Sketches of Cuenca #8 - New Gringo in Cuenca

Its been a sport in the USA for years to beatup McDonald's. Their sin?, offering food which generates repeat business. No enterprise can do otherwise and survive. Ronald's employer thrives with 33,000 stores
around the world. Blamed for the millions of excess pounds on gringo frames in North America, McD began offering fruit and salad. Critics continued to hammer the chain, so it offered detailed nutritional information.
Critics remained unhappy. But the criticism is misdirected. Its the public, the heavy and thin, who buy the burgers. Behavior and lifestyle are the cause, not the availability of addictive and fattening fare. Ron can sit
out in front of the store (see location on map) but its up to me to resist.

I can walk several miles a day. I can choose a route that takes me past a market or two. When I get home again I've got that evening's dinner and breakfast for the following day. Somehow Cuenca makes this easy
and normal. Well, it is for the locals and has been since Inca times.  Here it just happens, unless one forces the old lifestyle into the new environment. If an expat takes a cab instead of walking, they are passing
up a great opportunity, one built into their new lives. What and where we eat and how we get to our source of food is a personal decision. So lets give Ron a break, it is not his fault.

-Glen Birbeck www.glensketch.me

Sketches of Cuenca #5 - Buddy Winston

 Born in Brooklyn NY, Buddy Winston worked in Hollywood for years. He wrote the monologs for Jay Leno. He resides now in Cuenca but is another expat from Santa Barbara, a town that seems to be well represented here.

He is also a comedian, painter, playwright & no doubt more, but lets focus on his art. Several of his paintings are hung in the Artebamba Gallery. When I suggested he was the classic "Renaissance Man", he said no, he has invented his own term, "Reniscience".

His recent novel, "Out of Buddy Experience" is available on Amazon and is getting great reviews. Said Leanna Palermo, "What a rush! What an amazing journey! It’s like Indiana Jones was caught moonlighting as a comedian during an outlandish escapade, and what follows is a sometimes

unbelievable ride through Asia and the jungles of Hollywood, USA".  Santa Barbara's loss is Cuenca's gain. Buddy Winston, a unique addition to the expat community.   Glen Birbeck -www.glensketch.me

Do you NEED Spanish in Ecuador?

Ecuador is a Spanish speaking country, but can you get by if you do not know any Spanish?

Regardless of what you have heard, Ecuador is a Spanish speaking country.  Many locals do not speak English.  It is not expected of them to understand you.  Therefore,  It is essential to learn Spanish in order to experience "del buen vivir" (the good life) you seek.  Learning Spanish will help you communicate with native Ecuadorians and prevent being involved in awkward situations socially.  READ MORE  (links to Middleoftheworld.com for the full story)

Love these Avocados.

The Avocados here are delicious! For those who enjoy a quick little snack of Ecuador goodness in between articles here on the blog, like our Facebook page:

Post by The Middle of the World Ecuador Travel and Living.

Sketches of Cuenca #4 - Elya from Amsterdam

Elya is a tall Dutch woman I met one morning in Cuenca.  She was visiting for just a couple of days, taking a break while her boyfriend Climbed Chimborazo. The altitude would have been too much for her she said.  Elya had some trouble in Peru adapting to the thin air.  She described being sick on the bus from Lima to

Cuzco.  She'll rejoin her partner, a gymnast, after he does the volcano.  They will then head

into the jungle, the Oriente of Ecuador.

How long will you be there? I ask, "Until, whenever" Elya replied. They don't have to return to Europe for several months.

Back home in Amsterdam she is a Producer of short videos.  She says her Spanish is not so good

but like most Europeans she speaks several languages.  Her English is fine.  Elya suggests that her German is so-so.  She was born in a little town in southern Holland but now calls Amsterdam home.

I ask her what production she most enjoyed.  "Working on a documentary in India".  The subject was the rights of woman. She enjoys her work but looks forward to settling down to a home and children some day.

What other travel adventures have you had?  I ask, "The burning man festival in NV".  Her eyes lit up describing the event and the wreck of an old truck she and a friend drove to reach the festival.  The truck's existence ended there in the desert.  She spoke nostalgically of the feeling she had when the giant effigy was lit.  Everyone was quiet, tens of thousands of people in the desert staring at a burning giant.

