My 1st week living in Ecuador

Things have been moving along here in San Clemente quite swimmingly since I moved here a mere 8 days ago.  As I stated in my last post about my time in Orlando things have been falling into place for me to begin my new adventure here.  I expected to be batted in the head at some point by Murphy’s Law bit that has not been the case and I am so pleased.

First I want to thank 4 people who have made my move so easy to this point.  First is Heinz, the man that I rented from when I came for my 45 day “living” stay in Feb/Mar, made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.  I had emailed him to see if the apartment was available again and he told me no but that I was welcome to stay in a room in his house as long as I needed to while I looked for a place, and for free.  I’ve been very comfortable here and will actually hate to leave.

Second is John & Mary who befriended me 1^st on an Ecuador Expats page before I even arrived in Ecuador the 1^st time back in November and who have helped me so much in a number of ways from then until now.  When I left Ecuador in March they stored everything that I’d brought with me from Belize so that it was less that I had to move as well as the few household items that I bought while living in the apartment.  They took me to all the shopping areas so I was familiar with where to buy my fruits and veggies as well as the 2 big grocery stores where I could buy everything else.  You have no idea how big a help that was to me.

Lastly to David who agreed to help me obtain my Retiree Residency Visa.  As I obtained the necessary documents in the U.S. I had them scanned in and I emailed them to him to have them translated into Spanish so everything would be in order when I got there.  I only had 15 days left on my initial 90 day visa so I wanted to have everything ready so I could jump right into that process.  He also made a visit to one of the offices to ensure that the police background check that I obtained was sufficient for their needs. Had it not been I was looking at another 45 days or so in the states while I waited for an FBI background check. The FBI website said the request would take 28 calendar days and then I figured that it would take up to 2 more weeks while I sent it off to the U.S. Secretary of State office in Virginia.  But my FL County Sheriff’s Office was sufficient. So anyway, seven days after I arrived in country he took me to Manta where we visited the offices that I needed to visit for additional documentation, approvals, and notary stamp and finally to the office where I submitted my application for residency.  His knowledge of the process made it so easy for me that when he asked how difficult the process was on a scale of one to ten with one being the least I told him that it was a zero.  I had all of my paperwork in hand and approved within 2-3/4 hours.  Now I have to wait up to 30 days for the paperwork to make its way through the bureaucracy and for the call to return to have my visa entered into my passport.  Within 30 days after that I have to apply for my Cedula (the paper that all Ecuadorians and resident expats have to carry) and he will help me with that too.  He also took me to see several houses and apartments that he knew were for rent in an effort to find a place to call home.  Without these people I would have been in knocking my head against the wall for quite a while in order to get to the point that I am now.

Now on to what I’ve been up to since arriving on the 7^th.  When I arrived at the airport in Guayaguil I was met by Ramon, who’d driven me around in Feb on various errands, and driven to San Clemente.  Instead of having to spend a night in a hotel there and taking a 5 hour bus trip the next day I was in Casa Punta Bikini within 3-1/2 hours of arriving in the country.  Next was beginning the process of searching for a new home.  A day or 2 after arriving, and resting up from my trip, I met Ingo at Heinz’ house, who was renting the apartment below.  He took me around to a couple tiendas (small stores) and asked the owners if they knew of any houses for rent.  We saw a few that were well below the standards that I set and then we met a man who Ingo told that I was looking for a “gringo style” home.  He took us down a small street and though a gate.  I immediately felt at home and that this was the house that I wanted.  It’s a 2 story brick home built in the last 2 years or so.  The downstairs was a large open sitting area and kitchen with a ½ bath.  I immediately saw the possibilities!  The upstairs was completely tiled and had 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms with a large balcony on the front of the house.  All the bedrooms have double beds and sliding glass doors to the balcony.  We called the owner and made arrangements for him to come to town to discuss price on Saturday.  Saturday came and he and his wife arrived and we discussed monthly rental.  He started out high and we started low.  The most I wanted to pay was $400.  He started at $500.  Ingo spoke for me since my Spanish language skills are still close to nil.  The conversations on both sides were pretty animated at times and I figured that there was no chance for an agreement.  But we talked some more and his wife became the primary for their side of the discussion.  We assured him that I wasn’t a gringo that was going to fill the house with people and have constant parties.  Me, I’m looking for a nice quiet life just like I lived these past years in Belize.  So anyway I had Ingo give him my final offer and they said they would go home and discuss it together.  Today, Sunday, in the midst of the Soccer World Cup, that has the streets quiet and deserted here since Saturday, Ingo received the call that they accepted my offer.  So we are to meet this week and sign a contract.  I should be moving in in July 1^st and I’m a happy Fatboy!

This being South America soccer is a religion.  Everyone, including the expats, plan to sit in front of TVs at home, in friend’s homes, and bars to watch the 3 games a day for the next couple of weeks.  I’ve never been a big fan of soccer but I sat with Heinz and saw my 1^st ever full soccer game on Saturday.  Actually I watched all 4 of them.  Today we watched the Ecuador match against Switzerland and I was as disappointed as everyone in San Clemente, and I’m sure all of Ecuador, when the home team lost their match.  Heinz decided that he wanted to BBQ ribs and potato salad so we made the early morning trip to Charapato for the meat and veggies.  I love that place.  What an experience.  I’d been there several times when I was here last so was excited to go.  Anyway, between games we ate dinner and headed back to the TV for game 2 after we were done.  A few minutes later Ingo came up this the good news about the house.  Now I’m a soccer fan and am on cloud 9 about having a place to call home soon.

Most, if not all of you, know I was having blood pressure issues while I was in the states.  As a matter of fact I’m in Ecuador against my doctor’s advice.  But I assured them that as soon as I left the country and got back to Ecuador it would drop. I told him that my BP wasn’t an issue in Belize as I had it monitored there the entire time I lived there and that it was only a problem when I was back in the states with all the stresses of normal that affected me when I was there.  Well it dropped almost 90 points as soon as I got here.  Now with the stress points of obtaining my visa and finding a house it will drop more.  I’ll monitor my pressure for another week and then contact him with the results and possibly reduce the amount of medicine that I’m taking to control it.  My peaceful and stress free life here will be nothing but beneficial to my health and wellbeing as I resume my fishing and laying in my hammock.

