“Ecuador is one of the world’s most dangerous countries,” newscasters keep telling you on international news reports. “Gang violence and drug cartels are to blame.” I’m not going into the gory details or repeating any of the news stories. There are myriad resources online to read about Ecuador’s current security situation. However, I do recommend reading about these events from sites such as Al Jazeera, Associated Press, and Reuters as the most fact-based and least politically biased news sources. If you ever look at your Home Office travel warnings, they’ll also advise you to avoid travel to Ecuador and, especially, to steer clear of the province of Esmeraldas. Mompiche is located at the southern end of the province, about a three-hour drive from the city of Esmeraldas where the gangs and drug cartels took over before the military forces lined the streets and imposed curfews. We are quite a distance away from all the action. Quito, a city also in the news, is nine hours away.
Today, I’m here to tell you that it is safe here. Yes, I am safe. Mompiche is safe. The great geographical thing about Mompiche is that it’s a bottleneck. One road in. One road out. Gangs don’t come down here causing trouble because they know they’d never get out. The police and security forces would lie in wait for them along the road and sweep them all up in their traps. We know this because it happened a few years ago with some hapless cocaine dealers who are now serving hefty time. No one is getting mugged in the street. Women aren’t being raped and murdered. There are no home invasions. People aren’t being gunned down in broad daylight. Stores aren’t being robbed at gunpoint. No one is being extorted, albeit not for lack of trying. Extortion gangs lamely tried phoning it in to businesses in Mompiche and were told quite pointedly where to go before we all blocked their phone numbers. I’ve never quite so enjoyed telling someone to f*ck off before! Defeated, they gave up trying.
In Mompiche, we go about our business in peace. Actually, it’s so peaceful here we have unlimited time to ourselves. The beach is deserted and the streets are empty. There are no guests in the hotels nor any patrons in the restaurants. Remember all those scary news reports about how dangerous it is in Ecuador? They frightened all the tourists away. It’s heartbreaking to see so many locals struggle when we all know Mompiche is one of the safest places in Ecuador and tourists would be safe and secure here. Obviously, street smarts apply and you can’t leave your wallet or phone unattended on the beach while you swim and surf, but the village is safe enough for tourism to thrive. It’s a shame so many people have been scared off traveling here.
Economically, we are not secure in Mompiche. While artisanal fishing brings in some income, tourism is our bread and butter. Theoretically, this tough situation does leave the door open for gangs to enlist young people looking for money. However, there are no homeless people in the village. Everyone has somewhere safe to sleep. No one is going hungry. We are all clothed. Even without money, we can still eat fresh fish and green plantain bananas. More than once, I’ve exchanged fruit from my garden for fish, or a bottle of sauce for some eggs or other vegetables. Of course, I’m not the only one in the village exchanging food for food. Since I am, apparently, unemployable (still zero jobs after months of searching), planting more fruit and vegetables in the garden will hopefully become one productive solution to this worrying economic puzzle. Meanwhile, we all plod on one step at a time and do whatever we can to get through each day.
Dealing with ten or more hours of power cuts every day in 3-4 hour stints at a time makes writing stressful and frustrating. It’s not at all conducive to creativity. I’ve found it almost impossible to write anything. Instead of feeling inspired, I’m constantly trying to figure out when I can turn on the blender to make juice or soup, do a load of washing, or pump some water into the upstairs storage tanks. Trying to schedule routine household activities and organize meals around the electricity supply feels like madness. It’s almost like an episode of Mr. Bean rather than real life. I don’t usually need to run against the clock to get through a day. By the time it’s over, I’m exhausted and the power company has turned the lights off again anyway so I go to bed and try to figure out how to get through tomorrow with my sanity intact. It’s not a productive time at all and feels detrimental to my mental health.
However, I am safe. There are no physical threats to my safety. I have a fabulous place to sleep. I have healthy food to eat. I’m doing my best to take care of my mind and body. My cats have comfortable beds and plenty of food too. We are not in any danger. Mompiche is not in danger. It’s perfectly safe to visit to spend your vacation time on our deserted beaches and rambling jungle trails, and your money in our hotels and restaurants. And if you dare to ignore all the ominous government warnings and travel to Mompiche, you’ll be treated like royalty because there’s no one else here…