Fishing

     This morning the local fishers were right outside on our beach at low tide. They row long wooden boats out past the surf and drop the center of their long net. Meanwhile their crew on the beach holds onto the ends of the net. Then the boat comes back in and working with the surf they slowly pull the net back. As many as twenty fishers now roll the fish towards the center of the net while still in the surf. Eventually they have a big pile of fish that they load up on to waiting pickup trucks. Then they carefully load the net back up into the boat, roll the boat up on to the beach and lift it up into one of the big pickups and drive away. There were four different groups doing this this morning and they all seem to help when the net pulling starts up. It looks very physical. Stay tuned for pictures.

     Our surfing teacher today said that the there are more stingrays at low tide so our first lesson is tomorrow afternoon at high tide. That fits with my sting ray experience. My stings don't hurt anymore but the are two dime sized red swollen spots on my ankles. I will not provide pictures. 

     It is not always sunny here. Mornings are frequently cloudy. Sometimes it burns away, sometimes not. One of the Ecuadorians I know says that this part of the coast that we are on seems to be like this. It is so spectacular when the light hits the water and the sea turns from grey to blue. 

     Yesterday was Epiphany. Locals matched around town with a band. Many señores y señoritas were walking along costumed as a king or the Madonna with child. They were followed by kids, families, and dogs. It was a festive atmosphere for our dinner on the street. We had yummy pork chops with beans and rice.  

     We are busy making plans for the rest of our trip. This weekend we are going up the beach to a little town called Puerto Lopez that is in the middle of a national park. We will ride out to an island and go up into the dry forest (really a desert). We will return here to the beach for the rest of Januaury. Then we will be in Cuenca, an old colonial city and day trip from there to Incan ruins, hot springs and other places for two weeks. From there we will spend a couple of days each at a couple of towns between Cuenca and Quito known as the Avenue of the Volcanoes. This will be during Carnaval. Then we will spend as much as two weeks in Quito with days trips out to places like the large market in Otavalo. And take a 3-5 day trip to the upper Amazon. That should fill us up. Stay tuned. 

Stingrays

     Opportunities to write blog entries come to me. I don't really need to think them up. You should know that stingray stings are NOT fatal. There was that crazy Australian crocodile guy who died from a sting but that was because he was handling it and it stung him through the heart.

     I only got stung once in each ankle. While I said it was NOT fatal it sure does hurt. Cael and Lumia and I went out to in low tide this morning. We were standing in the surf when I felt a quick stab in each foot. When I pulled them up out of the water a decent trickle of blood was coming out of two little holes.

     When we first came here I looked up dangerous animals. I learned that there were few dangerous animals in the ocean and they are very rare especially in our shallow surf. Out further there are sharks but they keep away from people. Locals had mentioned stingrays but said that they were very rare. So this morning I was not to worried that I was in danger but I thought I should go into town to see the doctor just in case. 

     Both of my inside ankles were stung just above my callus pad. Both bled a bit until they were all covered with sand. They hurt quite a bit but could still limp along at a pretty good clip. I told Steph that I was heading up the beach for medical advice. Cael walked up the beach with me. 

     First we looked for surf teachers but none were out this morning and there were no life guards on duty this low tourist day. So we walked into town to our Spanish teacher. I figured we knew her and should could at least point us to a clinic. 

     Ivonne looked a bit shocked but quickly got out a candle, lit it and dripped the hot wax on my stings. I was skeptical but the pain did go away some. She then told me how to get to the town doctor. By now Cael started to cry and said he was scared. He has always been sensitive to others pain. 

    Doctor Villalta-Cadena was not stressed out about it so I quickly relaxed. There was only one other patient in his office. The geriatric gentleman finished up his appointment, got his medications and left. I asked Dr VC if there was concern about poison and in his broke English said I only had to be concerned about pain and infection. He said I was lucky because I got stung twice. He said he had never see that. He gave me two shots of lidocaine at the sites and cleaned me up with a strong antiseptic. He gave me two doses of Lanimex to take, a medication much like ibuprophen. By now Steph and Lumia caught up and paid the doctor $16.50. A deal. He said I can go right back to swimming as long as I cleaned them up and applied antibiotic cream.

     Now that I am home I looked up those stingrays and I am indeed not in danger. The candle thing actually has a basis in science. Stingray venom protein breaks down with heat. They suggest hotpacks, hot sand, hot water. 

     How is that for a fun morning? The pain is almost gone. Only hurts when I poke it. 

A town in Ecuador

     I'm getting more used to this little town and I am noticing less the trash and dogs. Now I am noticing the people and their lives. Every other little house has a shop on the lower floor that sells bottled water or rotisserie chicken or washes your clothes. Everyone is busy with family, work or sitting in the shade to avoid the heat. Most people meet your eye and say hola or buenos dias. Few speak English but show little irritation with my poor communication attempts.  

