• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

Paolo Messina

Creative Documentary & Travel Photography

  • Home
  • Portfolio
    • Documentary
    • Travel
    • Personal
  • Blog
  • Prints
  • About

ECUADOR – Vilcabamba to Zumba

October 21, 2009 by Paolo 1 Comment

I finally managed to catch a flight to Loja – even thought it got cancelled cause I hadn’t confirm it and luckily got the last available seat at the airport – then a bus to Vilcabamba, also known as the “Valley of Longevity”.

XJ6H7246

[Show slideshow]

Well, it rained almost all day and I didn’t stop by enough time to meet any centurial dweller but here I got some office workers in their 40s:

XJ6H7261

[Show slideshow]

I spent the following 2 days jumping from bus to truck to taxi. And waiting, lots, checking my hair growth:

IMG_0249

[Show slideshow]

and annoying the locals with my picture taking. Many refused. The problem is when the first one says no, that’s it, everyone around says no. Later on somebody told me that they refused cause they thought I was going to ask for money. Odd. traduci >>

XJ6H7301P
XJ6H7338
XJ6H7341
XJ6H7342
XJ6H7344
XJ6H7346
XJ6H7353
XJ6H7360
XJ6H7363
XJ6H7371
XJ6H7373
XJ6H7379

[Show slideshow]


ECUADOR – Quito – Mustard

October 11, 2009 by Paolo Leave a Comment

This is quite a modern city and not as traditional looking as I was expecting it to be but its position among the mountains at 2800m of altitude is just stunning.

I wasn’t planning to stay 3 days here but when the taxi I had booked to go to the airport and try to buy a ticket for the 8am flight to Loja didn’t turn up I decided to let the events “lead the journey” and stay in Quito till Monday. So yesterday I got the chance to have a haircut. Hair and beard are all gone now! The hair dresser also hoovered my head in the end! That’s exclusive! After that, as I was walking down the street a woman approached me from behind and told me I was full of something – not sure what she said exactly but “mierda” could be an option. I knew I was about to have my stuff nicked or something so, without stopping I swiftly inverted direction and got out from the crowd around me. When the nearest person was at 50m from me I checked my back. Jumper, trousers, camera bag and backpack were covered with some disgusting stuff and even though I don’t like it, I want to believe it was mustard.

Off to Loja then Vilcabamba in the morning if the taxi turns up this time. Otherwise I’ll have to dig out my poncho if I want to go around Quito again. traduci >>

XJ6H7016P
XJ6H7038
XJ6H7048
XJ6H7049
XJ6H7051
XJ6H7086
XJ6H7149
XJ6H7152
XJ6H7161
XJ6H7168
XJ6H7174
XJ6H7176
XJ6H7177
XJ6H7179
XJ6H7181
XJ6H7185
XJ6H7186
XJ6H7194
XJ6H7199
XJ6H7215

[Show slideshow]
12►

ECUADOR – Coca – Numa

October 11, 2009 by Paolo 5 Comments

After landing in Quito I went straight to the bus terminal to catch a 9-hours coach to Coca. From there I was planning to go by boat to Iquitos, Peru’ but I had to abandon the idea because of the current lack of…boats.

This is a town that developed in recent years over the nearby oil plants and the relative business. The water is a Coca Cola product and the coffee is instant Nescafe’.

I’ve hired a local guide for one day, Numa – meaning shaman – who was born and raised in a nearby wooden house in the jungle, when Coca wasn’t there yet. He used to work as an architect but now he does only social and touristic work.

I wasn’t interested in cayman watching or piraña fishing so I asked him to take me to meet the communities that live in the jungle. We eventually got stuck cause of a never ending storm but we still managed to visit a few houses and a school near the riverside. Some less fortunate kids are left alone all day at home while their parents are at work.

I can tell Numa loves the river, the selva “preciosa” and its people. His voice deems when he talks about the “petroleros” and their exploitation of the area. traduci >>

IMG_0176
XJ6H6584P
XJ6H6461
XJ6H6490
XJ6H6496
XJ6H6505
XJ6H6537
XJ6H6566
XJ6H6576
XJ6H6577
XJ6H6591
XJ6H6592
XJ6H6594
XJ6H6606
XJ6H6609
XJ6H6614
XJ6H6625
XJ6H6640
XJ6H6655
XJ6H6658

[Show slideshow]
12►

Footer

Search

Follow us

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn

Geo Tags

Argentina Australia Bolivia Brazil Chile Colombia Cuba Ecuador Fiji Germany Indonesia Italy Palestine Peru Singapore Sri Lanka Thailand Turkey UK Uruguay USA

Newsletter

© 2021 · Paolo Messina