Condomania and the Home Front

This weekend we met a delightful Ecuadorian couple who just returned to Cuenca after five years of being in the States. They said, "What happened? We hardly know our own city!"

I had to chuckle because I feel that way too sometimes. I think they were referring to the redondel which is the center of construction "paradise" right now and all the various condo complexes that keep sprouting up all over the city.

Redondel Construction

Most folks seem to think that all the new condos are due to the gringos in town. Not true. Most of the condos are occupied by Ecuadorians -- either returning from the States -- or living abroad and investing in their own country. One of the expats -- who recently moved into a new condo complex -- told me he's renting from an Ecuadorian couple and he pays $500 for a two bedroom two bath apartment. I think that's about the going rate these days. Renting a place unfurnished seems to be the way to go until supply and demand level out.

When I tell folks what we pay for rent, they gasp and say, "How did you find that?" Actually $185-$200 per month is what Ecuadorians normally pay. Although yesterday I was at the home of one of our Ecuadorian friends and she has a two-story penthouse and pays $250. It's a lovely place and has a great view of the city. The rental prices are definitely inflated and that's because more gringos are renting (than buying) and willing to pay more. Until the supply and demand ratios even out, I think you'll continue to see rental prices go up.

A couple of weeks ago, I talked with Michael Berger of Cuenca's Best Properties and he shared with me his thoughts and wrote a great article on the subject which I suggest you read if you're planning a move to Cuenca.

In the meantime, we're back to school as students of Spanish (Intermediate/Advanced Level) and we're both teaching this semester. Our condo is starting to look like a schoolroom with all our supplies, books and lesson plans floating around. This cycle I have the Advanced Conversational English Club and let me tell you...they keep me on my toes!  I think our brain cells have quadrupled since we moved to Cuenca. If learning a new language helps to delay dementia, I think we just might have some protection in that regard.

While construction goes on in Cuenca, we have another form of "construction" happening in the States. Mark's dad fell and fractured his hip and then had a heart attack. He's now in the ICU and we've been care giving from a distance. Many nights we have fallen asleep with one hand on the phone and the other on our suitcase. Mark's dad is 85 years old and was living independently until he broke his hip. Mark's sisters are visiting him every day in the hospital and they keep in contact with us daily.

We know that many of you have been through this, but we're treading uncharted waters at this time. My parents are in their 80's, so we enjoy each day with them through e-mail, Skype or Magic Jack. The other day I talked to my dad for an hour! He said, "You kids did the right thing retiring in Cuenca because things sure are a mess here in the U.S."  Bless his heart; I never thought I'd hear him say that.

With so many things changing on the home front and Cuenca emerging into a new city, it reminds me that few things ever remain the same. That's why they call it life!

Until next time...hasta luego!

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Los Frailes

Mark is in school teaching English at CEDEI, but I’m still back at the “beach" (in my mind, of course!). It’s only been a week since we returned from the coast and I'm already planning our next trip. If you only go to one place the whole time you’re in Ecuador, do not miss the pristine beach of Los Frailes. Some have gone so far as to call it the most beautiful beach on the Ecuadorian coast and I won’t argue with that!

After we arrived at Hosteria Mandala, we made arrangements to have a mototaxi take us to Los Frailes (20 minutes up the coast), or you can hop on a bus in Puerto Lopez for 40 cents.

The mototaxi was a fun ride, but a little bumpy when we got to the entrance of the park (cost: $2.00 per person). It felt more like a galloping horse than a taxi and it was a tad bit dusty. Our mototaxi “specialist” was Angel and he took us right up to the entrance of the beach and picked us back up at the designated time (3:00 p.m. – “en punto”).

The cost was $10.00 roundtrip. I wouldn’t have missed that experience for anything. If you haven’t ridden in a mototaxi, you’re in for a real treat (no diesel fumes and it’s naturally air-conditioned). Just keep your hands inside the “vehicle.”

The wonderful thing about staying in Puerto Lopez is you’re close to the main attractions: Isla de la Plata, Los Frailes, Isla Salango, and Agua Blanca.

Once at the entrance to the beach, there is a lovely “canteen” where you can buy souvenirs. I bought some lovely coral earrings and matching necklace ($2.00).

Bring a beach umbrella if you have one, beach towels, and a picnic lunch. Hosteria Mandala will pack up a wonderful lunch for you and also send you on your way with beach towels (as many as you need).

