Las Golondrinas is a village in the heart of Ecuador. I discovered it on an overland adventure through the backwoods of Ecuador that I travelled by bus, hiking, river ferry, canoe and land rover. We nicknamed the area 'Green Hell' for the sense of desolation we found everywhere, even in nature. We came across a swarm of Brazilian 'killer bees' and a couple of deadly bushmaster snakes. Leaf cutter ants headed the list of a morale withering assortment of insects. In Las Golondrinas cock fighting was a key pastime, side arms a wardrobe accessory, and the murder rate was wild west level.
This young boy and his friend were painting the inside of the roadside cantina where we stopped to eat - they sang ballads while they worked and stopped for a break when I made this image.