So that’s how my 1^st week living permanently in Ecuador closed out.  

The Fatboy In Ecuador signing in!!!

I’m now living in San Clemente Ecuador!  It officially became my home on Friday June 7^th at around 9:30pm when I arrived here from the airport.  So let my new adventure begin!

I did really well on the sale of my belongings in Belize and even sold things that I thought would never sell.  I should have remembered back to the yard sales I’d had in my previous life and remembered that if you put it out someone was going to buy it.  “One man’s junk is another man’s treasure…”  Luckily a lot of people paid with good old American cash so my conundrum over where was I ever going to be able to change Belize dollars into American was made easier. Trish was practically begging guests, the beer and soda delivery trucks, and anyone else she ran across to help ease my pain and she did REALLY well.  That and a few business owner friends helped drop my Belize cash to a level that I could easily handle. I knew that I was going to travel to Cancun by bus for my flight so that would use up some of it as would my last few days of living in Belize. I did however make it to Orlando with $100 Belize which I sent to friends who will use it next time they visit there.  Anyway,  after all the running around I’d done on my last days in Hopkins I was pretty beat.  So I planned to leave 11 days prior to my flight and take that time for a holiday in Playa Del Carmen.  I wasn’t up to that long 14 hour 3 bus ride to Cancun, and because I’d made a fair chunk of money on my garage sale I decided to fly to there.  So I booked my flight from Dangriga to Belize City International and then to Cancun on Tropic air.  I left Hopkins on the 7am bus and was in Cancun by 1:30pm and in my hotel in Playa by 3.  What a difference traveling that way was!  Five hours versus 14 hours!  And I wasn’t anywhere as worn out as I usually was after those long bus rides.  And hey, I deserved it!

So 11 days of sitting around Playa doing absolutely nothing really did me a world of good. I knew that my trip to Orlando was going to be both mentally and physically challenging so I needed the rest to prepare myself for it.  I did venture out of the tourist areas a few days and took collectivo buses all over the place.  Saw the huge apartment complexes that the locals live in, stores they shop, and restaurants they eat in.  That last sentence fragment about the restaurants was the best surprise of all.  I found 4 restaurants that blew away any of the places I’d ever eaten on all of my trips to Playa including the blue cheese bacon burger at the Tequila Barrel Sports Bar.  My favorite stop was a seafood café that made THE BEST seafood soup.  It was made thicker than a normal soup by the addition of white Mexican cheese.  And I added a small plate of rice to it so it was a meal fit for a Fatboy.  My second favorite made an outstanding Mole (pronounced molay for those that don’t know) Chicken, which is a chocolate based sauce.  Now you all know that I am a chocoholic so this dish was right up my alley.  And the cost of my meals in these 4 cafes was $4 or less including a fruit drink.  You can’t beat that!  I also met an American doctor lady in a clinic that invited me out to dinner and we ended up sharing a couple of dinners and a movie before she left.  That was a nice unexpected interlude.

So anyway the day of my flight came and flying JetBlue (I love that airline!) I was in Orlando in 2-1/4 hours and through immigration and customs and on the road with my rental car in another an hour.  Things were coming too easy I was thinking and somewhere Mr. Murphy would rear his ugly head and things would come to a crashing halt.  Well it only got better from there!  Well, that is until I hit the VA clinic 10 days or so before I left.  That’s for later though.  Back to my original train of thought. I retrieved a packet of mail from a friend of my son Rich, who moved a few weeks before to the Philadelphia area.  In it I found a copy of my birth certificate that he’d forwarded on to the IL Secretary of State office for me and I’d forgotten about.  I had my 1^st Apostille in my hand!

