Quilotoa Crater, Ecuador

This postcard comes from one of my book club buddies, who spent some time in Ecuador this summer. It shows Quilotoa Crater, the western most volcano in the Ecuadorean Andes. I forget that the Andes in South America have a chain of volcanoes which are just a continuation of the chain of volcanoes in North America. It makes sense - they are part of the Pacific Ocean "ring of fire" - but these volcanoes aren't the first that come to my mind.

In any case, it appears to be an emerging tourist hot spot, with a beautiful green lake and a hike around the rim of the crater. There is a eco-lodge nearby, The Black Sheep Inn, where my friend must have stayed. Check it out - the lodge looks great, and the nearby hiking sounds even better. It also appears to be for sale. Anybody up for the innkeeper business in Ecuador?

Ecuador and Argentina seem to be the hot tourist places this year. I must know five or six people who have traveled to Ecuador and another six or seven who visited Argentina. Travel in these countries has changed a lot since I traveled through them 30 years ago - there was no such thing as an eco-lodge!