Photos Chota Valley

Here are some of the photos I took in the Chota Valley. The story should follow as soon as I´m back in BA, in a week.

The valley where only dreams grow

The Chota Valley lies in northern Ecuador, only a few hours drive from the Colombian border. Gushing along over a bed of rounded stones, the little Chota river only holds enough water to irrigate a few acres deep on each river bank. Apart from that the landscap is rocky and windswept, without a tree in sight. Scraping a living out of this tough environment looks like it requires a lifetime of backbreaking work. But I´m not here for the agriculture... I´m here for the football!


You see, this craggy little corner of Ecuador, with a population of only 2000, has produced some of its greatest soccer legends, including Augustin Delgado who scored the nation's first ever goal in a World Cup in 2002. Other stars include Ulises de la Cruz formerly of Aston Villa and PSV´s Edison Mendez. I´m here to find out why? How can a tiny community of mainly poor black farmers in a rugged Andean Valley produce such outstanding football players? Watch this space for more...

First photo taken by suramericavive

Mama Tungurahua

Ik ben in Baños, Ecuador met Mariela. Een klein stadje aan de voet van een immense vulkaan, die volgens wetenschappers op springen staat. Voor The Independent heb ik er een stukje over geschreven, die je hier kunt vinden.