Ecuador (YAY)

ECUADOR (YAY)

Well, I can't ever seem to manage to just plan a trip and have it go smoothly (why do you think I have the name Hellen A. Handbasket??).  Problems when getting ready included:

• Teddy (11 y/o) who was diagnosed with SARDS and who lost his eyesight just a few weeks after we purchased our tickets and who also was diagnosed with Cushings (though I had had suspicions for a year).  I was worried sick about leaving him for almost 2 weeks.

• Jack, my 12 year old Poodle, who has severe separation anxiety (and the little goon thinks that if he runs away with my bra, I will not leave on my trip).

• I get an impacted molar and go to the dentist have it pulled.  I hate the dentist.  No time to fool around with other options.  The tooth fairy was on vacation as well.

• Hurricane Isaac.  SOB blew in and cancelled our trip, cutting the vacation short a day.  It left us uncertain if we were going to leave even the next day (one hour on the phone with AA to try to get a new flight) and scrambling to contact everyone to change all of our plans for being picked up in Ecuador, our hotel reservations had to be changed (in Spanish and through email, kudos to our hotel for being on the ball and answering all emails quickly! ), etc.  I shook my fist and made rude hand gestures at the TV weatherman who took glee in pointing out the tracking to Miami  for a few days since it seemed to be  headed to where our first stop from Arizona was going (Miami).

• Stressing over an extra suitcase (filled with gifts for our friends) and all 3 check in bags were at the 50 lb. limit.  I unpacked, reweighed and rearranged those damn bags for 3 days.  I will NEVER pack like that again (metal note:  I do NOT need 6 pairs of shoes for 2 weeks, nor do I need 3 swim suits, 3 hats or half the crap I brought).  I will, however, always  continue to pack and bring in 6 bottles of alcohol... worth the weight!

• A 75 year old house/dog sitter who has never used Skype before.  I install it a few days before we leave, and we practice using it at my house with me just a few feet away from her and her laptop.  I leave her with 6 typed pages of feeding instructions and medications, vet numbers, emergency numbers, secondary emergency numbers, fish feeding (my 10 y/o Ghost Koi), universal tv remote instructions and basically everything she could possible need and probably 5 pages that she didn't.  Who knows if she looked at it (yes, the dogs were fine when I got home).  I worry about her young Dachshund, Rosemary and if Jack will get along with her and if it will confuse Teddy.  They've played with her before here, but this will be a bit more intense with Teddy's blindness and Jack's crankiness/anxiety.

• A husband who needs to keep his blood sugar regulated during the day on flights on airlines that don't feed anyone anymore (not even a stinking pretzel).

So, one day late, we hugging both dogs and waving goodbye to the house/dog sitter, we hold our breath, board the hired van that pulls up to our home at the ungodly hour of five a.m. and we head to the airport a day later than planned.  

I clutch an extra paper bag with frozen yogurt tubes, baby carrots, nuts and grapes and beef jerky.  I fully expect for the yogurt tubes and maybe the grapes to disappear during the TSA check and that my bringing  it along is going to set me up for a full body cavity search with the TSA equivalent of Nurse Ratched.  

We arrive at the airport and are let off at the curb.  

I go up to the curb at American Airlines for our international flight expecting to be told to go inside with the luggage to check it in and... (insert angels singing here) they take our baggage to check in at curbside!  YAY  

Next, I tell the man at the counter that I have an extra bag to pay for.  He takes one look at my bleery face and over packed bags and says "Don't worry, I'm just going to take care of that for you today."  

I stood there looking at him for a few seconds, thinking that I was just sleep deprived and there was no way that I heard that an airline was waving an extra bag fee  (a $70 fee).  I looked around for the Punked  cameras.

"Wow, thank YOU sir!  THAT is awesome!"  I dig for a NICE tip and mentally add up how many Pilseners, trinkets and taxi rides that unplanned extra $70 was going to buy.  YAY

Then I ask if there was a place to go for a much needed cigarette.  It was less than 25 feet away from the curb check in.  Ahhhhh.  YAAAAAY 

(go away all you anti-smokers... if I didn't have it, you would have been reading about the crazy woman who was arrested at  the airport in Phoenix... and it wouldn't have been pretty).

