On Friday January 10th, our son Dylan, our daughter-in-law Kasumi and our grandson Kaito drove us to the Ottawa airport, with a couple of stops along the way. We arrived there with time to spare before our 8 pm flight to Toronto. We managed to get an earlier flight but in the end there were so many delays that we left only about 10 minutes before 8 pm anyway.
After a long walk through the Toronto airport, we found our gate and were soon on our flight to Quito Ecuador. Air Canada Rouge just started this direct route last December. Rouge planes aren’t the most modern but they work. Once everyone was boarded, it turned out there were some baggage issues and we sat on the runway for close to an hour. Eventually we took off. The flight to Quito was uneventful. We even managed to sleep for a couple of hours.
At the Quito airport, we passed through customs very easily. Both our checked bags arrived so it wasn’t long before we exited the airport. Our driver was waiting with a sign with our names. We had arranged the driver, Wilmer, through the property manager of our condo. He had driven from his home in San Vicente, near Canoa, the night before and stayed in Quito so he would be there for our arrival about 6:30 am. In the past, we have always travelled by bus in Ecuador but we thought we would be tired after an overnight flight. It’s a long way from the airport to the south bus station in Quito and then 7 or 8 hours or more on the bus from there to Bahia de Caraquez. Then it’s another bus to Canoa. For $180 US, we avoided all that. Wise move.
By 7:20 am, we were on the road. It took about an hour to get through the north end of Quito and out to the 2 lane highway that snakes down the west side of the Andes to Santo Domingo and eventually to the coast. For the next 2 or 3 hours, we descended through mountain passes. It’s very beautiful but a little terrifying. Ecuadorian taxi drivers don’t waste any time. I was okay but we had to stop at one of the few gas stations near the bottom of the mountains so Anita could throw up. Next time she’ll take a Gravol.
The rest of the trip was flatter with less tight curves so it went a little easier. We noticed our driver yawning a lot so we chatted with him in our limited Spanish, which was fun. Around 1 pm, we arrived at our condo. The property manager, Samia, was There. We paid the balance of our rent while Wilmer waited for us. The condo is costing us $250 US per week for 12 weeks.
For another $20 US, we had arranged for Wilmer to drive us to the supermarket in Bahia, wait for us, and then drive us back. We bought enough food and booze to keep us going for the first week. In the end we paid Wilmer $210 because he was good to us. Taxi drivers here don’t expect a tip but we like to recognize good service. We have seen some expats who are always afraid of being cheated or mugged. The vast majority of Ecuadorians are just as trustworthy as anyone else anywhere in the world. It’s easier to get along by adopting a positive attitude but also being smart about where you go and who you deal with, the same as you should do in Canada.
By 4 pm, we were relaxing on our balcony with a wine and a beer, enjoying the sunset over the Pacific. That night we slept for 10 hours straight.
For the last 3 weeks, we’ve been waking shortly after sunrise and enjoying a coffee in bed while we look out our bedroom glass doors over the ocean. Then we each take a turn at doing our Pilates exercises before breakfast. After breakfast we do any chores, get sunscreened and go for an hour and a quarter walk along the beach into Canoa and back. Then we usually swim in the pool before lunch. After lunch we have a siesta before often going back to the pool for a while.
On Tuesday evenings about 5 pm, we hop on the bus into Canoa for 25 cents each. It’s a short walk down the Main Street to the ocean. We usually have a couple of Mojitos at the Bambu bar during their happy hour (2 for $5) before wandering down the Malecón to the Suki Bar or the Surf Shack or somewhere for dinner. The Suki bar has great shrimp burgers for $4 each.
At 7:30 pm on Tuesdays, the weekly trivia contest starts at the Surf Shack. Since we’re staying at the Playa Azul complex of about 15 units, the other residents here have invited us to join their team. It’s always lots of fun. Most nights someone with a car will drive us home so we’re back in our condo by 9:15 pm.
On Wednesdays, there’s an informal BBQ by the pool here. Whoever is around brings all their own food and dishes down to the palapa by the pool and we each barbecue something on the charcoal grille. It’s a good social event with our neighbours. On the first Wednesday we were here, we all went out to the beach afterward and burned a big pile of driftwood. Although it’s the rainy season, it’s been fairly dry so far so the mosquitoes and sand flies aren’t too bad.
We often go out for dinner on Thursdays too. Last week we went for the Thursday special at Canoa Suites Hotel. Tonight, we’re going for Chinese food in Bahia.
Last Sunday was the annual Beach Bash fundraiser for Los Algorrobos school in Canoa. A lot of the local expats gathered at the Canoa Suites for a chili dinner and social event from 3 pm until 7 pm. We’re never out late.
Sometimes we walk into Canoa for lunch at one of the beach hut restaurants. Usually we’ll order something like one shrimp ceviche for $6 and a 600 ml beer for $1.75. That makes a good lunch for both of us.
The beach here in front of our condo is usually empty. A couple of days ago, a truck stopped and a small fishing boat (or panga) came from Canoa to meet it. The men loaded a lot of containers on the boat and it went straight out to sea. Someone must have suspected something nefarious going on and called the police. They arrived about a half hour later. It turned out that the boat was taking ice to a bigger boat fishing farther out and bringing back the fish. There are drug smugglers working along this coast but that wasn’t happening this time.
Anita is currently at her first art lesson at a local artist’s house in Briceno near here. The other ladies that go refer to it as the “sip and paint” afternoon. They all sip wine while Moya, the artist, who came here from Peterborough almost 40 years ago, helps them with their projects. We’ll see how this turns out.
