Exchange Zones

No, I'm not a good blogger. Within over two weeks that I am here in Ecuador, I only managed to make two posts. OK, here is the third one...

So far there is no news about solving the murder of the Polish priest that I mentioned in my first post here. However people suspect that he was murdered because he tried to seek justice.

He was robbed some time in the past. Instead of just letting it go like most people do here he was seeking justice. He knew the people that robbed him and supposedly he tried to put the legal system to do its job. Unfortunately for him he wasn't a man of influence and neither had he any powerful friends. He received some threatening phone calls to just drop the case. Some of his friends told him to take it seriously and leave the town. He wouldn't... Officially there is still no news about the reason for the murder or who did it. His friends say that it was the natural outcome of his seeking justice.

I am constantly reminded whenever I go into town to be careful. Actually I was advised to never go alone anywhere. Ventanas is a small town in the middle of nowhere and a foreigner sticks here out like a sore thumb. I take the warnings with a grain of salt but I am careful when I walk the streets alone. I try to not take more than $10 with me when going out and hide my camera in the pocket. I also try to have my eyes on my back. So far I felt always safe and the people were always nice and friendly to me. In fact, since the foreigners are so rare here, I enjoy having some special attention from the people.

But when it comes to the crime, it is best to not have enemies here. Jasiu told me yesterday about a case of a lawyer that was killed just a few months ago. One day, after winning a case for his client about some land dispute he was having dinner at a restaurant. Two guys drove by on a motorcycle and shot him dead. Police did find them. It turned out that they were killers for hire from Colombia. They go $60 for the job! No, this is not a typo – it was SIXTY DOLLARS ONLY! In light of this it becomes clear why you don't want to have enemies here. At least not such enemies that have $60 at their disposal. Even for Ecuadorians this is not that much money. A monthly income of a teacher is about $400. Life is cheap here but death comes even cheaper!

I did some internet search. Here are some excerpts from the article “Ecuador police chase Internet-based killers for hire” http://www.zeenews.com/news634557.html:

“Did your boss fire you and you want revenge? Do people refuse to pay money they owe and laugh at you?" read the ad of a hitman offering his services in the Guayaquil area.

The advertiser promises “discretion... 100 per cent efficiency, and we deliver pictures to the client” to confirm that the job was done. [...]

In Guayas province in 2009 there were 321 homicides and 1,032 assassinations, a toll that deputy Interior Minister Edwin Jarrin called "alarming."

Victims include a legislator's wife and a cousin of the head of the National Transportation Council, both shot by unknown gunmen.

Advertised prices range from 400 to 3,000 dollars, depending on whether the victim "has a lot of money, is an authority or is a regular person," Gagliardo said.

To finish this post with a more optimistic note, here is a picture of one of the many children I take care of.  His name is... sorry, don't remember - I am still learning them. Isn't the future of Ecuador just bright?