International Traveler - Tom Tuttle from Tacoma, Washington

!Bienvenidos Venezuela!

Or London, Madrid, Athens, Berlin, Rome, Paris, Dhaka, Tokyo, Beijing, Sydney, Cape town, Olso, Moscow, or Warsaw, take your pick.  Travel to or from any of them and the actual trip can be the best experience, mediocre experience, or most horrible experience you can imagine.  Many of you are experienced travelers.  Many are not.  Tamera and I are,  We have traveled internationally although we are not in my opinion, world travelers.  When we travel to Europe or Japan and back then yes,

Before I go on, many of the photographs are stock.  Taken from the internet and not in person.  We were too busy.  Apologies.  That is not generally the case for us.  We'll do better as we learn. Now-

Gray's Papaya. Now I want two,  Red onion sauce baby.  

We have visited numerous cities and sites. on two continents.  All have been American in one form or another.  North America, Central America (not a continent), South America.  You get the picture.  With the exception of the occasional Caribbean Island and Texas (just kidding uncle!) that is it.  We both love to travel.  We like seeing the stuff no one else wants to see.  My wife went to New York City and spent a lot of time in Queens.  I went to New York City and did not see the Statue of Liberty, the Cloisters, or the Brooklyn Bridge. By choice.  I went to Ray's Pizza (both the good one and the bad) and Gray's Papaya.  I went to Han Bat.  Excellent, non-Americanized Korean food.  We went to Salt Lake City.

We like the people.  We don't mind putting ourselves out there a little bit.  We want our experiences on a personal level.  With the locals and not all the other tourists.  If you do that, you make friends and you get to see things no one else gets let in on.  Like a roadside stand made of rough logs that sells fruit salad. So, it should come as no surprise that when we decided to move, we chose a small fishing village as our destination.  Getting here, now that is a different animal altogether.

MIA. and American Airlines.  Great service!

Right off, we moved here directly.  No scouting trips, no visits.  I don't recommend it.  I mentioned before we sold or gave away everything.  We came with our clothes, towels (the towels in Ecuador just aren't big or fluffy) and pets (who are big and fluffy).  Our travel experience was like few others.  The obstacles in our path were unusual.  We almost did not seek the treasure because of those obstacles.

The pets were one obstacle.  If you have pets and are seriously considering the move here (or anywhere really) you need to read that post.  Four cats and rules we didn't find on the internet caused us some issues.


Required VISA paperwork in the form of FBI background checks was another obstacle.  We finally had to leave without them and are still awaiting their delivery.

We had to change airline reservations to the tune of $400 in fees.  Yet another obstacle.

On to the trip.  To begin with, a car rental company called Avis, that does not know its own policies and considers that your problem, was another obstacle.  I am going to say this one time and then let it be.  I have used Avis before.  Quite a bit actually and for business mostly.  Good experiences all until I needed them most.  We made our reservation weeks in advance.  They made a mistake.  They even admitted it but they penalized us for it anyway.  This was just 14 hours before we had to drive to Miami.  It almost cost us everything.  They could not have cared less.  They apologized.  No more.  They did not refund our money immediately though they said they would.  We had no car.  We had to dispute it with our credit card company, Capital One.  They were great.  We were able to get another car at the eleventh hour with help from family, through Enterprise.  They stayed on so we could get the car.  We later sent Avis a detailed e-mail. They responded they were sorry.  It came from customer service rather than a manager. Appalling.  There is more to it.  A lot more but I am done with it and them.  That was our last experience with Avis.  You however, need to make your own decisions.

Luggage is bayud, hmmmkaaay?

Me, my wife, four cats, two hundred pounds of check in luggage and four carry on bags (two containing cats) are driving down I-95 in a rental car.  No, this is not the beginning of a joke though I am currently working something up.  We have calming treats/spray and a portable litter box for our cats.  We have a Little Caesars pizza.  We have hopes, dreams and each other. It will have to be enough because -

We are driving to Miami from Jacksonville, Florida. This is a 349 mile trip by car.  Five hours drive.  A friend told us it is not five hours.  Try six hours.  He travels there frequently. Okay.  We tack on two hours drive time just to be sure.  We arrive at MIA (Miami International Airport) almost two hours later than planned.  Stress levels are high.  If we miss our flight we are done for. We make it to the departure zone.  I unload our entire lives onto the sidewalk and sprint back to the car with a quick kiss for my wife.  She stays behind.  As she dwindles in the rear view I feel horrible about leaving her there alone.  It is a mad house and she has too much to look after.  I must turn in the car. Thank the heavens I got the right amount of gas.  The gauge is just a smidgen over a half tank just like we picked it up.

Where do I turn it in?  There are signs.  I follow.  There is my wife.  There are signs.  I follow. There is my wife.  Stress.  There are signs.  I do not follow.  There is the rental drop off.  Whew.  I pull in.  There is standstill traffic.  A charter bus has gone the wrong way.  He cannot go forward or the bus will be a convertible.  There are men in the road, stopping traffic and trying to help the clearly inexperienced bus driver.  Ten minutes, twenty, horns blaring, people screaming.  I am sooooo not relaxed.  "Don't Panic"!  Clock still blinking- he is out!  I move forward.  Progress.  The Enterprise drop off is the last drop off, furthest away from well, anywhere.  I am a mile or more from my wife.  I scan for signs. No indication of how to get back to the airport is visible.  The Enterprise agent wants to know if they provided excellent customer service.  I want to get back to my wife. It has been almost 45 minutes since I left her.

Yes I will say I received excellent customer service if you will tell me how to get the airport.  They do.  I DID receive excellent customer service.

