A true guidebook from our favorite travel publisher, we ended up using this book more for its information about Ecuador and its capital city, Quito, than we did for the information on the islands. While I doubt that anyone actually reads a travel guidebook from front to back, what we do like to do with the Lonely Planet guides is to concentrate on the two text sections called “Facts about the Country” and “Facts for the Visitor.” These sections help travelers gain some insight into the place they are about to visit, including cultural clues (for example, it is generally not acceptable to wear shorts in Latin American cities, even if you are on vacation) and suggestions for places to go and things to see.

[Finished March 1997]