Our local tour guide during most of my recent trip was a native Ecuadorian called "M" (full name omitted to protect his privacy) who lived on one of the islands and was affiliated with the Galapagos Islands National Park. He was incredibly knowledgeable about the flora, fauna, and history of the islands (human, agricultural, and horticultural), had fascinating stories of things he'd done in his previous lives (some of dubious veracity), and was also very personable. Furthermore, he seemed to genuinely care that we have a good time on our trip.
On our last night with M, we all had dinner together, we presented him with a Top 10 List--"The Top 10 Things We Love About M"--and then he treated us to a private concert in the tiny hotel's dusty outdoor courtyard area. He played Beatles and other old songs on his guitar, including a few in Spanish, and we joined in the singing when we could remember the words (which, sadly, wasn't too often except for the chorus). There was a bright moon and the plam trees rustled slightly around us as he played and sang. It was a magical and memorable evening.
Here are a few videos I took of M serenading us.
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