Ja Ja Seesters

March 14, 2013

It has been a very busy few weeks, with lots of events going on, and with fun friends and interesting visitors passing through.
Carnavale has come and gone.  It was crazy here as usual, but I don’t think it was as crowded as last year.  My friend Davida Julian and her honey Tom came for a visit during that time.  Davida owns property in Montanita, currently lives in Pennsylvania, but looking forward to moving here permanently.  Davida and I first met a couple of years ago, we haven’t seen each after that, but have kept in close touch since then. It was fun to see them!

 

Carnavale crowds
Olon Beach

 

 

 

Tom and Davida
Photo Courtesy of Davida

 



One of the gringo nights at
Ojas in Olon

The expat community along our area of coastal Ecuador has grown considerably over the last couple of years.  There are regular gringo get-togethers now (usually on Wednesday nights and Saturday afternoons), thanks to the dedicated efforts and coordination of expats Heather Austring and Deb Anderson, in particular.
Solid friendships have been forged, helpful information has been exchanged, and we have a good time together.  Todd and I don’t make it to all of them, but always enjoy ourselves when we do go.
Last Saturday, a bunch of us went to Deb and Cy’s house (near Las Nunez/before La Entrada) for a “March Birthdays” potluck. The potlucks are always fun, with delish food.
 

Cy and Deb
Photo Courtesy of Deb


 
 

Wicked dice game happening
March Birthdays Pot Luck

 
 

Photo Courtesy of
Heather Austring

A couple of weeks ago, eleven of us local gringa friends rented a van to go to Libertad/Salinas for a girls’ day of shopping, gabbing, and eating.

We were each picked up at our homes by our driver, Miguel – a saint – and began our late morning arrival in Libertad at the Buen Aventura Mall Plaza and split off into small groups to explore the mall/area/maze of street tiendas for an hour or two.

 
 

A little breakfast nibble at Heather's
Ayangue home on our way there.

 
 

View of Ayangue Bay
from Heather's balcony

  

Shopping around the
Buen Aventura Mall area
Photo courtesy of Heather

 

After that, we headed to “Luv N Oven” on the Salina’s Malacon for lunch (most of us ordering the tender and tasty filet mignon and killer mashed potato meal).  By the time the waiter got to me, I was a little worried that he was going to say “sorry lady – the person before you just ordered the last steak”, but I would have ordered the plate anyway, for the mashed potatoes alone.
It was a fun and delicious and well-lubricated- lunch. Afterwards, several small groups wanted to break off to finish “city” errands, with a couple of gals holding down the fort at Luv N Oven as our final van-ride-home rendezvous point. Most of us made it back in plenty of time to enjoy late afternoon drinks with local Salina’s expats that just happened to show up there for an early dinner.

 

Bumping into the
Salinas expats

  

 

A great time was had by all, except for maybe our driver, Saint Miguel, who patiently stopped and waited for a bunch of happy-hour laughing women make a few pit stops on the drive home, and who kindly and gently rolled each one of us off the van into the waiting arms of impatient pets or husbands sometime after dark.

 

A week before that, friend Deb Anderson and I took a chicken bus expedition to same area. Todd and I don’t have a car and really don’t miss having one because most errands to Libertad/Salinas are easily “do-able” on the $1.50 coastal buses to Libertad/Salinas (plus taxi fares once there).  The chicken bus trips can sometimes be grueling by the end of the day, returning home, loaded down with purchased items. But it’s good to know the “How To” ropes on this one for some measure of independence without owning a vehicle in our area. 

 

Deb and I laughed our heads off silly that day – but that’s a whole ‘nother story…
Famished and thirsty after the chicken bus ride there, a brief troll through Buen Aventura area, and a quick stop into the black hole called HiperMart in El Paseo Mall, we were on a mission to find the good Mexican restaurant we had heard of in nearby Salinas. We caught a cab from the mall to get to Salinas to find restaurant (visions of tacos and margaritas dancing in our heads). We had the name of the restaurant, we knew sorta where it was at in Salinas, and our initial cab driver assured us he knew right where the restaurant was.

NOT EXACTLY…He searched fruitlessly, going around in circles until Deb and I decided it had to be “near here” and hopped out to find it on foot. Out of cultural politeness, Ecuadorians will never tell you they “don’t know”, with their best intentions meant to be helpful.
Two cab rides later (and an accumulated twelve blocks walking in between) to find said Mexican restaurant, we found it!
Closed.
Maybe not the best planning on our part, since it was the Tuesday after Carnavale, but most everything was closed. After we were melting into the sidewalks from the heat, crabby from hunger, a pint low on beer, and asking advice from the local crack-ho for “best place to eat around here?”  (ahem,  Deb… who deserves at least a little credit for asking la pregunta  en español), we were finally directed to Lov N Oven for a delightful afternoon before heading back home on the chicken bus. 

