The Only Foreigner In An Isolated Ecuadorian Village

February 9, 2010 by Monica
Filed under Places & Trips

This is the 4th question I sent to Ned Cresswell, from Intagtour, as part of this written interview we’re having in this blog:

#1 From London to an isolated village in Ecuador

#2 Why sustainable tourism in San Antonio

#3 The hardest part

#4:

What is it like to be the only foreigner in the village?

Well, for a start I suspect that it’s a lot easier than being the only foreigner in an English village, or even worse, in an English city. People in this corner of Ecuador are generally polite, cheerful and easygoing, and so any newcomer has a lot to be thankful for.

I have noticed two general beliefs about “gringos”. The first is that locals often think we are more intelligent than they are, and the second is that they think all gringos have potfuls of money! By now, most have realised that, in my case, neither belief is true!

More difficult, to me, is the problem which faces any newcomer in any village the world over: that of getting to know which people are trustworthy, which are false, and which (like most of us!) have good and bad days.

Everyone knows the saying “buyer beware”, and that is especially true in Ecuador, where almost all of us are struggling just to make ends meet. To start with, I tended to “Buy high and Sell low”, which is obviously a fool’s game. For example, I have learnt to put on a pained expression when selling a cow, and to let the dealer walk away if the price is too low. Under the circumstances, it’s surprising how generous some neighbours are. I have received help with everything from shoeing a horse to the finer points of rearing poultry and milking an angry cow!

So, all in all, I have no complaints about being the only foreigner in the village, and count myself lucky to live in a beautiful part of the world, among friendly people.

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