San Vicente Monday Market

Yesterday morning, for 50 cents each, we took the bus 15 km or so south to the San Vicente weekly market. It had rained hard the night before so we avoided the mud in the part of the market lot that isn’t paved. Luckily our favourite vegetable lady was on the paved part. She helped Anita pick out a big bag of vegetables. We’ve shown everything we bought at the market in a picture below.
At the vegetable lady’s stand, we bought a cauliflower, a broccoli, some garlic and bags of onions, potatoes, green peppers, carrots and limes, all for $10. Plus she gave us an apple for a bonus.
Near her stand, there are several little restaurants. There are also stands that sell everything from women’s lingerie to electronics. Across from her stand is a man with a peanut grinder. He grinds pure peanuts into peanut butter. The bag we bought in the picture cost $2.
A little further along we bought a bag of tangerines and a bunch of bananas for $1.50. That vendor also had mangos. He cut slices off of one so we could try them. We were a little dubious about the cleanliness of his knife but it would have been impolite to refuse, and the mangos were really good. We bought 6 for $2.
At another vendor’s stand we bought a dozen eggs, from organically grown free range chickens, for $2.40. Walking down the street, we saw a sign at a little store advertising queso (cheese) so we bought the hunk in the picture for $2.
Just after that a bus came along the street. We looked at the attendant hanging out the door and we yelled, “Canoa?”. “Si” was the answer and they stopped right there for us. For another $1 we were back home. We had been gone less than an hour and a half and our weekly shopping was done.
On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, a man named Gustavo, who has a little bakery in Briceno, about 2 km from here, delivers fresh bread, still warm, on his motorcycle for $1 per loaf. We also buy banana bread for a weekend breakfast treat from him for $3 per loaf. Excellent!
We still had time yesterday morning for our usual one hour and 40 minute walk along the beach and to enjoy the rest of the day, especially another Canoa sunset.

Carnival

Last Thursday, February 8th, we took the bus into Bahia de Caraquez with 3 other couples for dinner at an open air restaurant called “Pepito’s”. Pepito’s has a charcoal grille along one side where they barbecue really tasty (but fatty) ribs for $8.50 per plate.
After dinner we walked a couple of blocks to a small very narrow 4 storey home owned by an American expat couple known to some of our dinner companions. The couple invited us in and showed us their place. They had bought it in poor condition a few years ago and had fixed it all up themselves. Unfortunately, during the earthquake, the 8 or 10 storey condo building about a foot away was damaged so badly that it is still uninhabitable. Our hosts told us that each condo owner must pay $60,000 for repairs to the common areas and structure. Some of them either can’t or won’t pay so the building sits empty. Little pieces of concrete fall off of it every day. One more earthquake and it could very easily fall onto the small home next door. The owners there worry about it constantly but have invested in it and it’s their home. Be careful what you buy into in Ecuador.
On Saturday we went to the little Canoa Suites hotel for a fundraiser party for Los Algarrobos school which was started about 10 years ago by an old American expat here named Jimmy Dean. On the way into the party Anita posed by a Canoa classic car. Manabi province, where we are, is one of the poorest areas of Ecuador. The local public school in Canoa is extremely underfunded and has few resources. The usual class size is 40 students. Old Jimmy started out helping the public school but realized that he could make more of a difference by providing an alternative.
At graduation a couple of weeks ago, there were over 100 local students at Los Algarrobos school in grades 1 to 6. About half pay $44 a month to attend and about half are scholarship students. Class size is limited to 20 students who are taught the Ecuador curriculum plus English. It costs about $120,000 a year to run the school so they always need money.
The crowd was largely expats from the area. We each paid $10 for a chili dinner. There was a cash bar and a $5 entry fee to the beanbag toss or unfortunately named “cornhole” tournament. Although my partner Kevin and I had never played before, we won a few games and eventually lost in the final, which was played in the pitch dark. We heard later that the party raised $1,200 for the school.
This past weekend was 4 days of Carnival. Many Ecuadorians come to the beach. On Sunday afternoon, Anita was on our balcony and saw 2 guys uprooting the badminton net posts that Brent, one of the owners here, had put in. They carried them down the beach to where a big truck was parked with lots of people around it. I went downstairs to find Brent and the 2 of us walked down the beach to retrieve the posts. I uprooted one post that they had put in the ground already and started carrying it back while Brent discussed the situation with one of the guys. Eventually, they came to an agreement that the posts would be returned at dusk after their volleyball game. I walked back and stuck my post back in their hole for them. Their leader kept saying “Tranquilo” to me, which basically means be calm, let’s all get along. So I shook his hand and we left them the posts for the day.
Later, the guy who talked to me showed up outside our fence when Ron, another owner here and Anita and I were in the pool. He tossed 2 cans of beer to us and opened one himself. His name was Luis and he seemed a little sheepish about just taking the posts without asking. He invited us to meet his family so we ran upstairs, grabbed a couple of beers and a bottle of wine, and walked down the beach to meet them. We stayed for 1/2 hour or so. They appreciated the beer and wine and gave us shots of some rum liqueur which was pretty good. While the younger men and kids played volleyball, the older ladies sat in the shade playing cards. We had fun chatting with them in Spanglish and we all parted friends.
Last night we went to the Bambu restaurant in Canoa with 2 other couples for Valentines Day. On the way there, the Malecon looked a little better due to the sunnier weather we’ve been having. It’s summer holidays here now and there are more people on the weekends and even a few more through the week.We sat at the bar for happy hour and we all drank the Bambu special cocktail which is about 3 full shots of rum mixed with passion fruit juice. It’s a very tasty drink at $3 each but we got 2 for one during happy hour. Later Anita and I both had calamar apanado, or breaded calamari with rice, plantain and salad for $8.50 each. Local girls were putting up lots of Valentines Day decorations.
On our way back up the street to catch a taxi, we stopped at the little “Coffee Blues” bar again for a beer and some music. For about 1/2 hour we danced in the small space available to an AC/DC greatest hits medley. Good times.

