Gene White

We are on Whidbey Island visiting my aunt Gene. A remarkable woman who, although pushing 90 years old is still working full time as president of the Global Child Nutrition Foundation. http://www.gcnf.org/about/leadership/

She testifies before committees of Congress, has traveled, just this year, to Africa twice and China 3 times setting up school nutrition programs, and advises the UN on child nutrition matters.

It is humbling to have an internationally recognized nutrition expert bake me a cherry pie.

De Anne and I are providing a little help in organizing and streamlining the house before we all head off into the Cascade mountains for a week at her condo on the shores of lake Chelan.

A rare moment of rest - for her - not me.

The way on and off the island.

Whidbey Island

Between breakfast and lunch we saw the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans. Our flight left Fort Lauderdale at dawn and by chasing the sunrise and the clock we arrived in Seattle at 11:00 am.

After a train ride and two buses we watched the North American land mass fade.

Ok.... It did not totally fade away since we are on an island just across the Sound, but we are between North America and Asia with a breathtaking view from the porch.

Breaking the Silence

It's been over two months since we returned from Ecuador and the travel bug has bitten again. The next trip starts a week from today and will be our longest yet. I am not looking forward to a six and a half hour plane flight; however, when you see the pictures from the 2 places we will be visiting I don't expect I'll get much sympathy.

De Anne and I agreed that a return to Ecuador was a must, so we will go back to Manta for two months starting in mid-October. Being ever so frugal we realized the per day cost of the flight would be half as much by staying twice as long.

Tune in again next week......

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: