6 Things You Just Don’t Find in the Jungle- But you CAN find in Quito, Ecuador!

Traveling and Expats alike find a number of things they miss when they move abroad. But we’ve found that while we do miss a few things, many of them can be found if we just visit the big city, Quito, Ecuador!

Last week we traveled as a family to Quito. It’s a 6.5 hour bus ride, so it made for a long day. A bus ride in South America might be considered an “experience” anyway, but winding back and forth as you cross the Andes Mountains? THAT, is rough. It seems like we spent several hours encouraging kids to close their eyes and breathe, just to try to avoid the vomit. And we didn’t avoid it entirely, in case you were wondering.

But the beautiful thing is, once we arrived? It was all smiles again. None of the sickness lasted and we immediately moved on to enjoying our getaway to the city.

6 Things we found in the city that we just don’t have in the jungle

Family at Pizza Hut

Life is different in the rainforest, it just is. Our home is a jungle home with tile and screen windows. The weather is hot and humid. The stores in our nearest town are small without a lot of options. So as we went to the big city, we kept noticing a few things we didn’t realize we were missing.

  1. A comfy, deep, soft, sofa. Like, it was lovely. Between the humidity and the bugs, it seems comfy sofas just don’t exist in our area of rainforest. It’s better suited to hammocks.
  2. Pizza! Now I’ve made homemade pizza a few times since we’ve been here, but I just haven’t figured out the trick to a beautiful, delicious sourdough crust that makes you forget the stuff restaurants sell. You have any tips, I’m open to trying again. But when we spotted a Pizza Hut? We stopped. We had to. And we really enjoyed it.
  3. Traffic. So many cars and I’m so grateful to not be driving in it! After each time we got off a bus or a taxi I was just so shocked that we arrived at our destination without mishap. Those roads and dealing with other drivers is no joke. I’ve actually decided they are very aware drivers. Honking horns is just a form of calm communication and not the chaos or anger I associate with horns honking in the U.S. 
  4. Mall. The Scala mall reminded me very much of any mall in the U.S. Lots of stores, high prices, lots of people. But we enjoyed walking around and were able to find the things we were looking for. 
  5. Tajin and lots of restaurant options. I know, another food item. But food is such a part of daily life and the culture of a place! We happily ate cevichochos, bakery breads and took home a bottle of tajin seasoning that I know will very much be enjoyed for weeks to come! We often look for traditional-Ecuadorian restaurants anyway- they are delicious and a great price. But in Quito there are LOTS of options and that’s kinda fun too. The big grocery stores also have a lot of options that you might be familiar with in the States that can’t be found in the smaller towns and stores.
  6. Apple Store! Actually, it was a center kiosk at the SCALA mall, but for repairs or chargers etc., it was a happy find.
  7. And a number 6 Bonus! The temple for our church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. We do attend church near to where we live (still 3 hours by bus!) but the nearest temple is in Quito. And it’s beautiful. I loved spending some time there too. 
Quito LDS temple at night, church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

Now, whether the things on the list make you long for the city or head for the country, for me, it’s a fun place to visit. I love that we could go see and experience something new. I also love that we came home at the end. I feel like it’s a healthy place to be, to be able to go and learn and love what’s different, and then come home grateful to live where we’re at.

I’ve seen people talk about building a life that they don’t have to escape from. Speaking to the many people who just spend their days in drudgery, only looking forward to spring break or vacation time or holidays.  And it sounds all lovely and roses to get away from that. But I don’t see vacation as an escape or my home as a prison. I love them both. I appreciate the other more because I have them both in my life. And as fun as traveling and vacation are, and I will always encourage and enjoy them, HOME is a pretty fantastic place to be.

If you want to know what brought us to the Amazon Jungle in the first place, you can read about our story, Here!

Home in the Amazon graphic- 6 Things you don't Find in the Jungle

1 thought on “6 Things You Just Don’t Find in the Jungle- But you CAN find in Quito, Ecuador!”

  1. Pingback: Catching the Bus in Ecuador- And using it as your main transportation - A Home in the Amazon

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