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Gringo al SUR

Exploring the south of Ecuador

Gringo al SUR is a character that was created for a TV program on Ecotel television in Loja. He is an expat from Belgium who embarks on a discovery trip around the Loja province and it numerous "pueblos".

He likes talking to the people. He is very curious by nature and wants to know everything. He is not scared of asking silly questions and make people laugh. His ambition is to help the people living here rediscover the beauty of their own country and province, to show them things from the perspective of an outsider..

In Ecuador, whoever has fair or fairer skin and does not look Chinese is called a “gringo”. Whether you are Swedish, Australian or even, how ironic, Russian, you are a gringo. At the beginning when I first arrived in this country in 2008, this was a little disturbing to me. I am European, from a tiny country called Belgium and I feel in no way related to the real gringos from North America...

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Episodes Comments Documentation

The video below is a short presentation of what the program is about. It is in Spanish and we haven't done subtitles yet for those who understand a bit of Spanish it will give them an idea and hopefully a desire to know more and watch all the episodes.

Gas Intro
Gas Intro

We hope you liked the intro. Click on the Episodes button above to watch some more. Click on the Comment button to leave a (most welcome) comment.



Gringo al SUR – At the boundary between two worlds
Gringo al SUR – At the boundary between two worlds

In Ecuador, whoever has fair or fairer skin and does not look Chinese is called a “gringo”. Whether you are Swedish, Australian or even, how ironic, Russian, you are a gringo. At the beginning when I first arrived in this country in 2008, this was a little disturbing to me. I am European, from a tiny country called Belgium and I feel in no way related to the real gringos from North America.

Read on...


Gringo al SUR – What is right about Ecuador - Gentleness
Gringo al SUR – What is right about Ecuador

My conclusion after years of being exposed to the Ecuadorian culture is that there is something deeply genetic that makes the Ecuadorian people who they are. Most people here are "mestizos", meaning (in Latin America) people of mixed race, especially the offspring of a Spaniard and an American Indian. I am no expert but I guess this would be true about the Colombians and the Peruvians as well. However, there must be something about the specific Ecuadorian mix that makes the people so nice. What I mean by "nice" is that they are a gentle, non-confrontational, non-aggressive and fundamentally happy race.

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