G

Birthday Girl

The Super Bowl party on Sunday afternoon in the palapa by the pool was a big success. One of the condo owners drove to Bahia and picked up the groceries and then each couple took what they needed to make a particular dish. In the end, about 15 or so of us had a great meal of pulled pork accompanied by lots of other dishes and even 3 different desserts. We had a great time but we never watched the Super Bowl.
Yesterday was Anita’s birthday. She kept saying that 54 should be as good as 53 until I reminded her that she was off by 10 years.
Shortly after 8 am we walked out the gate to the highway with our friends Pat and Kevin, to catch the bus to Bahia. As we left, we saw a lot of balloons in the garbage box for the house next door. A good omen.
In Bahia, we had fish soup, an Ecuadorian staple, at a little roadside stand near the harbour. With plantain chips to throw in and big chunks of tuna, it was a very tasty breakfast for $2 each. Then we walked to El Paseo shopping centre where we got some cash and some groceries at the Comiseriato supermarket. Luckily we got home before it started to pour rain for the afternoon.
In the early evening the rain had stopped so we took the bus into Canoa for dinner at the Amalur restaurant. We were again accompanied by Kevin and Pat as well as our friend Terrie. We got off the bus a street too early so we had to walk down a couple of really muddy side streets, which we shared with a donkey at one point. At the Amalur we all had a big plate of shrimp spaghetti for $7.50 each.
Then it was off to the Surf Shak for trivia night. Someone announced that it was Anita’s birthday so everyone sang happy birthday to her before the trivia contest started. Unfortunately, she was in the bathroom but returned just as the song ended. We didn’t do very well in the trivia contest. We were 4th out of 5 groups. The 5th group didn’t even turn in their answers so we won shots of Cana liquor for coming last. Cana is like moonshine. Our expressions in the photo reveal how vile it tastes.
Terrie stayed at the Surf Shak but, at the insistence of the birthday girl, the rest of us walked up the street to a tiny bar run by an older Ecuadorian guy. For some reason, he always plays great rock music on an excellent sound system. We all agreed it’s our new favourite bar. We lingered there for a while and finally caught a taxi home. It’s late afternoon and the birthday girl finally seems to be recovering. It was quite a night!

