Eileen and Paula told me that they love the gusanito for its good music, fast ride around the park, and just to have something to do. They told me they usually don't go alone, and instead they usually ride with friends or children. They actually got on because they saw me taking notes, which was a strange sight to them. I'm glad they interrupted, because once they got on we went too fast for me to take notes anyway! I also met a young man named Enrique who shared a favorite childhood memory with me before I got off. He told me that los gusanitos are usually hand-decorated with beloved children's characters, such as Mickey Mouse or Tinkerbell. He and his brother always fought over who got to sit in the cart with Donald Duck on it, even though they could easily have fit together. He doesn't see his brother very often as an adult, but sometimes he'll ride the gusanito just to relive the memory.
Overall, I loved learning about this method of transportation. Even more so, I loved learning about what it means to others. Most businesses in Ecuador are small family businesses like Hugo's, and not all of them have stood the test of time. I asked him for his secret on my most recent ride: how, with changing times and a changing world, did el gusanito survive? Did he ever get tired of driving the same loop, every weekend, for hours on end, year after year? This was his answer:
"My job is to make people smile. We have survived because people want to be happy, and making people happy, seeing children smile, is a job I will never get tired of."
