Customer Reviews

Globe Trekker: Ecuador & the Galapagos Islands

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4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I'm really sorry but this dvd is terrible, my mother bought it here on amazon for me as a present. If you are interested in knowing more about Ecuador then don't buy it. We made that mistake, We got the dvd and it was just horrible. It lasts 1 hour but the guide lady insisted on visiting just the most terrible places in Ecuador and she didn't show the nature's beauty and the kindness of the people.

Also the dvd was manufactured in 2004 the dvd is clearly much older than that. Just check the currency that this lady used (sucres) that doesn't exist anymore in Ecuador since its currency changed to dollars in 2000, which actually helps the tourist a lot since they don't need to buy other currency, it's enough to take dollars with you to go there.

She didn't cover the three most important cities in the country either. She started her trip in Guayaquil but she didn't show the city (she showed it just for 1 minute) not to even mention that Guayaquil is the largest port in Ecuador, all the international trading, imports and exports come and go from there, having about 4 million people mixed with a large Asian, Lebanese and Arabic background. Quito (the capital city) was focused like an indinegous, strange jungle with some small modern sights which is of course not true, the biggest European and caucasian societies in Ecuador live in Quito. And finally she never showed Cuenca, the third most important city, I mean she didn't even mention it...

Ecuador is a paradise on Earth, I now that because I lived there, this country has economic and social problems but that is not an impediment to visit it. It is not as safe as US or other first world countries but its weather, millennial culture, landscape and people made Ecuador a wonderful place to visit and this dvd doesn't show that at all, it just focused on the most terrible customs, food, and problems of the country. Very outdated

After living 15 years in Ecuador I was quite disappointed with this DVD. Ecuador is such a diverse country, not only in terms of its bio diversity, but in the diversity of its people. There is also no insight into Ecuador's urban centers. Touristic resources can blend good insight with captivating images (I think of the great book Insight Guides: Ecuador), but this one falls short. I purchased it hoping to use it for a university course that I teach on Latin America. After reviewing it, I decided that the best use of this DVD would be to show some of the common tourist stereotypes of a such a diverse place.

We are planning a trip to ecuador and although this video was nice and got us excited about the trip it offered no real travel details and covered information on only a very small part of the country. Nicely done if you are interested in just a taste of Ecuador -say 5 minutes in the Galapagos.

A very self indulgent piece of work by Justine Shapiro. Everything is glossed over. Several segments are shot in black and white and time lapse. She talks more about herself than Ecuador. The segment on Quito was only a few seconds long!

As a school teacher, it is difficult to find interesting videos to show students on Latin American culture and customs. This video does just that! Justine Shapiro is fun, engaging and interesting. She does a good job of showing us Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands in an hour-a feat nearly impossible for most documentaries! I highly recommend this video for anyone interested in getting an introductory look at the people and culture surrounding the country of Ecuador!