Ecuador wrap up

Our bus trip from Manta to Guayaquil was very relaxed. Linda booked us on a different bus line. The seats were wide, plush, and had adjustable foot rests. No Kung fu movies, just quiet background music.

The Guayaquil bus station is simply huge. After a bit of wandering we found the taxi stand. It was bedlam. Far too many people trying for too few taxis. We watched for a couple minutes trying to discern the pattern for successfully getting a cab. After losing out on the first few cabs, and with De Anne growing frustrated, I got busy. Stepping into the street I elbowed a local away from a cab not yet fully stopped and yelled inside "areoporto". "Si" was the reply.

The bus station is next to the airport. A walkway of a few hundred feet could connect the two terminals. Instead, walls prevent walking. Even going to the street and taking sidewalks is about a mile trip. That is one walk that should not be attempted after dark in Guayaquil by locals - let alone gringos.

The streets are set up with medians and a jumble of one-ways so that the cab ride between terminals is 15 minutes and about 5 miles. It was an exciting ride. As in Manta, and indeed all Latin America, the main driving rule is " There are no rules". As Linda told us and we observed it is a game of chicken combined with bumper cars. Grateful for my life, I tipped the driver a dollar. De Anne chided me for ruining the market for future Americans, but I retorted that he is now more inclined to pick up Americans in the future and they won't have to fight so hard for a cab. That's my story and I am sticking to it.

We arrived in Miami at 5:30 am and spent over an hour standing in line at passport control. After checking into three 3rd world countries  in the past year and never spending more than 10 minutes for clearance it is embarassing to check back into the USA and be herded in long lines every time. We use the Citizens line. It is worse in the lines for foreign people.

Now, back in the land of high speed internet here are a few extra pictures:

Shy cat doesn't want it's face in pictures

 The Point - name self-evident.

Woman fishing at the point

Blue footed boobie at the point

 Tidal pools

 Frigate bird

 The birds show where the fish are

Linda's dogs join the beach walk

Goodbyes

The beach is all ours Monday through Friday, but on Saturday and Sunday the Ecuadorians flock to the beach. Parking attendants blow whistles and direct traffic for tips. Children in swimsuits, street clothes, or even pajamas play in the waves while adults lounge in beach chairs under rented awnings.
 We left the Santa Martenta beach scene for our usual Saturday lunch at the Manta beach. We exchanged goodbyes with our ex-pat friends and made promises to return soon.
 
We arrived back in time for the best whale show yet. Two humpbacks were competing to see which could jump the highest. That was followed by the tail slapping competition. They were also thoughtful enough to put on this display near shore. It was just an unbelievable 20 minute exhibition. We will go to high ground at the rocky point tomorrow morning and try to get some pictures.

 The month has gone by too quickly. Tomorrow we take a 4 hour bus ride to the big city. A 4 1/2 hour plane ride will put us back in the USA at 5:00 am Monday morning.

Ex-pats

The Manta ex-pat community is the largest one we have encountered yet. Most are Americans, with a few British and Europeans.

While it's never fair to generalize a group of people I will do so having given that cavet. Many of the ex-pats are here because of the climate, low cost-of-living, and have seen the bleak future of America and Europe.

It is also an informed group. At dinner one night early in our visit the topic turned to politics. I began to pontificate on the US Treasury auctions and the Federal Reserve QE (printing money) and the future effects of one hand selling the other IOU's from an expanding money base. I suddenly realized everyone at the table not only understood exactly what I was saying, but also agreed.

Our favorite ex-pat is Linda, who owns the huge beach house where we are staying.  She has two large studios on the first floor, her quarters and a dorm for kite surfers on the second floor, a budget room in back, plus 2 studios in a new attached wing of which we have the ground floor unit. Linda, acting as our unofficial tour guide, has driven us all over the area sightseeing and introduced us to dozens of ex-pats. She seems to have the role of Manta social director. When we mentioned we might like to come back for a three month stay next year she suggested we could work out a deal by De Anne and I running the place while she takes a vacation for 3 or 4 weeks. 


Linda on the right:

Montecristo

Linda decided to fill the car with folks and head inland to a little town called Montecristo. In fact, so many were going that we took two cars. De Anne and I rode with Bob and Patty, who hail from Hawaii and are planning to retire in Ecuador.

We did some light shopping. Bob and Patty were impressed with my bartering skills. I am now able to buy things at a 10% premium instead of 100%. It takes several rounds to get the price down, but the shop keepers are insulted if you pay the asking price.

 Valyrie, an ex-pat from England, picked up 3 young Australian girls on the street and we added them to the lunch group.
 Shopping:
 
 The 3 young ladies from down under:



 The view from our table:

 Another run-of-the-mill sunset:

Wildlife - vol.2

De Anne found a blue footed boobie sittting on the beach during one of her walks. It was still there when she returned so she and Linda decided on a "wildlife rescue". We named it Boobie (showing our ability to come up with appropriate names). Boobie was housed on our porch in a spare dog kennel.

