Off to Montañita - The Land of Milk and Honey?

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AND Rock and Roll!

My wife and I, quite spontaneously I might add; decided it was time for a trip.  "A trip where?" you ask.  "You just moved to Ecuador!"  In reality we have been doing quite a bit of day travelling.  You know, visit a nearby town or village, then come home the same day.  Not so this time.  This time we went on a TRIP!  No plan, no reservations, just gone baby.  I know some are thinking, "like a road trip when we were teenagers" and there is some truth to that.  Some are thinking, "No plans? AGAIN?" There is some truth to that as well.  Some are thinking, "But you have cats.  WHAT ABOUT THE CATS?!"

What about them?  They can fend for themselves for a day or two with enough food, water, and litter left behind.  We left enough so enough about the cats.  They were just fine.

We packed a small duffel bag, walked down to the Crucita Malecon, and hopped the first bus to Manta.  We had to wait about twenty minutes for the bus I think.  Manta is a large port city.  Tuna is a prime export and the cruise ship industry thrives there.  They also build trawlers by hand.  Manta was not our stated destination.  Not this time.  We can see Manta from our roof (and from the beach), but it is about a thirty minute bus ride from here.  We have been there three times now.  Once to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility (MREMH), for our new VISA's, once for just a visit and now for something else.  The Manta bus terminal and a bus change to where ever.  In this case, Ecuador's famed surfing, nightclub, and party scene; Montañita.

Full Moon Party on Calle de los Cocteles!  

Read a lot about it.  Thought we would try it out see and what all the fuss is about.  If you need some justification, we had to do some recon work anyway.  We have amigos and Familia all coming to visit this year.  We would be poor hosts if we did not know where to go and where not to go right?  Right.  My Familia is a little loco so they might like it.  My friends are loco so I know they would like it.  It is the crazy place you sometimes read about on other blogs?  Good food?  Good beach?  Good people?

So, how long to get there by bus and how much does it cost to get there?   How much to stay a night or two?  How much is everything else?

A View of Puerto Lopez from the Bus, in the Rain.

First thing.  Be prepared to start your journey very early.  The first direct bus to Montañita departs Manta at 05:00.  There are other buses that run the same route should you decide to leave later (as we did).  However, if you get a late start, you may have to change buses once or twice. There are always other buses in every town along the route to get you where you need to go.  The world is round right? You'll get there.  Also, it costs very little. About a five hour trip by bus with a little bit of taxi thrown in cost us maybe $40 round trip. Not each. Total.

Had we left earlier it would have been $30 (total for both of us) but we used a taxi for the last 25 kilometers.  There are stops for food, drink, and bathroom breaks along the way.  Vendors get on the bus and sell food constantly.  You will not starve.  You can actually eat quite well for very little cash. The bus route takes you through the Andes as well as providing spectacular coastal views.  I thoroughly enjoyed the trip.  You can sleep if you want.  You may need to on the way back home.

Street vendors selling deliciousness and beauty.

So, here we are now.  Standing in a hotel parking lot looking at Montañita and wondering what to do next. The taxi driver points to the hotel next to us and says it is bueno.  Then he goes to the front desk and tells the clerk to give us a nice room.  As it turns out, the front desk of every hotel is open 24x7 in Montañita. We are given a tour of our room. It is a boutique style hotel. $50 per day is the cost for our room.


It had stained glass windows, french doors opening to a large balcony, flat screen HDTV with DirecTV, air conditioning, mini fridge, solid wood armoire, beach style bamboo nightstands, a combination safe, very comfortable queen size bed, and most important - the shower had HOT water. It was the equivalent of a $120+ room in the USA. There are other hotels but we were not about to search now.  This is our room.  We have since found out there are hostels and hotels with rooms as low as $10 a day, though not nearly as nice or air conditioned.  Some with shared bathrooms.  Some are dormitory style rooms with lockers to store your backpack, duffel bag, or suitcase.  There are even beach campgrounds.  It is all up to you.

The Street Art is Amazing and Everywhere.

After a nice hot shower, a little spit and shine, we are ready for a night out.  We think.  Montañita is very Bohemian.  No suits and ties.  Board shorts, sundresses, bikinis, baggies, flip flops and hats are the way to go here.  Art is everywhere because shops and bars are everywhere and it seems murals are encouraged.  It is beautiful.  It is colorful.  There are restaurants galore.  Throw a rock and you will hit three.  The same with hotels.


Actually, almost every restaurant is part of a hotel. There are juice stands everywhere.  They also make any kind of crepe you can imagine right there on the street. Boutiques dot the cityscape. Street vendors sell jewelry and much of it is skillfully hand made and quite beautiful.

Calle de los Cocteles!

We got there after dark.  By the time we hit the street it was 22:00.  Early in Montañita since the last bar seems to close at 04:00.  My first thought was "Key West with a pulse."  As it turns out, there is a street there called the street of cocktails.  No boutiques here.  Lining both sides of the street are cocktail stands with small wood or plastic stools and tables out front.  The lists of cocktails are on chalkboards.  No prices though.  We learned our lesson, and that right quick. Ask before you order.  Pricing seems to be a bit flexible.

It is colorful, fun, and different.  It is a melting pot of culture.  Many people speak some English as well as smatterings of other languages so it is easy to order.  The street ends on the huge beach where you can get even more cocktails, then join the party on the beach.

