Ending 2013 in Salinas

Christmas in the Mall

We knew Christmas would be difficult for us: family 3,000 miles away, no familiar traditions - or even a flake of snow.  But this country makes me envious of the pure focus on family for those few holy days.  Although the stores have the same old Christmas tunes piping, and there are decorations, a huge tree and a Santa in the mall, it's all somehow low-key. We can see through windows that there are lights and decorations in the homes, but the town is not lit up like Vegas.  Still, there's a thrum of excitement and anticipation that comes from people hurrying about, chattering voices and - great to see - much emphasis on local charities reaching out to those without means.

Folks stocking up - basketful of turkeys!

Like quite a few other Gringo's, we headed to Big Ralph's, the local British restaurant (link) for a 'reservation only' Traditional English Luncheon on Christmas Day. No disappointment there - Ralph is a chef extraordinaire and the turkey and accompaniments were delectable.  "Main Course: Roast Turkey, Baby New Potatoes, Mixed Vegetables, Pork & Onion Stuffing, Thyme Sauce.
Dessert: Chocolate Torte with Ice Cream & Bailey´s Sauce".

Ninja Turtle Manigote

Manigotes for sale on street

Then we spent the next few days watching Salinas get ready for Año Viejo - Old Year. This country sees the old year out very thoroughly, much as you will see in some other older country traditions like Hogmanay in Scotland, for example.  And immediately after Christmas Day is done, getting ready to do so begins.

Immense Spiderman Manigote

Manigotes appear everywhere - paper mache (wet paper and starch) effigies - some huge, more than twice life size perhaps, reaching down from balconies; and some small, table-top size. Some were disturbingly real, most just surreal, but each represented toils, troubles and worries that would go up in smoke - literally - just before the stroke of midnight on December 31st.  And that would make way for a brand new, fresh and hope-filled new year.

Yep, this is a cop effegy - outside the cop shop!

What a great way to let go and look ahead with a bright heart.

We'd been told that this town of about 10,000 residents swells to a quarter of a million over the holidays, and that we would see at least 200,000 folks on the seafront Malecon that night. And so it began: the road was closed to traffic just in front of our condo at around 7 p.m. and families began to walk down the mile long beachfront. Fireworks - really good fireworks! - began all along the front at around 9 p.m. and we headed out with our own bottle of champagne in hand,  to be uncorked on the midnight stroke.

It was jam-packed on the street, even as early at 10 p.m.  And here is the truly remarkable thing: in this crowd, we did not espy a single police officer! And why not..?  We speculate because this celebration is a family event, at least up until the wee hours before dawn. Although there were a few beer-stands along the road, we saw little drinking and the only encounter we had as we squeezed our way down to the end of the Malecon was with a very 'happy' young man drinking Budweiser, who wanted to know how to pronounce the name in English - and couldn't stop welcoming us to his beloved country.  Mostly, just large families - all ages - from the cities and the towns and the hills, gathered together to see the end of 2013 and welcome in a new start.  Don't get me wrong - I'm sure there was a police presence of some kind, somewhere....but in a country where security of one type of another is high priority, and a big employer, and usually very visible, they were markedly unobtrusive.  And we felt no risk - which is even better.  We'd been told to leave any valuables home because of pick-pockets.  Maybe I'm naive, but no one we saw seemed interested in anything other than the event of the night.

Around 11 p.m. folks carried their manigotes to the beach, ready for the bonfires.  A couple of firetrucks were positioned along the road - the only cautionary measure we saw.  And the fireworks and firecrackers were unending...for miles.  The atmosphere was just electric - we walked amongst the families and listened to the laughter, the cheering, the excited voices and found ourselves at the same pitch.

Somehow we found a break in the crowd lining the beach, and stumbled down onto the sand, just in time for one of the manigote bonfires to be lit.  We hadn't expected these figures to be filled with firecrackers!  And another was ignited just behind us, and a 'donkey' filled with pyro alongside us. Can you imagine seeing the sky filled with fireworks, huge exploding bonfires end to end along the beach and folks cheering and pressing in so tightly our only escape was into the ocean? If that didn't scare the bejeebers out of the old year woes, nothing would!

And in came 2014, almost as an anti-climax as folks quietly reflected on their troubles going up in smoke.

