Vinces in photos

To start with Vinces, this was my shower. Maybe I'll plug in my electric razor here!

To get from my hotel to the cocoa center where I met the Italians, I had to take one of these taxis:

  

 Except I took one with a motorcycle in the front and I was in the open cart in the back. I tried to take some photos from my mini tour of Vinces so you all could get an idea of what it's like.   

This is the outskirts of Vinces. There's an old painted ad for Economista Rafael Correa, current President of Ecuador (also, fun fact: Correa was voted #7 Hottest Head of State)

It rained in the morning, so there was lots of rain in the streets.

People ride bikes all around because the town is pretty small, although lots of people live along the peripheries with their fincas- land plots.

Vinces is called the birthplace of fine flavor cacao, and here you can see some drying on the sidewalk outside of someone's store.

There was lots of fresh fruit! Like all of these pineapples.

I got to see the Eiffel Tower! Hidden behind construction, of course. 

Here's a good example of Vinces. Concrete building, no character. Fairly dull.

Here's an example of how Vinces sees itself, with a more European touch.

Not all of Vinces is ugly. I liked these flowers in the garden of this house just outside of town.

This house was cute too, with a little more personality.

The whole area is pretty agricultural. This place is telling you that you can save (ahorrar) fertilizers for your cocoa and you can buy seeds (semillas) there.

Crossing the river to leave town.

Inside the centro de acopio. You can see the cocoa drying, and the green machines are an old rice processor that is no longer in use.

Outside of the centro de acopio.

This guy passed by.

Here's Julio showing the Italian students that the midge, the tiny insect that pollinates 95% of all of the cocoa flowers, likes to live in these decomposing old cocoa shells.

And that's Vinces! Now you've seen Ecuador's Little Paris. ¡Bienvenidos!