We zip through the TSA after going through their weird Star Trek beam me up looking scanner and I endure a quick pat of my bra (hmmm) WHY? 

We drag along our carry on luggage and clutch our precious "illegal" food stuffs that didn't get looked at, and settle into the waiting area to hope that the plane is actually leaving.  

There are about 15 stand by names on the board due to the cancelled flights from Miami the day before.  Not one of those unlucky bastards got called.  Everyone showed up.  Our flight number is called and we're actually leaving.  YAY

The flight takes off for Miami.  I worry about the dogs and I already start to miss them.  I worry about our luggage and all that crap I packed.  We eat our forbidden yogurt and peanuts while our row mates sneak glances at us munching away.  I sleep for about thirty minutes.

We land in Miami and make it to our next area.  We scout for a place to eat some real food and drag in our bags.  The food isn't very good (hamburger) and we hurry to finish and go sit and wait for the flight and people watch (love Miami folks, LOL).  

The plane takes off on schedule and we try to cram our luggage into incredibly small overhead racks (wtf? Did they shrink them?).  The flight has a small meal of odd food (a small salad, hard roll, something in a yellow block (paella??) with a tablespoon of chicken and a rubbery block of dessert that I think was to be some kind of tiramisu), and I eat about half of it.  I'm excited... we're almost there!

We get up to get off the plane and one of our bags is gone from the overhead bin.  Ron starts frantically searching the other passengers and sees a small black American Tourister bag that a woman has in her seat and she is standing in the isle and is LEANING over it.  

He points to the bag, points to himself and tells her (in English) that he thinks it is his.  She shakes her head no. 

Ron starts to panic as he scans all the empty overhead bins. I pull Ron out of the way and step up to the woman guarding the black bag.  I'm at least a foot and a half taller than she is, and I'm tired and in no mood for crap.

"I think that's our bag." I point at it.  She shakes her head again and turns her back on me.

I tell her (in English) I need to unzip the front pocket and lean over her and just grab the zipper.  I open it quickly and pull out a pair of Ron's gray boxer shorts from the front pocket.  "This IS ours." I tell her waving the underwear like a crazy woman.  She sputters... (or said something that I didn't get in Spanish) and hands over the suitcase.

Hmmmmm.


We exit the plane and head off to baggage claim, keeping an eye on our carry on stuff.  We hunt for our three checked bags since someone has already removed them all from the carousel and there are what seems like hundreds all over the floor.  It is chaos.  We spot ours clear over on the other side of the room with the rainbow belts on them (one had a belt missing) and grab a cart.  We head for the long line into customs.  

I see the woman who had our bag across the room.  She has a bunch of suitcases in a pile on a cart.  Not one looks like our black carry-on that we took back from her.  Hmmmm.

Landing at 10:30 at night must mean a speedy entry through Customs in Ecuador or we hit the lottery, as we barely received eye contact or got a question from the agent that we ended up with.  They didn't even look at or in our bags.  

We pop out the other end of Customs to see the smiling face of our Ecuadorian friend Alfredo.  OMG YAY  

I hug him in person, seeing his face for the first time that it wasn't inside a tiny Skype window.  He hugs Ron (which was almost comical, as there is quite a height difference).  It was wonderful to finally be with my friend in his beautiful country and be away from everything with my wonderful husband.

I am so tired, I forget I have a camera.

Afredo leads us outside to the curb where his friend who owns the van and Alfredo's mother are waiting for us.  The air was warm and the night was clear.  Introductions in Spanish, kisses and hugs all around and we quickly load our bags and we're on our way with Alfredo interpreting for us mostly.  

Ron and I look at each other, and we can't believe it!  We're actually in Ecuador!