Los Frailes is part of the Machalilla National Park which is a tropical dry forest along the central coast of Ecuador. The high temperatures, humidity and low precipitation make for an interesting mix of flora and fauna, mainly cactus, the Cockspur Coral Tree, and a variety of birds which makes it more of an oasis than a desert!

Mark and I decided to jump in the water first and enjoy the gentle surf. I stayed in longer and didn’t want to come out because the temperature was a perfect 72 degrees and felt so refreshing. I would caution you on cloudy days to slather on the sunscreen and keep reapplying. I got so carried away that I forgot to reapply after I got out of the water. I’m still peeling off layers of skin—especially on my feet.

After a light lunch, we explored the rocky inlets on both sides of the horseshoe-shaped beach and discovered a multitude of conch shells, several of which already had inhabitants which literally walked away on us!

I found a total of 20 whole sand dollars which were brown, then turned green and now are bleaching themselves white in the sun (thanks to our balcony).  It was low tide while we were there, so we felt free to explore all the inlets and caves. However, I would caution you not to do this at high tide!

We had an hour before Angel was to pick us back up, so we decided to give “El Mirador” a try. The sign said it was a 20-minute walk, but I would allow 30 minutes because there’s so much to see on the way up the dusty steps, including the entire Ecuadorian coastline, exotic lizards, birds, and lots of cactus.

There are no retaining walls or fences, so be careful to take pictures from a distance and not perch yourself on the edge of the cliff as it’s a long way down.

Bring lots of water! I ended up pouring the entire bottle over me because I got overheated; wear a sun hat, and put on more sunscreen than you think you will need.

At the top of “El Mirador” you will be rewarded with a panoramic view like none other. I was so busy oohing and ahhing, I didn’t realize there were other folks sitting on the look-out stand who had come to mediate. Mark shooshed me and I too had become quiet. It’s was windy, so be sure to hang on to your hat and other valuables.

It’s also a great place to catch the birds in flight and to enjoy a time of quiet reflection. After taking several videos and probably 100 pictures of the same coastline, we headed back down. I wore my running shoes and was thankful that I did because the steps can be a little slippery and it’s easy for your feet to get caught between the steps.

We made the climb up and back within an hour which was perfect. Angel was waiting for us right on time at 3:00 p.m. and we made it back to see a gorgeous sunset at Puerto Lopez where we dined on the veranda at Hosteria Mandala.

Rest assured, we’ll be back to Los Frailes!

Until next time...hasta luego!



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Isla de la Plata

At the top of our list—during our trip to Puerto Lopez—was Isla de la Plata (the poor man’s Galapagos). When you consider that you can basically see the same thing for a fraction of the cost (minus the huge tortoises), then it’s quite the deal. In fact, I think it’s a better deal; you get to see the humpback whales instead!

Our friends recently took a trip to the Galapagos for thousands of dollars and still didn’t get to see the giant tortoises, and we paid a total of $35 per person to see the same type of wildlife for a fraction of the cost. It’s definitely worth the trip, but there are some things you need to know before you get on the speedboat that will take you on your 1-1/2 hour trip into the ocean.

 

First of all if you get seasick, please take your Dramamine (Mareol) 20 minutes before boarding the boat! You will be asked to take off your shoes (which will be put in a large plastic bag), and you will wade in the water until someone hoists you aboard. There were 16 of us on our double-decker “barca”—complete with a restroom. You will also be asked to put on your life vest (not a bad idea as you will be heading out 22 nautical miles into the Pacific).

The Hosteria Mandala made our reservations for us aboard “Yubarta” and the $35 included a snack , lunch, tour of the island, snorkeling, and our entrance fee into the Machalilla National Park. It’s a long day that starts at 9:00 a.m. with arrival on Isla de la Plata around 11:00 a.m., three to four hours of hiking around the island, lunch at 2:30 p.m. (on the boat), and then snorkeling in “Bahía Drake.” The return trip puts you back at Puerto Lopez at about 6:00 p.m. (mas/menos).

You should wear your swimsuit (if you don’t want to change clothes in the small bathroom on the “ship”), and comfortable clothing with lots of suntan lotion (at least SPF 30), a hat, comfortable hiking shoes or sneakers, a small backpack to carry a bottle of water and camera equipment, and beach towel.

About 15 minutes into our outboard journey, the boat suddenly stopped and we heard the word “ballena” (whale)! There were several other boats in a semi-circle where we enjoyed the “plumes” of the humpback whales, lobbing their tails and putting on a grand performance. In order to get excellent pictures you need a mega-zoom lens and you need to keep pointing and clicking because the whales don’t respond on command like “Water World” in Florida.