Best of luck in the Oriente Elya.

-Glen Birbeck www.glensketch.me

Sketches of Cuenca #3 - Amelia and the Artebamba Gallery

I ask Amelia what first brought her to Cuenca. She answered, "Love" OK, What keeps you in Cuenca?, With the smile that never seems to leave her face she again said, "Love". Some guy? I suggested, "I fell in love with Cuenca" she answered and explained why. "From the start I sensed a tranquil easy vibe here" she continued, "the only hard part of living here is missing people in Santa Barbara". That's where she is
"from" when anyone asks. But, she explains, "I've been all over".

Amelia has been in Cuenca since late 2013 and from the beginning the gallery at the corner of Hermano Miguel and Juan Jaramillo had been her base.

She isn't new to running a gallery but as with most things it's a little different in Cuenca. For example, between greeting visitors and organizing the shifting collection of art, she paints. Not unknown in the states but not common either, the combination studio gallery is more the rule in Cuenca. In the states its different . Working in a gallery in Santa Barbara she wouldn't be painting, she wouldn't be wearing an artist's smock and she couldn't let her hair down as she can in the city of four rivers. Its more laid back in Cuenca. The pretentiousness and high prices are missing. Amelia thinks buyers here are more driven by feelings when they select art. Less by cold calculation. Maybe that's the lower prices. Maybe its the mood of the city...maybe both. With so many expats decorating newly acquired houses and apartments the gallery is a success.  Her artists are from everywhere. North Americans, Latin Americans from other parts of the continent, Cuencanos and other Ecuadorianos. From them Amelia selects mostly paintings but also sculptures and decorative items.  She has an experienced eye but is often surprised and delighted too by what people sometimes find irresistible. Its "Love" she says. "They see an artwork and fall in love" Who can fathom love? To find out if Cupid has an arrow (and art) with your name on it, visit Artebamba when you're in town.


-Glen Birbeck www.glensketch.me

Arasha Resort - Ecuador coastal Rain Forest adventure.

 I Decided it would be a good idea to take my family on a few days vacation.  We went to a place called Arasha in the coastal Rain forest of Ecuador on the road to Puerto Quito (and Tonsupa) from Quito.

We arrived at the resort around 10:00 AM after a quick breakfast in Nanegalito with the hummingbirds entertaining us.  Super peaceful.  Our entertainment was sponsored by Cafe Armadillo restaurant.  

Watch out!  hummingbird attack!:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trHcpgeCYGI

 Upon arrival we went straight to the pool, which was quite warm and comfortable, then we hit the jacuzzi, for a bit of unwinding and relaxation.  We also enjoyed a session on how to make chocolate and a few hikes into the Jungle including some swimming in the Rio Verde which features two Cascadas (waterfalls).   

I would write about this forever, but since I took a bunch of pics and you can find them on our Facebook  page, I will let the pics do the talking.

Post by The Middle of the World Ecuador Travel and Living.

Sketches of Cuenca #2 - Glen Birbeck - Craig and Lucy of the Wind Horse Cafe

Lucy is from Ohio, Craig from Minnesota. They married in 1974 and after graduating from college bought land in Wisconsin and started farming. They tried different crops but after a while turned their simple homestead into a dairy farm. That activity lasted twenty three years. At that point they sold the older part of the herd and moved to Nicaragua.
















In Nicaragua they worked on a co-op dairy farm for a year. Lucy found she loved Spanish and after returning to the States she studied to be a teacher of Spanish. Having regular jobs plus the cows to take care of proved to be too much. A stint in the Peace Corps in Ecuador followed.

Eventually they found themselves in Cuenca with a building at the corner of Hermano Miguel and Calle Larga. They turned this into the Wind Horse Cafe. As followers of the Shambala tradition of Buddhism, Craig and Lucy offer space for meditation upstairs and a welcome to all. Providing a place for travelers to pause and refresh is an ancient Buddhist tradition.

