Guayaquil Customs Inspection

We Passed!! Without having to bribe anybody!! But let me start from the beginning...

We boarded the bus in San Jacinto, thru Rocafuerte, into PortoViejo, $1 each. Changed to the Reina de Camino bus, which we've taken before, but this time it was $10 instead of $8, and FREEZING! Got into Guayaquil about 5:30, caught a taxi to the hotel I'd booked online. Taxi was $5, which was too much for the distance we traveled, but we didn't know how far the hotel was...oh well. Room was nice, $66 free wifi, and desayano in the am (breakfast). 

Got our stuff in the room, and walked a couple blocks to the recommended Chifa restaurant, (Chinese) it was quite good, our first in Ecuador.

Saw a store I'd heard of across the street, so after dinner walked over to it, called MegaKywi, it's a HomeDepot on steroids! Didn't have the camera, but it was THE place for home improvement stuff, selection was crazy huge!

Taxi in the am, after breakfast, cafe con leche, scrambled eggs, juice, toast with marmalade.

Met up with Catalina and headed to the port. Had to wear jeans and rent steel toed shoes, borrowed hard hat and vest. At the port we got fingerprinted and pictures, I am now cleared for port access, we  boarded a bus that took us to our inspection yard. Except that when we got there my container was not there! Catalina got on the phone, talked to someone, and next thing I know we are getting back on the bus and leaving! In the car, away from the port, What?! Turns out we were at the wrong part of the port. Don't know if we got bad information, or if Catalina was not paying attention...

Again, fingerprints and pictures, but this time my clearance came faster than hers, and because we were over an hour late, I had to go in BY MYSELF!

 Luckily I looked extremely confused and lost and was pointed in the right direction, one of the supervisors in the inspection yard spoke English and I was able to get my inspector, helpers and get started. The helpers (in orange) have to take everything out, and then we have to open every box! 

The inspector comes looks at everything (the inspector has already recieved the inventory sheets ahead of time) takes pictures of every box, then we close every box and the helpers pack it all back in the container. Most of our boxes were Rubbermaid totes, and plastic bins so we just had to take the lids off, but the container next to mine had cardboard boxes and they all had to be re-taped. My fragiles were in bubble wrap so the inspector could see what it was, the container next to us, had their items wrapped in brown paper, so the inspector was making the helpers unwrap items in the boxes, pretty labor intensive! We were done in about 3 hours, the container next to us had started before we got there, and still weren't finished when we left, the boxes said Guatemala, don't know if they were more diligent because of that, or if it was just at the discretion of the inspector, but my inspector was easy, thank goodness! We passed and no bribe! $5 tip to each of the helpers, after the supervisor patted them down to make sure they didn't take anything.

After we were done, container re packed and sealed, we went to find out how much we owed, was told the port fees were $675 ( hey wait, I just paid port fees for $678!) the trucking company will be $700 and the rental on the container is going to be over $2000! WTF?!? Yep, that's $70 per day for at least 30 days! Yikes...gonna have to scramble to get that, get cash advances from the credit cards, ouch! So to recap, $5500 to ExpressCargo, $678 to PacificLink (?) $1000 customs bond, $1000 container return guarantee = already paid, now due another $675 (?) + $700 (trucking from Guayaquil to the house in San Alejo) and $2000 rental (they call it overstay fees) not to mention I'll need unloaders here at the house. Probably 5 guys at $20-40, so that's another $200. Add that all up and we are close to $12,000!!! Should get $2000 reimbursed, the bond (after we get residency) and the container guarantee after the empty container is returned...but yikes! Makes me sick to my stomach!

But, the good news is it's almost over, and some day it won't hurt so much. It'll be an interesting story to tell, all part of the adventure. Today, it's laundry (by hand and hang on the line) watch for Angel for our fruit and veg supply and walk the pups on the beach, Awww back to normal. As long as we can get enough money together we should have delivery of the container next week, and it'll be good to not be "camping" in the house, but really sart to LIVE here. So...stay tuned! The adventure continues!

Spam and jellyfish

Now that's got your attention! Yesterday we took the bus up to San Jacinto to meet with Dave, the new landlord for lunch. We arrived early and walked to the house from the bus stop, it is about one block. He was busy in the bank, so we just wandered the beach, and he met us soon after. We talked of the planned upgrades, what he could do before we moved in, and what would have to happen after. We prioritized the list, and think it'll be ok that it's a work in progress. Most places we've lived in have been, that's what home ownership on the cheap is about. So, after our pow wow, we headed down the Malecon for lunch, he was on his motorcycle, but the walk took us about 6minutes, we past plenty of restaurants, but he wanted to take us to his favorite. We all got the al muerzo, with shrimp in our soup, and fried fish entree. The fish was really fried, not the lightly pan fried we have been enjoying so much at Yolita's, so we didn't like it as well, but as always it was plenty of food, $3 and the view and company was pleasurable.