If the whale is already out of the water doing “summersaults,” you’re too late. So keep aiming and praying and you will get something! Our boat bobbed in the water watching the show for a good 30 minutes before we headed on to the island.

Once we reached Isla de la Plata, we were give back our shoes and allowed to use the “facilities” before we started hiking. Our group opted for the longest and highest trail which meant we walked for 3-1/2 hours! The first part of the journey was a total of 216 steps—almost vertical. That’s the part they left out in the guidebook! Mark and I are both runners and we considered it moderately difficult. Some folks were simply not able to keep up and eventually the stragglers were left behind (and later caught up).

Our guide, Alegria, spoke both English and Spanish and was delightful. The dry tropical forest (made up of 35,000 acres) was dessert-like, parched and sad looking. It’s definitely not a place you want to be shipwrecked for any length of time, unless you enjoy eating twigs for breakfast. The only permanent residents on the island are the red-throated frigate birds, the blue-footed boobies with their turquoise blue feet and crossed eyes; the Nazca booby with their yellowish-orange beaks and a variety of other birds—including the waved albatross. If you take the lower trail, you might be able to see a colony of sea lions or porpoises, but no giant tortoises. We did see some turtle nests as we started out on the trail and also some sea turtles when we were snorkeling, but no giant “tortugas.” You need to go to the Galapagos for that!

After hiking for 3-1/2 hours you tend to work up an appetite, so when we arrived back at our starting point, we washed off our feet and got back on the boat for lunch which consisted of sliced watermelon, pineapple, two types of sandwiches, and a Snicker’s bar (just kidding!). It was actually a nice-sized chocolate cookie. We washed it all down with Coke and bottled water.

And then we plopped in the water to do some snorkeling (on a full stomach). The boat “parked” in Bahía Drake (named after—you guessed it—Sir Frances Drake). A couple of our shipmates brought their own snorkeling gear and fins, but the rest of us used what was given to us on the boat (snorkeling equipment minus the fins). The underwater world was magnificent— filled with iridescent tropical fish, blue starfish nestled among the coral, and sea turtles. We were warned not to get too close to the coral reef, but of course there’s always someone on ship who doesn’t listen to the rules. I learned my lesson (that stuff can be nasty!).

Once on board the boat, we put on our life vests and headed back to Puerto Lopez. The water gets a little more choppy after 3:30 p.m., so it’s best to take your sea sickness medication again if that’s a problem for you. And be sure to bring a hooded jacket and re-apply sun lotion—especially to your feet!

I fell asleep on the way back to Puerto Lopez and don’t remember too much until I was pushed out of the boat! Once on shore, we were given back our walking shoes and had a wonderful dinner at “Casa Vecchia”—the best pizza in Puerto Lopez. The trip was definitely worth $35!

Until next time...hasta luego!

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We're Back!

Some folks asked if we actually made it back from the coast because they hadn't heard from us! Well, we're back, but a part of us is still there. I knew I was going to miss "Los Frailes" so much that I made a video of it and uploaded it as soon as I got home. This morning I woke up and said to myself:  "No it wasn't a dream: you had a perfect vacation with amazing weather, great food; you 'swam' with the whales, giggled at the blue-footed boobies, snorkeled in the saphire blue waters of the Pacific and ate coconut ice cream--every night for dinner. And you saw lots of sunsets and clapped when the the 'show' was over!"

It's safe to say that I'm going through major coastal withdrawal for which there is no cure except to get back on the bus and travel 7-1/2 hours up the coast to enjoy the pristine beaches of Los Frailes and the magical splendor of Hosteria Mandala. There were absolutely no disappointments on this trip and as the owner of the Hosteria Mandala said to us: "You brought the sun with you!" Normally, during this time of year, it's cloudy and only a handful of sunsets! We were fortunate enough to have three out of four sunset-filled evenings. The lazy days on the beach in my hammock sipping something with an umbrella in it, made me want to pitch a tent and claim my "plot."