  

A few days after our girls’ shopping trip, the Salinas gals planned a trip to the San Vicente mud baths. A few of us gringas from here hired a driver and joined them. I think a good time was had by all.
This IS NOT a fancy place. A $2 entrance fee at the door gives all day access to the mud pit, swimming pools, and mineral spring (massages are extra – around $5 for either the mud or the aloe vera massage).
An all-day pass to the vapor room is $3 – get it.
I think it’s worth at least one visit to San Vicente Baños, if you have the time, and if you are not too squeamish.

 

Team Salinas

I only took a few pics that day – none of us look good covered in dried mud – with the exception of the statuesque Ukrainians (currently staying for a couple of weeks in Olón, as guests in Sarah’s house – our old one) who we happened to run into that day – and they were having a great time too.

 

The Ukrainians
Totally unfair to look
this good in mud.

 

*For more on the mud baths, see “A Load of Lodo”.

Bugs Me

February 7, 2013

(I wrote this a little over a week ago, and only now have a chance to post it).

As I write this, there is a grasshopper the size of a TV remote control (I KID YOU NOT) clinging to my living room curtain. I would take a picture of it, but right now Todd is out-of-house with our camera.   They’re pretty lethargic if not disturbed, so I’m pretty sure I can get a snapshot of it when he gets home.
The pic included here was one I took several years ago of same type of fella – but he was outside, and SMALLER.

The night rains we get this time of year also bring out the bugs.  I hate bugs, especially cockroaches. One of my bigger concerns when we decided to move to Ecuador was the possibility of frequent encounters with mutant sized insects and spiders, but – thankfully – that hasn’t been my experience.
I saw bigger cockroaches (flying palmettos) more often while living in Palm Springs than I have seen in Ecuador.

Still, it is the “buggy” season now. Friends of mine that live in Salinas (“hi!” to Joan Dale and Jean Bennett) battled mightily with their brooms against swarms of gnat-like creatures for a brief period several weeks ago, and there’s been a lot of chatter on the Facebook Ecuador expat pages recently about the creepy-crawly issue(s).

We have been inundated with crickets for the last month.

I don’t care for crickets much, but I can live with them.  I have no problem squashing the smithereens out of cockroaches, but I can’t kill crickets. I either sweep them out, or gingerly pick up and toss outside the ones I find.

But, I REALLY DON’T LIKE IT when they jump on me in bed in the middle of the night. Scares the bejeezuz out of me.

One of the funniest stories I’ve heard lately about bugs is one shared by a friend of mine – Scott Creasy, who lives about 40 minutes north of us in the Manabi province.

I’m going to share it in his own words:

“Since there has been a lot of talk about bugs... Here is a true story that happened this week.

On Monday, I heard a mouse in the closet. I tried to find it, but... After dark, I went to the kitchen and I saw the little mouse run behind the trash can. Thinking fast, I set 3 traps. In less than 15 minutes, I had caught the little mouse.
But, I did not take up the other 2 traps. One of which I had placed under a piece of furniture in my mother's room.
Last night, she wakes to the sound of the trap snapping. Then she hears the struggle begin for the remaining moments of life.

This morning... this is what I found:
 

Photo
Courtesy of Scott Creasy

Okay… in the time it’s taken me to write this, the grasshopper on the curtain has disappeared.  Somewhere in the house.

If that thing jumps on me in the middle of the night, they will hear me screaming in Des Moines.

Ride Well

January 31, 2013

It is hot, humid and muggy here now, at least from this desert rat’s perspective.
I’m a big sweat ball as soon as I get out of the shower (almost pointless to bother and take one, actually) and I’m wearing the skimpiest items in my wardrobe.  At my age, this really isn’t a pretty sight.
I don’t look good in halter and tank tops, since my kimono upper arms are essentially lethal weapons if I start swinging them around. This is the time of year when I sometimes think we should live in Cuenca so I can justify wearing long sleeves.

Maybe FLOTUS can pull off the sleeveless look, but not me.

 

It is the sunny season AND the rainy season along our area of the coast (“high” season).  This is a little hard to explain.
Keep in mind that Ecuador is a country with a multitude of micro-climates, and we live in a coastal pocket climate that’s different than the weather approximately 40 miles north or south of us.