To digress a bit for those who didn’t read my last posting.  My trip to Orlando was strictly for paper work that I needed to obtain my Ecuador Retiree Visa.  I needed a copy of my birth certificate, a 5 year police background check from the county that I lived in for the past 5 years (did you pick up on that?), and a letter guaranteeing that I had an income of at least $800 per month.  They all require what I consider to be a super-notarization. It has something to do with some international agreement that a bunch of countries signed including the U.S. and Ecuador.  I also had to have the financial letter approved by an Ecuadorian Embassy.  So, since I’ve been living in Florida for the past 5 years (get it yet?) and the address on my FL driver’s license said that I lived in Orlando I had to visit the Orange County Sheriff’s Office for my background check.  All Ecuador wants to know is that a person hasn’t been arrested and convicted of a crime.  I’m not sure how minor an offence it would take to deem a person unworthy of living in Ecuador but that wouldn’t pose a problem for me.  I’d been a good boy in Florida those past 5 years.  I was expecting that document to take a couple of days but within 15 minutes I had it in my hand. Next was trip to the Social Security office for my financial guarantee letter. Again I’m still waiting for Mr. Murphy to bang me on the head.  My problem here was that it had my Hopkins address on it.  Why, if I was living in Orlando, would my letter ever have a Belize address?  I was thinking that this would put a wrinkle in my Ecuador plans.  When I was called to the window to get my letter I asked the agent what I needed to do to change the address on the letter.  He told me that I needed to do it on their website and when I asked how long it would take to go into effect he said 24-48 hours.  So I said that I would cancel the letter request and go home and change the address and come back when it was done.  He asked why and I told him what I was doing.  He picked up my driver’s license that I’d given him as id and asked if the address on it was my current address.  Yep says I and he commences to typing in my Orlando address.  (I’ve always used my son Rich’s address as my U.S. address while living in Belize.)  He didn’t have to do that but he was a nice guy and did it anyway.  Done, printed, and on my way!  Things are getting accomplished too easily I’m thinking but I’m loving it none the less.  Now I venture off to the courthouse in Winter Park FL to apply for a new passport.  Since I had to obtain a monthly visa renewal stamp in Belize, and since I might have been there for at least a day every month, I had plenty of them.  Plus I travelled quite a bit and had stamps from every Central American country and MX so 40 of the 57 stamp pages were full.  I figured I might as well get a new clean one so there was no question about where I lived these past 5 years as well as giving me plenty of space for new stamps from South America.  Almost $200 and an hour later (I expedited it because I wanted it as soon as possible) I was walking out the door.  Next is a trip to Tallahassee FL to visit the FL Secretary of State office for the Apostilles on my police report and finance letter.  I didn’t want to chance anything getting lost in the mail.  My brother Dave lives a couple hours west of Tally in Gulf Breeze, right near Pensacola FL so I planned a trip to visit him for a couple of days.  I wasn’t sure how long it would take the state bureaucracy to do their job so I thought I could drop it off there, have a visit, and pick them up on my way back home.  I found out that my brother Tom, who lives outside of Chicago was coming down to Dave’s for a visit too so that made it all the more pleasant a trip.  Well I showed up at the Secretary of State’s office and was told that the notary in my credit union didn’t notarize my police report and SS letter properly and that I needed to go have it renotarized.  Well here comes Murphy I’m thinking.  So I asked where in town I could have it done and she says hold on and goes and gets her notary stamp and does it for me and for free!  My government providing a service that they didn’t need to do and doing it for free???  And for the 2^nd time in 2 different offices?!  I was getting light headed!  I was in and out of Tallahassee with my last 2 documents Apostilled in less than an hour.  All I needed now was to visit (again I’m not mailing anything) the Ecuador Embassy in Miami to get them to approve my financial document.  My visit with Dave and family was enjoyable.  Lots of laughing and eating and more laughing and eating for 3 days.  I spent the weekend in Orlando and then headed for Miami on Memorial Day so I could be 1^st in line at the Embassy when it opened Tuesday morning.  I’d booked 3 days hotel just to be on the safe side.  Nice hotel in Miami Beach and great Cuban food nearby.  Tuesday morning 9am I’m in the Embassy and I present my document to the man at the counter.  He takes a look at both pages and asks where the Spanish translation pages are.  Huh???  It didn’t say anything about that on their website.  I think I’m hearing Murphy laughing somewhere behind me.  Where the heck am I going to find a place to do that?  At the bank at the opposite side of the building says he.  So I walk to the bank and ask the lady at the desk about translation services.  Yep says she but it takes 24 hours and costs $25.  Not a problem says me!  So back to the beach and a day of reading, smoking cigars, and Cuban food.  Back to the bank at 10am the next morning (I slept in) and low and behold my translation is complete and she notarizes my signature on that one.  Two minutes later I’m back visiting the man at the counter in the Embassy.  He takes my paperwork and sends me to a seat.  Two hours later a woman comes out a door and calls my name and hands me my paperwork.  “Welcome to Ecuador” she says!  Dang this is too easy!  I actually had everything done is less than 2 weeks. 

I had a great time visiting family and friends in Orlando.  LOTS of my favorite alcoholic beverage Draft Guinness Stout and my usual “must eat” list to work through.  This trip I ate more Cajun and Cuban food than I normally do and loved every bite of it.  Maggiano’s Little Italy, Hollerback’s Willow Tree (German), 4 Rivers Smokehouse (mine and my daughter Carrie’s favorite BBQ joint), West End Trading Company (a bar with 2-4-1 drinks from noon-9pm so $2.50 Guinness and $2.50 Irish Whiskey shots), Red Robin (new to Orlando and some of the best burgers in town plus unlimited steak fries) just to name a few.  This is the only trip in 6 back to Orlando where I didn’t hit Denny’s or IHOP but no great lose because there’s the Breakfast Club in Casselberry that serves great breakfast and lunch at ridiculously low prices.  I also had my Chicago Dogs at Chubby’s Hot Dog in Maitland and Sonic, subs and pizza from a number of places.  Found a REALLY good Chinese buffet that had raw oysters at dinner time and great food all day. And…plenty of 6 shot espresso and Cuban coffee!  So I was able to accomplish all of my list this trip. I also spent a night sleeping on Cocoa Beach with my friend Elizabeth after watching an evening rocket launch from Cape Canaveral.  That was really great! The things that I truly missed though were fishing and lying in my hammock for an afternoon read and nap.  I plan to make up for lost time now that I’m in EC.

