Ecuador

Ecuador - it´s the furthest place on Earth from the centre of the planet and you weigh less here too. It´s great news for the baggage allowance, (and perhaps those big girls from Weight Watchers) especially when you´ve succumbed to an impulse purchase or two or three at a quality craft stall.

Upon arrival in Quito, Ecuador´s capital, one is struck by an ambience of times gone by. The old town streets are lined with the proud colonial architecture of centuries past - how funny to have a physical identity based around that which was rejected, beaten and cast away. Nevertheless, there it is, an aura reminiscent of Sienna or Prague, where modern industry is somewhere down the road, tucked out of sight behind another mountain. But modernity is a relative term in most of South America; visits from buses and trucks from outlying towns reveal the country´s infancy in matters of pollution control. With exhaust fumes choking and the elevation suffocating, Phileas reckons it´s hard not to have a biological as well as emotional reaction to classic Quito.

Harder still is not to have a more genuine reaction out of the capital. Mountains, volcanoes, landscapes and communities that time has somehow bypassed seem to be the norm. Coming to Ecuador, Phileas fully expected to experience traditional costume as tourist propaganda. Seeing it alive and well in rural communities as well as backstreets served to strengthen the character of the place and somehow legitimise the Gringo´s own souvenir Panama hat! Whatever the locals may think, it will definitely sit well on a cricket umpire´s head - practical and memorable at the same time.

Jungle aside (something Phileas cannot comment on) Ecuador´s greatest possession has to be the Galapagos Islands. I suppose it could be argued that they are hardly Ecuadorian, being so far from the mainland. Indeed, in support, most Ecuadorians could never even dream of visiting them with costs being so high. Yet, since the islands are moving 5cm a year towards the mainland, Phileas is prepared to accept the forward thinkers argument that these wonderful islands are Ecuador´s destiny. Besides, Phileas knows who collects the entry tax and there´s no arguing against that!

What an experience these islands gave Phileas. It was an insight into how life should´ve been, before Man received ideas of grandeur; this place, where species live in balance, unabused by negative, unnatural influences. In a way, it was the best place on Earth. Floundering in comparison to graceful sea-lions, surrounded by shoals of attentive fish, eyed by a dismissive turtle and ignored by patrolling penguins and sharks, Phileas was reminded that despite such power as a human nothing truly belonged to him. He was just part of the whole; another humble creature, far from perfection but having had a perfect experience.

Be powerful but know your place.

Phileas