Wine tasting Canoa style: $8 per litre. If you're not sure about which wine to buy, the old tetra pack never disappoints.
Our favourite table at the Charly Bar on the beach - not classy but great ambiance.
Saturday, March 26, 2016
Eating in Canoa
March 26th, 2016 Canoa
Every morning after coffee and Pilates, Anita makes us breakfast. We have either oatmeal, bananas and yogurt, perhaps with a side dish of ripe papaya, or eggs, toast, tomatoes and bananas. It's a great way to start the day before we go out for our 1 3/4 to 2 hour walk down the empty beach.
For lunch, we have a fresh vegetable salad plate along with local cheese or hard boiled eggs, often accompanied by leftover patacones (fried plantain) or any other leftovers we might have. Anita makes a salad dressing from freshly squeezed lime juice and oil, perhaps with a touch of hot sauce. The plums are for dessert.
This is one of our favourite dinners at Cevicheria Saboreame #2: Encocado de pescado (fish in coconut sauce with rice and patacones) and ceviche de cameron (shrimp ceviche with plantain chips)
We buy local cheese from a little shop on the Main Street. It costs about $2 per pound or less and tastes great. For under $20 per week for cheese, fruits, vegetables and eggs, we eat all our breakfasts and lunches made with delicious fresh food.
We've also started eating at another beach shack called the Charly Bar. They have great fish in tequila sauce (whatever that is) and lightly breaded shrimp with rice, salad, patacones and beans. Any of the above entrees are $5.50 to $6.
Anita is enjoying a double banana colada for $4 during happy hour at the Surf Shak. We go there on Tuesday evenings. We split a hamburger combo (big burger, fries and a large beer), then have a double banana colada for dessert before the trivia contest. Unfortunately, this week we were in a 3 way tie for first place but lost in the playoff round. Still fun.
The aforementioned fish in tequila sauce at the Charly Bar.
Finally, the charcoal fired chicken roaster at the restaurant where we buy a "pollo medio con arroz sin ensalada" (half a chicken with rice but without salad) for $7 to take out for our Sunday dinner. Anita cooks extra vegetables so we have a great dinner in our apartment and enough leftovers for a stir fry the next day. Fantastic!
Friday, March 18, 2016
St Patrick's Day Pub Crawl in Canoa
March 18th, 2016 Canoa Ecuador
For the 2nd year in a row, we celebrated my newfound Irish heritage (on my mother's side) with a happy hour pub crawl and dinner on the beach in Canoa.
First we met our trivia team member Nathan at the Bambu at the north end of the Malecon, where happy hour starts at 5 pm. He invited us to join him and about a dozen expats for a drink. Most were Americans but there were also a couple of Canadians and Aussies. We spent an hour or so there watching the sun set, enjoying plantain chips and guacamole dip, and drinking banana coladas (2 for $4). We'd already seen a lot of the people we met around town or on the beach. Many of them have retired here to their own homes or condos. Although they're cautious when they're out at night and about guarding their homes against petty theft, they laugh at their friends back home who are afraid to leave their gated communities. It seems that the biggest threat around here, as it is in most places, is being in the wrong place at the wrong time where getting mugged by young guys with drug problems can happen. Apparently the worst drug problem here is addiction to some kind of residue that's left over from cocaine manufacturing and is available fairly cheaply. However, during the day and evening, you'd never know that there's any such problems at all. There are children playing all over and people sitting out enjoying the warm evening air and greeting us as we walk by. Not threatening at all. However, we don't wander drunkenly in the middle of the night either here or in some areas of Toronto or Ottawa, even on St Patrick's Day.
One of the men I talked to had sailed here from San Diego with his brother and ended up buying property and building a retirement home. His partner was a retired teacher so she and Anita had lots to discuss. Although land and homes are cheaper than in Canada, it can still cost $100,000 US or more for a waterfront lot. Living here is certainly inexpensive. Water delivery and electricity are very cheap. Electricity for a house costs $5 or $6 a month.