Now comes the fun part.  I’d been thinking about applying for VA medical benefits for a while now to have several new and old infirmities checked on.  For the past 5 years I’ve had to rely on the Hopkins Village clinic, except for my couple day hospital visit Christmas time 2012 for…high blood pressure.  So I wanted to get myself checked out to see how I was fairing living in a 3^rd world country for those years.  I knew I needed a copy of my DD-214 (military release papers that document your service and any medals you’ve earned) and had on in hand.  I wondered how long it would take to get approval and get an appointment with a doctor?  There is a VA clinic right near where I was staying.  It was originally the old Orlando Naval Training Center base hospital and after the base closed it remained as a VA hospital and they opened a clinic as well.   So why not collect some of the benefits I’m entitled to for the 4 years and 10 months that I served in the Navy?  Meanwhile the news was covering the plight of veterans in AZ dying while on a waiting list for treatment at VA facilities there.  Based on the news it didn’t sound like I was going to get any help while I was in the states on this trip. But I could try.  So I show up at the clinic on a Friday morning and found my way to enrollment and sit until my number is called.  I presented my DD-214 to the lady sitting behind the desk as she’s looking it over I ask how hard it is to get approved for medical benefits.  She looked at me and said, “Vietnam service and your awards automatically qualify you.”  She told me that I would be in the system Monday morning and I’d be called on Tuesday to schedule my 1^st appointment. Huh again? What?  My government working at what to would make a snail laugh?  Something’s wrong here.  Tuesday rolls around and I get my scheduling call.  I had to wait a whole 2 days for my 1^st set of appointments.  I was scheduled for an 8am introduction to the VA Healthcare system at 8am, a 9am lab visit where they took what seemed to be an awful lot of blood (12 vials), 1pm with a nurse for health history and vitals, and a 2pm initial doctor visit.  My day comes and I arrive in time and meetings and appointments are right no time, sort of.  That was until I get to the nurse for vitals.  She took my blood pressure and starting saying, “On my!”  (a pause to take it again) and “Oh my!” and then looks at me and gets quiet.  “What’s up?” I asked and she asked if I felt alright.  “Yep, why?”  “I’m waiting to see if you’re going to stroke out or have a heart attack.  Your blood pressure was 220/125 and the top number was 10 points higher the 2^nd time.  Not good!”  So she calls the doctor and he rushes me in for an EKG.  I didn’t think that was the right test but the result made her feel better.  I get back into the exam room and along comes the doctor and he begins giving me my test results.  High BP, type 2 diabetes, no change in my PSA numbers for my prostate cancer, and slightly high bad cholesterol.  I counter the high BP with reading that I get in Belize versus the readings I get when I’m in the states and that I’m sure I’ll have once I get to Ecuador… “What?  You’re leaving the country?  When?”  “A week from Saturday.”  “No you aren’t. “  “Yes I am.”  “We’ll see”   So off to the pharmacy for a BP monitor, a new knee brace; and BP, diabetes and cholesterol meds.  I opened the package when I got to the car too see what treasures I’d received and then threw them in the back seat.  When I got home I tossed the med bag on the bathroom counter figuring I’d start everything in the morning.  Morning comes and I’m light the cholesterol meds.  Back to the clinic for a walk-in appointment with the nurse (which I heard in the welcome meeting that it could always be a lengthy wait) after checking with the pharmacy and lost and found to see if anyone had turned them in.  It’s a different nurse this time and I asked for a BP check while she’s waiting for the doctor to call her back that he’s reordered my med.  On goes the cuff, my arm explodes into numbness from her blowing it up and roll go her eyes.  I laughed and said, “Not you too?!”  She asked what I was talking about and I told her about the reaction of the nurse the day before and asked if she was waiting for me to stroke out too.  So she calls the doctor again and they speak and I get not only the reissue of the cholesterol med but a doubling of the original BP med.  Home for the weekend and time with my kids and friends, crossing off more of my “must eat list:” and getting my fill of Guinness because Ecuador, like Belize doesn’t have draft Guinness. They do however have a pretty good craft dark beer on tap at Meyer’s in town. Meanwhile I’m taking my BP twice a day and entering it on a form the 2^nd nurse gave me and go back on Monday like I was told to do.  My BP reading is still over 220 on the top so I get another, stronger, BP med and a water pill.  See what they are worried about is not so much that my BP is so high but that it’s so spikey.  The top number ranged anywhere from 201-260 and the bottom number from 100-140.  Both the nurse and the doctor said that the spikey readings were more dangerous than if my BP was at a constant high level.  And they’re still fighting me over my plan to leave the country.  Again I promised them that my BP would go back to normal once I left the country and got back to the beach. It started dropping to under 200 over the next couple of days.  Well my friends I’m in San Clemente and my BP is already dropping!  My numbers have dropped to 140+-/95+- and it was a few points lower when  woke up this morning.  Hmmm go figure…

I was carried about 170 pounds of stuff between my big suitcase, a big duffle, my backpack and my laptop bag from Belize and all of it was going to EC.  None of my luggage exceeded the 50 pound weight limit (I bought a scale at Walmart and weighed my luggage the night before my flight and returned the scale for a refund on the way to the airport).  I had to take some clothing out of my suitcases in order to add more important spices that I need for cooking but it didn’t matter because the counter person at COPA Airlines never even looked at the scale when he was taking my bags.  He did ask me if I had a return ticket to the U.S. or a residency card for Ecuador though which supposedly is a requirement when you are leaving the U.S.  I told him no but that I had an approved financial letter and showed it to him and he accepted that as proof of residency.   I was also pleasantly surprise not to have to pay $70 for my 2^nd checked bag like the airline website said I would.  All in all what I thought would be a paperwork nightmare turned into almost a pleasant experience and the only visit that Murphy’s Law exposed me to was having to replace my rental car in Pensacola because of a cut in a tire that couldn’t be repaired.  That set me back about 4 hours but hey, if that’s the worst of it (and it was) I can deal with it.  Maybe Murph was on vacation or figured that I’d suffered enough of his fun.  Who knows?  I did thank him for not interfering.

My flight to Ecuador took me through Panama and we had an interesting landing there.  Everything was fine until the final decent.  Somewhere around 500 feet from landing the plane suffered several sharp left and right pushes and a few pretty quick short drops.  And when the wheels hit the runway I swear we did a couple of S turns too.  Nice bit of flying by the crew!  When I got close to the flight deck I was going to compliment them on the nice landing but the cockpit door was still closed.  I jokingly said to the steward that they must be in there changing their shorts after that landing and he started laughing and shaking his head yes.  Too funny!  I took full advantage of the usual 4 hour wait time for my next flight and headed to Duty Free for a liter of Irish Cream (Carmel and coffee flavored) and 2 liters of Bailey's to go along with the 50 cigars I was carrying.  Got to have my creature comforts!  I also sat with a 6 shot espresso and an almond biscotti watching some TV that I'd downloaded.  All in all a very restful delay.

The flight landed a few minutes early and I was out of Ecuador immigration and customs in 15 minutes and waited 5 more for my ride to San Clemente.  With all of that heavy luggage I didn’t want to have to take the bus as I did on my previous visits.  It also saved me a night in a hotel, which I usually did because my flights all got in at 5:30pm.  Too late for a 5 hour bus ride.  My private ride took all of 3 hours and I was sitting with Libby at Casa Punta Bikini where I spent the night.  (Looks who’s in the picture at Punta Bikini.  It’s the Fatboy on a previous stay!)   I love that hostel and Libby is such a great host.  I had a great sleep and in the morning I shared my magic coffee elixir with her…a shot of Bushmill’s Irish Whiskey and a shot of Bailey’s Irish Cream in our coffee and she made us a tasty breakfast.  What a way to start my new adventure!  AND the right way too!  My friend John (of John & Mary Mac) arranged for a cycle taxi to take me and my gear to Heinz’ house (I rented his apartment when I was here for my 45 day “live in EC” visit earlier in the year but it’s rented already) as he is letting me stay in his spare bedroom while I look for a home.  Mary had invited me to dinner on Sunday just before I arrived in country and John did his magic with his smoker and we enjoyed beef shish kabobs and all the fixins.  It was a great way to end my 1^st full day in Ecuador.

