CLOSING TIME IN ECUADOR

Flights are booked and closing time is at hand. Leaving for Guayaquil on July 20th from Miami. Should arrive in Ecuador that evening. Closing the next day and then the next few days getting stuff for El Delfin Feliz. Then back Miami on July 26th.

Excitement building as things progress and the loose ends begin to come together. Still lots of ends...but hey, it's coming along, but most of what must be done has to be done in Ecuador. So...until next post..

OFFER ACCEPTED...ECUADOR HERE I COME!!!

We just received confirmation from the owner of the house that the offer has been accepted. Final arrangements are being made for closing which will go much faster than expected. Another trip to Ecuador for the paperwork in the next few days and residience to be established there as soon as possible.

Can't wait to explore the possiblities that await. The owner just told us that the whales are passing by a stones throw away from the back yard.

So, quite soon, I'll be sitting here watching them as they traverse to their mating grounds or waters near Puerto Lopez. How cool is this?

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ECUADOR, LA VIDA FANTASTICA

Inbox full of messages touting foreign countries where the living is easy, beautifully exotic, breathtaking views...all at a fraction of the cost of most other places, especially where you are living now; does any of this ring a bell with you? Well, it had been pounded into my brain for so long that extensive internet searches were conducted. Endless pages of material on various countries examined until it jumped off the page and smacked me right in the face. Infected me with the desire to explore the alleged paradise at any cost, to become one with the world around me?? Nope, but it did give me the brilliant idea of possibly retiring to a more affordable, slower paced and exotically beautiful beach town. Ecuador thusly became the mainstay of all thoughts and all actions were geared toward that end. With that in mind, let's go!

Searching for affordable flights from Miami/Ft. Lauderdale/West Palm Beach, Florida proved exhausting, but it was done about 2 weeks prior to our departure on June 7th, 2006 @ 0750 hours, Miami-Panama-Guayquil, Ecuador. Sluggishly, up at 4 in order to finalize preparations and be at the airport 2 hours prior to departure. 2.5 hours early, the scurry to check-in and the security checks and at the gate 30 minutes prior to departure. Unfortuantely, row 25, port side, the very last aisle. Seats in this row don't recline, the leg space is less than any other row, and of course the passengers in front insisted on reclining their seats. Isn't that the way it always seems to be? Almost three hours later, Panama was a relief. Once the legs were finally unfolded and stretched a bit, it was off to immigration and customs for the Panamanian government. Then to our next gate for another 30 minute wait. This time, Exit row seats with leg room and comfort. Oh yes, stretch those legs, tilt that seat back..make yourself at home for the next 2 hours. Nap time...ZZZZZZ....ZZZZZZ.....ZZZZZZ!

Next stop Guayaquil (pronounced: goo eyeah kill), the first stop in the Ecuadorian adventure. A car was reserved through Hertz. It was a great little low profile economy car (Charade) with a 5-speed manual shift. The intent here was to make our way to the southern coast of the Guaya province, Salinas, then take the coastal road the 140 kilomters to our destination of Montanita. Fat chance of that happening. Traffic in Guayaquil was chaos. No marked lanes on the roads, no sense of order at all! All you hear are horn toots and here comes someone cutting in front of you. No road signs, making things a challenge to say the least, and the wild drivers were both to blame for missing our turn and ending up going north rather than southwest (have to blame something other than self, you know). At any rate, we ended up north of our destination almost 100 kilometers. So, we finally found the coastal road and began making our way south. Hunger and fatigue won, so it was time to stop. In a small fishing village, Machililla (mock ill eee ya), we found a hotel on the beach with two beds and private bath for $8 each. The inn keeper saw us driving around looking at the area and ran into the street to get us to stay at the Hotel Machililla. How could we say no! So off to our rooms to unload our bags. Expressing that we were hungry, Jose took us across the street to the restaurant where we dined on grilled shrimp (lots of them), rice, potatoes and fried green bananas...get this.. $6 bucks each.

From the balcony down the beach in Machililla

Straight out from the balcony of the Hotel Machililla

The table and restaurant in Machililla where we had dinner

Up the beach in Machililla


From here, it was on toward Montanita. The road was quite easy to drive the. coastal highway providing many photo ops, but we waited until Puerto Lopez. This is a small village noted for "whale watching". It seems these guys come here annually (June-November) to mate! It was in a guide book that we learned of this terrific spot and the Hotel Mandala where, by the way, we found great cabins, the individual kind with a private bath and HOT water unlike the Hotel Machililla which gave me the huge wake up with the "cold" water only showers..yeow! The food here was also tasty and offered a good variety. Cost was a tad more but reasonable none the less. $24 each night ($12 each person) plus food and taxes. $6-8 dinners....unbelievable but true.

Path to our cabin at the Hotel Mandala

The Caballito del Mar cabin (Sea Horse)

Two twin beds with mosquito nets (we didn't need them) in our little cabin

The front door to our cabin with the bathroom at the back

These cabins were set within a jungle-like garden with small crushed shell pathways to each one. The vegetation was lush and in bloom, my favorite being the Angel Trumpets. They were everywhere and various colors as well.

