The Journey of a Friendly Giant

Cerro Blanco is a part of Bird Life international and is considered an important area because of its several bird species that are critically endangered and rely on its environment.  For those that do not know him, Eric Horstman, my boss, is extremely passionate about nature and its protection.   “I have personally noticed his love for birds. He often attends international conferences, and has developed quiet a name for himself through several different international networking events.” -Tania Rios, supervisor at Cerro Blanco Yellow tailed Oriole  Two years ago, Eric received a message from a woman named Jane Johnson. She was in the process of completing a children’s book about a Grey Cheeked Parakeet that they owned named Tangerine. He was happy to help Jane Johnson with anything that she needed to know about the bird. After a few months of emailing back and forth, Jane and her husband Clifford Johnson finally decided to visit Cerro Blanco to see the colorf...

Being the largest and most populated city of Ecuador, Guayaquil is known as the city that “makes money”. With nearly 3.1 million people in the metropolitan area, Guayaquil is located on the western bank of the Guayas River which flows into the Pacific Ocean at the Gulf of Guayaquil. Its convenient location makes this developed city, the center of Ecuador´s business and manufacturing industries. The city of Guayaquil takes pride of being the economic centre point of Ecuador. However, the poor air quality, busy noisy streets, and loud city noises doesn’t necessarily make the city a tourism hotspot. In fact, many tourism websites and books describe Guayaquil as a great central location to travel from , and that is not recommended to “stay in”. “If you don’t like something, change it; if you can´t change it, change the way you think about it.” – Mary Engelbreit Other Ecuadorian cities are much greener and they take pride in their biodiversity and protect it with care. Guayaquil understand...