What have we been up to?

Wondering what we've been up to? Check out these posts on our US travel blog:

• Rolling right along....
• Where the heck are we?
• NEVER a dull moment!

We will be back in Cuenca on 11/17 and working hard to sell everything before our departure on 12/30. Busy, busy, busy!!

Ciao for now!

Friends, Food and Travel

Moving sure can skew your sense of time! Here it is August already, how did that happen? We have been very busy between our move (DONE), selling items we no longer need (DONE), meeting old and new friends (NEVER STOPS) and attending Spanish classes (TWO MORE WEEKS).

In addition we have been getting ready for our annual trip to the US. We will be gone 2.5 months this time due to taking a two week Southern Caribbean cruise just before our return.

Comparisons - a look back

After hearing so many stories of reverse culture shock upon returning to a home country, I was not sure what to expect. Stu was in the US for three weeks in June but was somewhat preoccupied with our newest grandbaby. I'd been in Ecuador since mid-December, a little over 8 months, before visiting the US again. Here's a recap of what I noticed.

• Everything looked familiar and felt comfortable.
• Seeing the more rural settings, dressed for fall with pumpkins, was warm and soothing to me.
• Eating out - EXPENSIVE! Our first breakfast at Cracker Barrel would have bought all three daily meals in Ecuador.
• Buying food - EXPENSIVE! I'd grown accustomed to the food prices in Ecuador, especially the wonderful fruits and vegetables. When restocking the RV for the first couple of weeks, I spent more than we spend in a whole month in EC, including eating out.
• More than enough power outlets in every room!
• I missed hearing Spanish and trying to figure out what was being said.
• It took a while to remember to put the toilet paper in the toilet and not the trash receptacle.
• SOOOO enjoyed going to the movies, pigging out on popcorn. We've bringing back our Presto Microwave Popper back with us.
• It was fun wearing clothes I hadn't had access to for eight months but it was more fun to open all the packages of clothes that we had bought and had waiting for us.
• I missed the faces and laughter of the children
• I REALLY missed the smiling faces of the locals when I interacted with them. Not that clerks, etc. here in the US don't interact but for the most part, it seems to be on a more complaining level.
• I loved seeing friends here in the US but I also miss our new friends in Cuenca.
• While I enjoyed doing the ordinary here in the US, I missed doing the out of ordinary things we run into in Ecuador.
• FREE coffee refills....what a luxury compared to paying for each cup (especially when sitting and using WiFi).
• I was surprised at how many places now offer free WiFi here in the US. We've used it at our doctor's office, Sam's Club, Denny's, Home Depot, Lowe's, McDonald's, and several other spots. Really handy when shopping.

I'm sure there is more but these were at the top of my head. It has been nice to come back to all our creature comfort and be able to binge out on favorite foods. Not so nice to gain 5+ pounds from that food and the fact we don't walk anywhere. I look forward to getting back to walking around Cuenca, enjoying the sights and taking photos.

Yes, our heart is in two countries now....

Almost Home!

Two months have flown by, as referenced in this blog post on our US blog post:

   Winding down here in the US....

The errands and running around is almost done. Packing is complete - trunks and duffles for checked baggage (total of 6) as well as carry-ons. Reservations made for rental car in Florida, hotel in Guayaquil and transportation from there to Cuenca is also done. Stu has plugged all the holes that he could find under the rig, stuffed them with steel wool and then topped that off with pest repellant expanding foam. That, combined with inside and outside repellant granules and spray, should hopefully cut down on our mouse issue this winter.

Today Stu picked up some brake pads after hearing Scooby's brakes squeal yesterday (our Ford F-250) after fueling up Freddie and adding Sta-bil (our Freightliner). As he got ready to head home a LOUD squeal alerted him to an issue. Looks like the clutch bearings on the A/C compressor have frozen. He disconnected the belt for the ride home - no fan for cooling and no alternator for charging.

Now he's trying to take off the compressor and hopefully get the belt to at least run the fan and alternator. Depending on what he finds we will either finish the repair next year or take it to the local big truck repair place before we leave and have our neighbor bring it home and park it for us.