The Wind Horse opens its doors five days a week to a variety of travelers. Expats from North America, European back packers, Cuencanos, all find a welcome and food that is reassuring in its familiarity or slightly exotic. Each visitor has a unique story and reason for being in Cuenca. Operating a restaurant is a lot
of effort anywhere. The paperwork, taxes and local requirements are a challenge, but Craig says they deal with it. Craig believes the work is made easier by the sense of community.

The couple return to the states annually on average .  "We're not getting rich", Craig says, "but we are making a living". In their off time they travel in Azuay province or relax in their beautiful house in the country at the edge of town. They've had the cafe for about 18 months and figure to hold this tack five years before altering
course again.

Their random acts of kindness, hard work and sincere hospitality will make them conspicuous where ever they land in the future.


-Glen Birbeck www.glensketch.me

About Glen Birbeck: 

Glen Birbeck found his southern home in Cuenca three years ago. Since then he has developed his Spanish and been  active in the Cuenca Writers Group.  Painting and drawing are pastimes.  He also enjoys building electronic gadgets and (kinetic) art.

Sketches of Cuenca #1. An Intro- Glen Birbeck

Humans are story tellers. Much of any culture is the collection and retelling of stories. The personal, the group, all have their myths and histories. Stories which tell where we've been and where we're going. In the present context we are emigrants to Ecuador. we come from North America, from Europe, from every part of the globe.  Our paths trace new stories. 

My efforts will be to sketch a few of these tales. My own story is fairly typical. My nationality is Estado Unidense, USA. I grew up as an Air Force brat. As WW2 cooled down & the cold war heated up My family moved from Nebraska, where I was born in 1946, to Japan. Then Arizona to England, Greece to North Africa (Libya). When I was seventeen, not having had enough, I joined the USN, and years later, the Air Force. That added Germany, Iceland and Spain to the list. 

Was all this travel a factor in my expatriation to Ecuador? Maybe, it got me used to moving and to accommodating a new culture. Then in 2010 for the first time, I flew into the Southern Hemisphere. My tourist visa allowed a month in Quito and two months in Cuenca. That was my introduction to Ecuador. I liked it.  Eventually I had all the documents and was granted residency as a pensioner.  

Cuenca has been my home since then. I go north to Maine when the weather there allows.  I keep a studio in Cuenca and a camp in the Maine woods.  Going back and forth, the snow bird life, is more a psychological problem than an expense. It takes a hardy plant to be pulled out of the soil every year and replanted four thousand miles away. But, maybe I am playing out those early years. maybe it's inherent in me and only amplified by experience. 

I have to suspect it's me because my sister and brother stay firmly rooted in the stony soil of the pine tree state. I've long since given up trying to talk anyone into traveling south as I have.  Gets the same reaction as talk of a trip to Mars, another place they don't speak much English. I hope you enjoy these sketches of Cuenca.

-Glen Birbeck www.glensketch.me

Sometimes you miss home. -Best Burger in Ecuador

It doesn't matter where you travel.  Where you end up.  What kind of adventures and lifetime experiences you encounter or who you meet.  You will sometimes miss home.

What is familiar to you becomes distant as you sink profoundly into your new Expat life and with that distance comes a longing for discovering familiarity in your new home.

My new home is Ecuador and I am no exception.  Sometimes I want a burger.  I want it with cheese, pickles, onions, ketchup.  You know, the works right?  I want it to be authentic, genuine, the real McCoy!  I want it with fries (not rice) and I want a Coke.  Sounds like a simple demand right?  But it is not.

You see, we have that here in Ecuador.  There are great burger places here, like Lucia Pie House, which is one of the best burgers I have ever tasted, and definitely the best in Quito.  The burger comes to your table just how you like it, with all the fixings, fries on the side, ketchup, and a Coke.  But it's not the same.  Oh no.  There is something missing.  Something is just not right about this medium well slab of Carne Molida (ground beef).  It is just not the same.  Why?  Because it is not home.

Lucia Pie House.  The BEST Burger in Quito

Why is it that even though this burger is an exact carbon copy of the American version, it does not FEEL the same?  Because it is not home.

When you make your home far away from home you tend to try to cling on to things you find afar that remind you of home.  For me its burgers.  It could be other types of food, it could be an environment such as the countryside or a lake, it could be just about anything that will remind you of home.  But it is NOT.  Is your search for home like things some sort of coping mechanism for finding comfort in your new home far away?  Is this normal?

