So many foreign visitors who arrive in Ecuador spend next to no time in continental Ecuador, often merely overnighting between flights in its capital city of Quito. This is because their main destination is its Galapagos Islands, 836 miles from Quito, 563 miles from the coast of Ecuador west out in the Pacific Ocean. Big mistake. Sure, the Galapagos Islands are a top bucket-list destination, but it’d be smart to spend some time visiting mainland Ecuador while going to or coming back from the Galapagos and, in fact, Ecuador, even without a visit to the Galapagos, is a great destination in and of itself. It may be dwarfed by other South American countries as a popular tourist destination, but it offers a fascinating variety of things to see and do—which is why I’ve visited four times. An Unforgettable Train Adventure One experience I’ll never forget is riding a narrow-gauge track …