Chordeleg is roughly 40 kilometers from Cuenca, and a stone’s throw from Gualaceo, which has a wonderfully authentic fruit and vegetable market. Ecuadorian women wear traditional costumes as a matter of course – typically bright fuscia skirts and warm lemon colored cardigan cotton sweaters, all of their hair in braids.
Children run around freely, their eyes popping with enthusiasm, joy and curiosity. They love to be photographed and actually thank you when you do so.
The small town is known for jewelry, ceramics and leather. According to a bright 18 year old I spoke to who wanted to practice his English, the town imports leather from Chile and other parts of South America and locals hand-make shoes and bags, although mostly shoes. 2-3 blocks of shops are dedicated to shoe stores alone, which may not seem high but for a town of this size, it’s significant.
Children are what made my day in this little stop over. There’s a central square that is surrounded by shops and a gorgeous towering church painted in yellow with Greek-island blue accents. The kids run around the square, play with dogs, eat ice cream cones and stare at you as if to say “let’s play already.” Below, some of the children I met pose and play.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