Just Enjoying Life

It’s been a while since we posted anything, mainly because we’ve settled into a routine, just living here and enjoying life without a whole lot of excitement.
A week and a half ago, we took the bus for $1 each into San Vicente for the Monday market. The market used to be in a concrete building next to the muddy bus parking lot but, unfortunately, the building collapsed in the earthquake. They’ve just started rebuilding it so the market is now in the parking lot itself. We didn’t get any pictures because it’s very hectic and not a good place to pull out an expensive iPhone. Maybe we’ll get some shots next week. However, Anita did gather all the vegetables we bought for $10 from one nice lady and bananas for another 50 cents from another vendor. We also bought organically grown free range eggs for $2.40 per dozen, 2x the price of regular eggs.
Canoa hasn’t been too busy on the weekends yet. We’ve included a picture of a recent Sunday afternoon along the Malecon. If you haven’t been here, it probably looks pretty shabby but we’re so used to it and we love it here so much it’s not until we look at pictures that we see how simple everything is. The weekend tourism should pick up soon as it gets hotter and sunnier through February and March. This past week especially has been a little more overcast with a few rains at night and light showers in the morning. It hasn’t affected any of our activities though.
We walk on the beach, almost into Canoa 4 1/2 km away, and back every morning. That’s about 1 1/2 hours of brisk walking. We try to time it to avoid high tide. The walking is easier on the hard-packed sand when the tide is out.
Last week, unfortunately, the body of a drowned fisherman washed up on the beach a few hundred metres from our condo. We didn’t see it but our friends who have the condo next to us were there. The police came and took the body away. Apparently, 3 fishermen from Manta, south of here, had been missing for over a week. Afterwards, we saw a plane and a helicopter fly along the beach, probably looking for the other 2 men who are presumed drowned. Fishing here is often done at night with little in the way of safety standards. We have also heard that occasionally there are pirates who prey on the fishermen who go further out to fish a shelf about 25 km offshore. Apparently, they steal outboard motors, cellphones and anything else of value and leave the fishermen adrift. Fishing is dangerous enough without pirates too.
We continue to enjoy the beautiful sunsets. Once in a while we make it down to the palapa by the pool where a few people from the condos here will gather for happy hour to watch the sunset. Five or 6 of us also go into Canoa (50 cents on the bus) on Tuesday nights for dinner at the Amalur, the Bambu or the Surf Shack. Then we team up for trivia night at the Surf Shack. We still haven’t won this year but we’re always respectable. This Tuesday, a couple from Australia joined us.
We had met the Aussies a couple of days before when we were having lunch at the Charly Bar, one of the ceviche huts. They retired early, shipped their 2 BMW touring motorcyles to Los Angeles and are motorbiking around the world. They’ve travelled through the US and Central America so far. That took them 2 years. They plan to keep travelling indefinitely. They follow the seasons and stay in one place for several months if the weather is bad. Tomorrow they start going further south until the winter weather in Chile and Argentina forces them back north.
Last Saturday we also went for lunch in San Clemente with 3 other couples from here. We caught the Tosagua bus to Bahia (some bus lines don’t go from San Vicente to Bahia) for $1 each and then another bus to San Clemente for $1.25. On the way to San Clemente, the road goes up into the steep  hills away from the coast where there are many little farms. There are few concrete buildings. Most farmhouses and sheds are made of bamboo.
In San Clemente we walked about 1 1/2 km to the north end of town where a German guy has a little bar/restaurant that serves a great platter of barbecued ribs, chicken and sausage along with potato salad for $5. It took 2 hours of travel each way but we had a lot of fun and a great Saturday lunch.
This weekend, we’ve stocked up on beer and wine because all of Ecuador is dry from Friday until Monday for a referendum vote on amendments to the constitution. However, it’s Super Bowl Sunday. One of the condo owners is going to set up his 60 inch TV in the palapa by the pool and we’re going to have a big dinner and party. Should be lots of fun.
The following weekend is Carnaval. We’ve been invited to a fundraiser beach party to raise money for the local school. It’s almost too busy around here.