A word to the wise - hit the liquor store, mix your own drinks in your hotel room. Make sure you save the plastic cup your first cocktail came in so you can hit the town with your homemade cocktails.  There are plenty of liquor stores.  Why not?  The locals do it.  You are drinking on the street anyway.  Now if you want premium atmosphere and premium beverages, you will love the street of cocktails as they have the higher end, hard to get stuff like Maker's Mark or Ciroc.  Enjoy it. It will run you about $11 per cocktail.  Buy in the liquor store and get your whole night's supply for $15.  It is all up to what kind of experience you want.

Alcatraz.  I Think we Met The Birdman at some Point.

Keep exploring and you will find Alcatraz Discotec, the newest rave bar in Montañita.  It is three stories high, the walls are chain link fence complete with barbed wire, and it has the largest disco ball I have ever seen.  There are many others.  Rock bars, Karaoke bars, Bottle bars, Hookah bars, Beer bars, and just plain old dive bars.  I truly believe anyone can find someplace they love there.  We watched a very good rock band play for an hour and spent maybe $8 on drinks.

We ended up where so many do though.  On the beach, me sipping a Pilsener, my wife sipping a vodka tonic, and both of us enjoying the surf.  I should say this is happening 10 minutes from our hotel.  The walk back is uneventful.  You never need a cab in Montañita.  You can walk everywhere. We sleep.

Hit the Beach for Cerveza, a Cocktail, and to Relax ala Frankie.

We wake up the next day and all we can think of is breakfast.  Crepes and juice will not do it.  We walk to the beach and end up sitting ocean side at IBIZA Gastropub restaurant, eating omelettes and drinking coffee as well as fresh juice. It was a $12 breakfast, again not each, total.  It came with everything. Well, not everything.  In Montañita we could not find a bartender who knew how to make Bloody Mary's.  So sad.


So we shop, we explore.  We take pictures (well I have to give credit where due, Tamera takes pictures).  It is 10:00 and the place is already jumping.  I buy my wife some jewelry.  She buys me some Cohibas (score!).   We buy a new hammock for the house and some local art.  $50 for everything.  Is it time for lunch already?  So much to choose from.  Steak houses, seafood houses, Mediterranean, curry, sports bar food, BBQ. You can even wash your clothes at a laundromat coffee bar.  I want a mushroom and Swiss burger and get a great one.  Tamera has a delicious fish at the same restaurant.  We are very happy and content.

Back to the room, spit and shine, out we go.

Great Band.  No Name we could find.  Nirvana to Stones.

It is about 14:00 now.  The streets are packed. We are here during the week so there are people outside the tourist trade doing business too.  There are also people who's job it is to get you into a particular club, restaurant, hotel, tattoo parlor, or store.  They are very engaging. Of course they are.  It is their job.  As always you should be careful.  Some will offer to get or sell you party materials not found in stores. I am not here to judge.

Do what you want.  Montañita is a party town and it does seem as though a blind eye is turned.  Just be careful.  Do not give money to any vendor unless you are receiving whatever you are buying right then.  They are not in your face or dangerous at least they were not to us.  A polite "Gracias, no." and they will be on their way.

My Beautiful Wife with our Bartender.

There are some odd characters there.  The later it gets the more there are.  Keep a weather eye and you will be just fine.  I do not mean dangerous.  I truly mean odd.

Case in point, our meeting with the Palm Tree Shaman (sorry no pic of him).

My wife and I were at a corner cafe enjoying an afternoon jugo.  A young, dread locked, English speaking man approaches us and asked if we are looking for anything. He seems VERY "euphoric".  We of course say no however, he wants to talk.  He says, "Well if you do just ask.  I can get anything."  we say again, "No, gracias.  Esta bien."  He then asks, "See this palm tree right here?"  We do.  It is no different than any other as far as I can see.  The Palm Tree Shaman man says, "It has more water in it than any other tree.  I love this tree.  It is the water tree and is my favorite tree in the city!"  Remember, this is just a palm tree.  "Really?"  I ask.  "See this?" he asks?  pointing at the tree.  "Yes, I see the tree man." He laughs.  "Not the tree, the advertisement ON the tree."

It is a flyer for a store selling sound equipment.

 "I came here to buy that.  It is the best in the world.  One day I will buy this.  See my sunglasses?  I wear them at night.  He starts singing the song, well, sort of, "I wear my sunglasses at night" and laughs.  Can you believe he pissed on that reporter man?  Epic."

I have no idea what he means and say so.  He says, " I mean Jim Morrison is the best!  Did you know I am a Shaman?"  Now we are trying not to laugh.  The he continues, "I have the best acid.  This is the best tree in Ecuador!"  He turns and sees someone he knows.  "Chao." he says and is off like a rocket in more ways than one.  We never see him again.  We do know The Doors were not responsible for the song 'Sunglasses at Night'.  We can't stop laughing about him even now.

More Street Art.  It is Beautiful and Everywhere.

So we are out again and we explore a bit more. We find hidden gems.  Artwork, shops, street food, and even some good company.  It is a melting pot of cultures and everyone seems interested in where you are from.  We get surprised looks from some when we say we moved to Ecuador.  We say we live in Crucita and the smiles come.  Crucita it seems, has a very good reputation as a laid back town. Many locals seem to approve of our choice.