Still need to do laundry, drop off our trash, pick up the Trike at the Harley dealer (warranty and 1k service), put Sta-bil in during  the trike fuel fill-ups, run a few last minute errands in Cookeville tomorrow and do the final cleaning and winterizing of the RV on Friday. We hope to be on the road by 1-2pm, heading to Atlanta to spend the evening with my youngest daughter and grandkids.

From there we head to Florida for our last two days before flying to Ecuador on Wednesday. We will once again leave Scooby parked at my brother's house and take a rental car to Miami. We arrive in Guayaquil late in the day so we'll spend the night at the Holiday Inn. Our good friend, Emilio, will come pick us up and transport us and our 6 checked bags and our carry-ons back to our apartment in Cuenca.

As much as we've enjoyed our time in the US, enjoying seeing family and friends as well as enjoying the gorgeous fall colors, it will feel good to be back in Ecuador!

A few photos to update you!

We are enjoying our time here in the US, spending time with family and eating all the food treats we can't get in Ecuador (still need to get my Double T Diner Philly Cheese Steak and Rustico's Italian dinner).

Here are a few photos of the grandbabies to tide you over. We are borrowing wifi and so aren't uploading many photos yet.

Jesse (hot pink shorts) takes her soccer seriously.

Her older sister, Olivia, does as well!

The newest, baby Waverly, models the latest hat fashions.

We also took a ride on the new trike over to Ocean City, MD. I had never been and being off-season it was a real treat even though many stores were closed. Thrasher's Fries were first on our list, we walked the boardwalk for what seemed like miles, met some friends that Stu used to work with and talked about living in Ecuador, splurged at Dunkin' Donuts and bought a couple of t-shirts before ending the day at the Frog Bar and Grill. ;) LOTS of photos to follow later...

Tomorrow Stu is going with a couple of buddies to the Dover Nascar races, I hope to get some writing done...or maybe just do a Syfy TV binge. ;) On Monday we move back to our MD driveway home for two weeks before driving the rig back to TN. Still more friends to see, more family time coming and a couple of medical appointments to keep.

We do miss our apartment and our friends. We are looking forward to getting back and starting some Spanish lessons as well as enjoying the upcoming holiday season in Ecuador.

Leaving on a jet plane...

Heading out today...4 hour drive from Cuenca to Guayaquil, plane leaves close to midnight, arrive in Miami around 4am. Work our way through customs, pick up our rental car and get outta Miami quickly! Breakfast stop, then arrive in Vero Beach around 10-11ish. Two days with family before driving back to TN.

Not sure when the next blog will be! ;) Most posts will probably be in our stateside blog - check us out/follow us there.

Six Month Anniversary

Wow! Where did the time go - we arrived in Ecuador six months ago on December 12th. A lot has happened since then but it's still amazing that it's been that long. We stay busy, in fact this was scheduled to post on our anniversary date but I was so busy it got delayed.

We still love it here but do have BIG news...we're moving! We found a wonderful apartment that offers us the two things we are missing in our current spot. An amazing view and a rooftop terrace to enjoy the outdoors. It means a bump in our budget but still close to our initial estimate. For us it's a quality of life issue and we look forward to our new digs.

It's in an 8 floor building that is only two years old. Elevator, 24 hour armed security, secure parking (not that we need that right now), only two apartments per floor, very large and well appointed. We are excited - not sure how our furniture will fit but that will all work itself out.

Back to living here...I have already written two posts about our Preconceptions, Misconceptions and Viewpoints and not much has changed since the last update. The traffic is about the same, we have a new mayor who is putting safety and transportation at the top of his list, the taxis are now metered (although how that is working out is debatable, at least for the taxi drivers), I am seeing a bit of influx on the graffiti side but I also see a lot more official murals around town, we have found that strawberries wane a bit in late May-early June but they seem to be making a comeback, restaurants continue to come and go, we find new businesses all the time and for me, my Spanish is growing slowly. I have had several compliments on my pronunciation, even though I can't roll my R's.