We uncorked our bubbly and passed the bottle back and forth as we squeezed our way back towards our condo-end of the Malecon.

Fireworks were unending until just before dawn - looks to me like 2014 has come in strong and full of courage and energy. People of this country have a deep, inherent pride in their history, and work tirelessly to move their country forever forward. May this new year reflect their efforts even more brightly.

The Economic Spectrum

Sailing Awards - very exclusive private Salinas Yacht Club

Relatively speaking, our 'life' in this beautiful country will be a short one.  Six months is barely enough to savor the exotic flavours deeply, or to ponder and reflect upon how such economic diversity exists in a country so small.  I suppose we are limited by own inhibitions, reluctant to do anything other than observe without judging, partake without indulging.

Sailing teams competing from across South America. A sport for the privileged, but wonderful to watch.

Guayaquil and Salinas showed us evident wealth,  not just amongst the ex-pats who have chosen to come here to live.  In fact, we've met several of that ilk who are existing on very little - all that is left to them after losing everything in the crash of the US dream.  Salinas has been primarily the playground of the Guayaquil well-to-do, until it was revealed (for the most part by the International Living viral publications) as a likely investment destination for retirees, enterprising entrepreneurs and just plain speculators.  Now it appears that Playas, another coastal town about mid-way between Salinas and Guayaquil is destined to be the next target for development.  Right now, it's where city folks go when they just want a day out at the beach - sun, surf, and go home at night.  But we hear that the capital has plans to pump big money into cleaning up, beefing up the infrastructure, and developing the sea-front.  Certainly if one has enough years left to sit it out, it would be a good place for investment dinero from abroad, because the potential is great. 

Just about the only highrise in Playas so far

A day trip with friends to Playas was an eye-opener for us.  It was, I suppose, a view to what Salinas must have been like ten or fifteen years ago, before the Malecon, before the white condo towers, before the back streets were tarmac.  Before Guayaquil wealth moved in. When the 'gringo' hadn't yet made a mark and redefined standards acceptable to western sensibilities.  In other words, a bit rough..

Our day plan was to take the main Guayaquil highway and branch off to Playas, have some lunch, walk around and explore, and then search out the thin thread of a coastal road that we could see on Google maps that should, by all rights, take us back, along the ocean to Anconcita, very close to Salinas. 

Part one and two went off flawlessly.  Drove around the town a bit, parked (for free...a marvelous thing in this country..no paid street parking.  As yet.  Although one does sometimes pay a guy a quarter when he motions you to a parking spot, and then another when he watches you back out, or pull out safely into traffic), and then wandered around the central square, looking for somewhere to eat lunch.  Glaringly obvious was the lack of tourist or ex-pat presence.

Observed: plywood Christmas tree, decorated for the season; the biggest iguana I've ever seen; a bar with a sign indicating 'senorita es necessito', meaning no single guys (!); tuktuks, like I haven't seen since Cambodia; gorgeous beach..always the gorgeous beaches. 

And the brilliant thing is, President Correa says all beaches in Ecuador must belong to the population of the country.  No one can buy property and make the beach private, no matter how big the hotel might be, or how much money is on offer.  The beaches are free for everyone.  It's a blessing, because it's simply endless beauty, stretching from one end of the country to the other.

Cute little bar - 'Es necessito senorita' sign - only guys with ladies!

I will say the food was disappointing that day.  We did not make the best choice of venue (tough choices), opting for a beach hut, where we were ushered to a table with commendable enthusiasm that failed to carry through to good service.  Three of the four of us did not enjoy our choices, but one of us thought his was delicious.  Then when the bill came - after our waiter spent about five minutes trying to add up the four entrees and four drinks - we had to do our own calculations, when his sum was at least $10+ too much.  Calculator? Not too common in these small places, it seems.  Wished I had one to leave with him...  Although he was wearing an awesome watch!

Then off we head for the part of the day I'd most looked forward to - finding the back road to Anconcita. I do love exploring those roads less traveled, and not doing enough of it these days!

The first five miles or so were uneventful - empty single track road, low mountains in the distance, desert on the right that could have been Nevada, and on the left, the Pacific.  Nice.  A few mules standing at the side of the road watch us pass.  We argue...are they burros, or mules?  Never mind that, they are mules - bigger, with handsome horse faces and very long ears.