     Construction is everywhere in a madcap crookedness that would make any American lawyer faint. Scaffolding is made of teetering bamboo wrapped in rebar. Now that the vacationers are back in the big cites the streets are empty of traffic and the kids are wandering around after school, two to a bike or in small groups. The hippies and surfers hangout one town down and the expats look dazed. 

     We are doing our best to not get sun burnt and keep busy. Home work is getting done. Lots of books are getting read. Tonight was dinner and game night. We are not used to slowing this far down. 

     Maybe soon I will be handle a sentence in Spanish but don't hold your breath. During lessons I notice the bits that I can use on my job and setting those aside to practice more later. Now I will sign out of this ramble with buenos noches. 

1/3/15 Rain in Paradise

It rains even here. Last night and this morning rain fell and I was cloudy all day. It knocked down the humidity and it was mereley warm not hot. It may have also driven away the weakest of vacationers. The vacationers here are mostly Ecudorians from the interior who come to the coast to catch the breeze and play in the ocean. For those of us who are living here a bit longer it clogs the infrastructure and taps out the water pressure and bandwidth. The roads are clogged but our favorite spot in the beach still had an open table. I love eating at a teasurant with my feet in the sand.

Stephanie's Voice

     'We have been in Ecuador two weeks now. Tonight we are hearing the strains of American show tunes from one of the very fancy houses right north of Sandra's. I must say that is much preferred over the disco thump thumping a couple nights ago from the house south of us along with the screaming youngsters having fun. Fireworks continue to dot the evening as well.
     Last night was WILD with so many fireworks and burning effigies up and down the beach. The weather wasn't super beautiful so the beach wasn't overflowing with Ecuadorians; we were with the English people we've met having a BBQ and had a lovely time. Anna, Andy and Lily who's 7 have lived here for two years. Andy teaches for Cambridge university teaching others how to teach English.
     The issues we have had have made the time a bit bumpy, but we are settling into a routine with Spanish lessons mon wed and fri. Swimming usually twice a day. Procuring food we like and cooking take up more time when central market isn't around the corner and the modern cookware and gadgets are limited.
     We are riding on the neighbors wifi coat tails, so we'll see how long this reliable connection works for us.
     The primary issues have been enough hot water, getting the work completed on the remodel, a work in progress, and slow or no internet. We are not complaining - it had just impacted our ability to get organized.
     The little town of Olón seems pretty typical for the villages along the coast. Many of the locals live in concrete or cinder block houses where they only paint the side that faces the street. Even though their house might have multiple floors, that doesn't mean all floors are actually built out. Few have windows or doors and the furnishings are very modest. I have noticed many a dining table as the fanciest element with the chairs covered in plastic. And, then right around us we are surrounded by very opulent houses with staff to serve their owners with drinks on the beach and keep the place maintained during the non-vacation times.
     The locals are quick to greet you with a smile, so we do try to get our beunos _____ (Dias, tardes and noches) correct. I find myself responding in German often and then realize that's probably even less likely than English for them to understand! We are getting by with simple words and lots of gestures. The language lessons should help us out.
     I believe Paul's posting more pics on Flickr tonight along with a quick blog post.
     We will stay out here on the beach through January, but no longer. We are way the heck out here and want to explore other parts of the country. we have booked a place in Cuenca feb 1-15. Then we will head north to Quito and perhaps make a side trip to the Amazon.
      Please feel free to email us (SPCL.SH@gmail.com) as that is the best way to communicate. You can also text us if your need is more urgent.'

-Stephanie. I used your email because it was full of good info 

Dogs

     Animal lovers may not want to read this. I may have mentioned that there are stray dogs all over town. Lots of very scruffy mutts and a few distinguishable breeds. The breeded dogs are usually on leashes but the others are free to roam. They are not looked after and are pretty beat up. I have seen more dog gonads than I have ever wished to see. We are frequently dodging poop. One of my least favorite activities. They are true dogs in the sense that there are packs and dominate animals. They are also sometimes aggressive with each other and with us. Locals say that it is always a good idea to keep a rock in hand to either distract them or whack them. Imagine our surprise when this morning when we saw two tired and sad looking dogs laying on the beach this morning who when they tried to get up and walk were still stuck together. They looked very confused. Some of the expats are a bit disgusted with the lack of dog supervison and are thinking of starting a spay neuter program. Good luck.

Life is every where

     I made the kids walk up and down the beach today and not go into the water for the sole purpose of looking at life  They were reluctant at first and whiny but by the end were turning over rocks and digging in the sand. We found 3 different types of crab. Sand Dollars. Little surface skimmers with conical shells about a centimeter long. A weird purple jelly fishy thing that we named the Sea Mushroom. We found a big old oyster shell with at least two other kinds of creatures living on its shell.
      I wonder what is the limit for things living on other things. Bacteria on bacteria on parasites on little creatures on bigger creatures, How many layers are supported?