In life as in travel, you sometimes meet the most interesting people in the least expected moments.
When we traveled to Quito, the capital of Ecuador, a little over two years ago, we stayed in a guesthouse called Chez Elena. Apart from delightful breakfasts with the freshest of fruits, this family run B&B stood out by the surrounding Andean greenery and by the people running the business.
The man of the house, Paco Viniachi, lets his wife Elena be the boss when it comes to receiving tourists in their home. After all, the business does carry her name. But he is the one who charms people from all ends of the world. Like us, they might come to Ecuador searching for experiences related to nature, people and a little adventure. But they’ll end up having an intro to the local arts scene at home itself, guided by the multifaceted Paco Viniachi.
The video above, taken at Paco’s workshop/museum at Chez Elena, will take you through this artist’s career and work.
Art by Paco Viniachi
Above all, we loved the fact that Paco Viniachi has the vision and talent to take what people would regard as nothing more than trash, and convert it into beautiful pieces of art, to be enjoyed by the Community. Not that the surroundings in Quito are dull (the incredibly lush green of that area still makes my memories go wild), but there is no doubt that they look even better with the colorful recycled pieces by Paco Viniachi.
Keep your eyes and mind open: there are tons of interesting people around the world waiting to share their talent and ideas with you too!
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Great art! And very resourceful as well. Sounds like you really had a wonderful time in Quito with such amazing people. :)
Yes, we had a great time in Quito and the whole of Ecuador. It is such a tiny country, but with so many wonders concentrated in there… loved it and we always recommend it to other travelers too! :)