There are still a lot of fishing families here. There are probably about 40 small fishing boats that launch every day from the beach, each with a crew of 2 to 5 men. It seems that the catch has been quite plentiful lately. We've seen them bring in big tubs of small fish. The whole family helps when the fishing boats arrive at the beach. There are a couple of different buyers who back their trucks down between the ceviche huts, weigh the tubs of fish on scales that probably haven't been calibrated since 1950 and dump them into the backs of the trucks. We've heard that prices are good lately so that must help the community.
Many of the fishing families live simple lives. Probably one third or more of the homes here are small bamboo houses with no glass or screens in the windows The rest are concrete and concrete block with steel roofs. No-one seems hungry and it seems like Ecuadorian health care and education are adequate, so we see lots of children and families who look happy. We can't remember seeing a beggar anywhere in Ecuador although we've seen lots in Canadian cities. And the weekend vendors on the beach here who sell hats, sunglasses, fans, ice cream, sandwiches, beer and everything in between are not at all pushy. We just smile and say, "No, gracias" and they nod and leave us alone.
If we wanted, we could buy fish, shrimp or "pulpo" (octopus) from vendors who walk down the Malecon and the main street on the weekend with bucketfuls. So far, we've just been buying in the restaurants. A few days ago I had "pulpo a la gallega" at the Amalur. The owners are Basques so it may be a Basque dish. It's fried octopus on a bed of boiled sliced potatoes topped with paprika. Anita didn't care for it but I liked it.
Anyway, our next stop was the Surf Shak, where Happy Hour starts at 6 pm and the banana coladas are also 2 for $4. We sat outside with Ted from Alaska (a nice fellow although he looked like a refugee from ZZ Top), Morris, an Ecuadorian from Canoa and George from Nevada. There we learned that the liquor truck that sells to all the bars and stores arrives on Thursday afternoon between 2 and 4. If you sit on the Malecon and wait for it you can buy any wine or spirits that you want at good prices straight off the back of the truck, just like vegetables and fruit. Very efficient.
Our final stop was the Suki Bar (pictured) where happy hour starts at 7 pm. We each ordered mojitos (a nice refreshing drink), which were fantastic, and we shared a plate of Irish Stew. After dinner, we talked with some of the people we had met in the previous 2 bars, since everyone knows the happy hour pattern so it is like a pub crawl. By 9:30 or 10, we were done. Today was a slow day but the sun was shining, the ocean temperature was still 25C and the air temperature was about 30C. A nice recovery day on the beach.
For the 2nd year in a row, we celebrated my newfound Irish heritage (on my mother's side) with a happy hour pub crawl and dinner on the beach in Canoa.
First we met our trivia team member Nathan at the Bambu at the north end of the Malecon, where happy hour starts at 5 pm. He invited us to join him and about a dozen expats for a drink. Most were Americans but there were also a couple of Canadians and Aussies. We spent an hour or so there watching the sun set, enjoying plantain chips and guacamole dip, and drinking banana coladas (2 for $4). We'd already seen a lot of the people we met around town or on the beach. Many of them have retired here to their own homes or condos. Although they're cautious when they're out at night and about guarding their homes against petty theft, they laugh at their friends back home who are afraid to leave their gated communities. It seems that the biggest threat around here, as it is in most places, is being in the wrong place at the wrong time where getting mugged by young guys with drug problems can happen. Apparently the worst drug problem here is addiction to some kind of residue that's left over from cocaine manufacturing and is available fairly cheaply. However, during the day and evening, you'd never know that there's any such problems at all. There are children playing all over and people sitting out enjoying the warm evening air and greeting us as we walk by. Not threatening at all. However, we don't wander drunkenly in the middle of the night either here or in some areas of Toronto or Ottawa, even on St Patrick's Day.
One of the men I talked to had sailed here from San Diego with his brother and ended up buying property and building a retirement home. His partner was a retired teacher so she and Anita had lots to discuss. Although land and homes are cheaper than in Canada, it can still cost $100,000 US or more for a waterfront lot. Living here is certainly inexpensive. Water delivery and electricity are very cheap. Electricity for a house costs $5 or $6 a month.
