Determined to Finish

The past few months have been a little nutty. My previous post was about chaos and dust, and grandkids visiting before the big estate sale...and thank goodness all of that is over. I have survived the grandkids - sofa was again adorned with plenty of drool from the teething 11 month old cutie pie, the house has some marks and bruises, but repairs are easy. Sort of. At the time I didn't chuckle, but now I can....the older kiddo was upset and he took his truck and banged it into the wood:

Since the wildly successful estate sale craziness ended July 21st, I have been tirelessly working on home repairs and renovations - finishing up all those little projects that were 'not quite done' - why are there so many??? What I thought would take only a few months has stretched into a much longer timeframe. We have a decent size house (about 2800sf), and I am determined to finish these projects!

The upstairs bedroom that at one time was my older son's/turned into a guest bedroom: ceiling was popcorn, I had started to scrape it. and then somewhere along the way that project got sidetracked. I think it was between the time my kiddo went to college and when Ken moved in his bedroom set when we got married. Well, that room is now done--all walls painted. Before it was taupe and black now the walls are crisp grey, clean white ceiling and white trim. The other upstairs bedroom is freshly painted and ready to go as well.

Every room in this house needs a touch up paint job - not the whole wall type thing, but definitely the baseboards and trim need some sprucing up. It is so much easier when there is no furniture to move!

My closets are empty except for the clothes we are taking to Ecuador; my cabinets are empty, except for must-have items like a few (seriously only a few!) glasses, plates and bowls, one (yes, ONE) serving dish, and my pots and pans and favorite utensils. Only the things we are taking to Ecuador made the cut, except for the glasses and plates. My older son is awaiting those gifts.

Outdoors - finished stucco-ing the large 6' + concrete block wall in my backyard....once it cures (takes 30 days) I can paint it. That project is set to start Sept 29th. Hopefully done that weekend! Otherwise the landscaping is done, just regular maintenance.

Kitchen and Master Bath - the only two rooms that have not been renovated yet, due to cost. Still pondering whether or not to renovate or sell the house as-is. Do I have a rich relative somewhere that has left me with a large inheritance maybe? Don't think so.

We are on the tail-end of the home renovation projects.....my goal is to have this house in perfect shape by October sometime, and then it will hit the market. With any/lots of luck, it will sell fast. I have plenty of wine, I can get through this!

Hasta luego, cheers and all that good stuff,

Tami

Guayaquil Adventures First Day

We landed in Guayaquil late on a Friday evening. Easily caught a taxi, negotiated the fare to $3 (I feel like a pro) and got to our hostel (Hostel Murali) ready for a good night's sleep.

Don and staff greeted us with smiles as we dragged our weary bodies inside - they quickly grabbed my heavy suitcase with a motion of 'I got this, let me help you.'

Side note: I love being a woman in Ecuador, all the men seem so eager to help with heavy items, opening doors, pointing out possible dangers while stepping off a curb, etc. How nice! Too bad the guys here in the States sometimes run into 'crazy women' when they try to be a gentleman. I'll take chivalry any day!

Back on track: we are registered, paid, and with a cold water bottle given to each of us, shown our room. We have a large room facing the street. The room is quite clean, the large bath is rather old, but clean and the best part? No electric/death shower head! (Yesss.....score!)

The air conditioner is already running, the room is nice and cool on this muggy evening. The sounds of the neighborhood are fun sounds, nothing too loud or crazy. Music is playing, people are talking, the normal sounds of a Friday night, and the air conditioner hum covers most of the street noise. We are so tired, we quickly fall asleep.

"MARLENA! MARLENA! Mi ESPOSA!"  I open my eyes and yes, the sound I hear is real, not from a dream. "MARLENA! MARLENA! Mi ESPOSA!"  Over and over. And over. And....you get the point. Up and down the streets this poor guy is shouting at the top of his lungs. Did he screw up and have to shout out his love for all in the barrio to hear? Or was he looking for his wife? Was SHE the party girl? Hmmm.... and all this around 5am. Couldn't really read my phone clock, at least not at THAT hour....(yawn).

We get up, get our 'stuff' together and I go downstairs for breakfast. Ken is upstairs still getting ready, and I end up chatting with some expats, chatting (sorta kinda) with the staff, and enjoying my very strong, very black, very yummy coffee. The staff was acting surprised I didn't want leche or azucar. The gal who brought me breakfast gave me this HUGE smile when I took a sip of black coffee and liked it. I guess many Americans like their coffee with lots of sugar and cream. After a few cups of coffee, I was ready to tackle the adventures of the day....

