Manta waterfront

Thursday we caught the bus bright and early at 7am to ride into Manta and meet with Fernando for pick up of our official Visa. The bus was almost empty, since we were getting on at the start of the route, we picked a seat in the back, and got to watch everything. Thru Crucita, past Cruz Verde (Jaimes fruit stand) into Rocafuerte, where many people got on, loading boxes and bags of goods in the luggage compartment underneath to take into Manta to sell. Then again past Cruz Verde and into Manta, there's not much between, except Ceibo trees and some cactus, but you know you're getting close when you start to smell the tuna canneries, and see the warehouses.

Manta is Ecuadors largest seaport, it's number one export is tuna, exporting to US (BumbleBee) and the UK, and second is vegetable oil. They are well known for diving, sport fishing, windsurfing and said to have some of the best beaches in South America. Manta's sister city is ironically Long Beach, California (Paige's hometown). In September they have quite a large International Film Festival, some say rival Cannes. Fernando was hired by Discovery Channel to help with logistics when they were there filming a show on Extreme fishing last year.

After the Immigration office, which was pretty quick and easy, ($250 plus $4 and some photo copies, we have our official 6 month Visa "sticker" in our passports, and one step closer to residency)

Fernando took us on a tour of the waterfront. I took pictures and Mike shot video, so this is very well documented, as it should be...because it was AWESOME! 

The boats that catch these big fish (shark, marlin,swordfish) stay out three days, 

It looks like they do the gutting out in the water, so it's pretty much all meat when they bring them ashore. Guys were wearing rain jackets and just had these monsters slung over their shoulder bringing them from the boat, others had gurneys they used to bring them ashore.Then someone would start hacking them into 2 foot chunks, and load them onto a truck, probably for restaurants. We then walked over to the fish market, these huts are where the cleaners work, the get the smaller fish from the boat, scale and gut before sending to the market.

This market is open everyday from 6-12 noon. They had everything, some were already fillets, cubed, steaks, strips, or whole. 

It's crab season, and this monster he was selling for $10! There were shrimp, of all sizes, cleaned, uncleaned, pre-cooked even, you name it.

Hopefully some of these images are on Mikes video, because they are pretty dark. We weren't prepared to buy anything and take home on the bus, we would have brought our insulated tote bag, next time. ( or find one closer to home) Fernando suggested breakfast, fish soup that is huge with the locals, we had heard of it, and hadn't had anything we didn't like so far, so we were game. 

For $1 we got a big enough bowl the three of us shared! I was too busy eating to get a picture, maybe it's on video...it was excellent! Definatly something we will have again, tasty broth, cilantro, yucca, onions and big chunks of fresh tuna, YUM!  From here, we left the fish market and went to see the boat yard.

Here's one they are repairing/rebuilding, the only power tool they use is a chainsaw. You can see the worker on the bamboo scaffolding,(right in the middle of picture) using the chainsaw to cut out the bad wood.

Bamboo scaffolding again being used. These were some massive boats. Next is kinda "before and after". I tried to ask Fernando about the different shapes, and he said they were just different models, but I'm guessing their usage is different too.

Close up of the rutter of one of these big boys (or are boats always girls?) 

These next pictures are of a boat getting fiberglass. The "frame" is wood, with plywood, then fiberglass sheets on top. 

The tarps on the side are to keep sawdust (from the other boats being worked on) from getting stuck in the fiberglass, it smelled like a nail salon, so I knew what they were doing, even before I saw the workers. I don't know much about boats, but I'm pretty sure some of these would be considered garbage in the States. These are truly craftsmen, they call them Maestros, and for good reason! It was an amazing day, and it was only 11am!

We bid farewell to Fernando and Manta, and boarded the bus back to Crucita, napped a little on the way, and arrived refreshed and ready to go. We realized as we got off the bus that the road was closed again, we had heard of a Peter and Paul festival that was getting ready to start, but couldn't be sure that this wasn't still part of the PortoViejo province party. We relaxed at home a while then got on our bathing suits and headed to the beach.

