Marcelo is one of those people whom you might meet and discover that the cynic in you is thinking he is too good to be true, but then you quickly realize that he is the real thing. He is energetic and passionate about his work and his community, and I found that we fell into an easy rapport. It’s not all that common to find someone so easy to talk to, let alone someone so easy to talk to in Spanish. He was an immensely gracious host and adept teacher; thanks to Marcelo I experienced one perfect afternoon in what was otherwise a series of unfortunate events.
A combination of factors, including the timing of the national police force strike in Ecuador, led to Marcelo being introduced to me. He is a veterinarian who spent years doing research in the Galapagos but, upon returning to his home community of Bellavista on the coast of Ecuador, realized that there was much he could do for his community. Thus Bellavista began to earn its name in two ways: by literally improving the view through projects such as community-wide beach clean-ups, and by forming a vision of Bellavista as a sustainable community that works to protect its surroundings and reduce the environmental impact of both the small community and the larger neighboring town of Bahia de Caraquez. And what a beautiful vision it is.
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