So, first of all. Have you ever googled “Quito” in the search of landscapes, attractions, food among others. We all know those pictures were the result of a good angle, good lighting and probably a good camera.
Well, the story somehow changes when we talk about Quito and Photography. Even though it may sound weird and unusual, Quito is a mysterious city that in order to capture its essence, one must have some extra tips by their side. This post will briefly summarize the three main tips that both travelers and citizens may find useful in order to capture Quito’s beauty on their lens.
We have talked about San Marcos in some of our past few posts. From the very beginning we have described Illa Experience Hotel as a house full of real people with real people who work under the label of “a hotel” but it really isn’t. The same thing happens with San Marcos. This town is beautiful due to its culture, traditions and most of all, its people.
On this post, I would like to talk about a wonderful experience that shows us how the term “guest” can easily change into “family” with the people in San Marcos. To do that, I will talk about a real life experience.
In the streets of San Marcos, Quito we find Monica. She is a hard working woman, who has dedicated a big part of her life to children. Quito is a beautiful city but as in many other cities, we will families who cannot afford the life they desire so they seek it while working on the streets. Sadly, this includes the children as well.
Monica, by looking at this decided to contribute to these families’s dreams and goals. How, you ask? By giving these children, these teenagers, the extra energy they need for the day. So Monica, or as we call her “Moniquita”, wakes up every morning and buys the ingredients for the lunch of the day. Along with some other wonderful helpers, Moniquita cooks the food for her restaurant that with God’s blessing is full of people who enjoy her delicate homemade cuisine and at the same time, she is cooking the food for her children, her “Muchachos Solidarios”, which translates to “Caring Teens”.
Why her children? Simple, she sees them everyday at the most sacred place: the kitchen. The place where all of the kids share with each other laughs, jokes and games. Monica enjoys every little smile, every “hmmm, delicious” and “God bless you ma’am for this meal” and she takes those words as her daily fuel.
When I think back upon Monica, I see all mothers, I see heroes who dedicate her lives to their children. Nowadays we focus on our society and we say we know so much that we get hung up on our stubborness and miss the most beautiful details that we have been blessed with.
This post is not just a story, because it is real, it is proof to bravery and leadership, it is witness of our neighbors in San Marcos!
This is us, this is Illa, this is Disrupted.