Always - futball! National sport of Ecuador

Then we see some low buildings ahead - we are coming to a small town.  And the first things we see are pigs.  Everywhere.  Big black pigs - rooting around in the garbage around the houses; sows with litters of eight or so piglets trotting behind (no pun intended); like dogs, they run loose wherever they wish to go.  I bet there are more pigs than people in that little village of Engabao.

Once we get over the pig proliferation, we notice how poor the village really is.  I've been somewhat comfortable telling myself that in this country no one lives poorly.  Why should they, I think?  Oil is abundant here, as well as natural gas. The ocean is rich with marine life.  Fruit and vegetables of one kind or another grow abundantly. (And clearly pork is readily available...ha!)   But that just makes me naive, and poorly read.

Almost 5% of Ecuadorians live on $1.25 or less per day and most of that number is in the rural areas. Although statistics show a decline in the number of people living in poverty (2004 World Bank report shows 1 in 2 Ecuadorians couldn't meet their basic needs, with no social systems to support), that number has declined by 20% today - so there is some recovery following a collapse of their economy in 1999. But you don't see it in much of the rural areas, and some of the urban barrios, where squalor is still everyday life.

Close shave for tonight's dinner. Mmm. Can taste that cracking!

Hog tied - truly

Nevertheless, we felt a sense of industriousness in this little village. We stopped to take pictures of a freshly slaughtered porker being very closely shaven, and and noted Swine #2 hog tied (literally) in a narrow space.  I guessed these were destined for spit barbeque, skin on, which just made my mouth water.. 

Rolling the boats into the surf

Over a rise we came to an outlook over the beach, where a hundred or so beautifully painted fishing boats were readying to head out to sea.  These local fleets are all over the coast here, dashing out over the surf with 90 HP outboards, using rod, lines and nets to haul whatever they can and bring back to shore, before heading out again.  Back and forth all day...every day.  Fish are plentiful here, a blessing.

And that, sadly, is where we ran out of road.  A couple of Policia on motorbikes, relaxing by the lighthouse, told us with great amusement 'you can't get there from here'.  So, back to Playas the same way we came - back through Engabao where we see Swine #2 has been slaughtered and is getting his close shave, whilst Swine #1 is about to be readied for the spit.  Just so you know....did not put me off pork in any way!!  No fine sensibilities here!

We took the highway back from Playas, but did cut into Anconcito closer to Salinas, and ran the last few miles down the coast, along playa Enojado which means 'angry' because the surf here is roaring, with a wicked rip tide, and swimming is highly risky at the best of times. 

Another good day.  I'm starting to really get a sense of the discoveries lying ahead, and looking forward with excitement to getting up into the 'highlands' in a couple of weeks- on a bus, climbing up into the Andes, and exploring the wider spectrum of what this country is about.

Now, where are my hiking boots?!?

End of November - Monteñita and Guayquil

It's been a week of cool happenings, starting with a run out to Montañita, a village about an hour up the coast, to check out the surfing vibe and have a yummy lunch.  And ending with a surprise visitor in our bay late yesterday...

In the 5 weeks we've been in Salinas, we have not once wakened up to sunshine.  Every day has dawned with heavy grey overcast skies, even though the temperatures are relatively warm.  But...on Wednesday last week (Miércoles - Wednesday), lovely morning sunshine to waken us up!

And..it lasted all day!  We even had a sunset!  Just a tease, a taste of things to come...but delightful. We savoured it on our way up la Ruta del Sol (highway E15, good road!) running alongside miles and miles of beautiful empty beaches. This highway runs about 750 kilometers from Salinas north to the Esmeraldas and the coast of Colombia, and crosses the Cordillera Chongon-Colonche - one of the two major mountain ranges west of the Andes - covered in indigenous wet rainforest.  We'll get up there in the next few months, so more on that another time.

But today, our trip goes as far as the charming surfer village of Montañita, which was relatively undiscovered until it finally made it onto the map as surfers from all the world were drawn there. And they are followed by every nationality of tourists to experience the beauty and the unique vibe of the place.  We were there on an off-season Wednesday, just for the day - but even so we had a sense of what the weekends must be like, especially in high-season, and February's Carnivale - streets packed with fun.

