Some Like it Hot

October 21, 2010

Okee-dokey….so the last time I lived in digs similar to our new Olon apartment I was in my twenties (dealing  blackjack and roulette in northeast Nevada) and moved from Elko to an apartment complex in Wendover that had formerly been military barracks. It’s not that I’m unhappy – Todd and I are actually tickled to score it – but it’s going to be an adjustment.

The apartment belongs to our friend Guy, who wants to spend several months in Guayaquil and it comes with his furniture, stove and refrigerator (and we are saving a little off the $350 rent by agreeing to let Guy lock up his stuff in the second bedroom so he doesn’t have to move it). Guy is an ex-Navy S.E.A.L.  and trained attorney who for the last several years been running and co-owns the Insomniac Café in Montanita. He’s also an all-around really, really nice chap. 

Packing up for the move.

We’ve moved to a triplex located just east of the Ruta del Sol down the lavanderia road (there’s a shrine at the turnoff) owned by Antonio and Patricia of Oloncito market (who live next door). We’re on the east end and German Mike lives on the other end; between us is David (Ecuadorian, brother-in-law and co-owner of Insomniac with Guy).

We share a garden courtyard and it just sort of reminds me of something out of the fifties (as in “Some like it Hot” or “Rear Window” without the Raymond Burr character).  As of now, we plan on being here until at least the first of March, while our beach home is rented to various guests during busy season.



German Mike and Antonio come
over welcome us.

 Guy assured us he had a hot water shower.  Maybe because he's an ex-S.E.A.L, his perception of hot and ours are somewhat different.  The shower is equipped with one of those suicide heat devices and does get sort of hot if it is only run at a trickle…We shower “together” because the one not taking a shower has to stand by the living room fuse box to flip the circuit breaker back on every time it flips off - about once a minute.  That, and there is no cistern, so our water is turned off at 10PM every night and most afternoons for a couple of hours.  I think I'm not going to be very clean for awhile. 

Instead of a closet, we have a sturdy dowel bar to hang our clothes and a flimsy bookshelf to use as a dresser.  And I’m not sure which is more charming – the contact paper flooring in the bedroom or the shower curtains used as window treatments in the apartment.  But at least for the first couple of weeks, Todd and I have use of Guy’s television (hooked to Direct T.V.) which is perched on cinder blocks.  We’ve watched very little satellite T.V. since we got here in June, so I’ve been kind of overdosing on T.C.M. movies, reruns of Grey’s Anatomy, and the news for the last few days, and Todd is gleeful about the Bonanza episodes he discovered.

We have shown Daisy our new home so she knows where to find us. We are a little concerned that she has to cross the highway to get here, but as crazy as the Ecuadorians drive, they are good about avoiding  the dogs on the road.  However, Guy neglected to mention that our new place comes with a CAT (a petite female calico) and Daisy in NOT happy about this situation.

Daisy followed me back from the house yesterday, and while I was petting her outside the apartment, CAT came and rubbed up against my ankles like we were old friends. Then CAT proceeded to boldly walk up to Daisy’s food bowl and eat the leftovers – in full view of Daisy. And even though I was trying to ignore the cat, and making a big fuss over petting Daisy (“pay no attention to that CAT in the corner there”), the look of betrayal in Daisy’s eyes was unmistakable.  As if she thinks this is where we’ve always been when we’re not at the house – LIVING with a CAT. As far as she is concerned right now, this is bigamy.

We made the final move to the apartment a few days ago as we bid adios to three kids (Matt, Emily, and Andy) coming in for 3 days after doing volunteer work in Peru. The George Washington University doctors check in tomorrow for a month, and I am still kind of grumpy about that.

Still, it’s going to be an adventure living in this barrio (a lot more local flavor) and a wonderful opportunity to immerse more deeply in this wonderful culture since most of our new neighbors don’t speak English.

The common courtyard in our triplex