The cats were not pleased with a large bird as a house guest.

After a good nights sleep Boobie seemed more alert. We supplied water and shrimp; however, Boobie showed  no interest. Xavier (Linda's manager) came by to check on Boobie. He grabbed the beak, stretched the neck and felt it. He said there was still food in the gullet, but checking the feet said there were signs of dehydration.

We took Boobie down the beach to a quiet area and released him.

During the past couple days we have been having internet problems. I will post more pictures when the problem is fixed.

Wildlife

Inland we see donkeys and goats either next to the roads or in the road. When walking iguanas constantly scurry away from the threat we present.

The beach is the main place to observe the wildlife. Crabs are side-stepping everywhere. Diving birds, including the large frigate birds feed on fish.

We have spotted humpback whales. In fact, De Anne just interrupted my writing this blog entry to see a pod of whales playing. they were breaching and tail slapping a lot. It's an awesome sight to see 80,000 pound animals leap out of the water.

On the more distasteful side the ocean washed up some of the dead. Puffer fish die inflated. We have seen a huge moray eel with an impressive set of teeeth, a 2 foot sea turtle, 6 inch diameter sand dollars, and a swordfish. I have even kicked back a couple live fish who ventured too far in and washed ashore. 

Costal tour

Today an expat - Justin gave us a tour of his favorite spots along the coast of Ecuador. His 4 wheel drive Trooper was the right vehicle for the job. I will let the pictures speak for themselves.

 New port just south of Manta:

 The fishing village of San Mateo:

 A slight hike and worth the view:

 A tall blonde always makes the scenery better:

 The road back to "our" beach:

Busy Weekend

We started out Saturday morning with an extended beach walk timing it to a low tide. Walking south we passed the fishing village and crossed from sand beach to rocky beach. Locals were hunting through the rocks, exposed by the low tide, for juvenile octopus. Xavier, the manager where we are staying, says it is his favorite food. The young octopus feed on the tiny shrimp giving them a flavor prized locally. I have seen it served a few times and can't get passed the appearance of a whole grilled octopus and so will rely solely on his word as to the flavor. There are a dozen hard to see people in this picture - click to enlarge:

 
 Saturday afternoon was the regular expat lunch in Manta at a beach-side cafe. As mentioned before lunch is a long social affair.

 On Sunday Linda invited us to join her in a trip north to the small town of San Clemente. We wound our way through Manta filling the car with various other folks before leaving town. The San Clemente beach was not as nice as our beach, but that is a relative term. We had lunch at an open air cafe run by a German expat and after lunch we were led by the owner through a locked door behind the cafe where various items were available for purchase. Being a man of simple tastes I left with a fine bottle of dark rum which cost me $3.50.
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 On the trip back loaded with people and purchases we encountered a police roadblock. De Anne's first comment upon seeing the checkpoint was an expletive deleted; however, Linda calmly waved and drove right on through. I admit to being a little tense, but when no warning shots were fired or chase started I calmed down quickly.

 We got home right at sunset as the last of the folks enjoying Sunday on the beach were leaving

Boat building

We visited the Manta ship building yards. A dozen large fishing boats, both new and refits were on the beach - under construction. All the boats were wooden construction. A single, massive hardwood timber about 12 inches by 18 inches wass set on blocks as the keel. Ribs were naturally curved timbers that looked to be roughly 6x6's. The first picture shows a man in an orange jumpsuit standing on the keel hand chiseling a mortise and tendon fitting for a prow. In the second picture the timber for the prow is being cut with a chain saw to fit in the chisled hole. The third picture shows another boat with the prow fitted in.

The most prevelant tool used in boat building is a three foot chain saw. Axes, hammers, and chisels rounded out the tool set needed. The 2x6 planking that was the outer shell of the boat was sealed using a plant fiber, spun on site, into a rope-like chinking that was pounded between the planks. When launched, a new boat leaks all over until the water swells the wood to seal the hull. Launching a new boat is done with a huge bulldozer that simply pushes the boat back into the water. I was constantly wincing while watching men use the chainsaws in ways, that in America, would drive a Federal OSHA inspector into a frenzy and cause spasms of delight in a liability attorney.

On the waterfront

Linda dropped us at the fish market yesterday morning. Hundreds of fishermen sell their catch every day on the beach. Boats loaded with fish were still pulling up when we arrived.

The big fish like tuna and swordfish were sold off wheelbarrows and trucks right on the sand. Smaller fish, shrimp, squid, and shellfish were sold in a shelter. There was not an ice cube in sight and the equatorial sun was rising so everyone was moving quickly to sell their catch.