I never thought my new found craving for McDonalds, in which I NEVER enjoyed in the states, would get my brain boiling with such thought provoking questions.  Maybe I am just starting to experience that Culture Shock they talk about.  Everyone who reads this blog knows that I have immersed.  Right?

But maybe no matter how deep you immerse in your new culture and your new environment there will always be a corner in your skull full of grey matter whispering to you; "There's no place like home."  At least while I am here I have places like Lucia Pie House to keep my cravings at bay.


Mike
www.themiddleoftheworld.com

Internations.org Expat Blogger Survey results: Infographic.

A while back Internations.org, a non profit Social Media platform dedicated to Expats, approached many expat bloggers like myself with quite a few interesting survey questions.  I was one of those "expat bloggers" who filled out and completed the survey.

This morning I was presented with this Info graphic that the Internation staff created based on the answers and feedback from their comprehensive survey.  This feedback is vital information for Expats, Potential Expats to Ecuador and beyond, and Expat service providers so I felt it would be important to get it out in all my available channels.

Anyhow, here is the link to the original post and infographic. http://drupal.in-cdn.net/sites/default/files/expat-bloggers-journey.jpg

Rainy Day in Quito - some random thoughts

It is raining today here in Quito and being stuck inside has inspired a few random thoughts about Ecuador.
 

1. There seems to be no real way to tell what the weather will be like here.  If that is the case, how come EVERYTIME it rains, there are always vendors ready to sell you umbrellas as soon as the first drop hits the ground?

2. Quinoa seems to be one of the new health food trends in America, but apparently here in Ecuador they have known about this super food for eons. 

3. Many of the traffic problems here in Quito are not especially due to the roads or their conditions, but more because of the way people drive here.  (see my Quito Traffic Que Bestia! post for more on this).

4. I finally found a Sushi place that makes Spicy Tuna right!  It is called "Sushi-In" on Portugal y Republica Salvador. 

5. People take their elections and voting VERY seriously here, and are passionate about their decisions.  Even though voting is obligatory here, it seems like people are very proud when casting their vote. 

6. Crime seems to have dropped significantly here in the city of Quito.  I must go research the updated stats. 

7. There are MANY apartments for sale here in Quito.  Maybe this is due to many of the newer constructions being completed or near completion. 

8. More and more places are accepting credit cards in the city.  Diner's Club is dominant. 

Just a few random thoughts that popped up in my head in the brief moment I have between virtual meetings and taking care of my family.

Hope all is well everyone!

Mike

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Immersion VS. Invasion. The Ecuador Expat's most important choice.

Immersion versus Invasion.  That is the question. 

Gringo Invasion

 Do you come to Ecuador and abandon all of your lifelong traditions and cultural understandings, living amongst the locals like you were born here?  Or, do you come to Ecuador and hide amongst your own in your gated expat community, slowly assimilating into "Gringolandia"?

Such an important and trivial question requires calculated thought.  This question often raises thousands of other questions like:

• How fast can I learn Spanish in Ecuador?
• How do I learn about Ecuadorian Culture?
• Will I experience Culture Shock?
• Will I pay Gringo Prices in Ecuador?
• Ultimately, Will I be HAPPY in Ecuador?

I see this topic in discussion on many of the forums, groups, and chats associated with Living in Ecuador or Traveling to Ecuador, but often times I see more opinions than logical answers or even valuable opinionated insight.  People tend to want to live on one extreme or another.  Sounds a bit like politics doesn't it?

Some live for "total immersion", where they shun their entire culture and its existence, even developing a hatred for it.  Others live here for years and don't even take the time to learn how to say "Hola".  In my insightful opinion (at least I hope it is an insightful one) I believe both strategies ultimately lead to failure.

You see, No matter WHERE YOU GO, you ARE WHAT YOU ARE.  You can not escape it.  This is why total immersion will not work. 