We planned our next meeting, an invite to another expat having a Bon fire/beach party next weeknd, we will stay the night in the house, so we're not taking the bus late. Looking forward to meeting some (or all) the local expats, and some locals as well, and who doesn't like a Bon fire? We bid farewell, and walked the beach again, to gather some treasures.

The biggest sand dollar we've ever seen! But we also saw some not so good things washed up on shore.

These are blue bottle jellyfish, we almost touched one, but then I remembered a blog post from my research days, and how they packed a punch, and to steer clear. When we got home, we looked them up, and sure enough they are nasty! Portuguese man o' war, not to be tangled with, here's what Wikipedia says;

The stinging, venom-filled nematocysts in the tentacles of the Portuguese man o' war can paralyze small fish and other prey. Detached tentacles and dead specimens (including those that wash up on shore) can sting just as painfully as the live organism in the water and may remain potent for hours or even days after the death of the organism or the detachment of the tentacle.

Stings usually cause severe pain to humans, leaving whip-like, red welts on the skin that normally last two or three days after the initial sting, though the pain should subside after about an hour. However, the venom can travel to the lymph nodes and may cause, depending on the amount of venom, a more intense pain. A sting may lead to an allergic reaction. There can also be serious effects,  including fever, shock, and interference with heart and lung function. Stings may also cause death, although this is extremely rare. Medical attention may be necessary, especially if pain persists or is intense, the reaction is extreme, the rash worsens, a feeling of overall illness develops, a red streak develops between swollen lymph nodes and the sting, or either area becomes red, warm, and tender.

Treatment of stings

Stings from a Portuguese man o' war may result in a severe dermatitis. The Portuguese man o' war is often confused with jellyfish, which may lead to improper treatment of stings, as the venom differs from that of true jellyfish. Treatment for a Portuguese man o' war sting includes:

• avoiding further contact with the Portuguese man o' war and carefully removing remnants of the organism from the skin (taking care not to touch them directly with fingers or any other part of the skin to avoid secondary stinging)
• apply salt water to the affected area (not fresh water, which tends to make the affected area worse)
• follow up with the application of hot water (45 °C/113 °F) to the affected area from 15 to 20 minutes  which eases the pain of a sting by denaturing the toxins.
• if eyes have been affected, irrigate with copious amounts of room-temperature tap water for at least 15 minutes, and if vision blurs or the eyes continue to tear, hurt, swell, or show light sensitivity after irrigating, or there is any concern, seek medical attention as soon as possible

Vinegar is not recommended for treating stings. Vinegar dousing increases toxin delivery and worsens symptoms of stings from the nematocysts of this species. Vinegar has also been confirmed to provoke hemorrhaging when used on the less severe stings of nematocysts of smaller species.

So there you have it, the blog I read originally said they are seen around the full moon, but Wikipedia didn't say anything about that, I guess we'll just have to peruse the beach before we jump in.

Now the spam part. We were told our container was arriving on the June 25th, and we would hear from the port, to arrange for pick up. The 25th came and went and we had heard nothing, so on the 1st I contacted our shipper in NJ and asked if he could find something out. Later that day we got a copy of our "bill of lading" ( no that's not a typo) it had the ports telephone number on it, and I was advised to call them for questions on time frame. I forwarded that document to Fernando, and asked if he wouldn't call them and find out when it was to arrive, how long before customs would get to it, and then find us a trucking company to bring it to us. He said he would. Well yesterday when we got back from San Jacinto there was an urgent email from the shipper in NJ, saying that the port has had our container since the 25th, and can't get a hold of us. We only gave our magic jack telephone #, but because that's a US #, they won't call. They also said they've had no response to emails...what?!

I decided to check my spam folder, and sure enough there were two emails, one from back on the 25th, and another the other day. Gmail had put them in spam, because they were in Spanish, a language I "don't usually" get emails in. Thanks! So now I feel rushed, the port gives a person 15 free days storage ( I was under the assumption it was 30) now I'm down to 7! Luckily this isn't a holiday weekend here, so Fernando should be able to get his phonecalls answered. 

I translated part of the email and it sounded like we needed to go to Guayaquil in order for the container to be released, sure wish we had more time, thanks again Gmail! But, Guayaquil is only 130 miles away, we could do it in a day (if Fernando will drive) the bus would be much longer. It just may all work out, let's all keep our fingers crossed that there are no more speed bumps...I know, be flexible.

Hope everyone in the States has a Happy and safe 4th. The adventure continues...

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!