Ecuador. More than bananas.

If ever there is a guidebook published on the street vendor marketing pitch, written in bold on page 1 would be the phrase "where you from?". After which there need not be anything else in the South American edition because as a merchant here you commit those three words to memory, close the book and settle back into your hammock.

A typical morning on Bondi Beach

I still don't fully understand the power in these three words. It doesn't really matter what the answer is because my being from New Zealand has little to do with the price of fish; or some crudely made handicraft. After 4 months of this line of questioning sometimes I mix it up. Timbuktu, before they're halfway finished. But I may as well say New Zealand for the recognition on their faces. And still they've won because I've been sucked in and now obligated through my own courtesy - and this simple phrase - to trawl through stuff I will never need. I just don't seem able to walk away from this question.

The main street of Montanita is lined with dozens of stalls similar to this. All sell huge fruit bowls, smoothies and cocktails. Nothing will cost you more than $2. 

Sometimes you meet entrepreneurs who have studied beyond the first page. They have a batch of pre-fab responses stored away for the most common nationalities. The response won't make sense - just a list of colloquialisms rolled out in a meaningless string. Sweet as, kiwi, All Blacks, kia ora, yeah bro, sheep, haka, Lord of the Rings. Is this really NZ's contribution to the World?

Praia de los Frailes

But the grounds for feeling aggrieved at such a trite global image of NZ are shaky (we have great wine and lamb also; did I mention we're intermittently great at sports no-one else is too interested in?). Because as we board a bus bound for Ecuador it dawns on me that my collective knowledge of the country can be obtained from a small blue and yellow sticker. Bonita, Premium Bananas.

There's no shortage of study time. It's a 30 hour trip from Lima to Guayaquil and I do my best to learn about a country that ashamedly never made it onto my top-10 list. 

Pelicans 

We are in and out of Guayaquil quickly, heading straight for the beachside towns of Montanita and Ayampe. We spend a few nights in each place (I tried to recall exactly but it blurs into a sandy, sugary wash); Montanita, a bustling party town and Ayampe, where there's nothing more than a few bungalows and some shops. 

After 6 busy weeks spent in the highlands of Bolivia and Peru it's great to do nothing but lie on the beach. SPF 30, of course.

Ayampe

Washed up on the shores of Ecuador, the remnants of the Bolivian navy

No time for more at the moment, but will continue our travels in Ecuador soon.

Hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas. We had a great time celebrating in the Colombian countryside. Off to the Caribbean coast tomorrow for New Years!

xN&G