Third World Experience

"So what did you think of your third world experience?" asked Joseff across the table from my frittata plate and cold Pilsner beer. "Interesting" was all I could muster at that moment. We had just returned from a Christmas spirit charity project organized by the mountain bike club of Guayaquil, and we were enjoying an overpriced almorzo with about fifteen others. The trip took us into the rural villages where we ride our bikes just outside of Guayaquil, except this time instead of bikes we came in SUVs and one big truck carrying 400 individual bags of food to distrubute to the families in these rural areas.

The harsh inequalities in Ecuador are visible everyday in the streets of Guayaquil, but in the rural areas poverty takes on a new meaning.

The trip up to the villages was eye-opening and scary and interesting and humbling at the same time. These people have so little and we have so much here in Urdesa. The bike club met at the Mobil gas station at about 8:30 am. Then, we split up and traveled to several small villages in and around the area where we ride. A form of community and trail maintenance. It was a way of giving back, literally and materially (with sacks of food and gallon jugs of water) to the people that live in work in the areas that we use for recreation.


Money for the food was donated by local businesses. 400 sachels was a generous effort, but considering the need of these people it bearly makes a dent. We found ourselves short about 50 bags at the last town, and as we were drinking a Pilsner from the local store, some ladies complained that they had come late, and they needed something, "Dame algo! Dame agua! - Give me water, give me food, something.." they said.

wikiloc map of our route: http://es.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/view.do?id=261343

Location: Various pueblos west of Guayaquil in the coastal plain including: Frutilla, Buenosaires, Sacahun, Guayas Province, Ecuador