One of the guys tried to fix my luggage handle that LAN broke. Yep, went the entire week without rolling luggage, poor Ken, he ended up dealing with that and many times his bag, too. Glad I married a hunky strong guy! When he heard we needed a taxi to the bus terminal, he literally took our bags, and put them in his car. We were at the station in minutes, and he charged us $2. So far, so good.

Terminal Terrestre - Crazy! Busy, that is. While I waited for Dan and his girlfriend Priscilla, Ken went scouting for the Reina ticket window and bus departure times to Manta. The terminal has many stores, it looks like a mall when you enter, and it is HUGE. When Dan and Priscilla arrived, we headed to the Claro store to get a phone since Ken's phone took a mini-sim card and the store didn't have one. We needed to buy a phone. Oh well, now we have an Ecuadorian phone and number, and it's registered.

Now on to get our bus tickets. Priscilla is awesome, she is making sure the tickets we buy are for the air conditioned executive bus to Manta. She repeats in Spanish several times and makes the woman at the ticket counter confirm the right bus. Once we get the tickets, we literally run, across the terminal, up the escalator, and down the hall to the correct 'gate.' Poor Dan is carrying luggage, running (yes, running!) UP the escalator. What a friend :)  The bus is supposed to leave and Priscilla says they usually leave on time. That seems like quite a contradiction because nothing leaves on time in Ecuador, right?

We give our 2 bags to the guy who puts a tag on them and gives us a matching tag, and the lady at the door (bus assistant) looks in my carry-on bag, and pats Ken down, even though they do not take away our knives. The knives were not hidden, but they were not loose either - they were in the pockets of our 'day packs.'  I notice one guy getting on the bus, and the assistant hops onto the bus after him and makes him get off and pats him down - a real pat down - and all the while lots of chattering and bickering and the guy isn't happy, but she got her way!

And we're off to Manta.....

No time to see the sights in Guayaquil today, but on our return we will be meeting up with Dan and Graciela.....

Hasta Luego, Chao Chao, and all the good stuff,

Tami

Sea-foodie Heaven Part II

Ken's favorite dinner was at Mama Rosa's in Manta (Playa Murcielago area) - he had the swordfish, grilled. Yes, that was one delicious piece of fish. He let me have a bite or two:

Very buttery, garlic seasoning, it was YUMMY. Whole swordfish meal, about $8.

I had the 'sweaty' (steamed) swordfish with grapefruit. It was very good, but Ken is right, his was better.

We walked to Mama Rosa's from our hotel just a few blocks down the same street (Flavio Reyes), and even though it was dark (the horrors!) we were just fine. There was a security guy outside one of the buildings on the street, and even our hotel had a security guy at the door. Saturday night in Manta, whoo!

Anyhow, we arrived at the restaurant, and were greeted very warmly by our server, who said we could sit wherever we wanted. We picked a table with a birds-eye view of the entry, and also to take advantage of the breeze. Nice atmosphere, a tad dark for my old eyes but we managed just fine....hey, I got the sweaty swordfish, right?

The server took our drink orders, and almost immediately brought us a champagne glass with a sparkling cocktail - how sweet! It was gratis, and that set the mood for some fun:

Me after a glass or three of wine.....

Fantastic fresh meal, highly recommend Mama Rosa's, not for the Italian food, but for the fish. Service was spot-on, nice bar area, pretty decor, has a note of elegance, enjoyable music. Would be a great place for a big celebration or a quiet romantic dinner.


MY favorite dinner: Rocka's in Salinas. I know, I know, it isn't seafood, but wow, the meats have this wonderful smoky flavor, and it was a nice change from ceviche and fish, which of course I could eat (and did eat) every day. They are located on a side street, ask a local and they can point the way, or better yet, follow your nose. I'm serious!

Really really (really) good grilling skills these guys have:

Grill master on the right, he was so nice and explained each item

Pappas y Carne pictured above, smothered in queso, below is the mixed grill of chorizo, beef and chicken with two dipping sauces.

 The potato is so freaking good!!!!

 Ken's chuleta - thin piece of pork grilled to perfection, he liked the chimichurri type sauceThe corn - ahhh, sweet and I could eat several!

 Above left - chuleta on the grill, right, the grill master's assistant

Plaintains with queso - the one thing we didn't try!

Food was kept under wraps - nice touch!

Rocka is only open for dinner, the restaurant is open for lunch but not the grill. Go for the grill!! When we arrived, it was a Friday night, and the evening was young. Maybe around 7. Disco and 80s music playing, I was 'chair' dancing and the gals by us started giggling. Hmmm. Well then they started moving a bit, the music was fun, and you HAD to dance to it! And....it was in English. The place started filling up and filling up quickly, with locals. Plenty of families, young couples, and the atmosphere was fun and friendly.