You take a train from the rental car garage to the airport.  It is a very long run to that train.  It is there when I get there.  I had to traverse two floors and a rather large parking garage to get there but it is there.  I'm on.  For a fleeting second I wonder if I got on the right train.  I know I did.  I call my wife.  "Almost there!" I yell over the noise.  People look at me, disgusted with my rudeness. I do not really care.  It is important my wife hears me and knows I am coming.  She does not, not really.  Off the train now.  I am, where am I?  Ah yes.  Of course.  There is the American Airlines departures sign.  I am at the far end of the airport.  The opposite end from my wife.  It is packed. I run.  10 minutes later I'm standing with my wife who has been trying to get a skycap for an hour. I am off again.  Trying to find a skycap.  I return with no skycap.  My wife has found one.  Time to get moving again.

Now I must tell you something important.  My wife is disabled.  She is not able to walk long distances without experiencing excruciating pain.  To sit down for long periods of time causes excruciating pain.  She cannot carry anything heavy.  Even something light is an issue.  She does not take pain medication.  She uses a cane.  This means once this skycap is gone, I am on my own.  The skycap sees her discomfort and takes us to the front of a very long line.  We feel bad for the others but we are already late.  No time for heroics here.  We have a job to do and this helps.

Queens, New York City

We get called to the check in counter. We present our passports, animal documentation, and payment for the animal transport.  We wait.  There are no benches.  My wife sits on the luggage. The luggage is weighed.  The first bag is too heavy.  I take my coat out of the bag and put it on though it is hot and I am sweating.  That does it.  Bags checked. There are issues with the animals. Really, the ticket agent just is not sure how to handle it.  Seeing my wife is in discomfort, she doesn't mess around too long.  She gets a supervisor, all the while explaining that we (my wife and I along with the cats) WILL be on that plane.  She will make sure of it.  Don't worry.  Stress level HIGH! Supervisor is here now.  All is good.  Boarding passes, paperwork.  My wife is done helping a woman figure out what international phone number she needs to call to inquire about flights to Chile.  My wife knows this number because as I mentioned before, she takes copious notes.  To security!

Not quite.  We get there.  An American Airlines employee sees my wife and I are having a hard time with the carry on.  There are no carts.  The security checkpoint is a long way off.  He grabs some bags and helps us.  Thank you American Airlines.  Initial checkpoint. TSA (Transportation Security Administration) says we cannot board our cats.  We only have 2 "passes" and there are four pets. We explain that there are two carriers, one pass for each.  That's what American Airlines allows. Doesn't matter.  No boarding for you.  My wife is beside herself.  I tell her "sit right here".  The American Airlines attendant stays with her, comforting her.  Thank you American Airlines.  I grab the cats and run back to the ticket agent.  She says TSA cannot do that.  Another manager.  She says "follow me".  I do, cats in tow.  The manager tells TSA they will let us board.  Furthermore, they will put us at the front of the line.  They do. Thank you American Airlines.  Thank you TSA.  To the plane!

TSA in action!

Not quite.  TSA has a problem here. "These are not the cats you are looking for." I say waving my hand at the squad leader.  The force is not strong in me. We have four freaked out cats.  I mean freaked out man.  There are dogs.  TSA does not want their own dogs freaked out right?  The cats must come out of the carriers for inspection.  Here I am going to stop.  TSA has an important, hard, and virtually thankless job to do.  Their job necessarily inconveniences passengers. They do not like it, we do not like it, but it keeps us safe.  All I will say is they helped us. They were courteous, respectful, and mindful of our situation, including my wife's pain.  They did not circumvent process or put anyone at risk.  Their process is not mine to discuss.  We made it through.  I am grateful they are there to protect us.

Now to the gate.  About 11 light years away.  Where are Han and Chewie when you need them, huh? What the heck is wrong with my hyper drive?  R2-D2 is gone again.  We might have 30 minutes. Ask for directions.  Train.  Arrive at gate.  Fully booked flight.  No seats.  No benches.  My wife is in agony.  We made it though.  Only boarding to go.

View from our plane after take off.  Goodbye USA!

Not quite.  Gate change.  Really?  Okay only four gates away.  Still no seats.  We wait.  For an hour.  I look up.  The information at the desk has just changed. It reads "Nicaragua".  I go to the desk. "Gate E34" the agent tells me.  A different concourse. Far, far away,  I tell my wife very quietly.  If I can get there before everyone else she will have a seat.  She tells me go.  Run, TJ, run.  I run like the wind.  Okay.  Not so much.  I have a cart on which I carry four cats, a laptop, a suitcase and every document we must have to make it through Customs.  I run.  Like a slug.  I beat everyone.  I get seats.  The gate says boarding starts in 5 minutes.  "?".  There is no one to speak to.  Again.  "?".  Where is my wife? Where are the agents?  Where is the plane?  Where is the rational universe?  At least I have my towel.  "Don't Panic!"  "?".

"Ever feel like you're living in an airport?"

My wife arrives behind everyone else.  I fight for her seat.  She flops down and off I go to find her a drink.  Soda of course.  Liquor is what we need but-

Two of these.

Not quite.  We are on the plane now.  It is an hour later.  We are in our seats.  The pilot is furious with the tower.  I am not sure I want a mad pilot.  He assures us he is going to cut corners to because he wants to get home too.  I grip my towel a bit tighter.  We are off.  Off the ground.  The cats are scared.  I can tell.  I am elated.  We are home free now. We made it.  They bring us food. They bring me complimentary Jack Daniels'. They bring my wife complimentary Bloody Marys'.  Can I get an amen?

And two of these.

