‘The geography of Ecuador has always dominated the humans who have come to make their homes on her soil.’
—Albert B Franklin, Ecuador: Portrait of a People
FIRST IMPRESSIONS ARE IMPORTANT to all of us during our lives. Our parents and teachers always tell us ‘make a good first impression’. Countries are that way too, in that our first impressions often shape our feelings about a certain place as to whether we like it or not. While I have travelled to numerous countries throughout the world, Ecuador has been the place that has captured my wanderlust and love of other cultures the most.
I was in my bedroom at age 12, sitting at my desk in Phoenix during a winter rainstorm in January. I had received a large, leather-encased, GE transistor shortwave radio for Christmas with instructions on listening to country broadcasts. My father helped me string a large antennae across the roof and I was so excited that voices and music would soon arrive from all parts of the globe to my small house. I turned on my radio and clicked the band selector to shortwave and all types of sounds and signals began sputtering from the speaker. I slowly began to turn the dial and I heard Spanish and the announcer say “Santiago Chile”. Then, I moved my fingers across the dial and sweet guitar music came to my ears and I was captivated. The announcer then came on and said “HCJB, Voice of the Andes from Quito Ecuador”. I was mesmerised by the music and began to imagine this station perched high in the Andes, sitting in the middle of the world.
Again, I was exposed to Ecuador by having a professor in graduate school who came from the Sierra and by helping an Ecuadorian one day find his passport in Phoenix, as mentioned in the introduction. Quite honestly, my interest in Ecuador really catapulted when I saw the wife of the man who had lost his passport. Bronzed and shapely, her beauty was inspiring and I would later learn she would be what many men in Ecuador referred to as one who possesses full equipo or a woman who is beautiful with all the feminine attributes. At that point, I decided I would go to Ecuador someday. Maybe for fame, maybe for fortune but most definitely in search of a beautiful woman of my own.
Finally the time arrived. I took a job with an export company out of Chicago and they hired me to build up their Latin American sales. My first trip took me through Central America and on to Colombia. Finally, on my itinerary was the chance to visit Quito, the city which I had thought about since age 12. Taking an overbooked, late night flight to Quito would be a turning point in my life. Landing hard on the tarmac, the altitude made me gasp for breath and the cool of the night made my bones ache.
I arrived at the old Hotel Quito, which at that time was still one of the most elegant places to stay in Ecuador. The hotel sat perched on a ridge overlooking a valley, lights twinkling away in the distance.
Quito was magical and spoke to my soul. That first week in Quito was amazing as I tried to learn the business practices and walked the cobblestone streets wondering about all the tales the old walls from the 1500s could tell if only they could speak.
During my first stay, I was successful at making several large sales. One of the advantages of being young and travelling for a company is the amount of time you have to entertain yourself at night and at weekends. I walked a great deal throughout old Quito and along Avenida Amazonas and took in the smells of the food being cooked and felt the music being played. As you will learn, music is deep in the soul of Ecuadorians. I felt reborn. However, I was a little surprised that I did not see many women in Quito who appeared similar to the goddess that I had seen in Phoenix. Don’t get me wrong. The women in Quito are alluring with their dark eyes and features. I made a comment to a cab driver on my last night in Quito as to why the women here weren’t more ‘cinnamon’ coloured? He asked if I was going to Guayaquil and I told him I would be going the next day. He said, “Patience amigo—you will see”.
The next day, I made the thirty-minute flight from 2,743 m (9,000 ft) in the Andes, soaring down the avenue of volcanoes, amazed at the landscape and how quickly it changed. My God, the humidity stepping off the plane and the smell of insecticide in the airport was overbearing. And, at first sight, I noticed how significantly different the people in Guayaquil looked. Short, squared, bronzed and proud. The place oozed sensuality. A more open and easy going nature than the highlands, and, of course, I had to speak of the women. Shapely and cinnamon in colour, they possessed a feminine mystique of romance and passion. Had I gone to heaven? Hell yes. In fact, I met my future wife on my first day in Guayaquil. For some reason, I knew this was where I belonged despite the elements that would not make it a destination popular with many travellers at that time. Everything was here—this was my destiny. And as I would find out later, Guayaquil is a tough place to make a life, despite all of its attributes.
Years have passed now and while I don’t live in Guayaquil at the present, it still impresses me, and each time I return, my impressions are invigorated for the way Ecuadorians live and survive despite social injustice, corruption, environmental elements and economic downfalls. Don’t let the negatives discourage you—Ecuadorians are an unusual breed and live in a magical country. It is very unique and if you open your eyes and see, you will be changed permanently for the better. Your heart will be touched, and you no doubt will want to return. And be sure to open your ears and move to the Ecuadorian rhythm of life.