We hear stories of their experiences at Carnival or the Nuevos Anos festivals they attended in Crucita.

Plenty of Sand, Sun, and Surf.

If you want quiet you might find it here somewhere but all in all, it is almost like one big nightclub. Then there is the beach.  White sand, colored tents and umbrellas, surf board rentals, surfing and scuba lessons, and tasty waves.  Very tasty.  The beach is a world away from the clubs.  People are here relaxing day and night.  Why?  Because you can.  There is plenty of beach to relax on.  Cold libations are close at hand.  The beach is quiet.  The beach is beautiful.

We of course end our evening with dinner and another, much more tame "cocktail crawl".  We have to get up early to catch the bus back to Crucita, and are in bed by midnight.  We awake at 06:00 and are out the door by 07:00.  We walk with many other back packers to the parada or bus stop.  There is a bakery and coffee shop.  Hurrah!  "Dos cafes con leche por favor!"  We also get 2 yogurts and 4 fresh baked pastries that are simply delicious.  It is less than $5 para todo.  Buses come and go but after about thirty minutes our bus arrives.  We are on our way home.  Back to the cats.  Back to Crucita.  Montañita was amazing, fun, different, and very beautiful.  We will go again.  For now I am very happy to lay in our new hammock and listen to the waves crash on the beach while writing our story for you.  Ahhhhh. Crucita la Bella.  Chao!

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Tamera's Take: Household Hints - Arroz to Zapatas, Cats and You Thought You Had Problems

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Tamera's Take is about being here.
Are you ready?  I am.

Wood table made by a local carpenter

My name is Tamera.

I am a list-aholic (aka copious note taker).  "Hi Tamera."

I have been keeping a boring-as-dirt list of household type items to talk about in one of my future blogs.  The list is finally so long that it is time.  Otherwise it is never going to go away, and I have too many other fun things to talk about.  I feel like that kid who cannot go outside until the chores are done.

I will do my best to make this as fun AND informational as I can.

Wish me luck.

If you have the kind of disposable income that allows you to hire a housekeeper, then I am happy for you.  That was our intention during the planning stages of our move to Ecuador.  It is an affordable luxury.  But we do not have that much "disposable" income.

Like building a house, plan for at least 10% to 20% in cost overages.  Our overages came in the form of government and attorney fees to extend our tourist visa (from a T-3 to a 12-IX) and application for resident visas. Not to mention that those Ecuadorian Government fees for Immigrant and Non-Immigrant Visas unexpectedly increased in 2016.

Air-tight plastic containers. No ants in these babies!

We are finally starting to recover from those overages.  Just in time for planned visits from friends and family. Maybe next year we can hire some help.  Until then, it is all on us baby!

This has not necessarily been a bad thing.  We have learned a lot about beach living.  I am not talking about the good stuff like going swimming, fishing, laying in the sun, beach-combing, getting tanned, having cocktails and watching sunsets. Yes, we do those things.  I am talking about the aftermath of all that fun; and some normal housekeeping things that you will not read on many blogs or websites about coming to Ecuador.

Backyard. Outdoor shower, sink, laundry room.....

Dirt.

Where the heck is all that dirt coming from?  Let me just tell you now that if you have a house or condo near the beach, be prepared to sweep every day.  Thankfully, carpet is rare around these parts. Floors are either concrete, tile, wood, or a combination of those materials. Our house is completely tiled with the exception of the concrete roof top terrace.

Oh, and one other exception.

More concrete. Part of the courtyard.

We have a large courtyard in the front of the house - made entirely of concrete. There is a reason for that.  The cistern is under the concrete.  The breezeway on the side of the house is concrete.  I suppose that makes sense too because the breezeway is covered.  Nothing would grow there anyway.

The area behind the house is concrete. This also makes sense because the garaje (garage), outdoor after-beach shower, tiled counter with sink, laundry room and the water pump are all located behind the house.

Concrete is your friend.  Until it is not.  Make sense or not, concrete is my enemy right now.  Yes it is easy to sweep.  But concrete dust is constant. Concrete is not the only the little dirt maker around here.

Let me break it down for you like a fraction.

Take off your shoes. Wipe your feet.

You go to the beach.  What is on the beach?   Sand.  What comes back with you from the beach? Sand.

It gets better.  Very few roads are paved in Crucita or any other beach village.  The short walk from our house to the beach is on a dirt alley.

So far we have concrete dust, beach sand and alley dirt.

Wait for it.  There is more.

The mountains all around us get a bit dusty.  The ocean winds carry that dust here and there.  Here and there all over the house.  Remember that the houses here are pretty open.  Not all windows have screens.  Not all windows have glass.  I have not seen a screen door yet.


But hey.  It is beach life. The houses are open to take advantage of the ocean breeze, because most people do not have air conditioners.  Ceiling fans seem to be an "American" thing. More and more houses have them now.  But basically, floor fans are king.

Cinderella and her brooms.

My advice.  Invest in a few brooms, dust pans with tall handles, and a lot of doormats.  Take your shoes off before you come in the house.

Salt and Rice (sal y arroz)

Every Floridian knows that you put grains of rice in your salt shaker to keep the salt from clumping. You can scratch that right off your list of helpful hints.  We have awesome sea salt made right here in Crucita.

You should store it in an airtight plastic container. Do not bother with salt and pepper shakers.  If you decide to get them, make sure they are NOT made of any type of metal; and make sure they have air tight lids.