Beach Life

Monday, January 15th, 2018 Canoa
We walk along the beach for at least an hour every day, usually longer. Sometimes there are thousands of small red crabs that scurry away as we approach.
Fishing in Canoa doesn’t seem to have changed much over the years. The only technology is an outboard motor, usually 40 horsepower which seems a little underpowered for the seas and the weight of the boats. Two fishermen will carry the nets wrapped in a tarp and suspended from a long pole with each man holding one end, to get them down to the beach. The nets seem to be about 100 m long and less than 2 m wide. With floats at the top side and small weights at the bottom, the nets are stretched out in the water and then the boat loops around and the 2 or 3 fishermen in the boat pull in both ends of the net. It seems there are different sizes of mesh used to catch different sizes of fish found within 2 m of the surface of the ocean.
One fisherman will carry the outboard motor from home on his shoulder. Two others will carry gas cans strung on a pole. Older children often help. Most of the boats are rolled up or down the beach on logs.  The more fortunate of the fishermen might own an old set of wheels to make rolling the boat into the water easier. Then they push out through the surf, start the motor quickly and bounce over the waves to deeper water. Mostly they seem to stay within a few km of shore.
We’ve never seen any fish finders or other technology. The outboard motor is as high tech as it gets. The fishermen seem to know where they want to fish. Experience.
Some days, a group of a dozen or so fishermen will stretch the nets out in a loop from the beach. Three or four men will pull the net out into chest deep water and loop it around. Then everyone pulls both ends back up onto the beach. We’ve seen them catch dozens or hundreds of small fish at a time, including a few spotted rays, which are also harvested and eaten. Small children, not yet in school, will often be with their mothers and help with gathering the fish.
It’s hard to understand the economics of so much labour for what looks like a modest return. However, the fishermen seem to get by. Homes are often modest by our standards but people have motorcycles or old trucks, TVs, satellite dishes and cellphones. Electricity, food and taxes are cheap and there’s no need for home heating. Yesterday we bought the biggest head of broccoli we’ve ever seen for $1. The taxes for our condo, worth at least $100,000 US, are about $40 per year. Electricity was about $5 or $6 a month for the house we rented 2 years ago. We don’t know if that’s typical. We heard that people had to pay $3,500 for a unit in the new government housing that replaced the tent city where many lived after the earthquake. The children all look healthy and happy as they go to school every morning in their school uniforms. Like children everywhere, many of them often stop for a treat at the little convenience stores after school.
In the cities of Ecuador, the standard of living seems higher, but it still seems that a minority would have as many luxuries as we have in Canada. However, as in everywhere else that we’ve been, there may be a very wide range of incomes. It’s hard for a visitor to get an accurate picture of what life is really like for the local people. We don’t pretend to understand much of what we see but we love seeing it.

Canoa - Same Same but Different

Saturday, January 13th, 2018 Canoa
Yesterday was a sunny, beautiful day again so we walked 50 minutes along the beach into Canoa. When we got there, we walked up to our old house where we had the 2nd floor apartment for 2 months in 2016, just before the earthquake. The first picture is how it looked then. The 2nd picture is how it looks now. The couple living on the 3rd floor were injured but survived. It looks like we would probably have survived had we been there but we’re very happy to have left 2 weeks previously. There was no water or electricity for a long time and we would have had nowhere to stay.
The little bamboo house just down the road from us where the lady used to work on a sewing machine all day is still there but is abandoned. A bigger building that was across the street from the bamboo house is now a vacant lot. Nearby there is new government built housing for people who lost their homes.
On the malecon (beachfront street), the Surf Shack, where we used to go when we felt like a good burger or to enjoy the trivia challenge night, is still there but is missing a part to the right side. The buildings that were on either side of it are gone.
The fancy painted hotel on the Main Street up from the beach is pictured as it was in 2016. It’s now a vacant lot.
The clunky old water truck that used to deliver water to our cistern is still working (sometimes) but there are vacant lots scattered all over town that used to be houses or small hotels.
The beachfront is much the same, except that the big washroom/changeroom building is gone. The footbridge has been repaired. Most of the ceviche huts are still there including one of our favourites, Cevicheria Saboreame #2. We stopped in for a lunch of  ceviche de cameron and pescado encocado and a large beer (total $12.75). I managed to use a full sentence in Español to order and the waitress understood every word and didn’t even roll her eyes at my pronunciation. I must be getting better.
And finally, the beach is still there. A few Ecuadorian families and foreign backpackers were enjoying it on a Friday, but not many.
By the time we walked all the way back to our condo, we were ready for happy hour and a dip in the pool. We’re glad to see that the village is gradually coming back together.