Not quite.  Over Cuba we fly, over Jamaica.  Over Panama.  Pleasantly buzzed, we land 3 and a half hours later and boy are my arms tired.  Because of the cats, Okay?  Carrying the cats. Down a very long hallway we go.  My wife is waning.  It has been seventeen hours of traveling so far.  I am waning.  We have to clear Customs now.  We have been told it can take up to 2 hours with the animals.  I am braced.  We are told (all in Spanish) we must fill out some forms. Done.  We must get in this line.  Done. Passports please.  State your business.  Sleep is my business I almost say.  Business is definitely not good I also don't say. Off we go.  Get our luggage.  Find a cart.  Another form is handed to us by a child. We must fill it out.  Done.  Get in this line.  Done.  The man standing there says hello.  Are we traveling together?  How do I know what he is saying?  I just do.  Auto pilot says so.  My wife says so.  I cannot feel my arms now.  It is about time.  He presses a button.  A light turns green. Welcome to Ecuador.  Stunned, we walk past him.  My wife stops.  "We have to wait." she says. "He said go!" says I.  We go.  Fast.

That's good advice!

The next thing I know I am surrounded by the people of Ecuador.  They are waiting on their loved ones returning for summer break.  They are laughing and pointing at me, asking me questions I don't understand.  At first I am nonplussed.  I hear "Gatos!" and I know what that means.  They are laughing because this harried, long haired gringo has just gotten off the plane and does he have luggage?  No.  The luggage is on a cart I must go back and get.  He has cats.  Four cats. Now, I too am laughing. We made it!

Not quite.  Now we have to find our driver if he is here at all.  We are 2 hours late.  We had no way to call anyone.  No way to confirm our arrival. There's a sign!  "National Geographic Expedition". Not us.  Another sign in a sea of signs.  Jason and Tamera- that's us!  Our driver Oswando, gets a skycap.  They carry everything to his wonderful nine passenger van.  We tip the skycap $.50 cents per bag.  It is a good tip here and we are assured by Oswando, appropriate.  There are CD's.  There is air conditioning,  There is ice in my glass, so to speak.  He reclines the seats.  He tells us to sleep.  No worries.  He's got this.  Yeah, I can sleep.  Not one wink.  It is midnight.  We have a four and a half hour drive before we are home.

It is a comfortable ride.  My wife is a bit confused when the cats are meowing in their sleep.  Then a kitten mews.  It is our driver having some fun with us.  He is an animal person too.  He has a cat, two dogs, and two birds.  He sounds just like a kitten.  Despite the pain and stress, my wife is laughing for the first time in days.

We arrive at our new home and meet our friend Tamy; in person for the first time.  It is 4:30 AM. Her husband is also there and helps with the bags, cats and my wife.  They have cleaned the house. They have stocked it with groceries.  They give us the tour and then, leave so we can rest. Tamy assures us she will be back the next day to take us shopping for real.  We thank her.  We eat.  We walk down to the Pacific Ocean for the first time in our lives.  The sun is rising.  We are home.

Quite. Adios!

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Familia y Los Amigos - They Love You. Always and Forever

Jimmie and Michele

My wife and I have dreamed of living abroad for a long time now.  We visited Mexico some time ago along with our friends, Jimmie and Michele.  That trip only fanned our flames of that dream.  We did not hotel in Cancun.  We are not the Cancun type (this may surprise you in a moment). We chose to rent a beach house called Casa del Cielo south of there; near a tiny fishing village called Puerto Morelos. It was the best vacation we ever took. We spent quite a lot of time in Puerto Morelos, met the locals, ate the fish, enjoyed life, fell in love with it.  Fast forward.

Puerto Morelos has been found by others. Many, many others.  What would have been affordable to us then is so for out of our stratosphere now that it is staggering.  We searched and hunted, determined to find something, anything there.  It became evident that it was not going to happen.  It also became evident that it might not be safe there anymore.

He do what he do.

We watched a lot of HHI (House Hunters International) trying to get ahead of the curve, looking for new ideas.  As it turns out, there are quite a few Americans looking for something different.  All have their own reasons but the romantic in me believes it boils down to one immutable fact.  We are at heart, explorers. Adventurers of the world.  We have our reasons.  As few or as many as we need, but we want to wander.  We have the traveling bone.  The two hundred and seventh bone in our bodies thank you very much.

We saw an episode featuring a couple moving to Quito.

It piqued our interest even though Quito is almost as far from the las playas or beaches if you prefer, as you can get in Ecuador.  They spoke of the climate.  The spoke of the affordability.  They spoke of the wonderful people.  We saw opportunity.  Fast forward.

We are in Crucita now.  As you already know, we faced quite a few surprises.  There are many to come.  One of the biggest surprises in the whole process was the reactions of our family and friends. Looking back I am more than a bit surprised by our actions as well.

Daughter and Mother.  Lovely.

Surprise #1:  Family - What do you mean you are moving to Ecuador?  Half a world away!  A third world country at that!

We have a great family.  Hard workers, loving, and caring all.  Almost all immediate family live in Jax (Jacksonville) from whence we came.  It is a large family.  A daughter, a brother, and a father live further away but again, most are in Jax.  Most everyone knew we were moving to Ecuador. They knew of our dreams.  When we pulled the trigger why were they not all just so happy for us? Happy we were following our dreams?

Jesse and Loca painted by Tamera.

First off, dreams are just that; dreams. You can talk of your dreams all you want. No one ever knows what is really in your head but you.  Your family is not involved your decision making process.  They don't know where your head is.  They are not there for all the hard work like researching, checking, Skyping, calling *cringe* Government offices/financial institutions, paperwork, and organizing it all. No one really expects you to risk everything and follow dreams.  I mean, who does that?

