Did you know?

The Amazon spans 9 countries, the majority of the forest is contained within Brazil, with 60% of the rainforest, followed by Peru with 13%, Colombia with 10%, and with minor amounts in Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname andFrench Guiana. The Amazon represents over half of the planet's remainingrainforests, and comprises the largest and most biodiverse tract of tropical rainforest in the world, with an estimated 390 billion individual trees divided into 16,000 species. 

There are more than 1million tribal people who call the jungle home, divided into 400 tribes. Some have land rights, and healthcare, and some remain "uncontacted".

Some interesting flowers found in Peru and Ecuador, Monkey Orchid

Panama hats were created in Ecuador, they were shipped first to the Isthmus of Panama before sailing for their destinations in Asia, the rest of the Americas and Europe, subsequently acquiring a name that reflected their point of international sale, "Panama hats", rather than their place of domestic origin. The term was being used by at least 1834.

The popularity of the hats was increased in the mid-nineteenth century by the miners of the California Gold Rush, who frequently traveled to California via the Isthmus of Panama. In 1904, President Theodore Roosevelt of the United States visited the construction site of the Panama Canal, and was photographed wearing a Panama hat, which further increased the hats' popularity. 

Good Panama hats are so pliable they can be rolled up, and will maintain their shape. 

Just some more fun facts, found the pictures on Pinterest, and researched with Wikipedia. Isn't the internet amazing! All this from my couch...this month, but 42 days and it'll be researching on the ground! Stay tuned, you never know what you might learn! Adios.

Consulates, Cabanas and Cows

Trying to get everything on the schedule, (dirty word for us soon) while remodeling the bathroom and the kitchen, we need to make appointment to get our Visa application started. At one point I emailed the Ecuadorean Consulate in Atlanta with questions, and they got right back to me. But this last email has gone unanswered for over a week...so I tried to call today. Opening message on the other end said they were an "appointment only" office, and to make an appointment, email...hmmm. Ok, remember , be flexible, email again, ask old questions, with new questions AND request an appointment. Now, we wait. Maybe it's mañana.

I recently read on an expat forum, that Consulates are for people, and Embassy's are for countries...if you ever wanted clarification. There is something called an Apostile, similar to being Notarized, but on an international level. Something to do with The Hague ( older blog readers will know, younger ones- google it) anyway, sometimes the forums say you need things like Birth Certificates, and marriage licenses apostilled in the state they were issued! Well it got me thinking, we just happen to be going to the state in which we were both born, AND married...so an email to the Consulate asks, no begs, for clarification, just hope we get an answer before we fly out there next week. It's got to be a very well timed dance, these hoops we must jump through. ( mixed metaphors, but you get the idea)

And now the aforementioned cows, I found a new blog this morning, and this picture struck me. If you know me, you know I've liked cows for a long time. When the blogs and forums caution people from renting cars and driving in Ecuador it's because there are roaming cows and other livestock along the roads. Well here's the answer to why the cow crossed the road, looks like a nice resting spot to me. 

This next picture is during the high season, these cabanas are filled with food vendors, coconut and ice cream vendors and of course hand made crafts for tourists. Different parts of the coast host various festivals throughout the year, so there is almost always something going on somewhere, if you're looking for a crowd. But equally, if one place is having a festival, better bet the beach down the road is empty, and quiet. Looking forward to it all, stay tuned, the adventure continues!

Yard sale

I have touched every item we own, either putting it aside for the yard sale or packing it to ship. We had great traffic on Friday, sold half the electronics, and lots of interest on the cars and house. Saturday we didn't have near the traffic, but... The yard sale was a great success, we made over $2000 AND sold the car for blue book value! We still have quite a bit of stuff, something's we are still using ( couch, lawn mower, coffee pot, microwave) so we will have another one day sale May 10th. Will put our lowest prices on things, and clear out. We will use Mikes car til we fly to Boise and Long Beach to visit the family, then sell it and get a rental for the last couple weeks. We can drop the rental off at the Atlanta airport befor we board the plane, and Adios!

Now that the yard sale is over, (the house is gutted,) I need to continue packing the things I can, organize them in the garage, and work on other projects. We have a bathroom remodel to do, that'll be fun, we already bought the new cabinet/vanity at IKEA. Need to look at Lowes for flooring, and start demo. We want to paint the kitchen cabinets, and finish some shelves in the laundry room, then it'll be ready for pictures. The property management company will come in and take them, to start the rental process. They post on Zillow, and make applicants pay to apply, do background/income checks and will get the right people to rent. Would love it to be rented for June 1st, but it wouldn't kill us if it wasn't.

