If you really want to fit in in Ecuador, wear a suit. Apart from Paris I don't think I've ever been in a country where clothes were so much a part of the cultural identity. Of course I'm talking about the mountain section of Ecuador where the temperature hovers in the 70's during the day and 50's at night, down on the coast it is a different (more Hawaiian story). The amazing part is everybody is dressed to a "t" all the way down to keeping their suits buttoned whenever in publc...and women usually are dressed in suits or dresses with high-heels called "tacos" here.

To buy a suit in Cuenca is fun, you walk into a store packed with rolls of cashmere, woolen knits...materials from around the world and you buy two yards...for anywhere between $15 and $40 per yard (I paid $40 for cashmere made in England) then you walk across the street or over a block (there are 30 or 40 tailors in the central area) walk in with your material, show them in a book what style you would like (double-breated, 6 button, no pocket flaps, two vents, European cut...pay $60 and come back in two days to pick up your new suit. It's that fast and that simple...