It was very hard leaving my friends in Belize but I was and am very excited about starting a new life and a new adventure and making new friends in Ecuador.  Now it’s time to start the Visa process, and find a permanent place to live, and settle in. David, Libby’s son who also moved here, is helping me resolve both.  He’s been a font of great information on the Visa process.  As I received documentation and Apostilles I would scan them in and email them to him to have them translated into Spanish and have them per-reviewed to get a possible read on whether or not they were acceptable.  The only thing that he came back with was that I might need a broader police report because the one I had from the Sheriff’s Office stated that I hadn’t been arrested in Orland County and not the state or the country.  He suggested that I might get one from FL or and FBI report.  Trouble with those is that the Sheriff’s report takes 14 calendar days and the FBI 28 calendar days plus the delay for Apostille.  So I was looking at possibly spending another month or so in the states.  I was ready to leave for my new home after 2 weeks and I REALLY didn’t want to wait that long.  So he and I decided to work with what we had and let the chips fall where they may.  The good thing is that when you start the Visa process the clock stops on your current Visa.  You get 90 days to use with the next calendar year.  I’d already been here for 2-1/2 months on 2 visits so I should be ok.  But, and I’m not sure because I haven’t checked, the Immigration officer might have given me a new 90 day Visa so I shouldn’t have a time constraint problem if I need to send for an FBI report and Apostille.  Maybe Murphy won’t be back from vacation yet to have some fun with my Visa application.  I hope that’s the case…

This is the Fatboy In Belize signing out and the Fatboy in Ecuador signing in!!!

 

On the beach with a cigar.  Life can't get much better!

Traveling in Mexico and Ecuador

My flight to Ecuador was scheduled for Friday 11/1 but due to flooding in Hopkins because of days of heavy rain I started my journey early.  The Hopkins bus hadn’t run since Friday because of 4 feet of water on the road out of the village. The flooding was so bad that the Hopkins Clinic sent a woman in labor out to the main highway by boat to be met by ambulance. I had about 18 inches of water around my trailer. The level would rise and fall a few inches every couple of hours but I was worried that, with heavy rains forecast, I wouldn’t be able to get out of the village as planned on Wednesday.  So on Monday I decided that I would leave early Tuesday and have an extra day to travel.  My plan was to try to hitch a ride with someone who had a high sitting pickup because I’d heard that some were making the trip out. But the 7am bus made a stab at it.  By now the water on Hopkins Rd had receded to less than 2 feet deep so the bus had no problem making the trip.  It looked like we were driving on a river though.

Late Wednesday night (11/30) I walked out into the hallway to go to the front desk of my hotel to get a water refill and sitting in the chair to the right of my door (the direction I was headed) was a naked 20 something brunette! She was just sitting there staring straight ahead. I asked her if she was ok but she just sat there. I asked her again and again no reply. She looked awake but I got the distinct impression she was sleep walking, or sleep sitting as the case turned out. The door to the room next door to mine was open so I went and flashed the lights and said hello. A young guy stepped out of the bathroom, which is right next to the door, and I said "I think your lady is sleep-walking. She's sitting in a chair in the hall." "Oh shit" is all he said and came out and got her. A few minutes later he came to my room and thanked me for saving her. Actually I think he might have been thanking me for not taking advantage of her. Anyway we agreed not to say anything about me finding her if we ran into each other at breakfast tomorrow morning. No sense in embarrassing her. It was just too funny!  The more I thought about it though the more I think I could have gotten into real trouble had she come to. I probably should have just gone back into my room and waited until she was found by her friend (?) or someone else.  So add that to my boob adventure on the chicken bus to Belize City a couple of years ago. I guess I get things like this handed to me because I'm safe.  Like a woman's gay male friend (but not gay) who they don't have to worry about them taking advantage or hitting on them.

My stay in Playa was relaxing but I was itching to get underway to EC.  I booked my bus ticket to the Cancun Airport for 5am Friday which was the earliest bus I could get.  But that was ok because my flight wasn’t until 7am and Cancun is a very easy airport to check into and get to the gates.  I actually checked in online the night before.  Anyway I got to the Mexican ADO bus station at 4:45.  Come 5am no bus.  I noticed a bit of commotion and asked a guy what was up.  He went to the counter and asked and came right back.  They told him that the highway was closed south of Playa and the bus wasn’t coming.  Great!!!  A few minutes later they announced that they were going to put us into cabs at the cost of the bus ticket.  So that was ok as long as I got there with enough time to check in at the counter, check 1 bag, clear security and make the gate. We got there at 6:30 and when I walked up to the counter the agent greeted me by name.  Now that was odd!  But I was the last one to check in for the flight. Everything went swimmingly though.

The next stop was in Panama City Panama to change planes.  Panama looked really pretty from the air.  I got to see the canal too.  Their airport is pretty small and easy to navigate.  Got a cup of Dunkin’ Donuts coffee too!  But I passed on the donut.  I had a 3 hour wait there before my flight to Guayaquil Ecuador.  I’d decided that since I was getting in at 5:30pm I didn’t want to travel to Salinas (my 1^st place to visit) so I’d booked a room in the Hotel Jeshua.  Really nice small place and I got a Spanish language version of The New Testament.  Great way to start my trip!  One of the things that I’ll have to get used to in Ecuador is that there is 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of night there because of its geographic location.  No more long summer nights to fish.

