Ecuador and Peru are beautiful countries with a dramatically visible history and spectacular scenery. We had a great time visiting Inca ruins, going to local markets, and traveling around the two countries by car, bus, plane, train, bike, dugout canoe, river raft, and on foot. As with most trips, the people we met from Peru, Ecuador and the rest of the world were a highlight.
We hit the beginning of the rainy season in Peru so we had some very very rainy intervals but oddly enough the Amazon jungle was having a drought which presented its own challenges.
We were above 9,000 feet for most of our visit in both countries so the weather was quite cool despite Ecuador's location right on the equator. Jude and I have been traveling in Mexico, Central America and South America for 40 years and although the Internet, improved transportation, and more English speakers has made travel there easier than ever, some of the same challenges remain for the budget traveler:
Clean water is still only found in bottles. The public toilets have improved beyond belief but these countries still have the nasty habit of putting the used toilet paper in a wastebasket instead of the toilet. The buses in Ecuador had no toilets and would only stop to let passengers onto the side of the road for a pee break if the trip was over 4 hours. Peru's buses were luxurious in comparison and did have toilets but as one bus driver announced at the beginning of our 7 hour bus trip from Cusco to Puno, they are for "Pee Pee; no Po Po, NO PO PO!!" We discovered why no Po Po on a subsequent trip with a less conscientious driver (we will save you the details). Heaven help anyone that had tourista!
Cheap accommodation is still available in Ecuador and costs only slightly more in Peru but the level of comfort is usually in proportion to the amount paid. Paying more for better accommodation is usually not an option in small towns and out of reach in the large cities so mostly the beds were rock hard and/or lumpy as were the pillows (as Jude would say, like sleeping on a bushel of corn). The sheets often were smaller than the mattress.
Fortunately, we found some great rooms with small balconies for the requisite happy hour and magnificent views. One of our best was in Banos, Ecuador where our room was only 16 US$ including breakfast and we overlooked a beautiful garden, the town and the towering mountains --the bedbugs were free. Another great spot was in Ollantaytambo, Peru where we stayed for a bit more with a magnificent view of the local ruins and thankfully, no bedbugs.
Ecuador
Quito
Quito is the capital of Ecuador and just another big city. Our objective was to spend as little time here as possible but ultimately, geography, airports and travel plans forced us to return here four more times for a total of 6 days over the next month.
Banos
A perfect little tourist town squeezed on to a small ledge above a deep river gorge and in the shadow of a still active volcano.
This is the town that had a ice cream song (with chiming bells) on the garbage truck, and 5 mineral hot springs that we 
were interested in until we viewed them from above and noticed the slime green colors of the pools. The clincher was when one local told us that you could wear your cloths in to save having to wash them. We stayed here five nights and enjoyed hiking and biking on the hillsides overlooking the city. 
We went on a river rafting ride here too. Pretty exciting with class 3+ rapids and only a strap over your foot holding you into the raft.
I came close to falling out of the raft in one set of rapids and was hanging on by the tip of my toe stretched flat out over the water. I watched as everyone seemed frozen as they watched me reaching for them. There seemed to be some hesitation but finally the “good wife” reached over from the other side of the raft and grabbed my hand as I struggled to pull myself back into the raft.
Lesson learned: carry no life insurance and keep the credit cards in your pocket.
Otovalo
A great little bustling town nestled in lovely green rolling hills covered with corn fields and featuring a vibrant market filled with crafts sold by locals still in traditional dress. Once again,
we hiked in the hills with one memorable walk to a condor refuge where we saw all sorts of birds of prey that had been rescued and were rehabilitating. A wild condor was flying overhead most of the time we were there. Just as we were going to leave it flew down and landed on the cage. For the next 20 minutes, it appeared to be trying to chew through the wire of the cage and free the two condors inside
