Buildings like the one here were not uncommon at all. And was a pleasure for my eyes especially after months of nothing but gray brought on by the overcast and rainy conditions at home.
Speaking of colors, only now do I notice a rather dull pattern in the couple of photos that I have of myself from this trip--I am wearing only black t-shirts and long-sleeve versions. A colorful personality I am not, literally!
Not difficult to understand then why my father finds it rather annoying when day after day all I mostly wear are grey and black when I am in India, while the rest of Chennai and its peoples are clothed in all possible colors of the rainbow!
Whether it is in India or Ecuador, as I walk around absorbing the differences, and the riotous and vibrant colors and sounds, I do wonder whether most of them are tired of what they have and would prefer the relative sobriety of the North American urban landscape.
I am reminded of a conversation when on a train ride in Italy back in 1998. I struck up a conversation with the Italiano in the adjacent seat. He was a management consultant and was fluent in English.
I shared with him my excitement about the scenic Italian cities, and asked him if he had ever been to the US.
I remember his comments even after all these years. He said the place he loved the most was Los Angeles. Why? "Because everything is new. I love the freeways there."
A day or so later, we went to small town outside of Florence, for which we had to take a taxi from the train station. I, of course, tried to chat with the driver. Told him how beautiful it all was.
He was curious about America, and was excited when I told him that we were visiting from California.
The driver was ecstatic. "I love California. Very beautiful. Good scenery."
The way he said that, I was convinced he had visited California and asked him about that.
"Saw on TV. Like to go there."
I suppose many of us are fascinated with the beauty that we perceive to be somewhere else. Only that can explain why in the charming small town of Otavalo, people construct buildings like this one that stand out oddly amidst more traditional architectural styles.
Perhaps people in Quito and Ecuador might find the structures and colors of North America to be more appealing then?
That certainly seemed to be the case as I looked down at the valley from the hills of the Bellavista neighborhood in Quito, where Museo Guayasamin is located.
Across was a McMansion with its own tennis court, which could easily be a replica of a rich estate somewhere in the exclusive neighborhood of Montecito near Santa Barbara.
1 comment:
That new glass-fronted structure reminds me of any number of the new buildings in Trivandrum (OK, Thiruvananthapuram now).
MG Road was widened a few years back, and all the cute old shops were demolished. SP Stores, my favorite shop that once had one of everything, despite its minuscule size, is gone. How sad.
I liked MG Road better before. :(
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