Ricardo sent us a bunch of photos and a quick write up about a recent trip he went on with Corey Martinez to Ecuador to do demos as the first American’s to ever go ride for the locals the South American country.
Words by Ricardo Laguna. Photos by Ricardo and Corey Martinez.
Generally speaking, when I venture off on trips like this one I know what to expect. Little did I know, however, that this most recent adventure would be unlike any other that Corey or I had ever previously experienced. Once we got there we immediately realized that the “accepted” lifestyle in Ecuador varies greatly from that of the U.S. as things that generally would not be allowed here at home were considered the “norm” there. (Like what??? If you’re going to say we did things that made us think, did we really just legally do that u need to give examples. Otherwise, don’t say it!) To start, the two of us did a little PR at the government office. It was an interesting time for us to be there as the country was having their political elections.
We didn’t know it until there, but at the time, Corey and I were the first American BMX riders to ever actually visit and ride in Ecuador as we got told. Corey and I were treated to a stay at an amazing beach house with full, around the clock, maid service.
The food was a little different in Ecuador. I don’t think I’ll ever get quite used to having chicken soup where when eating it, I discover not chicken meat that maybe has a small bone or two but rather the meat is attached the actual chicken leg with toes and EVERYTHING!! To add to the beach house guest list, the roster also featured pro-appearances by various dogs, geicos, and believe it or not…SCORPIONS!! Can you believe my Mom actually got stung by one of those?!? As if that wasn’t bad enough she’s actually really allergic to this insect which meant a rushed trip to the local hospital.
The actual event was so laid back that they had Corey, myself plus the locals out there building the dirt jumps on the same day we were supposed to be doing the demo! In order to have everything finished we had to compromise and ended up using a truck for the rolling and a pieces of wood to cover up all of the sand. After we were done with the demo, we had a little party to help me bring in the big 2-7 (as if 25 and 26 were big enough…lol).
I want to make sure to send out a B-I-G thanks to everyone in the city of La Playas, I want to thank Jofre & Marcos for getting everything organized, all of the sponsors that made this event a reality, as well as everyone who came out to ride and/or watch all the shenanigans go down! Here are some pics to help document this adventure; only I really don’t think they fully cover or justify all the fun we had! Thanks again everyone, hope you enjoy!
P.S. Thanks to Corey for making me wanna pick up another hobby…PHOTOGRAPHY!!!
And if you’d rather see the photos with a Spanish song playing, here’s a video slideshow Ricardo made.
TAGS: Corey Martinez, Ecuador, Ricardo Laguna, South America
