Hello All.  I have received a message from our tour director down in Ecuador that I wanted to share with everyone!  Can you believe it is only one week until we leave? ~maggio

Hi!!!...Really happy to know that you are coming to my country, my name is Javier Castro, and I`ll be your tour director here in Ecuador. Attached find a picture of me(I am the one in red), so that way It will be easier for you to recognize me at the airport.
Please take notes of some useful information before arriving to Ecuador.

The richness of Ecuador lies in its DIVERSITY, both natural and cultural. Ecuador has 4 diverse and unique regions: The Amazon rainforest, the highland Andes, the Coast and The Galapagos Archipelago.
Our currency is American Dollar, the Ecuadorian government has also produced a series of local coins that have the same value as the U.S. coins.
The climate here is determined by the altitude, but the climate in Quito (over 9000 feet) and the highlands is very unpredictable (temperature could vary from 48˚F to 70˚F), it could be sunny and rainy in just a couple of hours, so a raincoat or jacket would be useful at any time, since at night it gets pretty chilly. The Amazon Jungle is even better, sunny and rainy all at the same time jajaja... 

Seriously speaking, In the Amazon, the climate is always hot and humid, with the temperature averaging 27.9˚C during the dry season and 25.8˚C in the rainy season.

In the Ecuadorian Amazon basin, precipitation is 3000 mm or more. About half of the precipitation is brought to the basin by eastern trade winds, while the other half is the result of evapo - transpiration from the vast forest that covers the basin.

If you need any other information before your arrival I`ll be happy to answer your questions.

Hasta la vista.....