The beach village is all about winding narrow streets with unpretentious colourful shops and restaurants, music everywhere (often reggae), hostels and small bright hotels.

 The beach itself is spectacular - I'm almost getting tired of over-using that word...can we invent a new one?









 

Tiki Limbo for lunch

Leisurely lunch at Tiki Limbo (link), where one can choose a table-topped mattress, which looked so comfortable.  Ideal for spending a few hours with a laptop..or a hookah perhaps (yes, I do mean a pipe). Meals are between $8-15, portions huge, and selections an eclectic mix.  Beers the usual $1.50 - $3.  We sat in comfy, cushioned booths and had burgers with tasty variations.  Recommend it, and feel pretty sure there are no bad choices on this menu.

THAT'S what I'm talking about! Oceanside ceviche and cervesa!

Delicious corn/chicken fritters for sale on bus

Travellers from many countries can enter Ecuador without a visa for up to 90 days.  To stay longer, one has to arrange for a non-Immigrant visa which can extend the stay up to 180 days.  Although we could have acquired the document by taking 3 trips to the Ecuadorian Embassy in Toronto before we left Canada,  we had decided to apply once we arrived in-country. This must be done at the Ministry of External Relations in Guayaquil, the country's largest city - the one we flew into on our arrival - and about 2.5 hours away by bus.  So, now we know we do want to extend our stay, off we go to undertake the venture.

Coming into Guayaquil - sprawling city

Business centers in Guayaquil

Ministry of External Affairs, Guayaquil

The little Salinas bus station that was a 20 minute walk from us has now closed, so we have to take a longer local bus or cab to Ballenita, to the brand new Terminal Terrestre de Santa Elena - the central terminal for the Santa Elena region. A $5, 20 minute cab ride.  Really nice bus station!  $3.30 each for an air-conditioned coach ride into the city.  The Terminal Terrestre in Guayaquil is very close to the José Joaquín de Olmedo International Aiport - easy-peasy for our travel home in (we hope!) April. And from the bus station, a quick ride by cab to the very impressive glass government building, where we took a ticket, waited for 10 minutes only in the large, cool hall, and obtained the 'real deal' on what is required to apply for the visa.  We've google'd this to death. We've talked to umpteen people here, and really didn't know what to expect.  'It changes frequently',  'Very complicated' to 'simple', and 'you will need a criminal record check from your country', and a 'health certificate from a local doctor' - that we would 'probably be best to hire a lawyer'. 'Get there early in the morning, because the lineup starts at break of day'.  So we booked into a hostal for two nights, to cover all eventualities.

Here is the scoop to apply, straight up: Write a letter to the Subsecretary of Ministry of External Affairs (presently Eliana Larrea Marriott), asking for approval to extend the stay, with your reasons - tourist travel, language study, etc. Print it, sign it.  Complete the simple one-page application on line (link), print it out, sign and date it. One passport-size colour photo is required (Foto shop just around the corner)..about $3 for 6!  Take a photocopy of your passport, face page and page with the entry stamp coming into the country. Copy of exit transportation (plane ticket, etc). Proof of bank account with a balance of US$2,000 (to show you have funds to support yourself here). That's it.  Oh, and - ¡importante! - put it all in a manila folder. It seems that there is not enough funds available in the $234 that this visa will cost you to cover the price of such a sophisticated office item. I kid you not on that part...manila folder, very important.


Our story to get all that done does seem to be a litany of running around, about $20 in cab fares here and there, and a lot of frustration with bank machines, but I won't bore you with that.  We got it done the following morning, and walked back into the hall about 2 pm, waited about 5 minutes for our number to come up, presented our docs, paid the $30 each required to process the apps, and were told to come back in a week for our answer.   Had we been clear on requirements ahead of time, we could have done this all in one day, no overnight required.

Stores in this mall rival anything I've seen in Canada/USA

A look inside Mall del Sol. One of largest in S.A.

We cancelled our second night, but still had a bit of time to look around. The upside of extra time in that city of 2.5 million souls, is that we had a taste of it's energy for a while. Could have been any North American city at times - rush hour traffic, gridlock, crowded malls.