Generally, from around mid-December to end of March it is hot and sunny during the day, with a nice breeze off the ocean if you’re close to it, or in the hills.  Towards sunset, the clouds gather over the hills just inland, and then – after dark – the sturdy, all night rains begin. Some years it rains more, but a couple of years ago, it was bone- dry here during “high season”.   This year, the rains are starting often in the late afternoons, and some locals I know are forecasting a mild El Niño.
I’ve given up trying to predict our weather from year to year, because I think it’s just plain weird everywhere on the planet now.

 

 

 

(I took these pictures of some neighbor kids about a week ago, while they were dancing in one of our recent late afternoon, refreshing downpours).

 

I just came back from a quick errand to our local tienda, where I saw the funniest thing.

I see a lot of Ecuadorians wearing tee-shirts emblazoned with English logos, and I ran into an elderly braless neighbor gal (I’m guessing she’s around 70-yrs).  She’s a tiny thing – she comes to about my shoulders, and I’m only 5’3”.

She had a shirt on that said “I See You’ve Met the Girls” written across her chest.  I had to laugh, and I asked her if she knew what it meant. She started laughing too, while pointing out the obvious – that her “girls” weren’t that big.  I love the people here!

I haven’t mentioned our dog Daisy in a while. She is still just the GREATEST dog in the world, and without a doubt, the best and most well-known ambassador for Jardines de Olón (our former neighborhood, and where we will be building this year on the lot we own next to the house we sold). Daisy still hangs out there most of the time when she’s not with us, but that’s okay. She was an independent 7-8 month old beach stray when we adopted her nearly 3 years ago, and she knows how to take care of herself.

Every visitor falls in love with her, and all our neighbors spoil her to pieces – she definitely doesn’t lack for attention. And she loves a party.  The other night, I cruised up to the new “Ojas” bar and restaurant near our park in Olón, which has become a popular hang-out since it opened.  An awesome  kick-ass-traveling-through rhythm and blues band was playing that I wanted to hear.

Who beat me there?  Yep…Daisy was already there hanging out and making friends at the bar.

Todd and I did get sad news a few days ago. We’ve been corresponding for some time with a super neat couple (Denny and Terri Waller of Kauai for the last 30 years), who were scheduled to arrive here later this month. Through those emails, we all developed a special, kindred-spirit bond with one another.
Denny was a Southern California surfing legend who was a gremmie in Newport Beach in the ‘50’s and who also surfed the original BIG WEDNESDAY at Killer Dana in the early ‘60’s, before the harbor was built.
They were coming here to explore the possibility of moving to Ecuador, to escape the now over-built commercialism of Kauai, and find a simpler lifestyle.  All of us were looking forward to their arrival – Denny in particular.  
Denny passed away earlier this week.  Todd and I are heartbroken and we can only imagine Terri’s pain.
Terri, we are with you in spirit.
And Denny….Ride Well, Friend.

We feel honored to have known you.

Aloha.

 

Terri and Denny Waller
Photo
Courtesy of Terri.

 

Olón...Otra Vez

January 11, 2013

I recently met a darling young expat from Colombia at Johanita’s in Olón, and we shared a beer together.  He is currently working at a Montanita restaurant and living in Olón.  Like us, he's happy to be in Ecuador and, in particular, our little town.
We shared our experiences of assimilating into Ecuadorian society.  It’s a tight-knit culture, and we may always be considered “outsiders” to a degree. But we also agreed that the Ecuadorian people are warm, kind, generous and gracious, which is certainly true here in Olón.  Regarding the Olón locals, my new friend made an interesting remark: “you can see the peace in their eyes”, and I can vouch for that.

Yesterday, I was passing by Leila’s new Herbal Life shop, and she waved me in. Leila is probably better known for her Olón evening restaurant adjacent to our park, but she also opened up a new shop around the corner from us to sell Herbal Life. Of course, no one around here is going to spend $70 for a full bottle of that, so she serves it by the glass. Think of it as Olón’s version of Starbucks, if you will.

I was preoccupied and in a hurry when I arrived, and was going to do the gringo thing of saying "hi", getting something para llevar, and splitting, but Leila lured me into taking a moment to pause… And into the most expensive treatment-item ($3) on the menu…a three drink/step thing of warm concoctions.

The clientele was an older woman taking care of her young grandsons – one on her lap, the other tight by her side (there are the cutest kids in Ecuador!). There was a guy in company uniform filling out paperwork between stops, and another guy sipping and working on his computer. All were Ecuadorian and all clearly regulars at Leila’s “day place”.
I’ve often exchanged pleasant buenas dias and smiles with these folks as we’ve passed on the street, so it was fun chatting and getting to know them better.

