Sick and tired

That busy week we had really caught up with us. Not sure if it was the gringo I ran into at the bank, or all the people from here to Charapoto on the bus, but we caught a cold and were sick for almost a week.

I noticed it first, my throat was scratchy and I tried to fend it off taking vitamin c, but it was too strong. My chest became thick and I knew from experience it was turning into bronchitis. Fever, aches and all around wanting to die. Then the next day Mike came down with it, great! I had a whole day of sneezing (boy is that annoying) and stuffy head. But by day 4, I was going without ibuprofen and most of my energy was back.

I made it into town for provisions on Monday and told Jenny I had been enferma and she wrote down what I needed to get next door at the pharmacia. I also told the lady at the pharmacia I had a cough, and she sold me some expectorant in pill form. The medicine Jenny suggested was a powder you stir in water, like Theraflu, but not poison flavor like in the States. So, with a little sign language and miming we've got medicine and are on the road to recovery. Fernando Father fishermen also told me we could get shots at the clinic, if we wanted.

We both said at least once, that we were glad we didn't have to work, working while sick is no fun. We also said, and other gringos on Facebook said, it was the worst sickness encountered in a Long Time. I'm glad it's over, and glad our immune systems must be pretty strong, because one gringo neighbor said they'd had it going on three weeks...I could not stand it that long! So, we are getting back to normal, another overcast day here, it's the rainy season, and luckily it's been cooler the last few days. Guess that's all for now, hope y'all are healthy, don't skimp on that vitamin C! And stay tuned, the adventure continues!

Life's a Beach

Another month has come and gone, where does the time go? The past four days we have been pretty much sick in bed (of course someone still has to cook...) but today I am on the road to recovery. It's a good thing too, because we are out of bread and almost out of milk, I need to get some shopping done. But first things first.

We've had people visit who just can't stand all our tranquilo-ness, some people can, and apparently some can't. We fill our days with leisurely walks, finding treasures the ocean has coughed up, and getting to notice "the little things".

While walking the beach recently, we stumbled on this, we call it a "dog party".

We've seen this family before, this little brown one we call "scruffy" he has such long scruffy face hair, as you can see, they pay little to no attention to us. Just a family out for a day at the beach...

This one was taken on a Saturday, when the football league (and when I say football, you all realize I mean "soccer" right?) was playing. There are two "fields" set up, for multiple games at once, complete with referees. A couple vendors set up on the sidelines and at least a few of the ramadas have food for sale, and hammocks for rent.

A little further down past the games, are the "ruins", I've pictured them before, but when we got there on this day...they were...GONE!

The old sea wall and cistern were still there, but everything else had been scooped up and moved towards the road, piled up as a new sea wall. So weird to see after 18 months of seeing it one way.

No stairs, no pillars, just smooth sand, as if that old building had never been there.

And still further down towards La Boca the debris from the river starts to accumulate, again this year, it's mostly vegetation. We take bigger bags, and collect wood for me to paint on, and sticks for various things. I've always been a "scavenger" and so this is right up my alley. Love trash to treasure! Which reminds me, my painting recently has been ocean themed.

We are not the only ones who enjoy living here at the beach, one of our favorite things is to watch the kids play in the water. Some of the kids have boogie boards, while others play with whatever they can find. Recently the kids had a huge piece of styrofoam they were using as a boogie board, it worked! 

The older urchin has been solo lately, we don't know where his little brother went, of course he was the demon, so with him gone, the older boy is hanging out with Francis and being helpful. If he continues to be good we will look into getting him a boogie board. Maybe we could buy a couple, and loan them out, don't know, just a thought.

A couple more cute pics, this is Fernando and his son  Zadkiel.

Life at the beach, it's the life for me. So, stay tuned...the adventure continues.

Busy week

So much has happened this week, I almost don't know where to start. I guess I'll start with Monday, I went to pay the power bill at the bank in town, and the machine was down, she said mañana. So Tuesday I went, still down, it was becoming necessary to go to Charapoto to pay at the office. While I waited for an answer of a quick ride, I got to watch the continuing saga of the new sea wall being built.

So much sand had washed away, these rocks were showing, so they dug them up and started making a wall. The owner of the lot next to the lot next door may have been the financier, or maybe the municipality, not sure. But most of the work was done at that other lot. 