We head to the (I think) northern area of Guayaquil to drop off his mother at her home and the owner of the van who lives in the same building.  After hugs and a promise to see each other at the end of our vacation for the last day, we head off on the 2 hour drive to Salinas.  We talked the whole way and it was the fastest 2 hour drive I've ever taken.  While it was dark, it was interesting to see the view on the really nice 4 lane highway road which held very little traffic at that time of night.

We stop quickly for gas in Salinas and then headed for Alfredo's apartment to quickly meet his wife, Verónica and peek in at los tres angelitos who were all sound asleep.  We hug and make plans with Verónica for mañana and we head to the hotel.

We arrive at Casablanca Suites at about 1:30 a.m. and the night man is waiting for us and carries up our bags.  Because of the confusion of our flight being cancelled, one of the workers had given our room to someone else for the night, but we were assured that it would be available the next day.  We settle into a small room with 2 double beds and a nice small bathroom with a hot shower.  The bed is hard, as are the pillows but we are tired and sleep for a few hours.

DAY 1, Salinas, Santa Elena, Ecuador

Ron on the patio at the Casablanca Suites on the first day

The next morning, we wander down late to the hotel reception area and are asked if we want desayuno. Only melon, juice and sandwiches were available since we got up late.  Hot water and Sanka try to pass for coffee.

Blech.  

My neck hurts, my back hurts and my ass hurts.  We eat a little, but decide to head down the street, stretch out a bit and see what we can find in the form of a brewed caffeine I.V. drip line for my veins before I hurt someone.

We walk down to the front patio at the hotel and the view is perfect (a view of the Yacht Club, boats and the entire malecon).  The sun is shining, which seems to be rare this time of year in Salinas (as we soon find out).  It is, after all winter here.  

We walk across the street and take in the beach and the beautiful view.  We walk the malecon and spot the Luv n Oven and decide to make it our first stop.  Perfect.  Café Americano brewed coffee is on the menu.  I'm a happy camper.  YAY  We eat a terrific breakfast and meet up with our friend Alfredo there shortly after we're through.  He invites us to his home to meet his family and have lunch with them all.

Alfredo and Veronica, married with three young children, and native born in Ecuador are my friends of almost 2 years.  They meet up with us on the malecon at lunch time with Mathias, their (almost) 2 year old hijo.  The other two enanos (dwarves as the Ecuadorians affectionately call their children) are in school and will be home shortly so we walk to their apartment which is only about block away from our hotel.  

On the balcony at Alfredo's apartment.

Lunch time.  Veronica made a wonderful sopa de pollo, verduras y fideo (chicken, vegetable and noodles soup) and of course some orange soda!

Their 10 year old Annette.

Their 4 year old Aaron.

Almost 2 year old Mathias.

After lunch.  Full and happy to be here!

Home security EC style 

(broken glass and iron spikes)

not Alfredo's building, but seen on our walk back to the hotel room.

We're tired, and head back to the room to move to our regularly booked room and finish unpacking and we'll meet up with Alfredo and Veronica again that evening.  

We love the new room.  We are on the 3rd floor (there is an elevator if you are handicapped or have a bunch of luggage).  The kitchen included a glass top stove, refrigerator, sink and bar area with bar stools.  We had a double size bed, a futon sofa, extra blankets (it got cold at night!), a nice flat screen TV on the wall with cable stations. Shower/bathroom.  Right outside our door was the Jacuzzi.    It was very clean and perfect for us.

Nice little kitchen.

Ron, getting his cable T.V. sports fix.

Photo of the unusual, but working bathroom in the room.  Built on a built-up platform, the toilet, sink and shower are in there.  Down side... no roof on it.  One of those crazy electric water heads on the shower.  It took a while to figure that one out and get hot water going (hitting/tapping the shower head helped it turn on finally and running the water a bit slower helped get the hot water flowing).

Outside our door, a nice Jacuzzi on the 3rd story patio with an outdoor sink, chairs/tables and lounge chairs and a terrific full bathroom with HOT shower.  This deck also had a  great view of the malecon.

Más fotos y la historia mañana... 

Hellen