Saturday morning I took a $3 twenty mile cab ride to the bus station. It’s located in a mall with the ticket booths separated by national and international, both down different hallways and by different floors for boarding.  First thing I did though was stop at a cell phone kiosk and buy myself a phone.  Thirty four dollars for a basic phone.  My friend Sheila had given me an unlocked phone but of course I thought I’d packed it and of course I couldn’t find it.  So, the unexpected $34 expenditure. Anyway now I’m at least connected in EC and can call hotels and hostels as I get close to a new town for directions. I’ve come to realize quite quickly that I really am going to have to make an effort to learn Spanish because I haven’t run across very many English speakers so far this trip. I’m trying my darndest to use what little language skill I do possess, and learning more every day, but it’s still a challenge sometimes. On with my story… I purchased my bus ticket from Guayaquil to Salinas (90miles) for the exorbitant rate of $3.50.  It was a 2-1/2 hour ride and was very comfortable.  In Salinas there isn’t a bus station per se, only a bus corner. Not used to that.  Most places in Central America have real bus terminals.  It didn’t make any difference to me though.  Just another point of interest in my new adventure.  We arrived a noon and conveniently there was a place called Cevicheland right across the street.  Lots of fresh seafood.  I bought something called seafood mariscos that was priced at $6.50 and when it came it was almost a meal for 2 and included a soft drink.  Needless to say I didn’t eat dinner!  Next stop was to check into a hotel.  I hadn’t made any reservations but had 2 picked out.  The 1^st was Hotel Caravel at $18 a night and booked 1 night.  Up 3 flights of stairs and into what looked like a nice room.  Checked it out and found out that there wasn’t a toilet seat. What the heck!  So I went back down the stairs (did I mention I hurt my right heel 2 days before <don’t know how> and was limping?) to ask about it.  “We don’t have toilet seats says the front desk.”  WHAT???  Checked out, walked back up and down the 3 flights for my luggage and on to the next hotel.  Hostal Aqui / Scores Sports Bar turned out to be very nice and only $18 for a room with a/c.  Great place and it’s owned by expat Will Taylor. Put my stuff in my room and came out for a local pilsner or 2.  I wasn’t hungry (remember I had that big lunch) but almost gave in because everyone was raving about his hamburgers.  Anyway I met a nice group of expats and spent most evenings in the bar with them and shared a few cigars. I also met up with FB friend James Currington and his lady and they toured me around the Salinas area.  Also introduced me to their friends Bill and Colleen who are about to open their new Nuestro Paraiso B&B in Manglaralto.  A few days later I was their first guest, sort of their soft opening.  What a beautiful place! Not really near the beach but close enough to almost walk to and very convenient to buses. I spent 3 nights there and did day tours of a couple towns in the surrounding area that were on my list to visit.

One of the towns I visited was Montanita, maybe 2 miles from Bill and Colleen, filled with restaurants (even a Sushi one), shops, a really nice beach, and a population of Rastafarian and hippy types.  I could live there!  But its low season and I’d have to come back and spend a lot more time there to really get a feeling for the place.  For me it’s the “feel” of the town, not sure how to describe it, but that kind of comfortable “I’m home” feeling that we had the 2^nd time we visited Belize and every year afterward for the 12 that we holidayed there.  I felt that right away here.  But I wasn’t looking at apartments or houses to rent though so I’ll have to come spend more time there in my February and March visit.  Bill gave me the name of a realtor that they used and I’ll get with her before I come back next year.

Digressing for a moment, my plans are to travel the coast south to north and visit about 15-17 towns that I’ve put in a list.  I’ll pick 2-3 that really strike me and then come back for all of February and March and spend time in each to see if I really like it there.  You get a feeling pretty quickly that a certain place might be a good place to live in but until you spend at least a couple of weeks actually living there 24x7 you have no idea what it’s like.  And when I do return I'll still probably check out a few more towns that I missed.  So, that’s my plan and I'm sticking to it!  If you’re interested in seeing the route I plan to take click “map” and it will bring up the map that I’m using.

On Friday 11/8 I moved on to Ayampe, a small village about ½ hour north and in my top 10 places to visit.  It’s a tiny fishing village with dirt streets and very friendly people.  The 12 (yes I counted!) that I passed as I walked the short distance into town all said hello. How cool was that?  I ran into a traveler named Roman, from Argentina, who lucky for me, spoke English. He’s been here about 45 days. .He came planning to spend a week and has never left. He called the village “magical” and has no plans to leave any time soon.  Shades of my friend Conan who came to Kismet for 30 days and never left.  I plan to stay here 2 nights and wander about.

The one thing I’ve been surprised by here is how chilly it’s been.  Not quite jeans/jacket weather but on the verge.  The expats I’ve spoken with say it’s an odd weather year so I’m wondering it’s a 10-11-12 year weather cycle thing. But they do say this time of year is mostly cloudy and can be rather cool.  When I 1^st started looking at Ecuador it was because I want 100 degrees all day every day but soon found that it was more like spring weather most of the year with some high 90’s.  I’m used to the 90 degree heat and 300+ days of sun in Belize so this would take some getting used to!  It’s really all going to depend on the fishing.  When I look at a beach my first thoughts are “do I see and fish swimming and are there places that look like they will attract fish?” I’ve seen some pretty encouraging spots in my travels so far so that’s a plus.  But actually putting a line in the water will be the true test.  I may get in some fishing this trip when I get to San Clemente (I have a FB friend who will lend me a rod) but the heavy fishing will be during my next trip when I bring a rod/reel and tackle.

All in all I’m impressed with Ecuador, its people, and the geography.  Food prices (fresh veggie/fruit especially), bus and cab prices (local bus 40 cents for about 3 towns worth  and a couple of bucks for longer distances and cabs for $1-3 for pretty good distances), restaurant and hotels, etc. are really reasonable and much cheaper than in Belize.  I’m pretty sure that I can make a comfortable life here.

As always, practice peace!  This is the Fatboy in Ecuador signing off for now!!!

Seven more days until my adventure in Ecuador begins!

I’ve been awfully busy the past month and a half researching the pacific coastal towns of Ecuador trying to learn as much about the entire area as possible. Some very long days and nights googling weather patterns, fishing (that should have been #1!), cost of living, apartment and house rentals, medical care, transportation, entertainment, safety issues, government stability,  I could go on and on.  It’s all the things that you have to know in order to make a semi-informed decision on where it is in the country that one would be healthy and safe and live a good life.  I’ve also been plotting the route that I will take after landing in Guayaquil on November 1^st.  My flight on COPA Airlines begins in Cancun at 7:05 November 1st with a place change in Panama City, Panama and ending in Jose Joaquin de Olmedo Airport in Guayaquil in southwestern EC at 5:30pm.  Not sure yet if I'll be spending the night nearby or heading to my 1st destination which is Salinas, right on the coast.

