The country of Ecuador is one of the smallest countries in South America, but has some of the most diverse biology, terrain, and people. The colonial capital city of Quito is full of fantastic architecture and has any need that a traveller would want. We did interesting day trips around the area to the tourist market of Otavalo, the non-tourist market of Saquisili, the popular volcano of Cotapaxi, and to the less popular cloud forest at Mindo. To top things off, we got a glimpse of some of the Miss Universe candidates who were in town for the annual extravaganza. While the Galapagos Islands are certainly one of Ecuador's biggest draws, we saw that there was plenty to do and see on the mainland that deserves as much if not more attention.