After a long walk through the Toronto airport, we found our gate and were soon on our flight to Quito Ecuador. Air Canada Rouge just started this direct route last December. Rouge planes aren’t the most modern but they work. Once everyone was boarded, it turned out there were some baggage issues and we sat on the runway for close to an hour. Eventually we took off. The flight to Quito was uneventful. We even managed to sleep for a couple of hours.
At the Quito airport, we passed through customs very easily. Both our checked bags arrived so it wasn’t long before we exited the airport. Our driver was waiting with a sign with our names. We had arranged the driver, Wilmer, through the property manager of our condo. He had driven from his home in San Vicente, near Canoa, the night before and stayed in Quito so he would be there for our arrival about 6:30 am. In the past, we have always travelled by bus in Ecuador but we thought we would be tired after an overnight flight. It’s a long way from the airport to the south bus station in Quito and then 7 or 8 hours or more on the bus from there to Bahia de Caraquez. Then it’s another bus to Canoa. For $180 US, we avoided all that. Wise move.
By 7:20 am, we were on the road. It took about an hour to get through the north end of Quito and out to the 2 lane highway that snakes down the west side of the Andes to Santo Domingo and eventually to the coast. For the next 2 or 3 hours, we descended through mountain passes. It’s very beautiful but a little terrifying. Ecuadorian taxi drivers don’t waste any time. I was okay but we had to stop at one of the few gas stations near the bottom of the mountains so Anita could throw up. Next time she’ll take a Gravol.
The rest of the trip was flatter with less tight curves so it went a little easier. We noticed our driver yawning a lot so we chatted with him in our limited Spanish, which was fun. Around 1 pm, we arrived at our condo. The property manager, Samia, was There. We paid the balance of our rent while Wilmer waited for us. The condo is costing us $250 US per week for 12 weeks.
For another $20 US, we had arranged for Wilmer to drive us to the supermarket in Bahia, wait for us, and then drive us back. We bought enough food and booze to keep us going for the first week. In the end we paid Wilmer $210 because he was good to us. Taxi drivers here don’t expect a tip but we like to recognize good service. We have seen some expats who are always afraid of being cheated or mugged. The vast majority of Ecuadorians are just as trustworthy as anyone else anywhere in the world. It’s easier to get along by adopting a positive attitude but also being smart about where you go and who you deal with, the same as you should do in Canada.
By 4 pm, we were relaxing on our balcony with a wine and a beer, enjoying the sunset over the Pacific. That night we slept for 10 hours straight.
For the last 3 weeks, we’ve been waking shortly after sunrise and enjoying a coffee in bed while we look out our bedroom glass doors over the ocean. Then we each take a turn at doing our Pilates exercises before breakfast. After breakfast we do any chores, get sunscreened and go for an hour and a quarter walk along the beach into Canoa and back. Then we usually swim in the pool before lunch. After lunch we have a siesta before often going back to the pool for a while.
On Tuesday evenings about 5 pm, we hop on the bus into Canoa for 25 cents each. It’s a short walk down the Main Street to the ocean. We usually have a couple of Mojitos at the Bambu bar during their happy hour (2 for $5) before wandering down the Malecón to the Suki Bar or the Surf Shack or somewhere for dinner. The Suki bar has great shrimp burgers for $4 each.
At 7:30 pm on Tuesdays, the weekly trivia contest starts at the Surf Shack. Since we’re staying at the Playa Azul complex of about 15 units, the other residents here have invited us to join their team. It’s always lots of fun. Most nights someone with a car will drive us home so we’re back in our condo by 9:15 pm.
On Wednesdays, there’s an informal BBQ by the pool here. Whoever is around brings all their own food and dishes down to the palapa by the pool and we each barbecue something on the charcoal grille. It’s a good social event with our neighbours. On the first Wednesday we were here, we all went out to the beach afterward and burned a big pile of driftwood. Although it’s the rainy season, it’s been fairly dry so far so the mosquitoes and sand flies aren’t too bad.
We often go out for dinner on Thursdays too. Last week we went for the Thursday special at Canoa Suites Hotel. Tonight, we’re going for Chinese food in Bahia.
Last Sunday was the annual Beach Bash fundraiser for Los Algorrobos school in Canoa. A lot of the local expats gathered at the Canoa Suites for a chili dinner and social event from 3 pm until 7 pm. We’re never out late.
Sometimes we walk into Canoa for lunch at one of the beach hut restaurants. Usually we’ll order something like one shrimp ceviche for $6 and a 600 ml beer for $1.75. That makes a good lunch for both of us.
The beach here in front of our condo is usually empty. A couple of days ago, a truck stopped and a small fishing boat (or panga) came from Canoa to meet it. The men loaded a lot of containers on the boat and it went straight out to sea. Someone must have suspected something nefarious going on and called the police. They arrived about a half hour later. It turned out that the boat was taking ice to a bigger boat fishing farther out and bringing back the fish. There are drug smugglers working along this coast but that wasn’t happening this time.
Anita is currently at her first art lesson at a local artist’s house in Briceno near here. The other ladies that go refer to it as the “sip and paint” afternoon. They all sip wine while Moya, the artist, who came here from Peterborough almost 40 years ago, helps them with their projects. We’ll see how this turns out.
What a wonderful beginning to another wonderful "winter" for you both!
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