Traveling in South America is a lesson in flexibility. In Perú and Ecuador, buses have no permanent schedules, prices are not posted and subject to negotiation, and hot water is considered a carnal luxury in remote areas. For rigid, unadventurous types, this not acceptable. They can go to Scandinavia. Other, more foolhardy travelers thrive on the uniquely Latin American ability to place more importance on the championship futból game than on mail circulation, telephone networks, or emergency health care service. They are content to enjoy afternoon siestas, stroll through town plazas, perfect their Spanish, and live, at least temporarily, without the myriad and mindless distractions of home.

Though the first-world media makes much of the fact that several Latin American countries, including Ecuador in the last year, have experienced severe recessions and virtual economic collapse, these countries are not nearly as “poor” as they are depicted to be. In many ways, the culture and lives of Latin Americans are more complete, perhaps even happier, than their more affluent counterparts in other countries. In exchange for stressful careers and consumerism, many Peruvians and Ecuadorians have family, friends, and the best fresh fruit in the world. We’re not trying to suggest that every traveler pull up the proverbial tent stakes, sell all of their worldly possessions, and go live the simple life. But, if you’d like to at least try it temporarily, there’s a warm, welcoming community awaiting to receive you. So, grab your Spanish-English dictionary, a sturdy pair of hiking boots, and some anti-diarrhea medication. Get ready to roll.

PERU FACTS & FIGURES
Capital: Lima.
Land Area: Peru 1,285,220 sq. km
Highest Point: 6768m, Huascarán.
Price of a budget hotel room: US$5, US$8 with bath.

ECUADOR FACTS & FIGURES
Capital: Quito.
Land Area: 283,560 sq. km.
Highest Point: 6267m, Chimborazo.
Price of a budget hotel room: US$4, US$6 with bath.

IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE INCAS

There is a Latin American way of doing things. You’ll probably notice it the first time you ride on a bus, try to make an international call from a phone office, or visit a livestock market full of squealing pigs and spitting llamas. After a while, you may find the mentality has infected you, too. Perhaps you’ll begin arriving at public functions in a Batman suit, backed up by a Uruguayan rock band. Then, maybe you’ll even release a CD called “Madman in Love.” Sound crazy? If the highlands are becoming a bore, try spending six days floating down the Río Ucayalí between Pucallpa and Iquitos in Perú. From the jungle, hop right onto the highest-altitude railway in the world. Sit in on the judges’ panel for the Machala Banana Queen pageant. Don’t be skeptical, it’s a lot larger than it sounds.

Five hundred years ago, before Spanish conquistadors “discovered” the new world, the Incas developed advanced agricultural methods and masonry, and subjecting neighboring tribes rose above the rest to establish a mighty empire. At the height of their influence, the Incas dominated the Andean and coastal region from present-day Chile to northern Ecuador. Cusco, in southern Perú, was their imperial capital, and is now the site of most significant ruins. Though over-touristed, the sacred city of Machu Picchu is an unforgettable experience. Many intrepid visitors arrive by foot, over the high passes of the legendary Inca Trail. Indeed, absolutely gargantuan mountains scrape the sky of these Andean countries. We’re talking volcanic peaks so tall that you get dizzy spells from just looking at their sheer faces. The summit of Ecuador's tallest mountain, Volcán Chimborazo (6267m), because of the equatorial bulge, is the farthest point from the center of the earth. Though Perú and Ecuador bring mountains to most people's minds, they also occupy one-third of South America’s vast Pacific coast. Don’t be fooled by common ignorance—this is the place to come for pristine natural beaches, world-class surfing, and some of the best seafood on the continent. To tempt surfers, Pico Alto is South America’s tallest wave (12-15 ft. faces), and Puerto Chicama boasts one of the longest lefts in the world.

As abruptly as the western edge of the Andes erupts from the lowlands of the Pacific, the chain’s eastern edge plunges thousands of meters to the sweltering, seething immensity of the Amazon Basin. This is not a manicured tourist “rainforest”; this is tropical jungle at its most feral. Though most people think of it simply as a geographic region, those who have visited know that the jungle is our planet at its most alive. Created by a chorus of howler monkeys, toucans, crocodiles, jaguars, the mighty anaconda, and thousands of insects, some of the nocturnal noises that travels through the darkness of the jungle are best left unrepeated. If unsettled wilderness sounds a little bit too foreboding, take refuge in a jungle lodge, most of which offer the basic comforts of civilization, but still make visitors feel hard-core.