No one wants to see you go either.  We are leaving our children (now adults) behind.  We are going to be far, far away.  It did not help that we moved our timetable up by almost a year.  When we started trying to organize with our family (who gets what valuables and heirlooms, visiting schedules, etc.) we might as well have poked them in the eye with a sharp stick. Repeatedly.  No really one expected we would move to Ecuador.  Another country.  A different continent.  A different hemisphere.  Not that fast anyway.

Show off!

We received mixed reactions.  Some vehement, others not. There was anger, there was bewilderment, there was sadness. There was also understanding, pride, and hope.  Sometimes in the same sentence from the same person.  Sometimes not. Being there, going through it all was harder than you can imagine.  For all of us.  I don't think anyone can see the other's side when you are in it.  It takes a little distance to get a lot of perspective.

Surprise #2:  Art - What are you willing to give up?

We are accomplished artists my wife and I.  My wife paints extremely well.  Oil is her preferred medium but she is equally talented with watercolor and drawing.  Photography is something else in which she excels   She loves capturing architecture on film and then painting the same.  Surrealism is where she lives.  She also writes occasionally. She is a natural lyricist. She is adept at capturing her dreams in all these mediums and I am always impressed. You see, she does it all on her own. No help, no net. Just her and her talent.

Scott and I rockin' it!

My art is practiced almost exclusively with others.  I am a musician.  Bajos or bass guitar is my thing.  Rock for the most part.  I write lyrics and compose.  Have done since my Father bought me my first guitar when I was 13.  I do a fair job as a recording engineer too though you won't catch anyone hiring me to engineer and produce their stuff.  I learned by ear, like I am learning Spanish, by diving in with those who already spoke the language and learning on the fly.  By age fifteen I had my first paying gig.  In 1996 I was in Nashville recording my first professionally engineered CD.  I work my art with the benefit of help from others.  A collective process.  I love the stage.  I have been in a working band my whole life until that is, about a month ago.  The last one was the one of the best I've ever been in.  "Ozonebaby You're Amazing!"

My wife left all of her art behind.  She sold all of her production equipment.  I quit a great band.  I sold all my equipment including my git fiddles.  Too much equipment, too heavy to ship, too costly.  We have both done this all our lives.  It is like we quit breathing, sleeping, or eating.  We are both going a little nuts with the loss right now.  We could only bring so much and will have to ferry things back when we visit.  We will buy mostly new equipment here.

Fun with family and my friend, Rob.

Surprise #3:  Friends - What the -?

My wife lived in Jax all her life.  She grew up with Anastasia Island, springs, and bogs.  I was born in Virginia.  A life of mountains and life on the water in summer a la the Elizabeth River in Portsmouth.  By age nine I was living in Florida.  My point is we both have lifelong friends in Jax.  From school, from work, from our art.  They are family too.  There was an added family for me in the form of the band.  The concept of band is hard for a lot of people to understand.  Being in one is like having extended family.  You love the good and tolerate the bad if you want to be successful.  You can not keep one together.  You can keep the name and the idea together.  Like Legos, band members are interchangeable.  The idea of the band, the music, the theme, stays the same.  The spirit is there and with the right guys, the energy is there too.

We do what we do.

Our friend's reactions varied just like our family's.  I can only believe everyone experiences the same range of emotions.

Surprise #4: Us vs. Them - Wha, Wha, Whaaaaat?!

Now for the hardest one.  The one where we have to look at ourselves and come to grips with our own mistakes,  Please remember I (TJ) am writing this.

My wife and I are partners, lovers, and friends.

We do not necessarily share the same view ALL the time.  On this we may differ a bit.  On all of it we may differ, but only a bit.

We could have done a better job communicating.  We should have done.  We got defensive.  We never thought in a million years anyone would be unhappy with the choice.  We were not prepared for ANY negativity at all.  We got hurt but never truly understood how we might be hurting others. It is family, close friends.  We are realizing our dream, going to live in paradise after all. They MUST BE HAPPY FOR US!

Jessica's graduation.  With Jesse, Honey, and family.

No they must not.  In this we were all a bit selfish, a bit close minded.  There is a lot of stress involved for those moving away.  There is a lot of stress involved for those who aren't.  We wanted no, craved support.  We sometimes felt we were not getting it.  We felt we were being second guessed, that we were making a mistake, that people thought we were crazy.  We were told that.  People react strangely when someone they love, someone they have know all their lives, leaves. Especially as suddenly as we did.  We did not give them much time to process it.  It was a necessary evil.  The reality is, there was no us vs. them.  There was fear of change and loss.  There was misunderstanding.

Wedding guests?  Family!

Surprise #5: Strangers - Wow!  That is amazing!  Tell us all about it!  You are so lucky!

Ahhh.  Sweet validation.  Bittersweet.  For all the worry over family there is nothing but curiosity and well wishes from those you don't know.  On the surface anyway.  You meet a lot of people when getting your paperwork ready.  You have to tell them what you are doing no matter what.  They all have a million questions no matter who else is waiting behind you. Some are genuinely interested.  Their eyes eat up their face as they lean in and partake of the story, your courageous exploits.  Adventure in South America!  Yay!

Then there are those whose eyes flicker.  Their face slackens just a bit and their smiles do not reach their eyes.  Feigned interest.  Doubt.  You know the words coming out of their mouths are not what they're thinking. Body language is the great equalizer.  You tell them just the same.

It can feel good.  You will trick yourself into believing they are all "with" you.  It's not true and never will be.

For Nana.

I hope this helps you prepare.  Your family and friends will come around. They may not agree with you or your thinking. They may try and talk you out of it, and why not?  They love you and have a genuine concern for you well being. First and foremost remember who they are. They love you.  Take pause. Remember it again.  They love you.  In the end that is all that matters. Ever. Adios!