We continue to watch our food choices, not eating out a lot and walking more. With the bicycle in the house, Stu will be using that to continue getting/staying healthy. He is bringing me back a knee brace to help my walking. Since my fall last February, it has continued to bother me at times.

We love the weather even though many days bring a little rain. Often it's just a shower but a month ago we had long downpours. It is getting a little cooler as we move into winter here but I have still been quite warm walking around El Centro midday with bright sunlight.

We will post photos of the new place once we are moved in...needless to say, the next two weeks will be BUSY!!!!

A few Waverly photos

Since the only photos I've shared are when Waverly was born, thought it was time to share a few newer ones.

Stu with his three grandgirls - Jesse, Waverly, Olivia

Sookie loves her Waverly

I promise not to deluge you with photos but wanted to share that momma, daddy and baby are all fine!

She's here! Waverly Kaye was born last night.

Just a quick update - as you may (or may not)know, Stu went back to the US last weekend to be there for the birth of his third grandchild, the first for his youngest. She was due June 4th and made her appearance on June 5th at 3:32 AM, weighing in at a healthy 7 lbs, 8 oz.

Here is the proud grandfather, known as Daddoo to his grandkids, waiting along side Melissa.

Here is the gorgeous little baby Waverly getting cleaned up, being adored by her parents and making her official appearance!

And finally, here is a sign all grandfathers can appreciate, I know Stu does...LOL!

He's leaving me! Just kidding...somewhat

Stu leaves tomorrow to head back to Maryland for the birth of his youngest's baby girl. She is due June 4th, hoping she can wait for him to arrive LATE Sunday night. I can't wait to see little Waverly, so glad we have both Facetime and Skype working.

He plans to stay about three weeks but that is open ended until the baby is born and both mother and daughter are okay. He'll see the rest of his family and friends while there.

He's already "muling" back a lot of items that we have ordered, including my laser printer. Lots of long sleeved shirts, a few fleece vests, some food items we can't get here, etc.

Last night I read about a $200 off special on the 13" MacBook Pro and we pulled the trigger on TWO of them. Not sure he'll be able to bring both back but we hope so since we have read we can bring one new and one used computer back into Ecuador. The nice thing is for $300 more, each, than the base model I was going to buy, we get twice the memory and quadruple the disk space.

Happy campers...well, for now. The learning curve may be interesting. I've already started a list of comparable software for the programs I use, have to get back to that now so I'm prepared.

Most of the time he is gone I will be working on book three of my Klondike Mystery Novels. If you haven't read them yet, might want to grab the first one, Not a Whisper, and see how you like it. You'll also want to download the FREE Klondike Kompanion, interviews with some of the characters.

I'll leave with a shot of two adorable little girls who posed for us at Mall del Rio a while ago. The kids here are so gorgeous, dark eyes and wide smiles!

My Top FIVE List of Surprises

Any time you visit some place new, you will find things that are different. Some are fun, some require creativity and some are a little shocking. While some of these might not have been a surprise to all folks visiting, these are the ones I consider at the top of MY list.

1.) Size - every thing seems to smaller and not just the people. Paper towels, paper napkins, sanitary napkins, toilet paper...hmmm, I see a theme here. Something to do with paper? Well, we discovered that standard copy/printer paper is larger. Yup, not our traditional 8 1/2" x 11". Oh yeah, they use the metric system here. File folders are bigger and most we've found are legal size. I did get some letter size, Ecuadorian letter size, but they are really thin. Adding to the mule list - index cards and file folders.

2) Unless you've visited Mexico, the fact that you shouldn't flush toilet paper is one of the biggies for most folks. Cuenca is a very old city and most plumbing won't handle the TP (or anything else not produced by your body). There are a few newer buildings where it's not an issue but we just go along with the standard and use the trash bin.

You will often see signs but not always. Just do it. ;)

But that's not the only thing. My first visit to the public restrooms at the big mall here, Mall del Rio, had me glad that I always carry tissues with me. While I had read that many public rest areas require you to get your TP before you enter your stall, I had forgotten that little tidbit.There are also public restrooms in more open areas, close to parks, shopping areas, etc. and there you will pay the attendant ten cents to get your little stash of TP.

