Are We There Yet? - The Journey



Flying into Guayaquil



Todd and I generally take the red-eye Copa Flight from LAX to GYE (Guayaquil) when traveling to Ecuador.  It leaves around 1AM-2AM in the morning and arrives in Guayaquil in the mid-afternoon, via an hour and a half layover in Panama. Ecuador is on Eastern Standard Time. For those who can sleep easily on a plane (like me) it’s a pleasant flight, and we are on the Olon beach by sunset, after customs, luggage retrieval, and shuttle to the coast. We used to hire a private service ($60-100) to  transport us to the beach, but have since discovered that the “CLP”  buses from the Guayaquil (GYE) bus terminal are every bit as comfortable, modern, and convenient (3-4 buses to Montanita/Olon a day) for around $6 a ticket.  The seats are comfortable and a movie is generally shown (fans of Jackie Chan in Spanish should be especially cheered).  Just be sure and bring a jacket or sweater, because the air conditioning is perpetually set on frigid.

One of Todd's favorite L.A. spots.

Because of the late departure, we had plenty of time on our last day in the States to  hit a couple of our favorite places to eat before  turning in the rental car, and arrived at the airline check-in desk with plenty of time to spare.

We were loaded to the gills, but our four checked-in suitcases passed the weight muster. Unlike past trips when our luggage was filled with DVD’s, books, decorative items and other frivolity, this time we were hauling our favorite (and heavy) pots and pans, tools, lamps, and other indispensible household items that are either expensive or non-existent in Ecuador.  Our carry-on luggage was another matter.

We each were pulling a 2-wheeler; Todd had the laptop, and I was lugging a “purse” (which was really a huge L.L. Bean tote stuffed with games/books/small appliances, and my filled-to-the-brim purse stashed inside).  I was quite obviously tilting towards the side that was shouldering the bag, and would have gone down like a bowling pin had someone nudged me from the opposite direction.

Copa was enforcing the carry-on weight limit of 20lbs for our roll-on suitcases; we were pushing the maximum and had to do a little wheeling and dealing (okay, we bribed the guy) to proceed. I felt smug because they clearly overlooked the 50-pound elephant hanging off my left shoulder.



Scott & Todd



The flight was uneventful, and we were met at the Guayaquil airport by our friends Scott and Pat, who live in Las Tunas (near Puerto Lopez, about 45 minutes north of our house).  We planned on spending our first two days there because we had vacationing guests in our house. We had never actually met Scott and his mom, Pat before, but we had all become great friends via internet Expat sites and email, and we were looking forward to knowing them better, as well as Scott’s son, Jeremy.

They were gracious and fun hosts and we had a wonderful time at their ocean front place. We spent most of our time on their upper level deck enjoying the beach view, chatting, eating, and relaxing, and it was a great way to begin acclimating to our new life in the Southern Hemisphere.

I have kept a journal since then, and what follows are excerpts from it, as I have a chance to edit and post. For those still reading:  

I hope you will be entertained, enlightened, and enjoy them as much as I have enjoyed this journey.

….. And maybe, just maybe, you will fall a little bit in love with Ecuador too…..