The video below, produced by the Ecuadorian ministry of tourism, will give you a great overview of the beauty of Ecuador and its diverse cultural traditions. As much as I love seeing these images as a reminder of my time there, it ignores completely the struggles of the indigenous peoples who live in poverty in rural areas outside of the main cities. Of course, that's to be expected in a video intended to entice tourists to visit, but it was in those communities where I genuinely fell in love with the country and her people.
Just as we often do with homeless folks here in Canada, the poor get swept under the rug in an attempt to make things "prettier" when in fact, true beauty is found in the faces of the children who live in these communities. A zipline over the rainforest will take your breath away but a hug from an impoverished child will steal your heart.
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