Rocka is a bit different from most places. It is outside, and the grill and caja (cashier) are on opposite sides, with the tables all in between. Snag a table, then go to the cashier and place your order and pay. Take your receipt to your table, and the server will go to the grill and get your food. Service is super quick, and we placed several orders, wanting to try many things. Their homemade aji sauce had a nice kick to it, I thoroughly enjoyed it, but their chimichurri sauce was super yummy! 

They have a reputation of running out of food (because they are so popular), so I am glad we were able to try most items - I think we tried too much because we were SO FULL!! And, our dinner was around $11 for two of us, including our drinks (beer, soda). Very affordable. We slowly made our way back to the hotel, hoping the long walk would help digest the enormous amount of food we consumed! We WILL go back.

Hasta luego, chao chao, and all the good stuff,

Tami

Sea-Foodie Heaven-Part I

Seafood galore on the coast. Fresh, too. Out of all the meals we had, not one dish had 'old' seafood. Nothing 'fishy' going on here except the freshness of it.

We had fabulous and/or just plain yummy meals in Manta, in Bahia, Puerto Lopez, Jama, Salinas and Guayaquil. For this post, I am selecting just a few of my all time favorites, meals I would eat over and over again.

MY favorite meal was ceviche camerone at El Muelle Uno in Bahia. Top dog, could PIG OUT all day on this stuff:

They serve the delicious plantains with these awesome(!) sauces:

The green one was a pesto mayo type sauce, great for dipping the perfectly crispy plantains. The aji had tomato, onion and some peppers - very spicy/picante, and my favorite. The other sauce was a slightly sweet sauce, a cross between a BBQ and a sweet & sour sauce. It would be good on meats. Or for those that are not into spicy.

Our (Ken and I are in total agreement on this one) favorite almeurzo/lunch, hands-down was in Puerto Lopez at a little place called Dona Elsie. It is run by a Colombian family, and we ended up eating there twice, it was that good!

 For $3 each we got: a pitcher of fresh juice - I watched the son make it in the blender, and each day it was different. Soup with dorado and yuca, and our secundo was a tun (tuna) in coconut, mildly spiced, yet very flavorful. The sides were typical of an almeurzo - rice and a salad.

Fresh hot soup, I put homemade aji sauce in it, yum yum yum:

Fresh squeezed juice:

And, our secundo:

Who says Ecuadorian food is bland? Some of it, yes, just like in the US (mushy veggies, yuck). We found the food to be very flavorful, and if you like heat, like me (love spicy anything and everything), most places have plenty of hot sauce, all the places we went to except one had homemade aji and it was fun trying out different versions.

If you are a seafood lover, you will be in heaven on the coast. Everything is very fresh, caught that morning fresh, and the families are proud of what they serve. When we complimented a dish, usually the cook/chef heard it, looked up and smiled. We were treated very well with gracious service, the bills were accurate, and many places did not charge us the tax (service charge yes, but not tax) - we were paying with cash, small bills please, and they appreciated that.

Go to Ecuador with an open mind and empty stomach. The foods, just like the people, are beautiful.


Tune in next time for......Part II
Our favorite dinner was at Rocko's in Salinas - hands down the best grilled meats, pappas stuffed with carne, and the corn........


Hasta luego, chao chao, and all the good stuff,
Tami

Found our Future Home

This post will be short, due to the extensive travel over the past week or so. We got in last night, er, um, this morning around midnight, we both went to 'work' today, and bottom line, we are exhausted. Long drives, long flights, and an amazing trip to Ecuador....well worth the hassle of travel.

Last year we took a trip to Salinas and visited surrounding areas. Loved it. Had a blast. This trip, we wanted to explore some other areas of the coast before deciding exactly 'where' to plant our feet. And, we decided to try using public transportation, to see if 'we could do it.' Crazy, yes. But, even though it is a pain to take the chicken bus, and dangerous according to some, it was a great adventure, and we are even more confident next time we are left at the side of the road in a strange city...that we are SUPPOSED to get off here and find another bus to get on, that will eventually take us to our desired destination." Yes, that sounds about right.

So, after traveling to: Guayaquil, Manta, being dropped off in Rocafuerte (didn't know where we were until we asked, lol....story coming later, it's a riot)....Jipijapa (pronounced hippy-hoppa-SERIOUSLY), Bahia, San Vicente, Puerto Lopez, Las Tunas, Canoa, Jama, all places in between, and Salinas....then back to Guayaquil.....we have found our future home.  

