The main language of Ecuador is Spanish. However, for the native population, Spanish is their second language but, their native language are Quechua or Shuar. While Quechua is mainly used throughout the highlands, Shuar is used amongst natives of the rainforest area. Along with the native, a lot of people still maintain their native attire. There are also many Ecuadorians that can speak English because of the English language schools throughout the country. I have encountered many Ecuadorians in tourism jobs that can speak English well.
The currency of Ecuador is the United States dollar. However, most stores do no accept any bills higher than $20.00 and, usually do not carry the $1.00 bill. Unlike the United States, Ecuadorians utilize the $1.00 Liberty coins and George Washington coins pictured here. They also use Ecuadorian $0.50 and $0.25 coins named after their late presidents, José Joaquín de Olmedo and José Eloy Alfaro Delgado.
A bottle of water is generally $.50 in any supermercado (supermarket). When you don't have time to get to the store, you can always find a street vendor walking through the intersections repeatedly shouting "¡Agua!" (water in Spanish). They can sell a lot of water bottles on a hot day.