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Tamera's Take: Strange Trees, Cats and Rose Colored Glasses

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

The ancient Maya of South America believed that a great Ceiba tree stood at the center of the earth, connecting the terrestrial world to the spirit-world above.  The long thick vines hanging down from its spreading limbs provided a connection to the heavens for the souls that ascended them.

The Ceiba tree’s branches were believed by Mayans to act as a seat from which the gods watched the people walking below.

Humans are not separate from nature.

Ceiba Tree facts:
During the dry season the symmetrical flowers can be rather small and inconspicuous at less than 3 cm (1 inch), to showy at more than 12 cm (5 inches); and are usually white, pinkish-white or red, with leathery petals.  This tree has a largely branchless trunk which grows to 60-70 metres (200-230 feet) and buttress roots that can be taller than a grown person.  The deep roots mean it is often one of the few trees left standing after a hurricane.

Borrowed photo. We were riding a bus. 

Thanks to the following websites for the above information:

http://www.fauna-flora.org

http://www.ceiba.org




As I write this, we are currently at the end of the dry season.  There is a bus route from our town of Crucita directly to the city of Portoviejo, about 30 km (18 miles) away.  The buses are scheduled about every 10 minutes, cost $1.10 to ride, and you hail them like a cab.  Equally, when you want to get off, you simply stand up and go to the front of the bus. The bus driver will immediately stop and let you off.

Groceries from Portoviejo

We needed to go to Portoviejo to do some grocery shopping.  We do not have a car, scooter, motorcycle or even a bicycle - yet. There are two options.  A cab or a bus.  A bus it is.

The bus makes a circle around Crucita, on Calle Malecon (coastal road) and Calle Portoviejo.  We are told by our friend Tamy to get on the bus at Calle Malecon, because it will be less crowded.  We are not sure why it will be less crowded, but any advice Tamy gives us is good advice.



It is about 50 yards (45 metres) from our gate to Calle Malecon.

As a side note, during the writing of Tamera's Take, I decide to login and listen to Pandora Internet Radio, only to receive the following message:

Zahi is not amused.

Dear Pandora Visitor,
We are deeply, deeply sorry to say that due to licensing constraints, we can no longer allow access to Pandora for listeners located outside of the U.S., Australia and New Zealand. We will continue to work diligently to realize the vision of a truly global Pandora, but for the time being we are required to restrict its use. We are very sad to have to do this, but there is no other alternative.

This frustrates me, but only for a moment.

Three countries does not sound very global.

I go to the back up plan and play some of our music saved to the laptop.




After all, I am in Crucita.  The sun is shining, the wind is blowing and the waves are crashing on the shore.   This was not the case yesterday.  It was raining on Friday.  Bus Ride Friday.  Black Friday for everyone in the U.S.

[listening to Under the Milky Way by The Church]

Back to Calle Malecon.

Calle Malecon

We are not sure what side of the Calle to catch the bus, but we know that there are no bus stops to search for, no increasingly confusing time schedules to decipher, no bus transfers to make.

Unlike the bus systems in the U.S. and probably many other countries, when we see the bus, just hail it like a cab.  Simple enough.

This is going to be easy.


After standing on the Malecon for about 3 minutes we see a bus heading our way.  Great.  This is going to be easy.  Our arms go up.  The bus stops.  "Este el Autobus a Portoviejo?" I say to the man who opens the bus door (not the driver).  "Portoviejo? Otro... (something something something and I have no idea what)."  Says the man who opens the bus door (not the driver).  However I did catch the word "otro" which means "other".  The man is smiling and pointing to the other side of the street.  Like I said, this is going to be easy.

Views from the bus on the way to Portoviejo 

We cross the street.  Well that was simple anyway.  Wait for it.  Yes.  Here it comes.  Another bus. My husband says, "you put up your arm this time, I did it last time".  I reply, "I held my arm up too". We both laugh and both put up our arms.  Better safe than sorry right?   It worked last time.  It worked this time too.

I should say at this point that "CRUCITA" is painted on the side of the buses.  In the front window is a sign that reads "Portoviejo".

[listening to Yer So Bad by Tom Petty]

The man (not the driver) opens the door.  Portoviejo?  Si.  Good, this is going to be easy.  Then there are those very steep steps.  Only two of them.  But very very steep.  My husband Jason and I are taller than most people here.

Did I mention the bus had really steep steps?

Views from the bus - house for sale

After climbing the steps, the very steep ones, I try to give the man (not the driver) money.  He does not take it.  There is no meter to drop money into.  No place to slide your Metrocard.  Confused for just a moment I keep walking up the aisle looking for two seats together.  Before I know it I am in the back of the bus and I get a look at the passengers for the first time.   All children and teenagers in school uniforms.  For the most part they are sitting in the window seat.  No one in the aisle seats.

Views from the bus - Rice Fields!

Confusion sets back in as I look towards the front of the bus, which is moving. Instinct sets in and we both choose an aisle seat. Did we get on the wrong bus? Did I say this was going to be easy?

The bus stops again and the new passengers are not school children. Feeling a little better by the addition of passengers, who are obviously not coming home from school, I relax.  It is 12:20pm.

We are on our way to Portoviejo.  Us, the school children, the other passengers who are not school children, the man (not the driver), and the driver.  We round the corner and a few more passengers get on the bus.

A man (not the other man or the driver) is walking up the aisle carrying a basket.  What is in the basket?   He is selling something to the passengers.  Fresh baked bread.  Rolls to be exact.  They smell wonderful.  I think about buying one, but decide not to.  I just want to observe for this bus ride.  There are two teenagers sitting behind me.  They are sitting very close together.  The teenage boy buys two rolls, one for himself and one for his girl-friend.

The man (not the driver).  Very nice man. 