When Leila brought me the second drink, I thought it curious that she pointedly handed me an extra napkin, and the locals leaned in closer to me, staring intently while we were conversing.

I didn’t see it coming. The second drink makes you sweat. I mean SWEAT A LOT. At first I didn’t connect the waterworks with the drink (thinking that it’s pretty hot indoors now, or I was having a rather embarrassing, haven’t-had-one-of-those-in-a-long-time hot flash moments, after wringing out my extra napkin for the third time while we were all talking).

That was, until I realized my compadres couldn’t contain their smiles and giggles, kindly assuring me that THAT was the purpose of drink #2.   Ecuadorians love to laugh, and love a good practical joke -- not that this incident was meant to be one.
I made a mental note-to-self to stop by there more often this year (though I am not a big advocate of New Year’s resolutions) and to learn to live more in the moment as my Ecuadorian friends do.  **
 
I took a video awhile back that I thought really captured the spirit of Olón. It was taken at one of the many local parties here, and I love the catchy tune. 

For whatever technical reasons, I can’t embed videos to this blog now, so please CLICK ON THIS THIS LINK TO SEE IT:
 

VIDEO: OLON OTRA VEZ

 

A recent article came out calling "Latin Americans the Happiest on the Planet".  Seven of the top 10 countries are in South America (Ecuador is #7 on the list).
And it’s easy to see why.

They’re not slaves to their emails (guilty). They’re not farting around all day on Facebook (guilty). They don’t have their heads buried in a Kindle all day (guilty).

They spend time with each other; they hang out and laugh; they nurture one another in person.

No matter how long we live here, we probably will always be considered as “outsiders” by Ecuadorians. It is their country and their culture, and they are rightfully proud and generally protective of it.
Still, it’s wonderful to be accepted by them, and we always feel honored when an Ecuadorian calls us a friend.

Because they truly are, and they truly mean it.

Happy New Year to All.

 “Grow old along with me.

The best is yet to be.

The last of life, for which the first was made”

Robert Browning

 ** I think my español still sucks, but I get by. Some people tell me I speak “good” Spanish, but those are usually visiting gringos who don’t know the difference.

December 20, 2012

Okay, so it’s 8:30 EST PM Thursday night before we’re hit by a big asteroid (or something otherwise dire) sometime after midnight.

So…..Todd and I are fixing a nice late-night steak dinner, before heading down to beach afterwards to watch the UFO’s land.

 

We think the first “take us to your leader” representative may be disguised as one of these: (SEE PHOTO AT TOP LEFT, taken by Todd one day when he spotted this guy scouting out the territory, as he was coming in our front door).

 

We actually like these guys better than the ones that look like chickens/roosters (LOUD MF’s) especially the ones that keep trying to keep coming in, and pecking & pooping in our living room.  Our dog Daisy could do a better job of keeping them out, but we’re all pretty glad she wisely gives them wide berth.

Live chickens are currency/personal property here, and no one wants to see one go before their time as road/dog kill….or let's wring its neck time.

 

 

 

That being said, inexplicably, one occasionally one goes missing. ** 

 

Coq Au Vin

Our food blogger, Jenna Weber, puts her spin on Julia Child's coq au vin recipe. She shares some tips for making this dish in a full post on the Fresh Tastes blog.

Ingredients

• 4 slices thick cut bacon
• 3 lbs chicken breasts and legs, skin on (two breasts and two drumsticks)
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary, minced
• 2 cups red wine
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 2 tbsp butter
• 3 tbsp flour
• 10 oz sliced mushrooms
• ¼ tsp pepper
• ½ tsp salt (or, to taste)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
2. Fry the bacon over medium heat in a dutch oven or large heavy-bottomed pot. After it’s fried, remove the bacon and place on paper towels to drain. Once cool, chop bacon and set aside. Keep the bacon grease in the pot.
3. Turn heat to high and place chicken, skin-side down in the pot. Sear chicken until golden brown on both sides, about eight minutes. Then, add the onions, garlic, bay leaves and rosemary. Continue sautéing until the onions begin to soften, about six minutes.
4. Add the chicken broth and red wine. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and let simmer for 30 minutes.
5. After 30 minutes, carefully remove the chicken from the pot and place in an oven-safe dish. Keep chicken warm in the oven while you work on the sauce.
6. Stir the flour and butter (butter should melt instantly in the pot) into the red wine sauce. Bring back up to a boil and stir constantly----sauce should be begin to thicken. Add mushrooms, chopped bacon, salt and pepper and continue cooking for 10-12 minutes. Keep in mind that the sauce will also thicken up a bit when it cools.
7. Place chicken back in sauce and serve with roasted potatoes, noodles or a big green salad.