 But - the differences were energizing - Latin music everywhere - streets, shops, cabs..delicious smells wafting out of holes-in-wall almuerzo stops...and happy faces, lots of smiles.  Traffic is brutal for pedestrians, who have no acknowledged right-of-way, so be aware of that.

Mall del Sol. Largest food court I've ever seen!

Patio at Hostal Macaw

And our hostel was a real 'find'.  Hostal Macaw (link) was set in a narrow side street, behind steel gates. One buzzes to be admitted into this little haven, and the welcome is immediate. As we were checking in with Fanny - co-owner - we were politely presented with glasses of juice (guayaba, I think) and pleasant conversation in good English (appreciated because our Spanish is still so awkward, but we try hard!). We admired the charm of the place, the gorgeous wood and tile work, and Fanny was humbly proud (oxymoron? I know, but it works) to tell us that she and her husband built the place themselves, 'every piece of it'.  And it shows - the cleanliness, the attention to detail, the thoughtfulness for guests' comforts.  The $75 for our double room with private ensuite and cable TV included the 12% taxes and breakfast the next morning seemed a bit high for a hostel, compared to others I've stayed in around the world.  But it's great value for this city, where even a dorm bed in a backpacker hostel will run about $20 per person. The night was comfortable, quiet (what no barking dogs or breaking surf??) and cool.

Our breakfast table, Hostal Macaw

Our morning meal was at a table under a courtyard window, served ever-so graciously by Wilson, who obviously enjoyed working at this charming place.  Home-made yogurt, with cane syrup and granola to add, fresh-baked fruit bread, mango and pitahaya (dragon fruit), and our choice of eggs (we chose omelets with ham and a local cheese). Coffee...ah, yes..excellent coffee. This will be our 'home' whenever we have occasion to stay in Guayaquil...that's how we feel about it after one night!






 

BAE Guayas

Oh, and the surprise visitor in our bay?  The three-masted barque BAE Guayas (link) anchored off-shore - only for the one night, as it turned out.  This Tall Ship is owned by the Ecuadorian Navy, and runs the shores of the country teaching seamanship, and recruiting. She's steel-hulled, 257 feet in length including impressive bowsprit, and carries over 15,000 square feet of sail! The Guayas has sailed all over the world, participating in Tall Ship and races globally. What an experience for the 235 sailors on board...about 120 crew, 80 trainees, and 35 officers!

I'd have given up a lot to see her under full sail, but she came in under power (700 hp GM diesel) and was gone before dawn the next morning.  I'll watch the horizon for those masts till the day we leave - she'll come back again, right?

Settling In

El Malecon

Note the low hanging cables. Typical here.

Pleasant routines seem to be developing of their own accord - a local gym 3 days a week ($1.50 each per day we go), Spanish lessons 2 days a week (an American ex-pat with Spanish teaching degree, who seems to have a technique that works well for us so far). In between all that, walks on the beach, or around the neighborhoods, bus rides to the supermarkets that take us through the barrios, away from the gringo waterfront towers. Maybe late afternoon a stroll along the beachfront to pick up our laundry (folded, clean and fresh-smelling for about $.40 a pound), and a stop off for tasty cerviche and a cerveza or two.

Small supermarket we use frequently

Alumuerzo spot. Full of diners, lots of music and good food

Our laundry. Excellent 6 hr service

So close to the equator, there are no long evenings.  Sun is up around 6 am every day, and goes down almost 12 hours later year round, with a variation of only 10 or 15 minutes.  I thought I would miss the longer days, but somehow I don't.  Maybe because the air is just a perfect temperature, soft and gentle when the sun goes down.  Although we're told it's relatively safe to walk outside after dark, we tend to stay on the malecon (waterfront) and busy streets in that area.  And even then, one is wise to use good sense and not carelessly display expensive devices, jewellery or wallets -  an i-pad would feed a family for a month down here.

Will's Place

We've found our local 'watering hole' (Will's Place aka Hostel Aqui aka Score Bar) and a couple of spares very close by.  'Sin' (link) is a disco/bar about a block behind us, owned by an American couple, and frequented by ex-pats and Ecuadorians.  Great place to listen to all kinds of rhythms, but primarily Latin and lots of salsa dance!  Trying to get some lessons set up for all the gringo's that stand at the bar and watch the locals show how it's done...man, they are GOOD!

