Book Recommendation

The Panama Hat Trail by Tom Miller

I've seen this book before, but I had not read it until this week. The author traces the trail of the Panama Hat trade from production of the straw to the sale of the hats in the US. Contrary to popular belief, Panama Hats are actually from Ecuador. It's an easy read, and quite funny at times. Especially the chapter on "Bus Plunge".

It is an interesting look at Ecuadorian culture and history. It was written in the 1980s, so some things have changed since then, but I was struck by how much has remained the same. The biggest change over the past 20 years seems to be the impact of dollarization in Ecuador.

It also has a great reference index for further reading...if for some reason you're interested in reading up on Ecuador. ;)