The yard is still a mess, and we have a puppy play date scheduled for this afternoon, so I better get busy. But in 48 days...it'll be nothing but relaxing!! Hasta mañana !

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!

Our weight loss plan

As we embrace "middle age" we have been trying to get healthy. Last year late summer we started walking and hiking, and much of this move was hatched while doing that. We eagerly logged miles and then would optimistically get on the bathroom scale...nothing, nada, zilch no change. We eat pretty well, Weight Watchers taught me a lot back in the day, but I decided yo check our portion sizes and cut back a bit. Still nothing, didn't gain-which is good, but I'm talking we hiked over 50 miles in a month! We swore we would give it 6 months, but winter came and even if we bundled up, it was pretty miserable. We contemplated joining a gym, using the treadmill, but in the end neither of us could imagine walking on the treadmill for 6 or so miles.

Many of you probably don't think of us as old, but we feel it. We have reading glasses all over the house, and I had to have my first cortisone shot for bursitis in my knee. We religiously take our Glucosamine Chondroitin for the aches and pains and look for supplements that we think we should be taking. Bottom line is we are well aware that our " golden years" are affected by how we live now, so we are trying to get in the best shape possible. 

Many of the blogs I've followed are retirees, 60+ years, and I've been happy to read they have all benefited from the new healthier eating and exercise of the Ecuador lifestyle. Almost everyone I've read about has reported a weight loss of 25-45 pounds! It's  not just Ecuador, a blog from Costa Rica said his father who went for a 10 day visit lost 14 pounds! Beach town, big city, or mountain village doesn't seem to matter, fresh food, fruit,( no processed/prepackaged food) and walking seem to do the trick. We look forward to the fresh seafood on the coast. Look at these shrimp.

These shrimp are half a pound each, and all these were purchased for $3!! You can buy them right off the boat, as they bring the boats onshore. Ecuador is the worlds second largest supplier of shrimp, who knew? I saw one picture ( which I can't find anymore, sorry) where the shrimp were as big as bananas! We'll find some personally and post pictures, after we get there.

This is another reason Americans will lose weight, fruit. Nan, the blogger, said she bought 8/$1 oranges, 4/$1 mangoes, misc other stuff for $1 and the star fruit were free. I personally think those bananas are straight garbage, but I think she was making banana bread. And the avocados are for smoothies, she says it doesn't add much flavor, but a gloriously smooth silky texture. I'm game! Ecuador's number one export is bananas, with shrimp and cut flowers close behind, funny I love all those things! Because of the climate, something is always in season, I recently read cherries and peaches were at their best last month, wow.

 

We will weigh ourselves before we pack the bathroom scale into the shipping container, and won't weigh again til we unpack, anywhere from 24-60 days, it'll be interesting to see what it says. It better be good!!!   Mente sana-el Cuerpo sano!   ( healthy mind-healthy body)

Here is a link to the Blog I got the photos from. Check it out to hear from a person who is already on the ground in Ecuador. >>> Finding Our Paradise in Ecuador

Beach house

Wanted to show you pictures of the beach house in Crucita where we will start our coastal living adventure.

Fully fenced, double lot, there is a doggie door that leads to this tree area. Houses on stilts give living quarters view of the ocean, and provide shaded outdoor space, brilliant!

Two bedroom, living, dining, kitchen, bath, laundry ( note the bikes we can use) rent is $500 with all utilities combined $145 per month. (I can't even pay one utility for that in NC!)

 

The beach is a 4 minute walk down the road, Crucita is known for fishing,shrimping and paragliding. Fisherman dot the ocean, and boats line the shore.

Packages and power lines

In the States we take home delivery of mail and packages for granted, but in Ecuador you will be hard pressed to find a house with a mailbox. I'm told They do exist but they are the exception rather than the rule. So, in the absence of home addresses and mailboxes, how does one go about sending and receiving mail and packages to Ecuador, especially mail or goods from other countries? The Ecuadorian Postal Service offers a service by which one can receive packages from the States rather quickly and at a reasonable rate.  The service is called Club Correos (Mail Club).       

