$ How much I spent going to Ecuador $

As I've mentioned before mission work isn't ever cheap, not to mention the old adage of "You get what you pay for".  My costs were way up from Haiti but OMG, Ecuador is amazing.  Did I mention roses, the equator, mountains, volcanoes, great food and crafts.  Luckily the currency is in US dollars which made everything very easy to calculate.

Ticket Price                $1,225 +30 extra bag charge- Continental (It can be had for much less ~500-800 but I was heading to Bogota,Colombia after the mission so my price ended up higher.)
Travel insurance           $71 from www.accessamerica.com  When doing mission work travel insurance is a must. Don't try to save money and skip this.
Hotel & food                $460.
                                     This included pre and post night stay in Quito at:                                      Hilton Colon www.quito.hilton.com
                                     The mission week was spent in Ambato at:
                                     Hotel Florida  http://www.hotelflorida.com.ec/
*Even though I didn't stay at the ROKA hotel I must recommend them for food/atmosphere and their boutique accommodations in Ambato. We enjoyed the specialty Roka steak served on Lava rock. How cool is that. We also had a tour of  the rooms and they were AMAZING $45-95/night which included all tax and breakfast. www.hotelrokaplaza.com
*I also recommend Cafe Mosaico in Quito http://www.cafemosaico.com.ec/index.html not so much for the food, although it was fine, but truly for the spectacular view. I found it on Trip advisor prior to going.  I also highly recommend The Plaza Grande hotel.  I went there for dessert in La Belle Epoque dinning room and was treated to another view which took my breath away.  Not only was the dessert GRAND but they had Opera singers do a 30-40 min performance around 8:30 pm. Wow.  Oh proper dress is required. http://www.plazagrandequito.com/english/belle_eng.html

Shopping Costs                    $220 I just found so many great things: alpaca wrap, woven belt, pottery, etc.
Quito-Equator tour/tax        $27
Quito- Exit tax                     $42  very important!!

Okay... So my grand total is over $2, 075.  And that does NOT include money spent on items for the medical or orphanage part of my mission prior to leaving.  If the price tag is making you sad don't forget... where there is a will there is a way and I really mean that.  You can do fund raising or cut back on a guilty pleasure or two.  I brew and take my own coffee daily to work and avoid the Mall except for "emergencies" : )  Be happy in your life at home or on the road!