If so, I’d like to recommend the services of Francisco Guayasamin. He is an amazing tour guide for members of our community and I feel fortunate someone recommended him to me as I was planning my first trip to Ecuador. I can’t possibly say enough great things about Francisco.
I had never been out of the US before this trip and Francisco’s help really put me at ease. Over a series of messages back and forth he proposed (and we refined) an itinerary for my visit. Francisco even offers a pick up service at the airport. After nervously making my way through customs (it was my first time and turned out not to be a big deal) it was so comforting to see a familiar and friendly face waiting for me.
The goal of my trip is to see Ecuador with a focus on where I’d like to settle when moving here early in 2023. The first few days I wanted to get to know the Quito area and Francisco set up the perfect itinerary. He recommended a private apartment in a safe neighborhood of Quito and arranged for a driver during our time together, picked me up at the airport and delivered me to the apartment… and then a quick dinner.
Francisco clearly loves introducing people to this beautiful country, but if you are just looking for a guide who will point at an attraction and say “look… there’s the Basilica de Voto Nacional…” as you walk by, then Francisco is not your guy.
As we approached the Basilica on our walking tour of Quito, Francisco stopped to point out an interesting feature of the architecture. Most cathedrals feature gargoyles as part of the adornment.
On this building the first level is adorned with animals native to Ecuador - instead of gargoyles. On the second level there are birds. And he explained why this is the case. This is just a small example of how he explains what Ecuador is about and why.
If you’d like to include something special in your trip (I wanted to buy a Panama hat) just let him know. He will do his best to accommodate your request.
* Kendel Joyce
Here is a link to his blog…
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