Ecuador - Culture Smart!

The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture

By: Russel Maddicks

Narrated by: Charles Armstrong

Length: 4 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's summary

Squeezed between Colombia in the north and Peru in the south, Ecuador is named for its location on the Equator and has a landscape so varied that it has been described as a microcosm of every microclimate found in South America. This diversity makes it a magnet for tourists, mountain trekkers, volunteers, and increasing numbers of US retirees looking for a warm, culturally interesting, economical, and safe place to spend much of their time.

Ecuador's multiethnic population reflects a unique blend of cultures, from traditionally dressed mountain peoples, whose ancestors inhabited their highland villages before the arrival of the Incas, to the Afro-Ecuadorians of Esmeraldas and the Chota Valley and the tribal peoples of the Amazonian rainforest. The Ecuadorians are proud, friendly, hospitable, and hardworking, but to know them well, the foreign visitor needs to understand the complex historical divisions between the highlands and the coast, and the rigid class and racial hierarchy that has shaped the country's history.

Culture Smart! Ecuador takes you beyond the usual descriptions of where to go and what to see and gives you an insider's view of the people, their history, their food, and their culture. Special sections are designed to help food lovers get the most out of the menu, assist business travelers to gain an edge on the competition, and show expats, volunteers, and visitors how to meet and get on well with the Ecuadorians, who are as diverse and varied as the country's amazing geography.

©2020 Dreamscape Media, LLC (P)2020 Dreamscape Media, LLC

How thorough it was.

Liked the thorough presentation of how to live or visit Ecuador. 4 more words, words.

Great overview

This audiobook has tons of good and helpful information about Ecuador. It gives information about history geography, the current culture and more. There are a few critical comments concerning the traditional Latin Catholic culture which I found judgemental and unnecessary. The worst part of this audiobook is unfortunately the narrator. He's really a good narrator, with a British accent, however he cannot speak Spanish AT ALL. This book is full of Spanish names, places, people, phrases, holidays, and he butchers the pronunciations of nearly all of these words. I would recommend getting a print version so you can see the words he's saying and look up the right pronunciations on your own. I learned a lot of useful and interesting information about Ecuador from this book, but to the publishers, get a bilingual narrator, there many good ones out there.

Ecuador history and travel information

Gives a brief history and understanding of the Ecuadorian people politics and modern day life

Great for tourists, fostering kids from Equador, or those doing business or relocating to Equador

Tells customs, manners, holidays, history, and a lot of very helpful information about the current day country of Equador

Chew up the chicken and spit out the bones!

Chew up the chicken and spit out the bones. The Chicken: The history of Ecuador, the discussions of Ecuadorian food, and culture was informative and enjoyable. The reader has a lovely British English that most of the book is pleasant. The bones: HIS SPANISH PRONUNCIATION IS VERY BAD! Simple words like "hija" is pronounced (E-ha). An initial 'h' in Spanish is never pronounced. If all the Spanish words were written down as they are pronounced, he would sound much better.

Mispronunciation and generalizations

This guide is adequate for learning the basics of Ecuadorian history and geography, but when tackling social, cultural and political topics, many of the claims are annoying generalizations at best, and entirely incorrect, intolerably colonial and racist at worst. The narrator also seemed to have a really tough time with some of the words, which can be quite harmful for someone who is trying to learn the language.