Drumroll please ------- Bahia. Yep, that little city between the Pacific Ocean and Chone River. New bridge that connects Bahia to the northern coast..... little sleepy Bahia aka Mayberry. Yep, both of us actually agreed on a city!! Lights, camera, action, we need to get this documented - we BOTH agree where we want to move.....and of course we are not in agreement as to when. Me, I want to move NOW. Ken, he is more patient. Of course. He is the model adult, I am the pain in the ass 'want to do it now' kind of gal. We are perfect together :)

Future posts, complete with pictures, will follow. Soon. Right now I need more (really good) wine, and relish in the fact I can #1 = brush my teeth with tap water instead of 'clean water' from a bottle, and #2 = flush my TP down the toilet. Oh, the little things we enjoy in life, heeeheeeheee.

Hasta luego, Chao chao, and all the good stuff,
Tami

Reservations, smeshervations...

As soon as we stepped foot back on US soil, Ken and I were already planning our next trip to Ecaudor. Flights were booked and confirmed, AND paid for before the end of 2011. Did I say PAID for? Yep. So imagine my surprise....

I had this nagging thought late one night - did I have seat assignments done on both flights? Hmmmm. I'm pretty sure I did that way back in December. I checked the printed out itinerary, and yes, I had. Nice. Now go back to sleep, Tami.

The next day went on as usual, but when I got home that evening, I still had this weird feeling I had better check our flights. Went online and typed in our reservation code. What???? Arriving in Quito? What???? Oh, there's Guayaquil, but what the heck - arriving late at night? What happened to arriving in the late morning? I was having a come-apart as they say in the South. Ken!!!!!!! He got on the phone with LAN, and of course there was 'nothing we can do, sorry."

For those of you reading this that have not yet traveled to Ecuador, or Latin American country, let me explain why this arrival time was so bothersome.

Reason #1 Traveling at night is a dangerous sport. I would rather go rock climbing and I am terrified of heights. Not only do busses get robbed at night, those drivers have a tendency, uh, to have a drink or three before their shift. They also have to dodge cows, pigs, rockslides, and all this on unlighted streets. So no thank you. I will travel during the day, and take pictures of the livestock roaming the streets.

Reason #2
We now have to spend the night in Guayaquil. More $$$ down the drain. This is really the pet peeve of mine. We do have reservations at Hotel Murali just a few blocks from the airport. So taking a taxi from the cooperative (taxi line at the airport) to the hotel will be fine, as we know where this hotel is, and if it were daytime we could walk, but alas....

Not everything is sour news though. Crap happens, it was just bothersome that the airline didn't notify us!! Glad we had time to make adjustments in our schedule. I cannot wait to embark on this journey, every step we take is one step closer to realizing our dream.

Our Route:
Our trip is extended by 1 day because of the flight mess. We are traveling up the coast from Guayaquil to Manta to Bahia, and back down to Puerto Lopez, possibly Montanita to visit friends, and then to Salinas for one night, and then back to Guayaquil. All of our travels will be by bus or taxi. We need to know if we can get by without a car, and this will also help our Spanish. Which sucks rocks, btw!

We have reservations at Hotel Murali, and from what I hear it will be a good experience. An expat friend recommended it, so glad she did, because I didn't want to take a taxi across town late at night. They will feed us breakfast the next morning, and we can then take our bags and walk to the bus terminal if the weather is nice outside. Off to the coast we go....

We are taking the executive bus (who knows which one, we will figure that out once at the Terminal Terrestre). We don't yet have reservations, but there are plenty of hotels in Manta, we will figure something out....living on the edge, love it (LOL)

I am very excited about the Bahia part of our trip, we will be staying in a nice B&B called Casa Grande. One of the expats made the reservations for us, which was such a help. I can't wait to dine at Puerto Amistad, the owner and chef is also from Alabama, and I look forward to hearing about his experiences living in Bahia. That, and enjoying fresh seafood and good wine.

We also have reservations at Hostel Mandala in Puerto Lopez., which is south of Manta. We will be there for two nights enjoying the beach. This will be the relaxing part of our adventure. In their pictures I noticed the mosquito netting over the bed. So no air conditioning, which is just fine by us, it will remind me of the Banana Azul in Costa Rica.

On our last night in Ecuador, we will be hanging out at Will's - Hostal Aqui, and enjoying the great food and friendship at Score Sports Bar. Wendy and I have a bottle of wine we need to consume! Oh, and their margaritas.....

The other nights we haven't planned out, we will fill in those blanks when the time comes.

Only a few more weeks.....getting super excited!!

