2014 - Page 6 of 11 - LIVING THE DREAM

21 Ecuador Chocolate Bars We Tried When Visiting

Ecuadorian chocolate has been enjoying an increase in worldwide popularity over the past few years. If you talk about chocolate with any Ecuadorian worth their salt, they will quickly point out that Pacari, an Ecuadorian chocolate company, has won dozens of international awards over the past two years, beating out traditional European chocolate makers time and time again.

After decades of merely exporting their cacao internationally, entrepreneurs in Ecuador are realizing how good their cacao is and how much pride (and money) can come from producing chocolate bars from their own cacao right here in their own country.

We had to see for ourselves what distinguishes Ecuadorian chocolate from bars processed by the premier chocolatiers around the world. After a month of traveling around Ecuador, and 21 bars later, we found out.

Within moments of arriving in Cuenca, Ecuador, we felt an odd familiarity.

The city seemed eerily similar to one we had visited a few months prior, down to just about every detail. The buildings looked identical, the public squares just as pristine, and many of the people wore the same traditional style clothes as we saw during our stay in Sucre, Bolivia.

With our excitement at the highest levels, since Sucre has earned a spot in our Top 10 Favorite Cities anywhere in the world, we were thoroughly prepared to start throwing around the same distinction for Cuenca.

But there was one key difference which brought our whole experience down several notches.

The city is overflowing with expats, and the ones we encountered were all quite rude.

We spent quite a bit of time researching Galapagos island travel options before deciding to travel the islands by land on our recent trip. Ultimately we went for the most budget conscious option as two friends wanted to come visit us on the islands and we did not want to subject them to exorbitant spending during the 7-day trip.

While you could look at a trip to the Galapagos and say “I want to do this as cheaply as possible,” there are many factors to keep in mind that may persuade you to do otherwise. Depending on what you want to get out of your trip, your travel choice just may surprise you!

It is hard work being a Galapagos animal.

Inhabitants of one of the most protected island chains in the world truly have a lot on their plate. Natural predators are in abundance thanks to the conservation effort, food sources are plentiful so it is easy to get full at will, and there are always throngs of tourists to entertain each and every day.

You think your job is rough? These 17 animals from the Galapagos beg to differ.

21 Ecuador Chocolate Bars We Tried When Visiting

The One Reason to Skip Cuenca, Ecuador on Your Next Trip

Galapagos Island Hopping – Stay on Land or Take a Cruise?

19 Galapagos Animals Who Had a Worse Week Than You