The water was rough but we both got in for a while. Sat on the sand, and enjoyed the wonderful day we were being blessed with. Decided we were hungry and thought we'd go to Yolita's for al muerzo again, if she was still serving. It was about 2pm and we can't always be sure who takes siesta, but we found her watching wrestling, and happy to serve us. Today's soup was chicken and rice, and we added hot sauce, which made it almost too much, yikes ! The main course turned out to be octopus fried rice, it was very tasty, we figured it was seafood, and by the texture of the "meat" concluded it was pulpo, which she corrected me, as calamar. I deduced that the "animal" is pulpo, but the "food" is calamar. We missed not having the wonderful pan fried fish, but always excited to try something new.

Home for an outdoor shower and siesta, then after sunset we'd walk down to see the festivities. Two tents were set up, they both had bandstands, and a fancy dinner set up. It turned out this was the beginning of the Peter and Paul festival, the "founding" families, or the most prominent in town throw a huge party, and are recognized for their service and contributions, as well as them showing appreciation of the "workers" or the little guys, It'll go on all week. We walked as they finished dinner, and paraded (with band) down to meet the other tent of people, then parade into the church for a short service. We wondered down to the beach, then back home. Tried to stay awake, but couldn't make ourselves go back down for the party, but they partied til about 2am. Today we will have some hammock time, then go down to see what's going on after we hear some music, and if there's music, we will hear it! The bandstand is about 1 and half blocks away. Life is noisy and fun in Ecuador! Stay tuned...the adventure continues

[2014-06-25] Crucita Parade

Here is the Parade video Paige talked about in an earlier post.

[2014-06-22] sanALEJO House

Here is the first look at the house we are going to in August. It's in San Alejo between San Clemente and San Jacinto. It's right across the street from the beach! If you click the youTube logo in the bottom right corner you can make this bigger. Make sure you read the post before this to get all the details. Hasta Luego, Mike

At the Beach

We're on the Beach at Crucita! : D

On the Beach

Questions from readers

This morning I will answer some questions I've received from readers. Many questions refer to other Americans or Expats; An expatriate (sometimes shortened to expat) is a person temporarily or permanently residing in a country other than that of the person's upbringing. The word comes from the Latin terms ex ("out of") and patria ("country, fatherland"). Here in South America they call us Gringos, and because the locals know we have more money than they do, sometimes will charge us more, they call this "gringo tax". When one becomes aware of this, they know to haggle price BEFORE services are rendered, such as for a taxi or labor. It doesn't happen so much for food, not at restaurants, but maybe at the street vendors. You just need to remember from one to the next how much you paid, and if the price seems high, tell them " it's too much" and apparently they'll come down. When I'm walking we will get to do more of this, so far all our eating out has been with our guides.

Speaking of guides, our Quito driver, Jose called last night to check on us, that was nice. And Wolf is making me a doctor appointment, someone he went to when he had broken bones, said the price would be $30-50, including X-rays. Wolf also said the house across the street from him on the hill is for rent, we'll go see it, and find out how much. Just from the little we've seen of Crucita, we've decided we'd like to stay after our rental contract here is up. Which reminds me, I'll post a map, it's been awhile.

Ecuador has Provinces, instead of States. We are in Manabi province, Esmeraldes is the Northern coastal province, and Guayas is the coastal province just to the south of us. But we think with the proximity of Manta (192,000 pop) and Porto Viejo (300,000 pop) this is a pretty good place to be, now it just depends on the weather, but so far it's been glorious! Crucita has approx 15,000 population, of course that doesn't count chickens or dogs.