There are still a lot of fishing families here. There are probably about 40 small fishing boats that launch every day from the beach, each with a crew of 2 to 5 men. It seems that the catch has been quite plentiful lately. We've seen them bring in big tubs of small fish. The whole family helps when the fishing boats arrive at the beach. There are a couple of different buyers who back their trucks down between the ceviche huts, weigh the tubs of fish on scales that probably haven't been calibrated since 1950 and dump them into the backs of the trucks. We've heard that prices are good lately so that must help the community.
Many of the fishing families live simple lives. Probably one third or more of the homes here are small bamboo houses with no glass or screens in the windows The rest are concrete and concrete block with steel roofs. No-one seems hungry and it seems like Ecuadorian health care and education are adequate, so we see lots of children and families who look happy. We can't remember seeing a beggar anywhere in Ecuador although we've seen lots in Canadian cities. And the weekend vendors on the beach here who sell hats, sunglasses, fans, ice cream, sandwiches, beer and everything in between are not at all pushy. We just smile and say, "No, gracias" and they nod and leave us alone.
If we wanted, we could buy fish, shrimp or "pulpo" (octopus) from vendors who walk down the Malecon and the main street on the weekend with bucketfuls. So far, we've just been buying in the restaurants. A few days ago I had "pulpo a la gallega" at the Amalur. The owners are Basques so it may be a Basque dish. It's fried octopus on a bed of boiled sliced potatoes topped with paprika. Anita didn't care for it but I liked it.
Anyway, our next stop was the Surf Shak, where Happy Hour starts at 6 pm and the banana coladas are also 2 for $4. We sat outside with Ted from Alaska (a nice fellow although he looked like a refugee from ZZ Top), Morris, an Ecuadorian from Canoa and George from Nevada. There we learned that the liquor truck that sells to all the bars and stores arrives on Thursday afternoon between 2 and 4. If you sit on the Malecon and wait for it you can buy any wine or spirits that you want at good prices straight off the back of the truck, just like vegetables and fruit. Very efficient.
Our final stop was the Suki Bar (pictured) where happy hour starts at 7 pm. We each ordered mojitos (a nice refreshing drink), which were fantastic, and we shared a plate of Irish Stew. After dinner, we talked with some of the people we had met in the previous 2 bars, since everyone knows the happy hour pattern so it is like a pub crawl. By 9:30 or 10, we were done. Today was a slow day but the sun was shining, the ocean temperature was still 25C and the air temperature was about 30C. A nice recovery day on the beach.
Thursday, March 17, 2016
Still Enjoying Canoa
Thursday, March 17th 2016 Canoa, Ecuador
Last week, high tide was over 3 meters higher than low tide. That's the highest we've seen. It came right over the sand bank at the usual high tide shore and down into the ceviche shacks back farther on the beach. We've included a few comparison pictures.
On Tuesday night, we were the trivia champions at the Surf Shak once again, although with a new team. We were joined by Ewan, a young guy from Wales, Elizabeth who owns the Coco Loco Hostel on the Malecon, and Nathan, an expat from Chicago who's been living in Cuenca for the last 3 1/2 years. He comes to the coast for a couple of months each year. We're not sure that we want to win next week for fear of annoying all the local expats who play every week. We'll see.
It rained hard yesterday morning but that's the first time in about 2 weeks. The weather, while still hot and a mix of sun and clouds, has seemed a little less humid in March, which feels good. Not much else to tell, so a few pictures of Ewan, Anita and I after our latest win, the beach at normal and very high tide, and the main intersection of Canoa. Not even a stop sign.
Tonight is St. Patrick's Day so now that I know that I'm part Irish, we'll have to celebrate, probably at the Suki Bar for the 2nd year in a row. Maybe we're in a rut but it's a good rut.
