cotopaxi, take a bus to Machachi, which is one hour from Quito, and you can organize a truck to the national park from there.

[frazzled]

1. And one of the world's worst human rights records!

From Human Rights Watch:

Freedom of Expression

President Rafael Correa has undercut freedom of the press in Ecuador by subjecting journalists and media figures to public denunciation and retaliatory litigation. Judicial independence continued to suffer in 2012 due to transitional mechanisms for judicial reform that have given the government and its supporters in Congress a powerful say in appointing and dismissing judges.

Misuse of Anti-Terrorism Laws

Since President Correa took office in 2007, prosecutors have repeatedly applied a “terrorism and sabotage” provision of the criminal code against participants engaged in public protests against environmental and other issues. Involvement in acts of violence or obstructing roads during such protests should be ordinary criminal offenses. Yet Ecuador’s criminal code includes, under the category of sabotage and terrorism, “crimes against the common security of people or human groups of whatever kind or against their property,” by individuals or associations “whether armed or not.” Such crimes carry a possible prison sentence of four to eight years.

http://www.hrw.org/world-report/2013/country-chapters/ecuador

Check out also Amnesty International and Reporters without Borders reports. Have fun in the surf.