                                                  

Here is how Club Correos works: For a $10.00 yearly fee, you are assigned a physical address in Miami which gives you a U.S. shipping address where you can receive packages from online retailers in the U.S. Each Club Correos customer has an individual box number which distinguishes you from other customers who use the same Miami street address.   It is similar to renting a P.O. box at a UPS Store location. The shipping cost from the States to Ecuador is about $5.00 per pound which I’m told is a reasonable rate for international shipping. Club Correos bills your credit card for the shipping charges. With this service, all customs matters are taken care of so you don’t have to deal with Ecuadorian Customs officials.   When your package arrives in Ecuador, the post office gives you a friendly call( or email) to let you know that you have a package waiting for pick up.  They will even deliver the package to your house, if you can tell them how to get to your house.  Remember, most houses  do not have assigned addresses so unless one speaks good Spanish and have a house that is easy to recognize it is better to just pick up the package at the post office.

Power lines and electricity are to say the least...different in Ecuador. Blogs have said power outages are often, not for very long, but often can be very annoying. Just long enough to make you reset clocks, have to restart computers, etc. but until we are there ourselves, we have to expect the worst, and hope for the best.

These pictures are from Livingitupinecuador blog, I had to share, I can honestly say I've never seen anything like this! The larger, more "cosmopolitan" cities will have better wiring, less outages than smaller beach communities, but like I said, we will have to encounter it first hand to see what are deal breakers. And with all our "being flexible", maybe it won't be so bad. Ecuador does use the same type of power as the states, so no adapters are needed, that'll be nice. We've stocked up on surge protectors and those little things that make your 2hole outlet accept three pronged plugs. Thank you, whoever wrote that in their blog, very usefull information! Well I guess that's it, more to come. The adventure continues!

What will we do?

Many have wondered what exactly we will do living in Ecuador, the short answer...whatever we want! But really, besides walks on the beach, hikes in the hills, riding our bikes, shopping the small tiendas (mom and pop store) and the mercados ( think farmers market), bus trips to the larger city 30 miles away ( for visa stuff, and bigger grocery store, sightseeing) and of course siesta in the hammock, we don't plan on doing much. 

Mike has his website building business, most of which he can do on the lap top, (and before I get up in the morning) and according to the expat forums and blogs I've read, there are expat women looking for knowledgeable American hairdressers...so I may only be semi-retired. We have two houses that will be rented and bring income, we have a property management company all set up, and they will collect rent and keep up on any repairs. They will contact us via email if there's anything we need to know or approve, and they'll direct deposit the rental income into our bank account.

We will work hard when we have to, and play hard when we want to, I'm calling it "island time", but it's more about being flexible. "Mañana" is the motto, it literally mean tomorrow, but it's more loosely translated to...not now, I'll get to it later. As Americans our work weeks are longer and our vacations shorter than other nationalities, even the work day is longer, that simply means less time with our loved ones...I don't want to live that way anymore. We want to make every moment count, we are not guaranteed 80+ years, so we have to start as soon as possible! fit as much in as we can  because we could die tomorrow.

Beach life will be different than city life, and that is where we are starting, we have the house in Crucita for 2months, and while there we will search for the next rental. Word of mouth will give us more inventory to look at, and we will have our container arriving, so we can rent a partially furnished place. There is 1400 miles of coastline, who knows where our second "home" will be, I'm sure we will live in one of the larger cities someday, but housing is more expensive, so we will watch the budget and see just how far the money goes before we decide to change. There is a lot we just won't know until we experience it, but that's part of the adventure. You only live once, go enjoy it! Hasta mañana!

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! 

Health care and insurance costs

We have gotten a lot of questions about health care and insurance, so I thought I'd fill you in on what I've learned. Large numbers of medical staff in Ecuador have trained in the US or the UK and are highly skilled. The local embassy can help you find medical professionals who are English speaking so that if you do not speak fluent Spanish you can have peace of mind that your illnesses are not getting distorted in translation. Since 2008 Ecuador has upgraded most hospitals and clinics, In the bigger cities, such as Quito, Cuenca and Guayaquil, you will find that the hospitals are equipped with the latest innovations in medical technology and are staffed by fully trained and qualified doctors and nurses in all fields. The cost of the average visit to a doctor's office is $20 with a visit to a specialist costing a little more at around $25. This price is considered to be reasonable as Ecuadorian doctors spend on average between 30 and 45 minutes with each patient, and often give you their cell phone # when you leave.