Last week, high tide was over 3 meters higher than low tide. That's the highest we've seen. It came right over the sand bank at the usual high tide shore and down into the ceviche shacks back farther on the beach. We've included a few comparison pictures.
On Tuesday night, we were the trivia champions at the Surf Shak once again, although with a new team. We were joined by Ewan, a young guy from Wales, Elizabeth who owns the Coco Loco Hostel on the Malecon, and Nathan, an expat from Chicago who's been living in Cuenca for the last 3 1/2 years. He comes to the coast for a couple of months each year. We're not sure that we want to win next week for fear of annoying all the local expats who play every week. We'll see.
It rained hard yesterday morning but that's the first time in about 2 weeks. The weather, while still hot and a mix of sun and clouds, has seemed a little less humid in March, which feels good. Not much else to tell, so a few pictures of Ewan, Anita and I after our latest win, the beach at normal and very high tide, and the main intersection of Canoa. Not even a stop sign.
Tonight is St. Patrick's Day so now that I know that I'm part Irish, we'll have to celebrate, probably at the Suki Bar for the 2nd year in a row. Maybe we're in a rut but it's a good rut.
Wednesday, March 9, 2016
Surf Shak Trivia Champions
Wednesday March 9th, 2016 Canoa
Last night we decided that a social outing was in order so after dinner here in our apartment, we went down to the Surf Shak for a Happy Hour banana colada for dessert and to see if we could get in on the weekly Tuesday evening trivia contest.
There are lots of expat regulars who do this every week, so without a team to join, we sat at an empty table and hoped someone would join us. Two older American men, Hal from North Dakota and Deighton from Minnesota sat down and invited us to make up a team with them. They're childhood friends who now find themselves single again and have traveled a bit together over the last few winters.
At 7:30, the game started with 8 or 9 teams of up to about 8 people each. The daughter of the owner called out 40 questions and we filled out our answer sheets over the next hour or so. The answer sheets were gathered and re-distributed so each team could mark another team's answers. After a lot of laughter and shouting, the sheets were all marked and gathered up by the daughter. She announced the lowest place team, who all got free shots for their effort. Finally, our "Team Boundary Waters" was announced as the winners. For our win, we got $25 off our team bar tab. In the end, we had a lot of fun and didn't spend a cent. Our teammates won't be around next week but we've already been recruited by another team of young Canadians. Here's a picture of us along with Yuni, a local woman who joined us later. Lots of fun and an International Women's Day win for Anita.
Other than that, we've been wandering the beach, watching the sunsets, buying buns at the little bakery, vegetables and eggs at the little store we like and generally enjoying life in Canoa. We've also included a picture of the hat and sunglasses man on the malecon, a hotel facade that we like, a child playing in the surf at sunset and a truckload of limes on the Main Street. There are often trucks roaming around town selling different fruits and vegetables like this. We often buy from them too. Life is good.
Last night we decided that a social outing was in order so after dinner here in our apartment, we went down to the Surf Shak for a Happy Hour banana colada for dessert and to see if we could get in on the weekly Tuesday evening trivia contest.
There are lots of expat regulars who do this every week, so without a team to join, we sat at an empty table and hoped someone would join us. Two older American men, Hal from North Dakota and Deighton from Minnesota sat down and invited us to make up a team with them. They're childhood friends who now find themselves single again and have traveled a bit together over the last few winters.
At 7:30, the game started with 8 or 9 teams of up to about 8 people each. The daughter of the owner called out 40 questions and we filled out our answer sheets over the next hour or so. The answer sheets were gathered and re-distributed so each team could mark another team's answers. After a lot of laughter and shouting, the sheets were all marked and gathered up by the daughter. She announced the lowest place team, who all got free shots for their effort. Finally, our "Team Boundary Waters" was announced as the winners. For our win, we got $25 off our team bar tab. In the end, we had a lot of fun and didn't spend a cent. Our teammates won't be around next week but we've already been recruited by another team of young Canadians. Here's a picture of us along with Yuni, a local woman who joined us later. Lots of fun and an International Women's Day win for Anita.
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