Along
this stretch of highway, between the two largest cities
in Ecuador, the pavement has a secondary purpose. It is
where to farmers spread their cacao beans to dry in the
sun.
I
stopped to photograph some of the future Hershey Bars
and was invited to find out more about cacao from
a woman in her sixties. Her family lives on the highway
in a house that serves as a billboard for local politicians. |
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 |
She
indulged my interest in local agriculture and before
I knew it her family and friends were fetching every
manner of fruit from nearby bushes and trees.

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When I finally said goodbye to my new foreign friends, I
left with a bag and a belly full of fruits I never knew
existed.
| Carambola |
|
Mame,
Zapote & Tagua |
And hey, next
time you're savoring a Snickers Bar try not to think
about hot pavement with diesel trucks thundering by!
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