So what if it rains? The rain lasts only 45-60 minutes which is perfect for popping into a shop for coffee and a bite!

$7 per night in the dorm. A hot, well warm, shower. Coffee and roll for breakfast.

I got to Ecuador last night! This morning I bought a Panama hat in Quito. Real Panama hats come from Ecuador, they always have. While the canal was being built, men would return to the US with these hats made then in Ecuador. But because they were returning from Panama, they called them their Panama hat! The ones now made in Panama are sewn together with one inch wide straw strips-around and around to make the hat shape. The ones made here in Ecuador are a single piece of weaving without any seams. they are superior, of course. The real thing can also be rolled up and put in your luggage. The Panama hat made in Panama is stiff and must be crushed (ugh). Either one will cost ten dollars.
Trekking the Ecuadorian Andes has only one signigicant difference than any other high trek, as in the Cascades or Sierra Nevada. Because of the latitude the sun can burn the skin much faster(Can't recall latitude and longitude? Notice the "a" in latitude? it is for around the planet. The o in longitude is for over the polar poles. So a hat is always advised. I wear a full brim hat to protect both the ears, neck, chin and nose. Only sometimes do I use skin block. Bare arms are not a good idea. Some of us wear "sleeves." Sleeves are also popular with bikers because of the wind burn, which I have also had.