One of the most interesting aspects of traveling long distances by land is the experience of change, not just changes in the obvious location and landscape, but subtle changes, shifts in perspective and awareness that only slow, patient, and steady travel can give you. Traveling from as far north as New York, to as far west as California, then heading as far south as Peru, I noticed a very powerful tendency of how the balance of mood, demeanor, and overall attitude are mirrored and reflected by geographical location.
I realized, and experienced, how certain attitudes and “vibes” changed the closer you get to the equator, how in Ecuador, things seem to be, in a word, balanced. The more north from the equator you travel, the more things become oriented to the external, the colors, the smells, the playing field of the senses. The more south, the internal realm begins to pull more, toward a greater focus on the past, or ancestors, on reflections of the inner dialogue of the mind. In Ecuador, with beautiful beaches, lush rain forest, and a gateway to the Amazon, there seemed to be a balance between how the external is manifested by the internal, a calm of being that could be felt in all of the locals I met.
Ecuador is a magical place, where you can feel how the equator can manifest as balance, in a sense, between the mind and material world, in the cities, in the forest, the mountains, and on the beaches. It is definitely worth a visit, or even a long stay.