The bus stops to let people on and let people off, as buses do.  The school children are quiet or talking very softly.  The other passengers talk socially to each other.  The man (not the driver) walks towards the back of the bus to collect the fare from each passenger.  The children pay a very small fare.  I can not see exactly how much they give him, but it seems to be a few small coins.  Jason and I each give him $1.10, he counts the money and smiles at us and nods.  We got the fare right.

This is nothing like any other bus ride I have taken.  I am actually enjoying it.  I knew it would be easy.

I hear the teenage boy behind me say, "Americanos.  No comprendo."  Of course he meant us.  He was right.

Am I wearing Rose Colored Glasses?  Who can say?!

Maybe I am, maybe not.  I will let you know.

Last Stop

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Tamera's Take: Whack-Bat, Cats and Legos

I am starting a little segment of our "What it Takes to Move to Ecuador" blog.
I am calling it Tamera's Take.
I am taking a chance anyone will read it, since tomorrow is Thanksgiving in the U.S.
That is a lot of takes.
It took a lot to get us here.
There is another take.

"Basically, there's three grabbers, three taggers, five twig runners, and a player at whack-bat.  Center tagger lights a pine cone and chucks it over the basket and the whack-batter tries to hit the cedar stick off the cross rock.  Then the twig runners dash back and forth until the pine cone burns out and the umpire calls hotbox.  Finally, you count up however many score-downs it adds up to and divide that by nine."

Getting confused?  Where does Whack-Bat fit in?  I just told you.  Exactly.  PLEASE stay with me just a LITTLE BIT longer.

East Mountain View

My segment is not about how we got here, or what it takes to get here, or what to do when you get here.

My husband Jason is already doing all of that in our Blog.  Our blog. To be honest, Jason does all the writing.

My capacity is Editor and Fact Checker. In that capacity, I am pretty good.

Tamera's Take is about being here.

Are you ready?  I am.




Where do we fit in?

I have asked myself that question many times in the five days since we arrived.  I am American.  That is what we do.  We try to fit in.  Somewhere.

But I am in Ecuador.  Crucita Ecuador to be exact.  A small fishing village on the Pacific coast of South America.

It sort of came to me last night when I was on our roof top terrace, taking in the 360 degree view.  The mountains to the north, east and south of us.  The ocean to the west.

West View Towards Pacific Ocean

In the middle of that view are houses and buildings of all different shapes and sizes.  Some are under construction.  Some appear to be under destruction.  Some seem content to wait.

Legos!

It reminded me of Legos.  Everyone has played with (or at least seen) Legos.

Little blocks of different colors, shapes and sizes.  But they all fit together.

That is the magic of Legos.  They do not have to be the same to fit together.

In fact, Legos only fit in because they are different.

CAT!!

So where do we fit in?

Right where we are.

HOTBOX!!

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What to Do, What to Do?

And what to do it with?  I can tell you what we have not done.  We have not done it since we left Jacksonville.  Check yourself here.  Just how mature ARE you? :-)

Our current movie.

We have not looked at, plugged in, turned on, or watched television.  We have a flat screen TV.  We have a DVD player.  We have Direct TV.  We do not know what channels we have.  We do not know if we have any English channels or if it is all  Latino programming.  I haven't watched American football or even thought about it until now.  OK, not true.  I see the sports stuff on Facebook.  I do not need scores there.


I just see the comments and it is almost as good as play by play.  Go Jaguars!  No movies either.

Anyone who knows us knows we are very serious about our movies.  At one point we had over 300 DVD's and Blue Ray's in our collection.  We had cable and Netflix too.  Those have all gone the way of the Dodo.  If you have not noticed, we spit out movie quotes as often as Eastwood spits out chaw.  Those of you anal-retentive enough to go to previous posts and scour for missed quotes, I salute you.

DDSF (DVD DNA Storage Facility) 

I have some movie DNA in my freezer so at some point I will John Hammond it and get my movies back.  I fear it will not be easy.  I have not seen an English language DVD here yet.  We didn't bring any either.  I'm sure they can be had and we'll find them but it will be a sad selection I think.  Doom on you, movie lover.

So what do we do?  Well, We walk.  We swim.  We attempt to speak Spanish.  We try to read and translate menus, flyers, and street signs without Google Translate.  I say "un poco de Espanol" a LOT.

We get up early without ever setting an alarm.  I can hear friends and family in JAX laughing very, very hard right now.  I ain't got no friends in 818 you say?  Not that would understand why they are laughing.  We clean our house every day.  Yes, we do Brad, yes we do.  We must do dishes and sweep daily regardless of maid service.

Remember it is an open house, except the bedrooms. Tiny sugar ants can be a problem if we do not.  We do laundry since we were finally able to figure out that machine. We try to figure out where to buy things we need.  We buy them.  Tamera works with our roses and other garden plants.  I blog, she blogs, we all blog.  We herd cats.

DDSF High Tech Thaw Mechanism

There is cooking involved.  At some point we will get around to talking about that, I'm sure.  We actually have very nice appliances including a gas stove.  No big deal that stove, huh? Maybe, but I love to cook and have wanted a gas stove for a long time.  We have a rice cooker which is cool.  Rice is important here.  Rice comes with almost everything and they know what to do with it in Ecuador. We've eaten rice every day.

We have the all important coffee maker, equally important blender, and a very nice refrigerator.  No dishwasher but with only 2 people that has not been a problem. There is a charcoal grill.  

Speaking of charcoal a quick side note: Apparently it is used here in the same way you might use baking soda in your refrigerator.  There is a small bowl of it in the back.  It takes out odors and I'll be damned if it does not work as well.

Mmmmm.