As a tourist, with a Visa medical care is free. After you apply for residency you can buy in to the Social Security system and get health insurance for $60-95/ month or you can buy private insurance (Cigna etc) for $124/ month that was for $750 deductible. As a self employed person, with ObamaCare, to get coverage I would have had to spend $400/month, with a deductible of $3000. While I was covered under Mikes insurance with Whole Foods I paid $154 every two weeks, and it didn't even cover my birth control. Bottom line, insurance was only beneficial if we needed to be hospitalized. I recently had to have an MRI, with insurance the cost was $700... Without insurance $400...how is this helpful?

I read a blog post of a couple who live on the Ecuador coast who spent $80 a day for a stay at the clinic. That included private room (with 2beds, so the wife could stay) all meals, and round the clock doctor/nurse care, including tests. The doctor gave the wife a list of medicines, that she then took to the pharmacy and bought with NO markup! I've heard that most expats don't even bother with insurance, because the health care is so inexpensive.

Another story is of a woman who needed dental work,  she was able to fly from the States, stay in a hotel for 14 days, AND get the work done for less than HALF what it would cost in US. I think it was the Cigna Ecuador website that listed organ transplants as little as $20,000. You can't even have a bunion removed for that here... So there you go, what we can look forward to in our new adventure, affordable health care. 

Traveler or tourist?

I recently happened across a blog written by a couple from Texas, whose story is eerily similar to ours, they decided to "retire" in CostaRica, and it has been fun to read adventures of those not in Ecuador. http//costaricacurious@wordpress.com The topic came up of "tourist vs traveler" and by traveler, I don't mean Pikeys or Grifters...it seems that a tourist is one who goes to exotic places, but is always comparing them to "home" and actually can't wait to get back to their life, where a traveler is one who thrives in those exotic places, and calls wherever they are "home".

A traveler really wants to live the authentic life of the culture they are visiting, whether the visit is short or long term, immersion is part of the experience. A traveler is not content with just getting pretty pictures, they seek adventure, something entirely different than what they perhaps grew up with. As we continue to prepare, we are realizing so much of this journey simply can't be prepared for...I can only control so much via internet, some of the next steps just can't happen til we land on Ecuadorean soil. We are trying not to "fear the unknown" but have faith that it will all come together in the end, it has before! We knew very little about North Carolina when we made the trek across country from Idaho back in 2006, sure we knew the language...actually scratch that, turns out we really didn't know the language lol! But we learned, we adapted, we grew and we experienced. In short, we immersed ourselves in the new environment and thrived. We KNOW we can do it again!

We are so excited for our next big adventure, dreaming of the vacation possibilities while living on the coast of Ecuador. Peru and Machu Pichu? Brazil for Carnivale? Costa Rica to visit fellow bloggers? If you have the desire, the possibilities are endless, the first thing you have to do is figure out

Are you a Tourist or are you a Traveler?

Holy Tomatoes Batman!

Here is a picture from a blog I follow, showing a San Clemente, Ecuador tomato farm. He says these plants are 6 feet tall, and almost ready to harvest...in MARCH!!! You can find his Blog Here >>>   http://johnandmarylivingitupinecuador.wordpress.com/

leftCOAST

Here is a fun Google map shot of North and South America. You can see why our timezone doesn't change. It will be nice to be on the left Coast because we've always been WEST Coast! Mike

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!

Shipping

Well it looks like we're going FCL, for those of you who don't know that's Full Container Load.

It'll take anywhere from 24 days to a month and a half for our container to hit Ecuador.

Yep one of those huge 20' metal containers, we were looking at sharing a container, getting 7'x4'x7' wooden crates (2) but for a mere $1000 more we can have the whole container and not have to cut so drastically. We did that when we moved from  Boise, and it was fine, we knew we could go to Walmart and replace everything we left behind, but moving to South America is MUCH different. Electronics are expensive, so we knew we had to ship the tvs and computers, and clothing, bedding, towels and such aren't the same quality, (according to the blogs) so we want to take our sheets and towels. We have to take clothes in multiple sizes because when we start walking on the beach everyday and eating fresh we will loose weight ;) I also read that Christmas decorations are expensive so we will want to ship those. Maybe sell the snowman collection, and pare down.

Things are moving along. The weather is finally turning to spring, and we will start the process of sorting things. Will talk to the neighbors about advertising " multi-family" yard sale, and will shoot for mid April, then another in May if needed. Off to get new passport photos, so we can have those renewed, they don't expire for a year, but better to have them fresh. We look so different anyway, an updated photo is probably a good thing. Lunch, and a walk through the Botanical garden, good day. Hope you're having a good one too, stay tuned loved ones...the adventure continues!