Quito
Ecuador's capital city (although not its largest), Quito is a modern and well to-do place, located high in the Andean mountains. It's also extremely close to the equator: just a short drive north to "Mitad del Mundo", a big tourist attraction, and a spot that the big line itself passes through. Quito itself is the tourist centre of this country, and it's a great place to relax, to party, and to base yourself for various adventures and excursions.
Secret Garden, Quito
Although it's located in Quito's Old Town — away from the party scene and the gringo restaurants of the New Town and the Mariscal area — the Secret Garden is undoubtedly the place for backpackers to stay in this city. Owned (and largely run) by Aussies, it's very friendly and always full of people. Hang out on the rooftop terrace for breakfast each morning, and for dinner and some beers each evening, and you'll be sure to meet plenty of people, and to have a great time exchanging laughs and stories.
Off to Quito
It's been a fun few days of rafting and — err, and not much else — here in Tena, but I'm afraid the time has come to depart. The weather is nice and warm here (if a bit rainy and humid), and the town is small and laid-back (if a bit of a dump), but I have to return to big-city life once again. I'm sad to leave Tena, as it was probably the last river rafting spot on my trip. Anyway, I'm sure I'll find more rafting to do, somewhere, sometime. Hopefully not too far off in the future, 'cause it's really daym fun.