Sitting peacefully in the middle of the Atlantic ocean, the Galapagos Islands are a place that Creationists may want to steer clear of. Other visitors will invariably be captivated by the ecosystem that compelled Charles Darwin to formulate his groundbreaking theory of natural selection. The quality of a Galápagos experience is reflected in its price tag, but the opportunity to interact with so many fascinating species, most of which have no fear of man, is well worth it. Here, visitors are greeted by absolutely pristine beaches, ample opportunities for snorkeling and dayhikes, and the opportunity to learn about ecosystems that exist nowhere else in the world. Some particularly outstanding sight in the islands are: the spectacle of Puerto Ayora and tortoise reserve of Isla Santa Cruz; the still-evolving geology and magnificent wildlife of Isla Isabela; and the endemic birds and tranquil beauty of Isla Esañola.

WHEN TO VISIT PERU & ECUADOR

Despite the region’s proximity to the equator, the climate varies greatly across the three geographical regions. On the Pacific coast and in the jungle regions (called the Oriente in Ecuador) you’ll find sweltering heat typical of the tropics, but in the sierra (highlands), the higher you get, the cooler you’ll be. The seasons don’t cycle from summer to winter as in temperate regions, but instead from wet to dry. Coastal and lowland weather is affected by the currents of the Pacific. Warm waters bathe the coastal shores from January to April, bringing torrential downpours and daytime temperatures around 31°C (88°F). In May, cooler currents from the Antarctic mean less heat and less rainfall for the rest of the year.

Sun worshippers and beach crawlers come and go with the seasons. Expect crowds during the temporada alta (high season) from December to April, especially on weekends and holidays. Despite the rains, many locals swarm to the beaches to find solace from the higher temperatures. The rest of the year you’ll most likely have the beach to yourself; skies are cloudy and temperatures cooler. In the sierra, temperatures remain more or less constant all year, averaging 21°C (70°F) during the day and 8°C (47°F) at night. The driest time of year in the highlands is from June to September, but precipitation variation from season to season is not extreme. Variation in rainfall in the Amazon Basin and Oriente is not extreme either; it rains year-round, especially heavily from June to August. As long as you bring adequate rain gear, a shower or two won’t ruin your trip—rain makes jungle tours more authentic. Year-round temperature and humidity approximates that of the coast during the wet season.

In short, there is no perfect time to visit. Unlike the coast, seasonal variation is less marked in the highlands and the jungle. Keep local festivals and holidays in mind when planning your trip. The most important nationwide holidays are Christmas, Semana Santa (Easter week), and Independence Day. (May 24 in Ecuador and July 28-29 in Perú.)

Passing Bentley’s restaurant in Quito’s upmarket banking district, a low-sounding growl emanated from inside. The Ecuador restaurant had a flashing neon light and a modern Virginia-style drive-in bizarrely placed next to some of the Ecuador’s finest colonial architecture. Nothing was to prepare me for the plush red-carpeted grandiose interior.

On the left was a wooden bar serving every spirit imaginable. After a few pre-dinner gin and tonics, my friends and I were shown into a dining room suite. We asked how long the starters would take. The waiter just smiled and said: “Sasha will be here in 10 minutes.”

We weren’t sure exactly what he was referring to; perhaps the chef was going to make an appearance. Nothing was to prepare us for what was to follow.

Sasha was a nine-year-old Margay Andean Tiger. The huge wild cat padded over to us and, like all feline creatures, she clambered up onto my velvet trousers and gave me a huge lick across my face.

“Don’t worry,” said Bruno the owner, who looked rather like a tiger herself in her tiger-print knitwear. “She is only kissing you.”

Turning too quickly for Sasha, I received a nip on my bottom, which caused everyone to laugh.

Bruno, seeing the fear in my face as I returned to my seat, said: “Don’t worry, Sasha has not killed anyone yet.”

But I wasn’t convinced, the Margay Tiger’s growls got louder and louder as he paced from one side of the room to the other, his green eyes flashing, reflecting the lights of the central chandelier.

Fascinated by this beautiful creature, I asked what it was doing in Quito’s central banking area. Bruno explained how she met Sasha nine years ago.