"Would you like paper or plastic?"

We are all familiar with that phrase from the grocery store.  Take it a step further.  Paper, plastic, wood or metal.

Bamboo floor lamp. Cool wood chair.

Let's talk about metal.

The answer is simple.  No.  Never.  Nunca!  Why?  Corrosion.  Salt air corrosion.  Obviously there has to be some metal in a house.  All that concrete needs rebar.  Wood doors and windows have to be nailed or screwed into place.  Door handles, locks and hinges are metal. All that metal is painted or sealed. And still, in time, some of it rusts away.

Pots and pans are metal.  Try to use enamel coated ones. When you wash dishes, wipe off anything metal.  Do not air dry them.

Let's talk about wood.

If you are going to get outdoor patio furniture, save yourself some aggravation and buy plastic, rattan/wicker or wood.

Artisan in Montecristi making furniture.

Wicker and Rattan furniture are very popular here.  The very best place to buy this furniture is in the town of Montecristi, Ecuador.

The artisans custom make every piece of furniture.

You can show them a picture of what you want and they will make it. If you are not sure, most of them have catalogs of the work they have completed for other customers.

You can browse them and choose something that will work for you.  In a few weeks you will have your own custom furniture.

If you need cushions, there are upholsterers in Montecristi who will make them to fit your new furniture.

I found this huge oyster shell. It is my soap dish.

Trivia Time!!   Panama Hats are not from Panama.  Panama Hats originated in Montecristi.  They are still made in Montecristi.  The price depends on the weave and craftsmanship of the hat.  They are called Panama Hats because they were sent to Panama for the workers building the Panama Canal. The weave of a good Panama Hat is so tight that it will keep your head and face from being sunburned. Yet the material is so light that it breathes.


Back to wood.

If wood is more your style, you are in luck.  There are carpenters in every town.  Much like the furniture makers in Montecristi, you can meet with a carpenter, discuss what you are looking for and they will make it.  Tables, chairs, sofas, shelves, windows, doors....anything made of wood.

A word of warning about outdoor furniture.  As I have said before, the sun is very intense here. Outdoor furniture should be kept under some type of covered area or brought inside when not in use.

No caption required

Let's talk about plastic and paper.

If you do not have a covered patio area, I would suggest buying inexpensive plastic outdoor furniture. If you do not use it often, then bring it in out of the weather.  Just common sense.

I know they are not attractive, but plastic canister sets with tight, screw on plastic lids are the best. You will need a lot of them. Why?  Ants.  Not big fire ants, or medium stingy ants, or little get into everything ants.  I am talking about ants so small that you can barely see them.  So small that if one crawls on you, you cannot feel it.  So fast that if you drop one grain of sugar on your counter, you will have a colony of them on that grain of sugar in one minute.  There are two choices for food storage.  Refrigerator or plastic airtight containers.

The other necessary plastic is trash bags.  I know it is not the most ecological item, but manufacturers are getting better at making them bio-degradable.  So this brings me to the bathroom section of my blog.  When you get trash cans for your bathroom, make sure you get the ones with lids.  The little swinging lids work best.  Use your grocery bags in the bathroom trash cans.  The trash can in your kitchen should have a lid too.

Why lids on the bathroom trash can?  Two reasons - to reduce odor and insects.

Shells, an old mayo jar and wire. Decoration for my driftwood table.

 The septic systems in Ecuador cannot handle paper of ANY kind.  It does not matter how modern your house is, or how nice your condo is.  NO PAPER IN THE TOILETS!  You will find this is the same rule if you go to a mall, hotel, restaurant, etc.  In many public restrooms, you get your allotment of toilet paper before you go into the stall.  There are no rolls of toilet paper in the stalls.  There are plastic trash cans.  Now you know why.

Mess on the Malecon

I know this is a little off topic, but living here has taught me to have a little more respect for the environment.  Some things I have learned...

Conserve water use.  Reduce trash when possible.  Find new uses for things that are normally thrown away without another thought. I think they call that re-purposing.  If you can do it with pallets, you can do it with glass jars, plastic containers, wire, bags - well you get the idea.

The trash has to go somewhere.  And it is going somewhere.

It is going into your oceans, lakes, rivers, and seeping into the aquifer.

That was never more evident than what I saw on the Malecon a few days ago.

Yesterday's driftwood. Today's scratch post.

The tides right now are unusually high.  So high that they wash right over the Malecon (beach road) twice a day.

At first glance, you might just think, wow look at all that stuff washed up on the road from the super high tide.

Then you get a closer look at what it is. Mixed in with the beach sand, driftwood, rocks, shells, fish, buoys and nets, is trash.

Not trash left by people enjoying the beach.

Trash that was probably dumped out to sea from some gigantic barge from who knows where. Trash that flowed down the Portoviejo River because no one is quite sure how to handle it. Or because people think it is someone else's problem.


They are right.  It is someone else's problem.

It is my problem, your problem, his problem, her problem, their problem.  Our problem.

It is happening everywhere.  Fix it or lose it.

Peace.

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Fáilte Ireland. Tá súil againn go mbainfidh tú taitneamh as léamh ár blog.

Welcome Ireland!  We hope you enjoy reading our blog.

Fáilte Ireland.    Tá súil againn go mbainfidh tú taitneamh as léamh ár blog.

