I am still in Riobamba – Ecuador 2600 m above sea level. The day after elections the situation so far is peaceful… I planed for today excursion to the first hut on the slopes of the volcano Chimborazo – the highest in Ecuador but the coluds are covering the mountains around and since it cost quite a lot of money (transport by rented car 35 USD for two and entry to the Nat.Park 10 USD pp) I decided to change my plan. I visited little village of Guano not far from Riobamba. Guano is famous for the handmade production of the carpets and the nice scenery around.
I already mentioned that the local currency is USD – the US notes, US coins including onedollar and the local centavos with the value of the US cents… If you are bringing here US cash you are OK, but… There is a lot fake dollars in circulation so the shops do not accept 100 USD notes to avoid problem. I saw also in some hostels warnings: we do not accept 100USD notes. Well – the advice is: bring as much as possible small USD denominations. If the locals will give you change in USD ask for the coins – the notes in circulations are so dirty that is is not easy to check if they are fake or not… Good luck!
