It's your good luck to live in Colorado & not have to worry about altitude walking! That will make Quito much more enjoyable.

Unfortunately, Adventure Center (part of the Far & Wide now-bankrupt empire) was the US operator who organized my trip in Oct '95. Metroplitan Touring is one of the oldest in-country tourism organizations, but there are many smaller, newer, more eco-oriented operators available these days, but I don't have first-hand knowledge about them.

My favorite hotel in Quito is the Sierra Madre. http://www.hotelsierramadre.com/ It's in a quiet neighborhood, the owners (are they maybe Swiss? I've forgotten) are a wealth of information on Ecuador.

In the highlands, I enjoyed the Hacienda Cusin near Otovalo. When I tried to call up the website for the hotel, I got a huge virus alert, so be careful if you go searching for info on the hacienda.

In the Amazonian Cuyabeno, part of the time we were on a very simple houseboat (which has since sunk) & part of the time in a simple eco-lodge, whose name I can't find at the moment.

I did find this site with lots of good info, including some nice stuff on the Cuyabeno: http://www.planetecuador.net/index.htm

I think the eco-lodge business has become more sophisticated in the last few years & it could be a lot easier to plan a trip!

Regards, Gail In Eugene but never for long