When I first visited Motel Kiss Me in Cali, it was for an appointment with Humberto Villegas — owner of Latin America’s biggest theme motel. Señor Villegas gave me a warm welcome in his penthouse apartment, on top of his own motel, with gel in his hair and his bright white smile shining like a lighthouse for lost sailors. Upon my second visit, however, I had a chance to speak to the workers of the motel and discovered a whole new world behind the colorful façade.

As I’ve written many times before, streets and people working on the streets fascinate me. I’m not such a fan of touristic sights (although the city tour I did with my host Inico in Quito was lovely!), but rather love getting lost in a city, either interacting with locals or observing them and the way they act. This time, what caught my attention in Quito, Ecuador, were the shoe polishers at the Plaza de la Independencia.