Arriving in the Country

Our first view of Ecuador, from hotel window in Guayaquil

Three weeks behind us now, and we're starting to get a sense of how it feels to be 'local' - but only from the perspective of a Gringo (who is anyone from outside Latin America it seems).  I suppose you could say our first exposure to this family-centric culture was on board the American Airlines jumbo jet that was jam-packed with Ecuadorian families heading home from Miami, or points beyond.  Never have I been on a flight with so many children before, and confess to being glad it was an evening arrival in Guayaquil, and not an overnight flight.

Gord's suitcase failed to make the connecting flight from Miami with us, and we thought we had done a good job of arranging with the American Airlines Lost Baggage desk at the airport to get it to us, either at the Airport Holiday Inn before noon the next day, or in Salinas after that if necessary.  Long story short - it turned into a bit of a mess. We were told by AA agent (and her manager) in the USA the next day 'No Local Delivery in Ecuador'!  Which resulted in us making a 5 hour round trip, paying $100 for a fast direct ride, when the bag actually WAS being delivered whilst we were on route! Needless to say, letter of complaint went out to AA, who have responded very courteously, and sent out a $100 travel voucher to aid in smoothing our ruffled feathers.  And Gord has his luggage.

Other aspects of our arrival went much more smoothly.  The Holiday Inn at the airport is great. The rooms are clean and modern, service is excellent, and the food was pretty good at breakfast the next morning.  The pickup from the airport the next day at 1 pm was not exactly prompt, but our very nice driver Carlota was helpful and friendly, stopping off for us at a local supermarket before dropping us off, so we could pick up some essentials items..like coffee.  (Which is really, really...really good here, by the way..)  $50 for the private car and driver.  With our luggage, a bus would not have been our best option, especially without fluency in the language and local knowledge.

Rooftop view from Salinas condo 

First impressions from the drive in: Guayaquil (pronounced 'Y a keel' by locals) is the largest city in Ecuador, with a population of 3.75 million.  It's also their main port, and like many port cities, has it's rough side, or so we are told.  There is a movement to turn the city into a major tourist destination, and for sure as we made our way out of town we could see much in the way of shopping centers and intriguing restaurants and apparently much is being done to improve the safety of travelers. We'll be back to explore - interesting history here.

The countryside between Guayaquil and Salinas would not compare to the ever present beauty we experienced in Costa Rica. I gather this area is in fact 'tropical savannah climate', which means it has pronounced wet and dry seasons, and clearly we were arriving at the end of their dry period, because there was very little green to be seen.  By December, we're told, everything greens back up.  I'll look forward to that. 

Looking N from roof. Lots of new building going on

In the meantime, we're in a period influenced by the Humboldt Current (link), meaning there is little precipitation, cloudy mornings, and pleasant afternoons with cool breezes.  Seems odd to us that we are pretty much dead on the equator, and yet have such temperate conditions. But after 3 weeks of mostly cloud, we can vouch for this being fact....and when we do see the sunshine, we appreciate every beautiful moment!  Because..when the sun comes out, there is beauty for sure on this coast.

Looking at the costs to live here will be an ongoing study, but our immediate impression is that prices are substantially less than in Costa Rica.  And there is very little that we are 'used to' that is not available here. Some brands we know are often much higher, or the same as at home. But so far we have found nothing that is not at least well acceptable - and sometimes better.  More detail at time goes on.

Getting around the immediate area is easy - authorized taxis are ubiquitous, and cost between $1-3 per ride. No tipping.  Local buses are clean and plentiful and cost $.25 per ride..regardless how far you are going in the area.  Longer rides, for example to Guayaquil, run every 6 minutes (!) from the bus station, and cost $3.50 for a one-way ride. Generally speaking, it's about $1 per hour of travel here.  We haven't yet been on these coaches, but they look much like we would find at home. 

Every day starts and ends with Pacific waves booming and crashing on the shore in front of our condo, and the night is littered with the lights of ships waiting to get into port. So far, feeling pretty darn nice...