It is said - and we would concur - food is very good in the coastal regions of Ecuador.  Can't speak to the mountain and interior regions yet, where I believe there are many distinct regional dishes to be tried - we'll get there in the next couple of months.  But here by the ocean, there aren't enough words in my vocabulary to adequately describe the richness of food to be had.  And I don't necessarily mean prepared food, although that is excellent too, and comes in almost any variety you could wish for.  But the availability of good fresh meat, incredible fish and shellfish, top grade produce and rich dairy leaves nothing to be desired that we have found.

On Friday, we took our friend Carlota for lunch at a local area down by the beach, specializing in ceviche and everything mariscos.  It's a chance for us to practice our Spanish. A whole lobster was $12, or a 'seafood fiesta' that would feed at least 3, was also $12, and was a mountain of seasoned rice rich with oysters, squid and shrimp,  surrounded by mussels, fish, more shrimp, several other varieties of shellfish, topped with crab legs...oh, and a dish of mixed ceviche on the side.  Honestly...for $12.

At the fishmarkets, we have found shrimp of every size ('camaron' are the smaller count, 'gamba' the large prawns), sea bass, red snapper, dorado, mahi mahi, corvina and tuna.  And many more varieties we aren't familiar with...yet.  In fact, local fishermen go by our door all day, selling fresh dorado, lobster and crab off their carts.. 

One of our best adventures to date was a morning at the Anconcito fishing village, about 20 minutes down the coast by cab ($8 ride..very expensive!).  It's an old village not yet moved-in-on by gringo influence, and the stretch of beach between there and Salinas is stunning, stretching for a couple of miles or more - and only an odd pelican or two to be seen.  We marked that playa for a day of walking..more on that another time.

As always, not having good language or negotiating skills, we were at a bit of a disadvantage in our purchasing,  but we came away with two fileted corvina (enough for 3-4 meals each) and 3 pounds of gamba (prawn), enough for 3-4 meals each , 3 mango, 2 lbs of strawberries (tasting like Nature intends, sweet, firm, juicy), 3 pounds of mandarins...6-8 meals for about $23.  So we think we did not too badly.  Given that we paid asking price....those skills have to improve!  But it was fun - we were the only two gringos to be seen, and for some reason drew a crowd as we bought the corvinas and we all watched the guy skillfully filet and skin them for us.

 All the fishing boats are in, bringing their catches up to sell.  Most of it goes to small trucks waiting to take it to the local markets.

 We think this is red snapper, or pargo rojo as it's called here.  We couldn't buy this here, unless we wanted a whole crate.  So we'll have to find the markets they are going to.  You would think the supermarkets would have good fish counters, but not so much, we've found.  And so far, we haven't found the little local markets places.  We've learned of two though, and will seek those out for sure.

 Skate?

Boat building. They take apart old ones, and remake into new vessels.  This will likely be a shrimper.

 Tuna perhaps.  I was too busy taking the picture to notice tail etc.  And the head was already removed.  Either way, big fish!
The world's largest marlin was caught off this coast, by the way.  1,000 lbs +  !!

 Friendly guys, watching us wander round.

 Long shot of the boats.

 Our purchase being fileted and skinned for us.  For some reason, we drew a crowd for this little transaction...

These are dorado at the top, and the corvina in the red bin.  We bought a couple of corvina.

This was what we came home with.

Next week we'll be taking the bus into Guayaquil for an overnight trip and a visit to the Ecuadorian Visa offices.  As Canadians, we can stay here for 90 days without a visa, but will require another 90 day extension to stay through till April as planned.  So we'll take a look at the country's largest city and see what experiences await us there.  In the meantime, tomorrow we are headed up the coast with some friends who moved here 15 months ago from Ohio (just met them last night!), for lunch in Mantanita, which we're told is a surfer town a couple of hours up the coast, with a cool vibe and lots of great food.

Our plan was to use the first month here to settle in, and get a sense of what we wanted to do whilst we're here.  So, now we're looking further afield for our adventures..volcanoes, mountain villages, rain forests, hopefully some good trekking, photo ops..and more good flavours!