Don't know if they are finished, or if it's just Saturday... Stay tuned

Didn't get to Charapoto Tuesday, but we got on the bus by 10am Wednesday, payed the bill, no problem $9, and were on our way. Stopped at the fabric store bought some new fabric for pillow cases, and other odds and ends in the "big city", remember Charapoto has a stop light!

While there, we walked past the rice mill, quite an impressive machine!

I bought 2 lbs in town for $1, how does that compare to US? It's been awhile...after shopping we stopped at our friends restaurant for lunch, it was on the way home and across from the welder.

Martha, the owner/operator is the mother of Christopher, who's godfather is Fernando Father fishermen, and the young man who chaperoned us on the shrimp boat last year. Small town...lunch was great, as always and we saw Rene the welder pull up just as we were finishing. We gave him our drawing, talked price estimate, and were on our way...

Thursday afternoon, Rene brought us this baby! Recycled truck tire rim turned into a grill, parrillada in Spanish. This was a spendier option, we liked the recycled aspect of it, but since it was once part of a vehicle he wanted to seal it for contaminates, it cost us $65. Smaller and rectangle would have been closer to $30, but from drawing to execution in less than 24 hrs and delivered, we are NOT complaining! 

I buy my carne from Jenny's tienda, I never know what I'm going to get, but a pound is $3.25. Brought this chunk home and Mike said, "that looks like tenderloin!" So steaks it was, they turned out great, so lean he had to add a little butter...potatoes onions and bell pepper in the foil packet and I steamed cauliflower. EVERYTHING was Tender and flavorful, the grill is a wonderful purchase we will use often, next shrimp?

And here we are Saturday morning, waiting for the organic egg man. Mike and I are both feeling a touch of bronchitis, and so I call for a lazy tv day. Catch up on some shows, and rest up. Hope y'all enjoyed our "busy week", many things in progress, I'll share next time...so, stay tuned, the adventure continues!

CARNIVAL sanJACINTO Ecuador 2016

We had a few videos that we didn't know what to do do with so we added some pics and made a little Carnival video. We had a lot of fun but I bet you can tell.

Charapoto

Before Carnivale we went shopping in Charapoto, it's about 5miles away, and we take the bus for .50 cents each way. It has one stop light, so you know it's bigger than our little village, and therefore has more to offer shopping wise. For instance, Charapoto is the closest fabric shop, flower shop, bike shop and has several large pharmacies, not to mention the huge market on the weekend. But this particular visit, we were more interested in the new sign! 

All around Manabi (our State, or province) these new signs are popping up. I hadn't realized that each letter had a different picture, representing the area, but up close I could see them all.

Cock fights and gambling, shrimp, fancy dancing horses, music and dancing...

Corn, Charapotos flag, the hills, rice and the church.

The hills are not usually so green, so beautiful January thru March.

This street is full to the brim with vendors on Saturday and Sunday market, but this day was very quiet.

The main street looking West, towards our village

And looking east, towards Roca Fuerte and PortoViejo. Just past noon and the stores were closing up for lunch and siesta. So much for anymore shopping, oh well. It's hotter inland, so we always love getting back to our lovely San Jacinto and beach breezes.

Can't wait to get our sign here in SJ, thought it might happen before Carnivale, but no...so, stay tuned! The adventure continues!

Photo Album

After the party was over, and posted about, more pictures began to surface, so here they are.

Couldn't resist this photo op. Too cute, all those boys lined up like that. They certainly didn't care it was "drizzly"!

Mas gente! (Many people) 

Upstairs, at the White House in front of ours. No vacationers this year, maybe because it was rainy.  So we got to go up and look. Ocean is a little close...

Beautiful pictures taken by one of neighbors Glenn. Thanks for sharing, I love the colors. You don't get to see them like this when you're walking. Note the green hills too, hermosa! (Beautiful)

A good picture of Vecino, or wonderful neighbor next door. He's the strong silent type, but we know he likes us. He doesn't own the house, he's just the caretaker, he doesn't accept much help, but does let me buy him pineapples occasionally. He has started bringing my trash can around from the street after the truck picks up, and remember he made me my rake! Love him.

My newest attempt at painting. Crab on beach wood. He sits on a shelf with other decorations. Guess that's it, stay tuned, the adventure continues!