Yield: 4 servings

** No animals were harmed during the writing of this essay.

Donkeys, Chimps, and Other Things

December 5, 2012

 

I just returned from Cuenca. I went over a few days ago to rendezvous with my brother Jack, who recently arrived, and friends/Olón neighbors Doug and Pam, who also own a townhouse in Cuenca. They went to Baños first before I got there, and we all returned back to the coast yesterday. Unfortunately, my husband Todd wasn’t able to come along for this trip because of other commitments.

And as always, I enjoyed my trip to Cuenca (my 8^th visit since May, but without dental appointments this time, because we’re pretty much done with those for now).

On Saturday night, we went to “Joe’s Secret Garden” for dinner – hands down, one of the best and most unique places to eat in Cuenca. I’ve wanted to eat there for a long time. Joe’s Secret Garden is located in a lovely and private home and generally only serves dinner on Saturday nights, offering a prefix menu, with limited seating for around 50-70 (I suppose). Reservations are necessary, which book quickly once their themed dinner menu is posted earlier in the week. The food and the setting are spectacular, and we lucked out on getting in on Joe’s “fried chicken dinner night”.

 

 

 

 

  

There was an entertaining bunch of people the night we went, but in particular, it was a fun and surprising delight to run into Mary Beckman (of “South of Zero” fame) and her husband Steve.  South of Zero” is the premier website for Ecuador expats (or soon to be) with links to most all forums, blogs, official government entities for those here, or considering the move.  Steve and Mary, and his brother, Dave, just made the permanent leap within the last couple of weeks, and are getting settled in well. She and I have been friends for some time, and met in person a while back (see “Trash Truck Groupy”).

 

While enjoying an after dinner aperitif, and exploring the downstairs public area of the home (and listening to Joe treat us to a lovely piano repertoire) I discovered an original "Palm Springs 'Cheetah” painting on the wall. I was thrilled, because for years, I’ve been a fan, and have collected/gifted a number of those, and recognized the artist right away.  Todd and I lived about two blocks from “Cheetah” when we lived in Palm Springs (Racquet Club Estates Neighborhood). My “Cheetah’s” are still in Southern California storage.  It was fun to talk with Joe, who also lived in Palm Springs for some time. * 

 

 

 

It’s nice to be back home in Olón, but it can sometimes take me half a day or so to re-adjust to our little town after enjoying the more sophisticated pleasures of Cuenca (and on this visit – also reminded of how affectionately I think and miss our Palm Springs friends).

We don’t have any chimpanzees in Ecuador (that I know of), though we do have howling monkeys in the nearby Machalilla National Park.

 

We do have, however, a plethora of equestrian wild life.  Horses, donkeys, mules.

 

Horse

Donkey(s)

  

Mule?

This guy (pictured adjacent) is a mule, we think.  He’s been hanging around our neighborhood for last few weeks.

Which has spurred a number of rather animated conversations between Todd and me and several friends about EXACTLY WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A JACKASS, DONKEY, MULE (let alone a BURRO)?  

This is a fun one to “Google”.

 

"Mule" doing a little
grocery shopping.

 Essentially:

“A mule is half horse and half donkey. When a female horse--a mare--mates with a male donkey--a jack--the resulting offspring is a mule. Mules are sterile and are generally unable to reproduce. Their adult size depends on the breeds of their parents. A rarely seen variation is a hinny--the offspring of a male horse and a female donkey.

What is the difference between a donkey and a burro? Burro is Spanish for donkey. Many people in the Southwest use the term to refer to feral donkeys on public lands. Burros are usually smaller than horses and mules”.

….but my favorite definition is this one from “Reference.com”:

“There are subtle differences between burros, donkeys, mules, and a jackass. A burro is basically a mule. A mule is a domesticated hybrid between a horse and a donkey. A donkey is a domesticated ass. An ass is a wild donkey. The only difference between an ass and a donkey is the fact that a donkey is domesticated and an ass is not. A jackass is a male ass. Makes sense. I don't think I have every used ass more in one paragraph”.

 

 

Definitely Donkeys

 

* There is some controversy about authenticated/documented “Cheetah’s” who co-starred in the Tarzan movies.  There were a few of them.  See:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-hood/cheeta-is-alive-and-well-_b_1176815.html