The people of Ecuador at least in our area, drink coffee. Instant coffee mostly. You're off the edge of the map mate.  Here there be monsters!  No, not really.  It is South America so perhaps you are surprised by that.  We were.  Think about it for a second.  These are mostly farmers and fishermen,  They work their butts off.  I think they rarely have time to brew, much less sit down and enjoy a good cup 'o Joe before work. When not working it is family and friends.  I don't know for sure yet.  But I think it.  Don't be dismayed.  The ground coffee is here and it is awesome.  The sugar unrefined (no need for Dixie Crystals here) and the herbs/spices are amazing.

Remember I told you we have a lot to learn?  Think I was right? It can be overwhelming at times.  Sometimes you don't know what's around the next corner.  It can be scary as hell.  I was scared out of my wits yesterday morning.  Remember we have a private courtyard.  No one in or out without a key.

Very secret, very safe.  Not.  I was up at 7:00 and came down to make coffee.  I heard a sound in the breezeway.  It sounded like someone futzing around and coughing.  "Great," I think, "confrontation with a tresspasser".  Me.  Me, who hath no Espanol skills, no nunchuk skills, no ninja skills, and no bow staff in sight.  *Sigh*  Just li'l old me. I'm ready.  I can do this.  Walk around the corner man, DO IT!

RCH (Robot Chicken from Hell).

Gotta grill right there for ya RCH! 

This little guy right here.  Not so little this robot chicken (I know it is a rooster, OK?) from hell.  Tamera was laughing, I was laughing.  Tamera ran it off.  I think he was afraid I was gonna cook him up. Barbecue, me and you, stinky, stinky, pew, pew.  She will never know.

Sorry.  Had to get in one last quote.  I'M NOT SORRY! Adios!


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Odds and Ends

Pacific morning surf.

We decided to walk to the end of Calle Malecon in North Crucita.  You can take a cab or scooter taxi for less than $1 but you can also walk from one end of Crucita to the other in about 30 minutes.  It was a little overcast (we are coming into the rainy season) but the surf was nice and the beach was beautiful.  So far I have noticed the mornings have been generally overcast but by noon the sun comes out. The energy from Sol kicks up the breeze and surf.

Hand fisherman in Crucita, Ecuador

We saw a couple of guys near the north fish market doing some surf fishing.  One was fishing with rod and reel which I have seen none of from the beach. I'm really pretty happy about because I dig surf fishing. I was not sure there was anything fun or edible to catch that way.

The other was also fishing but by hand.  He had regular line and tackle but no reel.  He was using his left hand as the spool and wrapping line with his right.  Considering the size of the fish at market I figure he has a limited life span on his fingers.   I have met my fisherman neighbor and his wife but I can't speak enough Spanish to be safe and productive fishing with him.  The invitation is there though.  His wife is also considered one of the better for hire cooks in the area.  She will come cook and teach us while she does it.  That, my friends is going to be stellar.

Poor Puffer!

Anyway, we stood there and watched them fish for awhile.  The gentleman with the rod and reel seemed to be having a hard time.  By now the surf was pretty rough so maybe he did not have enough weight.  The hand fisherman was out there up to his waist.  No small feat because the surf had really come up and trust me, it can get you off your feet quickly if you do not watch out.  He caught this while we were watching.


On the way back we thought we would walk along Calle Malecon and see what was going on.  It looks like  lot of development is starting to happen there.  Actually it is starting everywhere.  We saw some very large homes under construction.  There are many buildings for sale one the beachfront.  There are also many single family homes condos like these for rent.

New condo construction.

I was surprised because we looked on the internet for a good long time and found little.  I guess it goes back to what I said in an earlier post.  Ecuadorians generally don't use the internet much.

There are a lot of empty homes around as well.  Most are beach homes owned by families inland.  In January they come to the beach as it their summer time.



We can already see the cleaning ladies cleaning some of the homes around us in preparation for the season.  It looks like we're in for a pretty big season of fiestas, beachfront roca or rock shows and of course, carnival.  I've been warned they squirt water at you and some even throw eggs and such from their cars.  Tamera and I will stock up on beer and missiles.  We have a pretty good vantage point from our terrace and I think we can give as good as we get.  Tomorrow I think Tamera is going begin writing from her perspective.  Also, I might just tell you about the chicken. Dog!  Hey dog!  Did you see the size of that chicken?  Yeah, I'm old.  Adios!

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Moving Pets to Ecuador- The Most Fun You will Never Have

I said I would write about this and wish I had not.  I literally cringed when I hit "publish" after saying I would.  I'm sorry if this is confusing.  It is hard to organize in my head, hard to organize on the blog, and was hard to organize in real life.  Read this entire post.  Not because we took so much time writing it.  You need to know everything we have written if your pet travels with you.  If you have a specific question, do not hesitate to ask us.

We brought 4 cats with us.  Yes, Yes, I hear you.  Not crazy people.  Certifiable.  I understand but if they were YOUR pets- a little different right?  I hope so.

Blondie

The thing is, the process was not so bad.  The surprises, relevant charges, and lack of structured information were.  I cannot stress enough the changes that could happen every day.  Ecuador and the USA can and will change their import/export laws.  It can and may happen in mid-process.

We recommend you carry on your pets.  We did. Depending on the airline there will be different carry on rules and costs. Some airlines will not allow carry on pets.  The airlines that do allow carry on pets have a maximum kennel (pet carrier) limit per flight.  If you decide to carry on your pets, you must notify your airline's reservations as soon as possible.  Reservations will give you a Record Locator Number for each of your carry on kennels.  You must use kennels approved by that airline.  Your pets must be harnessed (cat or dog). No collars.  You must have a leash.  You are going to have to research flight specific information and requirements on your own.