Cheers, Tami

Booked for May but Ready Today!

Ken and I usually give each other gifts for Christmas that are useful - like our flat screen TV we've had for 3-4 years, our backyard 'wall' project, and our trips overseas. We are fairly practical people, and it just makes sense to spend our money on things that we both enjoy, instead of a bunch of knickknacks, just for the sake of 'giving gifts.'


One of the first things we decided upon our return from Ecuador...we wanted to return TO Ecuador. As soon as possible. So this year our Christmas present to each other is a trip to Ecuador! And.....drumroll..... our flights are booked for May 2012. This will be our 'let's look at the details' and also get a feel for areas of the coast we didn't get a  chance to check out so diligently as we did Salinas. Ya never know, we might decide the humidity and large bugs are to our liking (don't think so). 


Speaking of large bugs, last night my dear husband and 17 year old son Alec decided to have some fun with me and his 'friend-that-isn't-a-girlfriend' - yet. Ken brought out the big boys - these stupid large plastic roaches that look like the real deal. Complete with antennae and legs, and....they look real. Take my word for it. They are freaky looking, large things that, well, freak me out. Yes, I screamed like a little girl. Alec's 'friend' was more woman than me, she held her own, until they put one on her shoulder that is....


Anyhow, I really don't care for the gigantic cockroaches, the kind they have in Florida and most tropical places. I can deal with regular bugs, but those things give me the heebee-geebees. They jump at you, not away from you. Ugh.  So, for me, I think the Salinas area, with its dry desert-like dry (some say ugly/barren) terrain, fits me just fine. It has the ocean. It has sand and a few palm trees. I can live with that.

Chowing Down in Coastal Ecuador - Part II

Food shopping in Ecuador is interesting. Supermaxi is just like our Publix or Kroger, although the location of some items is just plain strange. Yogurt comes in a bottle not little cups. And milk comes in a box, not a jug. And eggs are on a shelf. Not a refrigerated shelf. Okaaay then. On to the pics:

Even the kiddo had fun shopping

My milk in a box. Water in a bottle. And coffee in a jar :)

 Wash your veggies with this:

HiperMarket is similar to Super Walmart, they have everything there, and my husband and son lived for their fresh baked Pan de Pina (pineapple bread/roll), and other tasty goodies. The gals at the bakery counter recognized Ken after a few days, since he went there almost every morning! 

Gerardo Pinoagrote invited us to go with him to the LaLibertad Mercado - the best days to go according to Gerardo: Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. If you are visiting the area or are new, please ask someone to take you to this market. It is well worth the visit! Gerardo took us to the vendors he uses, gave us great tips about buying, told us about preparing various fruits/veggies, who or what to avoid, etc. It was a wonderful morning!!

Chicken is sold with feet attached. I hear Star (from the YES Effect blog) loves chicken feet!

Plenty of grains/rice/beans:

Soda anyone?

Lots of fruits and veggies!

Shrimp purchased, 1 pound for $4.(we were so engrossed in the fresh seafood area we forgot to take pics-trust me, they had everything you could think of!) 

Here are pics of the fresh beef:

And herbs and spices galore:

Tumeric I think?

Our bounty:

The 4 tomatoes, 3 bell peppers, and 3 onions cost $1 total. The cilantro was 25 cents. Cucumber 25 cents. Pretty awesome huh!


So even though processed foods are very expensive, fresh produce and meat can be had for very little money. I am looking forward to my next visit! Who wants to join me?


Tami

Let's Get This Party Started....

If you are reading this, you are probably one of my friends who are thinking that yes, this girl is a nutcase. She is actually going to Ecuador? Why in the world would ANYONE, much less the Tamster, want to move to a third world country? Well, those same friends loved my pics of Costa Rica and said they couldn't wait to vacation there. Same with the Caymans, Jamaica, Barbados (where I married my gorgeous hubs!) and on and on....but to actually pack up and move? THAT'S nuts. I agree, but hey, you only live once, and I plan on enjoying my life to the fullest - preferably with a beautiful view of the Pacific Ocean, and the sound of those waves lulling me to sleep and waking me up in the morning. 

Uh, I may wake up to the sound of roosters, according to some expats - or could be a parade, there are many of those in Ecuador - we'll see soon enough...

Bringing my 17 year old son on this scouting trip. He asked me today if there would be internet. I told him yes. Haha. Maybe. Don't want to scare him too much. This will be his first time out of the country. And to a developing country at that. Oh fun! Hopefully he will be too busy taking surfing lessons, and checking out the 'scene' to even care about his electronics. 

Stay tuned for pics and musings from the coast of Ecuador.

Tami