When in Quito, fellow travelers at breakfast said they had just come from Cuenca (600,000 pop) the third largest city, and said it was full of expats. (Guayaquil 2.2 million pop and Quito 1.6 million pop) I think the reason they gravitate to the larger cities is for the similarities to the States. They probably are not waking up to roosters like we are, or having the milk man walk down the road selling out of his 5 gallon bucket. The roads are all paved, or at least cobble stone, and the choices for eating and shopping are huge in comparison. But that is one of the reasons we chose this place, was how different from the States it is. We were looking for a different life, and boy have we found it! 

The peritos, or doggies (as Wolf calls them) are enjoying themselves. Shadrach loves a nap in the hammock, and Veronica is enjoying the warm weather. 

One last item, (this post has gotten long) we are on the west coast, but in the Eastern time zone. Of course they are not on Daylight saving time, so it's one hour different this time of year. So, there you have it. I'm posting some links to some blogs you might enjoy, because of our young age, We won't encounter all the things that are important to some of you, but I will post my medical experiences as they happen with the broken ankle. 

http://johnandmarylivingitupinecuador.wordpress.com/author/johnandmarylivingitupinecuador/

http://clarkeandbrenda.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2009-01-01T00:00:00-06:00&updated-max=2010-01-01T00:00:00-06:00&max-results=50

http://nanlevin.wordpress.com/2014/06/03/cafe-de-pacoche/

Hope these work, I'm such a novice at cut/pasting. Buenos Dias!

Crucita Day ONE - Beachfront

Paige is still broken and the roads are too rough to get her near the beach except by car so I decided to go for a walk and see what I can see. There are a few small grocery stores, a bunch of restaurants, a Pharmacy, a Veterinarian, Bakery and an amazing beachfront! I'm sure there is much more that we will discover. Wolf knows of a good Doctor that will look at Paige's leg for $20 to $40. Hopefully there is some walking in her near future. Until then we'll get to know our cute place. Stay tuned, we'll do a video tour of the house today.

Fun facts

Flag description: Three horizontal bands of yellow (top, double width), blue, and red with the coat of arms superimposed at the center of the flag. The flag retains the three main colors of the banner of Gran Columbia, the South American republic that broke up in 1830. The yellow color represents sunshine, grain, and mineral wealth, blue the sky, sea, and rivers, and red the blood of patriots spilled in the struggle for freedom and justice.

Coat of Arms: In the background of the oval shield is the mount Chimborazo, while the river originating from its base represents the Guayas. They both symbolize the beauty and wealth of the respective regions (Sierra or Costa). The ship on the river is named Guayas as well. In 1841 it was built in Guayaquil and was the first riverine steamship built on the South American west coast. Instead of a mast it features a Caduceus representing trade and economy. On top a golden sun surrounded by the astrological signs for Aries, Taurus, Gemini and Cancer representing the months March to July to symbolize the duration of the March Revolution of 1845.
The condor on top of the shield stretches his wings to symbolize power, greatness and strength of Ecuador. The shield is flanked by four flags of Ecuador. The laurel on the left represents the victories of the republic.^[1] The palm leaf on the right side is a symbol of the martyrs of the fight for independence and liberty. The Fasces below the shield represents the republican dignity.

Language: Spanish (official), Amerindian languages (especially Quechua)

Religion: Roman Catholic 95%, other 5%

Time Zone: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Electricity: The majority of outlets in Ecuador are 110/120V AC (60 Hz).

Location: Western South America, bordering the Pacific Ocean at the Equator, between Colombia and Peru.

Area:109,483 square miles (283,561 square kilometers)

Population: 15,439,429 (July 2013 est.)

Capital: Quito

Geography: Ecuador is divided into three continental regions—the Costa, Sierra, and Oriente—and one insular region: the Galápagos Islands. The continental regions extend the length of the country from north to south and are separated by the Andes Mountains. The Galápagos Islands, officially called the Archipiélago de Colón, are located 620 miles west of the Ecuadorian coast.