I’ve joined a couple of Facebook expat sites too and have really enjoyed meeting people who already live there, spend a lot of time there, or, like me, are contemplating moving there.  They are a fountain of great information, both the good and the bad of living there, and I look forward to meeting them when I go boots on the ground.

Anyway, what exactly does one look for in moving to a foreign country?  First, where in the country do you want to make your home?  The country has four main geographic regions:

• La Costa, or "the coast", which comprises the low-lying land in the western part of the country, including the Pacific coastline. (My selection)
• La Sierra, or "the highlands", is the high-altitude belt running north–south along the center of the country, its mountainous terrain dominated by the Andes mountain range.  A lot of expats live in this belt.  Not sure if it’s the majority but it seems to be.
• La Amazonía, also known as El Oriente, or "the east", comprises the Amazon rainforest areas in the eastern part of the country, accounting for just under half of the country's total surface area, though populated by less than 5% of the population.
• La Región Insular is the region comprising the Galápagos Islands, some 1,000 kilometers (620 mi) west of the mainland in the Pacific Ocean.

Many of the expats live in the Sierra region in Quito (the capital of EC) and Cuenca.  Both are located above 8,000 feet elevation.  Me, with my breathing problems, I’d be dead in a week, so they are immediately excluded from contention.  Plus you know me and my fishing so you know my 1^st priority for a home.

The government is relatively stable, they use the U.S. dollar as their currency, and healthcare is very good in the major cities with American standards hospitals.  Normal everyday medical and dental needs are pretty darn cheap compared to America and you can buy a pretty cheap insurance plan to supplement that.

Safety is an issue everywhere in the world and it is not any more dangerous in EC.  As with anywhere you need to keep a “heads up” when you are in the street.  Keep you money in several pockets and don’t carry more than you need.  Hey I’ve been all over the world so I already have that heads up and, knock wood, I’ve never had a problem.  Of course I have my “don’t f*ck with me” face on when I’m in sketchy areas too.

Transportation is really good here, and cheap.  From what I’ve been told most buses are $1 an hour for chicken buses, similar to Belize.  They also have a good selection of 1^st class buses and vans for those longer trips..  A couple of the cities even have light rail.  So the last 2 are step up from Belize.

Food costs are low.  Fruits and veggies bought in the local markets are ¼ the cost of Belize and the U.S. There are also several large supermarkets that have much more variety than the markets (tiendas) in the smaller towns.

Real estate costs are very affordable in EC but are on the rise because of all the foreign nationals moving there.  Prices of course depend on what geographical area you live in, with the coast being the highest it seems.  I’ve seen new condo listings in the Andes for around $80K.  That doesn’t matter to me though because I don’t want to own anything. I plan to rent either and apartment or small house.  Some of the prices I’ve seen for that on the coast range from $250-$500 depending on how close you are to the center of town.  I’m not citified and I want quiet so I’ll be looking at the lower end of the scale.  A nice yard to garden in would be nice too so that I can save on food costs.  Between that and fishing I can really save!

Ecuador is a BIG surfing destination and hosts quite a few annual events.  Whale watching is a very big thing too.  Mostly humpbacks and you don’t even need a boat.  Lots of museums and cultural events too.

The weather varies depending on the area that you live in and the season of the year.  While the equator runs through EC it is not as hot as you would expect because their weather is affected by an Antarctic current, which flows north.  They have a rainy season along the coast, much like Belize, but because the seasons are opposite (being in the southern hemisphere) so the rainy season is December to May instead of May to October.  Most days are cloudy along the coast during the winter also.  Nothing that I can’t handle though because I’ll still never see snow or freezing weather again!

So anyway there is so much more that you need to research in order to make that decision but the best way is to have boots on the ground and actually experience it.  I’ll be traveling the coast for the entire month of November.  I have a list of about 15 towns that I’d like to see and I’ll narrow that down to 2 or 3.  I plan to go back for 60 days in the January to March timeframe to spend a greater amount of time in those places to see if living there is what I expect it to be. I may also revisit a town or 2 that I visited in November to try them on for size. The reason for coming back and spending time is that too many people go on holiday and fall in love with a place, run home and sell everything, and move back.  Big mistake for a lot people! You have to be able to live with customs, languages, foods (lack of usually), bugs, bad water, etc. that are different from what you are used to. There are quite a few stories here in BZ of people who’ve moved here and spent a lot of money building their dream beach home only to hate the place after spending a couple of months here.  If you talk to anyone who’s made the move they will always caution you to come back and spend “quality time” living where you think you might like to live and to rent, not buy, for the 1^st year to see if living in that country is all it’s cracked up to be.  You all know me and my journey to, and living in, Belize.  I’ve really loved it but sometimes it’s not been pretty. Remember my night in jail?  I know my brother Dave does!  You have to take the good with the bad and hope that the good side weighs down the scale.  Being flexible in any situation is really important.  So, again, spend time, and in different seasons, to get a true feeling for what life in a country will be like before you make that big leap. For me there is nothing more exciting than meeting people of a different culture and learning what their life is all about.  Of course a few expat friends thrown into the mix is always a plus!

I’ll be blogging my way along the coast to give you a feel for the country and the trials and tribulations of operating in a country where you don’t speak the language…yet.  My friend Sheila will be traveling with me for about 2 weeks too so I’ll let her add her 2 cents to the mix so you get a woman’s perspective of the country.

Five more days before I leave for Cancun for my flight to Guayaquil EC and a new adventure.  I'm really excited!

The Fatboy is bound for Ecuador!!!