I don't advocate putting pets in cargo.  Depending on the size of your pet, you may not have a choice. Bear in mind, the cargo area is not pressurized, there is no temperature regulation and no human contact.  Your pets will be under an enormous amount of stress and our airline would not allow tranquilizers.  We found alternatives in the form of calming spray and herbal calming treats. They worked very well.

Transporting pets in cargo could kill them.  Ecuador doesn't allow cargo transportation of pets unless the outside air temperature is below a certain point.  No Ecuador airline allows carry on pets.  You may need to fly into Guayaquil or Quito and use a private driver to get to your destination.  We had one drive us to Crucita from Guayaquil (4.5 hours).  He was from Portoviejo so his total round trip time was almost 9 hours.  He also had to wait 2 additional hours as our plane was delayed.  Eleven hours of his time, mileage and gas, cost us $165.00.

Zahi is upset after 21 straight hours of travel.

There are companies that will ship your pet for you, in luxury even.  They were all completely out of our price range.  Some seemed a bit shady.  If you go that route be careful.

Budget more than you have already.  Getting everything together to move people to Ecuador is tough.  Animals are tougher and more expensive.

This next sentence is very important.  As of 11/20/2015 the U.S. based Ecuadorian Consulate did not have to sign, certify, stamp or approve any paperwork in order for you to import your pet into Ecuador.

There are websites that offer to obtain your pet "passport" for you.  We found their information to be incorrect or outdated. You don't need them.

You must have a USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) Certified veterinarian.  Call and confirm.  Make them speak the words, "yes, I am a USDA certified veterinarian".  There was only one in our decent sized city.  Other vets told us they could fill out the documents.  Do not risk it.  Get the USDA certified vet even if you have to travel to do it.  It is going to cost you.  Get quotes up front.  Get your pet's records from the last veterinarian they saw.  Ask for discounts.  You may need them.  The vet we used gave us a CONSIDERABLE discount.  I mean a huge one.

There are only 2 USDA documents.  They are called the VHC (Veterinary Health Certificate) and the APHIS Form 7001. The VHC is country and species specific.  When you speak to your USDA representative they need to know the form is for US Export to Ecuador and whether you are transporting dogs, cats, or both.  Your USDA vet fills out and signs these documents.  The USDA stamps and certifies VHC for $38.00 per certificate.  Up to 5 same species animals can be included on 1 VHC.  Each pet must have their own set of these documents.  Each pet must also have their RVC (Rabies Vaccination Certificate) provided by your vet.  That's it.  No one else need be involved. I say this because apparently, you used to have to get the Ecuadorian Consulate to certify your forms prior to export from the USA.  There is a lot of information on the internet saying you do.  We did not have to.  We thought we did and spent a considerable amount of time and energy trying to contact the Miami Ecuadorian Consulate.

The rare and exotic Oscar cat.  He is always quite concerned.

Our vet recommended we have a separate folder prepared for each pet. Good advice.  Make copies of everything.  If you lose something it may help to have copies in the long run.

Call the USDA because they will know what current laws are.  There should be at least one office in your State.  Here's a valuable secret.  Choose the "I want to make an appointment" prompt and someone will answer.  They will even e-mail you the blank forms for the vet to fill out.  This is important because the local offices may have updated forms which are not yet on the USDA website (this was the case for us).  That means your vet will not have the updated forms either.

You must also call the EAQAA (Ecuadorian Agency of Quality Assurance and Agriculture) 72 hours in advance of your arrival.  Notify them by calling Ecuadorian phone number 5939 565 0556.  Tell them you are importing animals into Ecuador, your arrival time, and what airline carrier you are flying with.  They will ensure an Ecuadorian vet is there to inspect each animal, their paperwork, and pass them through Customs.

Kodak Attack!

Your pets require up to date vaccinations.  Even if your records are current, a booster may be required.  You may even have to get the shot and then the booster regardless.  Pets must be free of all internal parasites so your vet should test and then deworm anyway.  Pets must be free of all external parasites.  Your vet should apply flea and tick treatment themselves.  Another VERY important sentence.  You MUST travel within 10 days of receiving USDA certification.  Your travel reservations and vet visits must be coordinated with this in mind.

You should take the documents to the USDA yourself, not mail them.  You will need to make the appointment.  Remember the "I want to make an appointment" prompt?  Had we mailed them we would still be in the States because our USDA form was not formatted correctly.  The vet filled in one section by hand and the USDA would not accept it.  Had we mailed them, the documents would have been returned to us USPS (United Stated Postal Service) without stamps and certification.  We would have missed the 10 day travel window.  Since we were there in person, they corrected the documents themselves, stamped them, and allowed us to take them back to our vet for him to sign again.

I like the balcony momma!

That wasn't so bad, huh?  Well wait a tic. The airport can be tricky. Give yourself plenty of time.  The airline recommended we arrive 4 hours early and we did.  It very nearly wasn't enough time.  Luckily, our flight was delayed.  Wanna hear something really funny?  When we got to Guayaquil they passed us through without even a second glance at our cats.  We were told to expect 1-2 hours of "Customs" time.  We were through Customs in 10 minutes.  That will not happen for everyone and you still need your paperwork to leave the States.


At the time of this post, Ecuador would not quarantine your pet.  Pets who failed to meet their requirements were returned to their country of origin IMMEDIATELY!

Blogging with the Four in Ecuador.

That's about it really.  Actually, I'm kind of glad we did this.  A lot of frustration has been lifted.  The information we provided will definitely help you and yours get where you you want to be safely.  I truly hope this helps someone out there. We could've used it for sure.

I think it might be time for a bit of Rosetta Stone.  It's cloudy out.  Rain is forecast for tomorrow.  I hope the shrimp guy comes today.  For $4 a pound I hope he comes every day.  Adios!

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