The main spoken language in Ecuador is Spanish (94% of the population). Languages of official use in native communities include Quichua, Shuar, and eleven other languages. Ecuador has a land area of 283,520 km². Its capital city is Quito, which was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in the 1970s for having the best preserved and least altered historic center in Latin America.^[9]The country's largest city is Guayaquil. The historic center of Cuenca, the third-largest city in the country in size and economically,^[10] was also declared aWorld Heritage Site in 1999 as an outstanding example of a planned, inland Spanish-style colonial city in the Americas.^[11]

There is great variety in the climate, largely determined by altitude. It is mild year-round in the mountain valleys, with a humid subtropical climate in coastal areas and rainforest in lowlands. The Pacific coastal area has a tropical climate with a severe rainy season. ( except that the annual rainfall is 45" per year, which is the same as NC, so the rainy season can't be that severe! Costa Rica gets 196" of rain a year in certain places...yikes!) The climate in the Andean highlands is temperate and relatively dry, and the Amazon basin on the eastern side of the mountains shares the climate of other rainforest zones. 

Because of its location at the equator, Ecuador experiences little variation in daylight hours during the course of a year. Both sunrise and sunset occur each day at the two six o'clock hours.

Check out the temperature of the water. It all makes it sound like heaven, we can't wait to check it out in person, we are so ready!! Thanks for taking this journey with us, we will continue to share, hope you enjoy. Bueno Dias!

We Bought our Tickets!

Well we bought tickets! I found a nonstop flight from Atlanta to Quito, we will drive to Atlanta in a rental and then be in Ecuador in 5.5 hours. Booked a hotel in Quito for three nights, then we have a 50 minute plane tide to Manta, where the beach house caregiver will pick us up and take us to the beach!

We decided to poke around Quito for a couple days, and see as much as possible. Our flight doesn't get in til late that first night, so it'll be nice yo have some leisure time. I guess really it'll be starting "island time" the minute we hit ground. Ecuador isn't an island, but our new relaxed lifestyle will surely qualify.

I'm not sure where this picture is, but it looks like the beach we are going to be for June and July. Crucita is where we will start, it's known for fishing and paragliding, this may be Montanita known for surfing. But it certainly qualifies for "island time", note the hammocks for siesta.

This picture is Salinas, south of Manta and Crucita. Near the mouth of the Guyaquil harbor, we will look for rental houses down here someday for sure. Bigger beach city than what Crucita is, as you can see. So much possibility! 

Shopping

Here is a picture of some items we are gathering before our move.

Head Flashlights, Battery Charger and Batteries and Electronic Fly Swatter (Mike says it hurts so don't touch it) In my research for the move, I've followed three couples on the coast, and two couples in the larger cities who have written blogs about their adventures. When I saw these fly zappers at Harbor Freight I told Mike we had to get them, and in remembering what I had read about them, it was funny to realize it was always the men that were writing about how great they are! After the picture, he promptly unwrapped it and starting hunting for flying insects ( which he didn't find) but did get his finger thru the safety frame, and thus knows first hand THEY WORK! He wants to buy more next time we are at Harbor Freight. We will continue to purchase rechargeable batteries and things I've read about being scarce. We bought them for $3.99, where in Ecuador they are $10.

I have come to realize that when one person says some item is scarce, it may be that they just haven't looked in the right place yet. One blog said there weren't any good thread count sheets, but then 6 months later were introduced to another store, and Voila! Turns out you may just have to hunt around. So I want to have some things on hand ( like batteries) until I find where they are.

We went to the Outlet Mall the other day, and I spent way too much on some ugly sandals ( if you know me, you know about my shoes) but they will be perfect for cobble stone streets and rocky beach hikes, so ugly sandals it is. We will stock up on sunscreen, sunglasses and whatever else we can think of. It's strange, stocking up for a move, usually it's a mad dash to get rid of stuff...oh yeah, that's next month! Yard sale scheduled in April! Urgh!! So much to do! Til next time, Adios!