Ecuador

There is a lot to say about this country.  It is poised on the edge of a lot of things, poverty, riches, emergence from the 3rd world, economic ruin and ecological disaster.

Very much a study in edges.  Texaco made a lot of the Amazon Basin in this country into a toxic waste dump.  Then walked away thumbing their nose at those left behind to live in poison.  Chevron bought Texaco and the lawsuit that went with the toxic mess.  Last I heard Chevron is being forced to face the problem, and hopefully in the case before the Canadian Supreme Court, Canada will do it's part to make them face the consequences.

The oil revenue generated does help to lift the country, and it is spending a lot on infrastructure and it's own people to lift them up.  I take this as a great sign and will stand by and applaud as they come to take their place among the good nations of the world.

Oil is not the answer to economic freedom, and I think Ecuador has grasped this concept.  They have seen their economy swing through ups and downs along with the world price of oil, and are choosing to invest in that which will make the most difference in the long run, the education of all.

With all of that though, there are still problems, and poverty and some things of concern to me.  I see the great slopes of the volcanoes and how much is being farmed and I wonder at the sustainability of the agriculture.  Like in Guatemala there are a lot of fields on very steep slopes, and I cannot help but think that a lot of the topsoil washes away with every rain.

Here in Baños, I see a weird mix of ruin and re-build.  It appears that many of the tourist spots have been abandoned, but at the same time others are being re-built.  It is obviously slow a season now, and the hostel I am in is less than 1/4 full.  The number of places actually in ruins is very few, and the over all shape of the town is good, to me it is several large steps above both Nicaragua and Guatemala, and even edging out Costa Rica, mostly because it is striving to find wealth from within and not looking to the 1st world to raise it up.

The youth and energy I saw out for a good time in Quito means to me that this country does not need to be on the world stage to know it is doing fine.  The people here know where they are and where they are going.  That is more than most of us can say.

As the old tree falls, it takes some others with it, but it also creates opportunity for some to reach for the sky.