Bienvenido España! Por cierto, esperamos que disfrute de nuestro blog !

Welcome Spain! We certainly hope you enjoy our blog!

Bienvenido España! Por cierto, esperamos que disfrute de nuestro blog !

Bienvenido Perú ! Por cierto, esperamos que disfrute de nuestro blog !

Welcome Peru! We certainly hope you enjoy our blog!

Bienvenido Perú ! Por cierto, esperamos que disfrute de nuestro blog !

Haykuykuy Piruw! (in native Inca language - Quechua)

Welcome Peru!
We are pleased to meet you. Have a nice day. Thank you

Haykuykuy Piruw!
Anchatam kusikusani riqsisuspayki. Allin p'unchay kachun. Solpayki

Tamera's Take: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Cats, & Things Go Wrong Sometimes

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Tamera's Take is about being here.
Are you ready?  I am.

Listening to "Someone Saved My Life Tonight - by Elton John & Bernie Taupin".  I am listening to this song on Pandora Internet Radio.

Now you are saying to yourself, "I thought she could not listen to Pandora Internet Radio in Ecuador".  

You cannot.  But yet, I am.  More on that later.  Keep reading.

Madman Across the Water - North Crucita Beach

In 1973 the album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road was released.  I was in elementary school.  I fell in love with the song.  I fell in love with the album.  I joined the Elton John Fan Club.  My dad bought the 8-track for me so we could listen to it while riding in our red Chevy C-10 pick up truck.

I do not think my dad was a big fan of Elton John, but he loved music and he knew how much I loved Elton John. For some reason my dad hit the skip track button on more than a few songs.

Elton John-Goodbye Yellow Brick Road-Mercury Records

I would not understand this until much later. Who has not experienced that "ah-ha" moment as an adult.  A year after I got Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, my grandmother (Grammy) asked me what I wanted for my birthday.  I told her I wanted the Caribou album.  I was slightly disappointed when I unwrapped my present and in place of "Caribou" was "Greatest Hits".  Grammy later told me that she could not buy the other album because one of the songs had a bad word in the title.  I will let you figure out what song it was.

What is the point of all this?

Road Signs Are Not Always Familiar

The point is, that because I got Greatest Hits instead of Caribou, I was forced to hear something different and push the envelope a little into unfamiliar territory.  Some songs I liked, some I was not so crazy about.  But I DID get to hear them and make up my own mind.

I have blogged a lot about how swell everything is here. I have posted beautiful pictures to illustrate my point - and maybe to prove that I am not lying.

Friends and family back home keep asking, "do you still like it? is it everything you thought it would be? have the rose colored glasses come off yet?"

I can now honestly say that I never had them on.  At times I wish I had a pair. But that is not me. Never has been.  Never will be.

The remains of the stairs to the Malecon.

One of the reasons I came here was to get away from so many things back home.

To live my life.
To live my life.
To live my life!

There.  I have said it.  The cat is out of the bag.

No one is here to slap a piece of tape across my mouth. No one is here to call my husband on a Sunday morning and threaten him if he does not put a gag order on my comments. My comments.  My opinion. The ones that I was supposed to be entitled to as an American.

The sad part is that other people have so much control. The sadder part is that all that control was not real.  Oh it is real if you want to "be included".  It is real if you want to "fit in". Be told - who to like, what to say, where to go, when to be there.

Do not get me wrong.  We are not perfect.  However a person can only take so much pressure before the world turns at a different speed.  Life looks and feels gray.  It gets easier and easier to become someone you are not.

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.

Yes we have alienated some friends back in the U.S.   Not intentionally.  It is just what happens.  If you are planning to move to a foreign country, be prepared.  Not everyone is going to understand your reasons.  Not everyone is going to be supportive.  Some people are going to forget about you (almost) completely.  But not everyone. That is the good part.  Your true friends will love and support you from afar.  No matter how far.  Those same friends will be there for you if things go all 6's and 7's and you have to abandon your dream, and move back home.

I hope that never happens, but if it does, I know who I can count on.  "They're coming in the morning with the truck to take me home."   In the meantime, maybe some fences can be mended.  I hope so.

Water Pump, Junk and Stuff

Speaking of mending and going all 6's and 7's...things go wrong sometimes - even in paradise.

There are good days and bad.

We have met a lot of people here in Crucita.  Some have become good friends.  Some are acquaintances with the potential of becoming good friends. Some at least know who we are, and now smile and say hello (along with a few other things in Spanish) when we see them.

We feel pretty good about all this.  It does take a bit of work.

For one thing, we are often lost in translation.  When someone says something to me and I have no idea what it was, I do my best to memorize the phrase and look it up as soon as I get home.  Then I make sure I write it down and use that phrase in the future.

Hey it works. As long as you can remember the phrase by the time you get home.

Our Spanish is getting good, but let's face it, we have a lot to learn.  The slang is killing me.  The accents from one town to the next is another nightmare.

A word of warning.  Be very sure what you are saying before you say it.  One misplaced word and you could find that you have just insulted one of your neighbors.

I think we have recently done just that.  We do not know exactly what we said or did but it is obvious that two of our neighbors, Eduardo and Flores, are not very happy with us right now.

We know when it happened.


We know it had something to do with either a fishing net or an invitation to dinner. Since they do not speak English, and our Spanish is not good enough yet, we have not been able to reconstruct the conversations in our heads to figure out what went wrong.

