‘American Dream’ carved out abroad
September 3, 2000
CHIRUSCO, Ecuador – Astride his horse, John Ham chews a blade of grass and takes a minute to marvel at his tropical valley of bean fields, sweet-smelling avocado trees and Inca ruins.
The valley is sacred to locals who boast of its fertile land, constant springlike temperatures and long-living residents.
To Ham, a blond Californian who looks like a sun-kissed surfer, the valley is home.
Reversing the well-traveled route of immigrants who flock to the United States in search of freedom and better lives, Ham chose to carve his American dream in the Andean foothills of southern Ecuador. Read more >>