Category: Blog

Finally got to witness a full sunset. Up until this night there had been clouds on the horizon and the sun would disappear behind them. The color of the clouds would be nice at sunset but we were waiting for the time when the sunset would sink into the ocean. What surprised us though was how few people religiously view the spectacle. On the beach there were only 3 other people and we saw only one or two on rooftops. Other places we have been that were on the ocean front the people all seemed to center their day around the sunset.

I have found that I actually can stop moving for a while and relax. A new experience for me.

Anyone who complains about public transportation in Ottawa or Toronto needs a reality check. We took the Manglaralto bus to Manta and back yesterday,really cheap $1.75 each for an hour trip. The bus had 3 levels of noisy, loud, even louder and very loud. Latin music played constantly and as fate would have it through a speaker directly overhead. I am sure the driver totally ignored the sign over his head saying the bus never exceeded 90 km/hr. The roads were windy and he wanted to pass every other car he came across. The trip is an hour either way and regardless of all of the above worth the experience. The unfortunate thing is we will have to do it again.

Arrived at the terminal in Manta and were instantly greeted by hawkers selling everything from computer cables to water in plastic bags with a chunk of mango in it. Don’t forget this is our first time in Manta and our mission was to get to the Supermaxi, get our groceries and get back home. We decided that first trip would not be too complicated and that we would venture further next time.
Speaking almost zero Spanish and understanding even less the next task was to convince a taxi as to where we were going. With some it didn’t seem to matter what you said the answer would be si. I spotted a younger taxi driver and with the help of my cue card he assured me he knew where to take us. So off we go. He took us directly to the grocery store, wished us well and the total was $1.50. Mission accomplished.
Had lunch at a place called the Green Room. Cappuccino and a sandwich. Simple but delicious. Walked about and dropped into a few stores and then got our shopping done. Interesting thing is that I was wearing a backpack and didn’t know that you are required to put it in a locker before going into the store. A guard reminded me very quickly. I guess there is a lot of shoplifting.

The taxi ride back to the terminal was a little worse because Marianne didn’t recognize the surroundings when we exited the taxi. With her doubt I started to second guess as well. The buses that were parked looked more like tour busses than commuter buses and I didn’t see the one I was looking for.
As soon as we starting asking people questions about the “other” terminal of Manglaralto it sparked a flurry of men surrounding us, all speaking very quickly in Spanish and calling over others to help. After what seemed like an eternity of trying to escape the help and of course the guy that thought ipad cables would solve everything a guy in a huge hat pointed to an empty bus slot and then to a ticket counter. Problem solved, our bus hadn’t arrived yet.
Home safe and sound. A long shower and a beer on the rooftop made the day a comical memory. Next stop Pacoche Jungle.

I find human consistency amazing. There is not too much that is not predictable.
I have been involved in or observed a number of associations and with each one there has been an evolution that will inevitably change it to a power struggle. It seems there is no difference here. The project has a community association and (depending on who you talk to) it has grown a number if dissidents’. I can never understand why there are those who insist that their way is better but never want to step up and put in the work themselves.
I am not saying it is falling apart or anything but it is still entertaining to know there are clichés and differences of opinion.
We will be attending ( observing ) a community meeting on Thursday at the pool area. I will be anxious to see how it unfolds. The head of the organization won’t be there but the ‘second in command will be fielding questions and reporting them to the boss.
Should be fun 

I sometimes have the attention span of a dog ……”Oh look a squirrel” .
I become fascinated with something and then suddenly something else steals my attention. Our first walk on the beach found me fascinated with the rolling surf and how it never seemed to be consistent. I always thought that surf broke because of underlying structure but as I watched it seemed that it was totally random.

Then the pelicans put on a show skimming along the top of the curls and then they would fly incredibly slowly the length of the beach. Marianne joked that either there were hundreds of them and that they just kept coming in groups. My response that there are only 12 of them and they did circuits.

Then we walked considerably further down the beach (watching the pelicans overhead) we came to a rock outcrop that was layered and slanted towards the west. Dozens of tiny crabs scurried across the rocks and in and out of the little tide pools. We were used to the crabs at this point because along the beach they were all along the higher edge. They are shy creatures it seems, if you look their way the run like heck to slide down a little hole in the sand. The ones on the rocks were much braver although some tried to hide while just peeking their eyes over a bump in the rock.

A highlite of the rock formation were the little star fish (I think). They clung to the sides of the rocks. One tried to maneuver the trek from rock to rock across the sand. My attention span wasn’t long enough to see if he got to the other side.

Well, after a year of talking about it and months of prep (trying to make sense of air travel to this part of the world) and 30 hours of airports, flights and layovers we have arrived at Casa Isabella. We landed last night in Manta at 7:30 and were met at the airport by Jo-Lynne. A bubbly, beautiful woman who has been living in Mirador for 3 years. She de-stressed the moment from the minute we greeted.

Our very first experience in Ecuador was arriving at the grocery store half an hour before it was closing and let loose with a cart to get our startup supplies. We will be keeping a list of items and prices as we go and learn more about how to get the bargains. Our initial shopping excursion cost more than usual I guess because we were buying paper products, detergents, food, to beer and wine etc. First bill at SuperMaxi was $165.
Any time I mention a price I will simply use US dollars. It would not be fair to convert to Canadian because what cost $1.30 today could cost $1 next month.
There is a corner store here on the project. Did a price comparison to what was in the grocery store and markup isn’t terrible. Will do for the things that you don’t want to carry on the bus.
Met our hosts this morning, did a walkthrough of the house and asked a lot of questions. Pretty much set up except for the wifi in the house. Need the IT dude to show up and troubleshoot but until that happens I am happy I packed a LAN cable in my tech stash. Works well but I have to go to the laundry room to connect. Oh well, pretty unimportant in the global sense of things.

Took our first walk along the beach this afternoon. If I were younger I would shout “surfs up dude” but we were more than happy to listen to the crashing of the waves and watch the various sand crabs scurrying as you approached them. Pellicans flew in formation overhead.

If there is one thing for certain, we are not seasoned travelers. Every excursion we do manage to go on involves a great deal of trial and error.

Casa Isabella will be our home away from home. Until we get there we depend on the description on the website:

Casa Isabella is a beautiful, functional three bedroom home located approximately 450 M from the beach, 2 minute walk to the pool and recreational area.  The second floor features a covered terrrace as well as an open space to dine, BBQ or simply relax.  Outdoor access to the second floor washroom is a great asset.  Nice spacious bedrooms, well-equipped kitchen and comfortable living room.  Features include AC on both levels, ceiling fans throughout, shelving, open concept with large windows.  Very bright!   Casa Isabella has a seperate outdoor staircase to the second level.   Nicely landscaped with indigenous plants and palm trees.  An excellent choice for a long term rental.

Features:

 Accomodates up to 6 people

• AC units on both levels

• Ceiling fans

• 2 bedrooms with queen sized beds

• 3rd bedroom/sitting room equipped with sofa bed

• 2 full bathrooms

• Eat-in kitchen

• Bright

• French doors off of the back bedroom

• Large second floor terrace

• Washing machine and dryer

• Landscaped

• BBQ

• Electric hot water tank

The home is located at the Mirador San José, an hour south of Manta. 

The Mirador San Jose is a new Canadian oceanfront residential development with 24/7 security. For more information on the development and present stage of completion, please consult the following websites: www.holaecuador.ca or www.miradorsanjose.com

 For pricing, availability and reservations please click here or send us an email at info@sarocoenterprises.com