Something is not right here.

Luckily we have had problems with our water pump for a couple of weeks.  Luckily?  Yes.

Most houses have cisterns.  These are tanks that hold water to be used for the house.  Some cisterns are above ground, some cisterns are below ground.

The cisterns above ground are filled by a water truck that makes deliveries during the week.  The cisterns underground are filled through a city water system automatically.

The water is technically potable.  Where the problems come into play is the delivery system of the water.  Basically the underground pipes.  Crucita has been working (at least since we got here) to replace the underground water pipes and the above ground electrical system. All this work has caused a few days without water.  A few days without electricity.  But it is no different than back home.  Maintenance has to be done.  We have learned to handle the inconveniences.  We both have camping skills.  Not to mention a few hurricane experiences.

Anyway.  Back to the water pump.

One of our neighbors, Fernando, happens to be a musician AND a plumber.  Another bonus is that he Ecuadorian and speaks English. Because he is a musician, Fernando and my husband have already become friends.

Fernando is also going to be fixing our water pump on Monday.

This came about with a lot of negotiation between us, our friend Tamy (who is also the property manager), the landlord (who speaks no English), Fernando, and three previous attempts (by our landlord) to fix our water pump without success.

The landlord agreed to let Fernando fix the problem and let us deduct the cost from our rent.

It occurred to us last night that Fernando might be able to help us resolve the faux-pas that we created with our other neighbor, Eduardo.  Since Fernando is Ecuadorian and speaks English, we are going to ask him to go with Jason to meet with our neighbor to translate the conversations. I think it is best if the men handle this.

Cat identity disguised to protect the intelligent.

I hate to sound like a traitor to women, but I would hate more to disrespect traditions and customs.

We are in Ecuador.  Men are the head of the household.  Women are respected but their contributions to the family are different.

I am trying to do a lot of balancing lately. It seems a bit contradictory at times.  But I am doing it all with my eyes wide open and no rose colored glasses.

"I've finally decided my future lies, beyond the Yellow Brick Road."

The "CAT" says that if you buy a U.S. VPN for your laptop, you can access Pandora. Not to mention your bank accounts, IRS, etc.that are blocked by the servers.  It only costs about $40/year for the VPN.   Perfectly legal. 

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A Trip! - Our First Adventure and Our First Video Blog

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Carnival Part Two - Not the Carnival Anyone Expected

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What says fiesta better than fantastic fireworks every night?

What exactly is Carnival?  Well, in Ecuador it is celebrated in February or March during the week before Lent.  Lent is forty days of pentinence and abstenation leading up to Christ's crucifixion.  It is a time to suffer as Jesus did.  So what do we do before that?  Well, we celebrate.  It is done all over the world in all different cultures in all different ways.  New Orleans in the USA, Venice in Italy, Rio de Janerio in Brazil, Quebec in Canada, Colongne in Germany, Nice in France, Panaji in India, and the list goes on.

Are we compensating ourselves for the abstinence practiced during Lent?  Maybe.  Maybe we are celebrating our belief in Lent and Christ.  It is not for me to say.  I suppose it is a matter of personal choice.  So, we celebrate and in Ecuador we do it very, very well.

Both Malecon and la playa are filled to capacity by revelers.

So which is it?  Carnival?  That's what I see on many websites and blogs about Ecuador.  Carnivale as it is in Brazil and as I see on other sites?  Carnaval as it says on the spray foam cans and other paraphernalia sold here?  Just like many other words and phrases used in Ecuador it probably depends greatly from which province you hail.  Does it really matter? Not really. Everyone knows exactly what you mean.  We may not all spell it the same way but regardless, it means only one thing.  Fiesta!

The Malecon is gearing up.  This is just side street parking.

I am sure part one of this two part article was not what you expected.  Part two may not be either.  It was not what I expected.  Expect the unexpected right?  It is true.  I was excited for Carnival.  There was a lot of anticipation. What were we going to see?  How loco would it get?  Well, it was loco in a way. Just not they way I expected.  We took a lot of pictures.  Well, my wife took a lot of pictures.  I took some.  OK, a few.  I will bet if you try, you can tell the difference.

She has the "eye" as I believe the industry calls it.  I'll say talent.  No kick butt camera.  Just a cheap phone.  Really cheap.  She's good.

Our first ever Cumbia concert.  Reggae with a Latino back beat.

We got rain.  Rain every day.  You might think we should have expected this.  We live in Ecuador after all and it is the rainy season.  You might be right if you were talking about some place twenty or thirty kilometers inland but not Crucita.  In Crucita this sort of rain doesn't generally happen. You see, Crucita has a desert climate.  February boasts the lowest rainfall average of the year at less than five total millimeters.

Rain, rain, go away.  Come again next week!

                                                        Four days of the month you might see rain and then only very little each of those four days. Really, each night.  Okay, early morning, say 03:00.  We have cloudy days.  It rains almost every day thirty kilometers inland but here you will not even know it happened.  Not unless you were sitting out on your terrace watching the moon set over the Pacific early in the morning. There will be no puddles.  There will be no washouts.  You will not know it rained at all.

Except-

There is this weather "event" called El Nino.  It is in full effect.  For the second time since we arrived here it rained four days straight.  It rained all day.  It rained all night.  Maybe a break where there was only mist.  Just like Forrest Gump in Vietnam said, "We been through every kind of rain there is.  Little bitty stinging rain and big old fat rain, rain that flew in sideways and sometimes, the rain even seemed to come straight up from underneath."  At one point my wife looked at me and said, "I gonna lean up against you, you just lean right back against me. This way we don't have to sleep with our heads in the mud."  She was mostly joking.

Beer and cocktails for sale on the street.

The rain started on Friday and it rained every day of the Carnival holiday.  Tuesday it began clearing up. That is the travel day.  The day when everyone leaves.  Add to that the ultra high tides (normal for this year) and what you have is one whole hell of a lot of wet.  On the north end of Crucita there was major damage.  The Malecon is right on the beach and the tide took it.  It is as well protected as the central or south ends but the tides took some boulders, then some road, then a building or two.  Man could not stop it though they tried mightily.  Water always wins.  It is the truth and it is a truth best not forgotten.  Still, no one was hurt or killed. That is a pretty amazing thing.  I don't mean because someone should have been with the damage from the surf.  I mean that I think there there were probably twenty-five thousand people here. These people were all drinking, partying on the beach, and attending open air beachfront concerts in the rain, every day and night for four days.  That, plus the damage and no one was killed or severely injured.  None reported anyway.  Not that I can find.

I know there were minor injuries because I saw some happen.  I saw a few fights.  They would last for about 10 seconds.  Then came the policia.  Lots of them.  On motorcycles, on four wheelers, in trucks and cars, and on foot.  There were at least four officers stationed at every street accessing the Malecon.  If you were being malicious, you were being busted.  Not jail necessarily.  Corralled, given a stern talking to and sent on your way.  I never saw anyone get arrested.  I never saw any reason why they should.  That is not to say no one actually got arrested.  Just that there certainly were not many.

Street performers doing their thing and doing it well.

The festival was on, day and night, rain or shine.  Street vendors with so many great things to eat, so many hand made wares. Even tattoo artists.  Street performers were about.  Beer was available on the street, on the beach, and at the concert venue.  Walking and enjoying a beer or cocktail was no issue.  Water blasters and super soakers, spray foam, and colored powder were also available.  Lots of them, everywhere.  You had to have them.

Well, we had foam. I think the water guns were moot this year due to Mother Nature's contribution.

Lalo's.  The best hot dog I ever ate, hands down.

You could get hit at any time from any direction.  Tamera got foamed by a three year old.  I got foamed in the ear and never saw my attacker.  Water was sprayed from the balconies.  Even water balloons were thrown. Had the sun been out it would have been welcome.  Since it was raining it was largely unnoticed. There was actually a point when taking shelter from a particularly drenching rain shower that a woman looked at me and said "frio!" or cold!

She said this with her arms wrapped about her and while shivering.  I was thinking it felt great.  It was probably 27 C (around 80 F).  With the ocean breeze it felt like 22 C (around 70 F).  Nice, unless you are a local.

Espuma de Carnival.  Required gear!

The powder was something else.  A few of our local friends said it was a new thing.  I guess it is usually water and then bags of flour.  This year it was red, blue, or black powder.  I think black was the most popular color.  We were never hit.  It seemed to be something the teenagers were doing to each other.  Since we were not hit by the colored powder I cannot say how easy it was to clean.

The foam was surprisingly environmentally friendly, clean and fun.  It stained nothing, had no aroma, and seemed to actually have some lotion in it.  Just rub it into your skin,  Hit back of course!

Carnival ammunition could be bought day and night all along the Malecon, at the concerts, and from any street vendor.  Ecuador might have a law in place that says business owners have to sell the stuff.  It was always used in good fun.

We went out day and night.  We ate the street food, we drank a few cocktails or beers, we attended concerts.  We even got front row at one show.  The musical styles varied but all were good.  Our friends Jared and Tamy invited us to a small private party for the main event concert.  Tamera bought a beautiful Ecuadorian style dress during Carnival for the party.  Wilfrido Vargas, famous Merengue singer was the headliner.  The amazing show kicked off at midnight, right after a beautiful fireworks spectacular that lasted at least a half an hour.  I should have mentioned, there were fireworks every night at midnight.

From left to right, Jared, Willie, Tamy, Tamera.  Merengue!

Yes, it was even raining for this.  We were glad for the invitation to the party as it was on the rooftop of the condominium next to the venue.  We had a great view of the stage.  We also had a great view of the ocean and the Malecon.  As I said before, the concert was beach front. Since we had learned how to dance the Merengue from YouTube videos, we danced.  We weren't the only ones. Picture thousands of people dancing Salsa or Merengue at the same time.  Beautiful.


We met new friends and yes, had a few cocktails.  I ate Lalo's.  The Ecuadorian hot dog.  The ONLY hot dog.  We really just had a whole lot of fun.

The woman I love.  So happy!

After the show was over, it was time to walk home.  I don't mind telling you I was tired and hungry.   Tamy suggested we stop for one last cocktail and some food on our walk home.  We stopped at Rimini, the local Tiki Bar and restaurant. A blog about Rimini and their food is forthcoming but I will say they know how to cook fish and make some really great cocktails. We had a mixta of fried fish and shrimp and it was delicious.  