Most folks wonder about the odor, expecting bathrooms to smell like a Porta-Potty at a biker event. Not so...you are not disposing of the actual waste and that accumulation in the bottom of the portable outhouse is what smells. The TP dries quickly and only if left in a closed container for too long, is there any odor. We use plastic bins with garbage bags and I've never noticed any odors. Garbage is picked up on a regular basis here so if you keep your trash emptied, you're good to go!

Oh, and if you want to read a GREAT blog post about this, check out fellow author Kathryn McCullough's recent blog post.

3.) While wandering around town, we often see whole pigs roasting at roadside tiendas. They hack off a slice and serve it with rice, plantains and soup. While it smells very good and I can handle seeing the pig, we haven't been brave enough to eat at any place that hasn't been recommended by other expats. I know, not all that adventurous but better for our health. Our good friend, Emilio, a local resident spend a weekend in the hospital after eating some empanadas at a roadside spot in Quito.

Photo courtesy of S. Turpin, Facebook Ecuador Expats Group

Photo courtesy of K. James, Facebook Ecuador Expats Group

But even if you can seemingly handle seeing whole pigs roasting as you walk/ride around town, this next one might get you. Eating guinea pig or cuy (in Spanish) - we haven't done this yet but we have seen the roasting spits and signs for them. They are considered quite a delicacy as well as being tasty. The hardest part was seeing live guinea pigs for sale at the local markets (mercados). You know they aren't being sold as pets. We also have learned that many folks who live in more rural areas raise their own guinea pigs for eating. Gulp!

Photo courtesy of K. James, Facebook Ecuador Expats Group

Photo courtesy of N. Turpin, Facebook Ecuador Expats Group

Photo courtesy of  B. Rand, taken in Banos while on a
motorcycle tour with Ecuador Freedom Bike Rental

Photo courtesy of  B. Rand, taken in Banos while on a
motorcycle tour with Ecuador Freedom Bike Rental

4.) Public displays of affection between young couples are everywhere! If you frequent the parks or the river trails, you will see them huddled together exchanging whispers and kisses without regard for anyone around them. It's actually quite endearing!

In addition, families go everywhere together - mothers and daughters are often seen hand in hand. Older children carry younger ones, hold their hands and watch over them - regardless of age difference. We spent several days at both the immigration office and the civil registry office while getting all our legal things tied up. One person needs to come in to get something done but the whole family (multi-generational) all come with them. Fun to watch!

5.) While the above is enjoyable, there is one public display that isn't quite as palatable for most. Public urination is against the law in Cuenca but obviously enforcing that law is a chore and mostly ignored. Most men are discreet, at least during the day. We've seen wives along the riverbank holding up a blanket or shirt with their husband behind it. The worst part is walking the streets of El Centro on a warm day. You learn which corner locations are the worst and avoid them. Sorry folks, this is a reality here. You learn to deal with it or you avoid the historic downtown area.

I am sure I could think of more things but these are the ones that struck me the most. If you've ever visited a foreign country, what was YOUR biggest surprise?

Getting closer to our flight!

We've had a great time with friends, enjoying a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner here in FL. We all ate too much, watched some good TV and just chatted about everything and nothing.

We don't do Black Friday shopping but I needed to pick up a prescription at the local Walmart and wanted to try to get the new Garth Brooks CD/DVD set, "Blame It All On My Roots". We also needed to visit a bank and the post office. So around 1 pm on Friday we headed out...well, I guess here in "seniorland" everyone was napping because there were no crowds. We got all our errands done and back to the house without a hitch. Oh yeah, got my Garth set - they had plenty. (Stu is happily ripping them to his computer now.)

Now we're getting ready to head out on our cruise tomorrow. We won't be checking in so things will be quiet until a week from Sun/Mon. On our return, we then travel to the east coast to visit family for a few days before renting a large SUV and heading to Miami for our flight to Ecuador.

EXCITED!!!!!!