Perched fewer than 50 miles inland from Ecuador’s Pacific coast, Hacienda Rodeo Grande is a paradise of calm at this time of year. Buffaloes roam across acres of land adjoining the colonial-style house. Bananas and mangoes gently ripen on the trees. And with temperatures stretching into the 30s, the tranquil gardens are often filled with the scent of jacaranda and hibiscus blooms in the run-up to Day.But it was here, exactly a week ago, that former honorary British Consul Colin Armstrong OBE was snatched by 15 men dressed in fake police uniforms at the start of a terrifying and somewhat surreal kidnapping ordeal; one which, it might be said - particularly now that the saga has thankfully ended with the 78-year-old’s safe release - could have been ripped straight from the pages of a Graham Greene novel.
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