We even ran into our friend David and his wife Denise, the owners of Restaurante Motumbo there.  They were taking in some well deserved R&R.  Shop and restaurant owners are open from early morning until 03:00 during Carnival.  That leaves them only a few hours of sleep and prep time for the following day.  If we thought we were tired just think of the one to two hours of sleep these people are getting.  I believe some of them forgo sleep altogether, at least for awhile.  They need to cut loose a bit too.  They should.  A lot of hard work goes into this celebration.

A partial view of the concert crowd from our rooftop vantage point.

So we got home from the concert at about 04:00 on Tuesday.  When we woke up there was sunshine.  The Malecon was not empty.  There were still street vendors and the like.  People were on the beach.  Just not thousands.  Closer to a normal day by about half.  I ate Lalo's. Yes, again!  Available in Portoviejo every day.  Tamera bought fresh vegetables from a local street vendor. Crews were almost done with the final clean up rounds which were constant during Carnival and I mean constant.

Men and women in white jump suits with dust masks walking behind a garbage truck.  The went up and down the Malecon day and night while the workers emptied every trash container and picked up every little piece of trash from the street and beach.  We found the damage to the north end of the Malecon.

Tamy and Jared.  Artist and Musician.  Husband and Wife.  Great friends.

We have since learned from shop and restaurant owners there should have been more people.  That the rain took its toll in more ways than one.  Next year perhaps we will see the full effect of Carnival in the sun.  More people, more fun.  For now, we will rest ourselves.  Enjoy the peace, quiet, and tranquility that is Crucita. What will we do when we are rested? What then?  Well, then we travel someplace we have never been before.  Chao!

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Carnival Part One - The Key to any Successful Endeavor is Preparation

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New signage set in the sidewalks.

Well, it has been quite awhile since the last post, welcome posts to new readers from around the world notwithstanding. Needless to say we have been busy.  Busy buying our supplies and making sure we did not run out of anything.  Busy making new friends while exploring and enjoying Carnival.  It was our first ever Carnival celebration and like Ano Nuevos, there are a lot of people coming into our small parish.

Unlike Ano Nuevos there does not seem to be a whole lot of tradition involved.  There is a whole lot of preparation involved though. I know everyone always wants the juicy stuff first but it would be very unfair to forget or gloss over the things Ecuador does to make Carnival possible.

One month prior to Carnival kick off, my wife and I were enjoying a bowl of ceviche on the Malecon.  Pretty normal stuff really.  Then we notice an entourage coming down the street.



You know, the "suits" just as seen all over the world.  You do not see that a lot in Crucita and they might as well have had "POLITICIAN" written on there foreheads. They scurried about taking photographs, scribbling notes in their notebooks, talking loudly and importantly on their cell phones.  All except one.  He was clearly in charge.  His entourage obviously.  The one hombre pointing and telling everyone else what to take photographs of, what to scribble in their notebooks, who to speak with on their cellphones.

Curbs and storm grates are painted.

"That," says the proprietor of Restaurante Motumbo "is the Mayor of Portoviejo."  As he says it the entourage is passing in front of us, snapping pictures of a portion of missing sidewalk claimed by the Pacific.  The Mayor looks up and waves at us. We wave back of course.  "He is here to make sure Crucita is ready for Carnival.  To fix things."

Seems fitting.  For one thing this time of year, December through March (summer), brings the highest tides.  The tides get so high the sea covers the Malecon.  Business owners on the strip clean up the sand and debris every morning but the Pacific does more damage.

Sections of road and sidewalk can disappear overnight.  Large boulders, protecting the Malecon roll out to sea.  The surf is so big it sounds like thunder throughout the night.  Fisherman move their boats across the roads and tie them to buildings to keep them safe.

Paint is naturally sandblasted away.  The salt spray devours metal.The Mayor has his hands full.

A section of road and sidewalk the Pacific ate is repaired.

The next day, work crews start rolling in, CNEL is the power provider here and they do not mess around.  New lines and light poles start going up and their trucks are everywhere.  The Government workers are painting curbs, storm drains, and light poles.  There are also hundreds of volunteers.  Businesses are painting, cleaning up sand, and getting ready in general.  This is a daily occurrence but now their efforts are redoubled.


Over the next few weeks the police presence escalates.  Fire and rescue too.  Life guards are training on the beach.  Medical tents are erected.  Safety is clearly the priority.

A new look for a beachfront nightclub.  Karaoke here! 

Delivery trucks are everywhere.  The tiendas ensuring they have plenty of stock.  Front end loaders run through the streets moving shipped in materials about for repairs.  They also go down every side street, leveling and clearing them.  Any lingering trash or construction debris is removed.

On the north end of the beach a huge stage is erected along with high definition video boards and light shows.  Concerts will be held nightly.

Stage gear.  Could it be?  Yes!  Concert time!

It is becoming obvious this holiday is much bigger than Ano Nuevos.  It is also obvious that Portoviejo knows what they are doing when readying the Parish of Crucita. It seems undeniable that Crucita is the Carnival city of choice for all other parishes of Portoviejo.  The people here know it and they are ready.  The houses are filling up.  The hotels are filling up.  The restaurants, the Malecon, la playa, the bars; all filling up.  The revelers are streaming in.  The music is booming. Four days of Carnival in a place where the bars don't close until 03:00, allegedly.



We are finally here.  The workers have stopped.  It is Friday night and the time has come,  Time to find out what Carnival has in store for us.  Chao!

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