Some of you already know but for the rest of you I’ve got itchy feet again so it’s time to leave Belize and start an adventure somewhere else.  For the moment I’ve settled on Ecuador in South America and am spending hours every day exploring the country on the Internet and on, of all places, Facebook.  I just booked my first trip to EC for the entire month of November.  That will give me time to travel their Pacific coast cities/towns/villages slowly and look for a couple of places that I think would suit me.  Then after my Orlando Christmas trip (12/18-1/15) I’ll head back for 2 months to spend a good bit of time in the 2-3 places I like best to see if I truly like living there.  Hey you never know I may hate it and stay in Belize or look for somewhere else!  You just never know.  Hence the extended living time there before I decide.  I plan to move sometime around June or July.  Of course it will be hard leaving Kismet.  I have some great friends (especially Trish, Matt & Angie, Bruce, and Ella) and I love living right on the water.  Of course Matt and Angie will visit me in EC for sure! Matt’s open to fishing and diving anywhere.  And living here will force me to learn Spanish!!!

My feet have been itching for a while now and my joke here is that I needed somewhere warmer.  Give me 100 degrees all day every day and I’m a happy boy! And mind you I haven’t live with air conditioning since I moved here 3-3/4 years ago so that’s how much I’ve gotten used to the heat. Sadly my body has acclimated to the Belize weather and I find myself putting a top sheet on my bed at 70 degrees.  Sad isn’t it that a Chicago boy who also lived in NJ for 14 years as well and also spent almost a year in Antarctica has become sissified to the point that he has trouble handling the temperature that is considered “room temperature”?!  Maybe it’s age, maybe it’s the joint pain when the weather turns cool, or maybe it’s just that I need a different view to wake up to every morning.  Who knows?  But that started me thinking about where I saw myself over the next few years of my life.  So off to the internet in search of warmer climes and good fishing.  My requirement is always to be on or near the water so I can fish every day and supplement my food budget and a place to hang my hammock for my 2^nd favorite activity of the day.  But mostly to be outside with a fishing rod in my hands whether I’m catching or not.  Hey what warmer place than on or near the equator?  Pulled up a world map and started looking at countries along the 0 degrees latitude line?  It’s got to have a stable government so I’m not fearing a coup and have to flee.  It’s got to be at least equal to what I’ve found in Belize as far as infrastructure, food/water availability, safety, and friendly people.  Expats aren’t a requirement but a nice group of English speakers (American, Brit, and Canadian) is always a plus as long as they aren’t the dominant population, especially in a country you can’t speak the language of (yet) in case you need help.  Africa and Asia were out because of the time and cost to get back to the U.S. in case of an emergency as well as a few other issues.  That pretty much left South America.  Looking at the CIA website Ecuador was listed as a pretty safe place with a 2^nd world type infrastructure.  Hey that’s a step up from Belize! The country is about the size of Colorado with a population of 15.5 million.  In comparison BZ is about the size of NJ with a population of less than 340,000. Almost the entire western coast of EC is on the Pacific Ocean.  Fishing!!!  It’s a pretty big surfing, diving, and whale watching destination too drawing people from all over the world.  There are 2 international airports and fares to Orlando are around $500 round trip almost year round.  Their currency is the US dollar and any money deposited in a local bank is in US dollars.  That’s a really important thing for me because you don’t lose any money playing the daily exchange rate game and if and when I move again I’ll be able to close my account and get a pocket full of greenbacks.  Here in Belize my bank account is in Belize dollars.  The exchange rate is always two BZ to one US but if I need dollars I have to find someone who has them.  During the high tourist season that’s pretty easy to do but low season forget it.  So I generally keep a couple thousand US in my safe just in case.  I can get $400 a day from my bank but they charge a fee.  Depending on how often you need to do that it can be expensive. I’m going to have some work to do to clear my BZ account and convert it for free.  So a US dollar account is a really nice plus.

I also want somewhere to live that’s cheaper now that I’m living on Social Security.  Belize is one of the most expensive Central American countries to live in.  Granted I’m living on less than $1000 a month here but I’d like to do some traveling and do my annual Christmas trip back to Orlando so any way I can save on daily expenses to accomplish that I’ll take it.  Reading on various real estate websites a fully furnished 2 bedroom apartment can run as little as $250 a month including utilities.  Fruit and veggie prices are rock bottom cheap there too as compared to here.  They’ve gotten pretty expensive with tomatoes, onions, and peppers (my staples) up to $2-$3 a pound now.  They were about ½ that when I first moved here.  Buses are cheaper there too.  From what I’m being told you can expect to spend 25 cents per travel hour.  I pay $8.50 for the 3 hour trip to Belize City.  In EC that would be cut to 75 cents.  From what I've read the taxis are much cheaper as well.  But you can't always believe what you read so that's why you have to go there.  You need to experience it for yourself.

I joined a couple of websites and 2 pages on Facebook sponsored by expats living in EC where I’ve met a nice bunch of people who, like me with Belize, are willing to tell you the good AND the bad of living in their country of choice.  They have been really helpful.  I’ve been invited to contact a lot of them when I get in-country so they can show me around.  So I’m looking forward to my trip.  My flight out of Belize would have cost over $1200 so I booked on COPA Air out of Cancun (through Panama City) for $738.  I’ll have to spend another $84 round trip on the first class Mexican ADO bus but that still saves me almost $400 that I can spend on accommodations and food in EC.

My route will take me along what is called the “Ruta del Sol” all along the coast.  I’m flying into Guayaquil which is on sort of the southern coast and will head north from there.  I’m using the buses instead of spending the $1500+ to rent a car.  I like the chicken buses anyway because they will travel into each place and I’ll get a quick feeling if it’s interesting enough to get off and spend some time.  I found a website that gives a description of a bunch of the towns along the route with places to stay and eat so that’s going to be helpful.  But to use it I have to have internet access.  So I created an excel spreadsheet with a tab for each of the 3 coastal provinces that I want to visit (there are 4 but 1 is too remote) where I’ve listed places that look promising with a list of recommended places to stay and to eat in each village, town, and city in the province. It will give me a starting point and I’ll be updating it as I travel through each region.   I mentioned it on Facebook and I’m being asked to post it after my trip for others to use.

I already have my Fatboy In Ecuador email address all set up…

So that’s my story and I’m sticking to it!  As always practice peace.  Fatboy In Belize…out!!!