“I had just returned from two months in Europe and was entering a bank in Amazonas Street when I heard a sad, low cry from a baby tiger wrapped in an Indian woman’s woven bag.”

Her initial response was anger at finding yet another exotic animal being sold, as in most cases, for its skin.

Bruno had grown up in the Andean jungle with spider monkeys, macaws and wild pigs. She was born at the top of an antique Indian cemetery which was reputedly filled with intriguing ghosts. As a child she had been scared of cats, waking up on a regular basis after having yet another nightmare of a giant tiger consuming her head. So buying a tiger was the last thing she had ever planned to do, particularly after years of campaigning against animal skins being turned into designer coats for rich women and being sold for exorbitant prices of US$12,000 upwards in London, Paris and New York.

Going on skin raids and pushing for a change in legislation that protected these rare and unique animals, it was very much against Bruno’s philosophy to purchase Sasha at the grand price of a hundred dollars. But at one-week-old, she knew the baby tiger would surely die in the concrete jungle of high finance without immediate assistance.

Margay tigers should stay with their mothers until they are at least 18 months old and if they are taken away they usually either die of sadness or from intestine infections, which cause them to lose all their fur.

Bruno wanted to send Sasha to a zoo in the US where he could be reared by experts, but fate was to play a very different card. Finding a home for Sasha was much harder than she had expected and within days she had to learn to be the tiger’s surrogate mother, carrying him around in her handbag and feeding Sasha with bottled tiger milk on the hour, every hour. Tiger milk is not available in Ecuador and nor were the appropriate medicines to sort out Sasha’s severe intestine infections. However, Eastern Airline pilots who dined at Bentley’s restaurant felt sorry for Bruno and regularly brought vaccines and powdered milk over from New York. As she put it: “Sasha owes his life to the pilots of Eastern Airlines.”

After six months, Sasha, short for Alexander in Russian, was cured and started to cause havoc; like all youngsters, he was extremely mischievous and playful. He loved to explore Bruno’s beautiful home and make friends with anyone and everyone he came across. One morning they were installing a TV cable on the restaurant’s roof and Bruno heard screams and people running from roof to roof. Sasha had seen all the wiring equipment flying in every direction and thought it was some kind of new game, but the installation man did not want to play.

He stormed off, saying: “I have been attacked by dogs, but never a Margay Tiger.”

Even at the age of two Sasha could cause chaos by jumping over neighbours’ fences and attacking the restaurant’s chef if he was handling egg yolks, one of the Andean cat’s favourite appetisers.

Nine years on, Bruno still feels terrible that Sasha does not have the jungle in which to hunt, play and live. “I feel I saved Sasha, but also robbed him at the same time,” she says.

His brother and sister were not so lucky. Bruno heard from Quito’s only wild animal specialist that one died three months later and the other one died before it was two years old, behind bars in a small village called Santiago. People who are critical of her should realise that the Margay Tiger has taken over her life; for seven years she could not go abroad or go away even for the weekend.

In fact, Sasha resented her even going out for the evening. “I was never afraid of my husband, only Sasha, who would attack me if I returned home after 4 o’clock in the morning. He was like Kato in The Pink Panther, hiding everywhere and anywhere and taking me by surprise as he jumped off cupboards and threw me to the floor.”

From then on, she would have to change from her evening attire into jeans and knee-length boots to protect her from Sasha’s jealous rages. Nine years on, and Bentley’s’ owner and Sasha are inseparable. In fact, no-one, not even the staff, are allowed into her private quarters upstairs, because the Margay Tiger sees them as his territory and will attack anyone attempting to enter them.

“Sasha has the run of the place,” said Bruno and at that moment the tiger disappeared under the tablecloth and started to play with our feet.

Sasha eyed our starters with great interest, but Bruno saved the day with some sticks of celery. The Margay Tiger rolled around on the plush carpet and then obediently followed her out of the dining room chewing on the celery as he went.

After all, what wild cat would not follow Bruno? She was stunningly beautiful and, better still, she had an electric blanket switched on upstairs and a roast dinner awaiting Sasha in front of the television.

Fact file:
•Bentley’s is situated at Juan Leon Mera 404, just past Avenida Amazona at the Hotel Colon end of the road. A three-course meal including wine costs approximately £10.