Since Montanita is just a small village that attracts surfers from all over the world, you would expect to see lots and lots of bikini clad beauties and shirtless, beach shorted dudes..and we were not disappointed in this respect. In fact everyone was telling us to keep a look out for boobies. Now that got my attention!! Boobies are supposed to be everywhere, or so we were told. I have to say that we went almost the entire trip without seeing boobies...but finally..a fantastic pair of boobies...and I got to sneak a snapshot of them! It had to be taken very discretely so as not to alarm anyone..but it was managed..and now it is posted proudly in this entry. Hope you like what you see as much as I did.

Here you have the blue-footed boobies on the left and the red-footed boobies on the right. Actually, I really didn't see boobies this trip, but next time at the Galapagos or La Isla de La Plata, we shoud find them in abundance. Hope you weren't expecting something different on a family friendly blog~ hehehe

Back to the business at hand and the reason for being in Montanita...the guest house/restaurant/bar on the beach that is for sale and the 10 room guest house just behind it on the beach that was also for sale. Quite the deal in the prime location, but we were saddned to see that the beach access to the restaurant/bar had been walled
off.

Side view of the place

Roadside view of the place

Front side view of the place

While walking the beach in front of the house this child came up with a grin on his face wanting to be in the picture. Couldn't resist. In the mean time, a wave broke against the sea wall and splashed me..I was not amused!

Damp and salty..just the way I like it! Nice beach shot, however, in front of the Montanita house.

The FUNKY MONKEY is a noted restaurant/bar/hotel in downtown Montanita. It is mentioned in the Ecuador guide book and in personal reviews as a favorite spot..we continued to walk the streets of the village..stopping at a vendor to buy a blanket and at a cafe for pizza! Ecuador and pizza..something about that just does NOT seem right!

Loved the mural painted on the side of this building. I hope it shows up as well once it is posted. The adjacent lot is for sale...hmmm!

Now this what this village is all about, for the tourists that visit here, that is! EL ENCANTO DEL SURF! This sign says it all and is the life blood of this little village.

The 60 km drive from Montanita to Puerto Lopez along the coastal highway was beautiful. Pristine beaches along the way with quaint little fishing villages nestled in along the bays. No big resorts, no concrete and no asphalt jungles...just water, sand and open spaces.

It was a must stop for a photo op at this juncture. The village nestled at the ocean's edge; quiet, peaceful and serene..the island and cliffs in the background...man was I getting a sensory overload with the sights and the fresh clean air. Doug was smiling big as well..as he should have been.. I was doing ALL the driving as he doesn't drive stick!

Even I had a chance for a picture..a time out from driving and a leg stretch; even managed a bit of a smile.

On the way back down to Montanita from Puerto Lopez, we saw this flock of birds, many of them diving in into the ocean in a frenzy. There must have been schools of little fish just beneath the surface

and they were filling their little bellies. Note the white water splashes in the middle of the photo.

It was 30 km north of Montanita that we saw it! We had passed it several times and wanted to see it, but this time the gate was open. So we pulled off the road to park and walked down the drive of a fantastic house on the beach that was for sale.

With a landscaped yard, the blue-roofed white house looked palacial amidst the trees and shrubs. The gardener met us and escorted us to the house.


The closer we got to the house, the more enthralled we became. With the gardener's shack on the right and the big house just in front of us we really didn't know what to expect as the door opened and the owners greeted us.


Awestruck is an understatement when I walked into the main room. Kitchen to left, sun room straight ahead, living room to the right, and an open patio beyond the sun porch...all of this looking onto the back yard

which gave way in turn to the most exquisite expanse of beach I've ever seen.

At the edge of the yard..yep, the beach to the left..


and to the right


And when I turned back to the house, this is what took my breath away..


Each side of the house has a ocean view room upstairs and downstairs..with a bathroom in each, plus 4 more bedrooms (2 and 2) with two more bathrooms shared (2 and 2).


the mirrored image other side of the house..


This spectacular place employs a full time maid and gardener. The gardener's sons keep their fishing boat on the beach at the property and came in that day with a fresh catch of halibut which they happily dressed for the owners.

Well this did it for me. I knew that I had to be here, so, it looks like Ecuador will be a new adventure and lifestyle for me. Dreams do come true, and all those emails you might get enticing you to "paradise"...well...sometimes it pays to check them out!! So, plans are being made for a return to set the house up as a guest house to accomodate the tourists that venture to the pacific for surfing or whale watching..or just seeking a place to relax and get away from it all. With delicous meals (prepard by yours truly), wonderful ambiance of the sea and the breeze and comfortable accomodations with HOT water and cocktails...did someone say cocktails? I'll take a sea breeze on the patio, please! From all of us at El Delfin Feliz (The Happy Dolphin) we hope to see you soon. More details will be posted as they become available.

NEWS FLASH NEWS FLASH NEWS FLASH NEWS FLASH
We just got word from the owner that the offer has been accepted and the paperwork has started for closing as soon as possible.

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