Yes, I got sunburned even after slathering myself with SPF 100 (you have to reapply after you get out of the water). And I did get my share of mosquito bites (even with Off Bug Spray), but it was so worth it. And the boat ride to Isla de la Plata was almost worth the 1-1/2 hour ride of choppy water just to see the dancing whales blow off steam. It was more magnificent than I had imagined to see them rise up out of the water like creatures of the sea and dance on the water before doing a backwards belly flop into the ocean. I had almost forgotten that we weren't actually whale watching, we were on our way to Isla de la Plata to do some hiking and bird watching, but the whales stole the show! The blue-footed boobies and the frigate birds didn't disappoint either and each put on a show of their own. Since both species were mating, they went to extreme measures to strut their stuff. The frigate birds puffed up their red throats to get the attention of the "girls" and they must have been paying attention because we saw lots of little frigates and blue-footed boobies all over the island.

Be forewarned, it's a long day and our group decided they wanted to take the upper trail around the island which was four hours of walking, followed by lunch back on the boat, and snorkeling. If you are prone to sea sickness, be sure to take "Mareol" (dramamine) because you just might lose your breakfast like my shipmate did! Be sure to take it 20 minutes before you get on the boat.

There are so many highlights of our trip, but our favorite day had to be at Los Frailes which is a pristine beach with an abundance of seashells which now grace our home. I played in the waves and swam in the gentle surf until my hubby dragged me to shore (kicking and screaming). We then took a hike up to "Mirador" which is not to be missed; you can see the entire Ecuadorian coastline from the lookout which is well worth the 20-minute climb.

Unlike most expats we took the bus and thoroughly enjoyed the experience: reclining seats, air-conditioning, his and her bathrooms that were immaculate, free snacks, and movies! When did riding a bus get to be so much fun? The Guayaquil bus station is a huge three-story complex with a shopping mall and food courts. My new obsession is "Sweet and Coffee." Watch out Starbucks, you've got some major competition and the price is right! Total cost per person from Cuenca to Guayaquil was $8.00 and our ride up to Puerto Lopez was $3.50.

I'll leave you with some highlights of Los Frailes...(our favorite part of the trip).

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Reflections

It's been a little over six weeks since we first arrived in Cuenca -- our new home. And today, I reflected on what this new life change has meant for us (the good and the bad!).

It's not an easy decision to leave family and friends, travel 2,800 miles, learn a new language and experience a new culture unless you're really sure it's what you're supposed to be doing.

Last week, I received several e-mails from readers who asked me to be honest about what this change has meant for us.

Some flat out told me that they could never leave their children (or grandchildren -- even if they didn't have any!). It would simply be too difficult. I wholeheartedly agree. It has been the single hardest thing we have ever done...to leave our boys. And if I'm really honest, there are days when I want to rush back on a plane so I can give them a hug! As you know, boys don't express their emotions (that often) and sometimes it's hard for me to "read" what they're thinking. But for the most part, those days don't overwhelm me like they did in the beginning. I can actually look at their pictures and not cry. Remember: We left three days after our son's wedding (not great planning on our part). 

But as with all of life, we take the good with the bad and I must say that there's so much to be thankful for here in Cuenca: low cost of living, perpetual spring, lots of sunshine with scattered showers to make things green, a wonderfully diverse and caring culture, great food, fireworks every night, amazing healthcare, and a whole host of new friends. As a writer, I find myself crafting a series of novels -- in my head -- set in this incredible place. Then Mark "smacks" me out of my daydreaming and says, "Stop it...you're retired!"

"Yep, you got that right!" I bounce back.

But if I had to pinpoint the single greatest gift of all, it's been the joy of spending time with my hubby of almost 35 years. In the States we were always rushing around, trying to meet obligations and hoping there was enough money at the end of the month instead of the other way around! It's a privilege to be able to retire "young" (meaning in our 50's). Mark and I are closer now than we have ever been (we actually sleep in the same bed!). His snoring doesn't even bother me anymore.

The other day Mark leaned over and whispered in my ear, "You know...you have really pretty eyes!" We were eating ice cream at our favorite place -- Tutto Freddo -- as my "fresa" (strawberry) ice cream dripped off the cone. Mark reached over and licked off the scoop that was about to topple over and our eyes met. That's when I knew...we had actually fallen in love again! 

Mark grabbed my hand and we walked across the street to Parque Calderon. We lingered  for over an hour -- just holding hands -- not saying a word...reflecting on the second chance we've been given!

I know it sounds crazy, afterall we're 55 years old and we've been married for 35 years, but I still believe that love can have new beginnings. I'm so thankful that "Cuenca" has given us ours.

It's a good thing...to reflect!

Until next time...Hasta luego!

Marco y Consuelo