You will miss the amenities you were accustomed to in your other world.  You will miss your family and it's traditions and customs.  You will even miss your drunk uncle.  If you choose the strategy of 100% immersion and denial of your gringo existence, the frustrations of "control alt deleting" many years of your settled ways will come back to haunt you.  You cannot simply come here and wash the Gringo or Yankee off of your body.  Believe it or not, most Native Ecuadorians would not expect you to either.

On the other hand, if you come to Ecuador and think you are going to start your own Little USA without contributing to the country, you are gravely mistaken.  I see the Chinese trying it right here from out my window, and they will fail also, if they don't learn the language and the customs.  The great news is that most of the Chinese I have met actually learned (or are trying to learn) Spanish.  I can not say the same for many of the gringos I have met.  Many of them are simply looking to huddle up with the other expats, search for English speaking dentists, doctors, lawyers, and everything else English to get anything accomplished.  That is fine and dandy when you just get here, but if you do not pick up the language and culture you will NOT survive more than 2 years.  You will find yourself lonely and in a state of depression mentally and financially from getting hit with those infamous "gringo prices".

So, with both strategies leaning to high chance of failure, WHAT DO YOU DO?

I propose that you meet in the middle.  Eat the hamburger at the restaurant that speaks English for dinner, but don't pass on the Yaguarlocro for lunch (More about Yaguarlocro here).  Buy that Rosetta Stone or take those Spanish Lessons, but don't forget what your family Christmas or Thanksgiving customs are.  Take a moment to make Ecuadorian friends and SHARE your customs with them as they will with you.  Ecuadorians do not bite, and despite what the State Department may tell you the majority of them are decent, intelligent, and happy to make friends.

I feel that if you approach Life in Ecuador with a strategy such as this, you will have a higher chance of being successful here.  All of the people I know who have made it here have made it through a conservative blend of invasion and immersion, and most of the people who have failed fell towards one extreme.

Carry this advice with a grain of salt, or like the golden ticket to enter Willy Wonka's factory.  I don't care.  But I assure you taking this perspective seriously will help in determining your quality of life here.

Mike
www.themiddleoftheworld.com
   

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Researching Living in Ecuador Online? Here are some NON BIASED tips.

Packing up your bags and moving to another country, for whatever reason, can be a daunting task.  Many people spend numerous hours of their days towards making this decision, but is the research even accurate?

What is the crime rate of Ecuador?
Are their any Jobs in Ecuador?
What is the best place to live in Ecuador?
Can I drive there?
Do I need to learn Spanish?

Thousands of questions pump through your cerebrum, ricocheting throughout the depths of your mind as your fear and anxiety start to overwhelm you into possibly backing out, or making a decision without doing your due diligence. 

I am going to give you a few non biased tips on doing your online research so you can come to your own decision on whether Ecuador (or any other country if you happen to be researching elsewhere) is right for you.

Tips to researching Ecuador as your living or retirement destination:

1.  You can not just simply Google ¨Living in Ecuador¨ or ¨Retiring in Ecuador¨ and clicking the first page you see.

Companies pay heavily for you to click on their site after searching those keywords.  Although these companies are doing exactly what they are supposed to do (promote the country they are selling in a positive manner), you must realize they will most likely paint Ecuador to look like a masterpiece from the distance of behind your desktop, only for your to arrive, take a Real Estate Tour that you already paid for, and realize in your eyes it is more of a monet.  Please note I am not saying to avoid reading the information these companies put out.  I am merely suggestion to broaden your search more.

Instead of relying solely on organizations marketing Ecuador to help furnish your final opinion, try to find some blogs, facebook forums, and places such as the ExpatExchange.com or Expat-blog.com to connect with expats in Ecuador directly to get their personal feedback.  Be aware some of them may offer you more than just free advice, but also understand there are plenty of Expats here who have offerings that will genuinely help you.

2. When using Google to search for keywords related to Ecuador, format your search for the most recent results, or results written in the past year.  That way you do not get OUT OF DATE information which may hinder your research efforts.  Here is a screen shot I made showing you how to fine tune your Google search in Firefox.

3.  This one should be obvious, but I have to state it anyways because I have seen it happen many times.  TUNE OUT THE TROLLS.

Anyone who constantly posts negative content in the forums about Ecuador yet happens to live here for years, or anyone who thinks they know everything about Ecuador, but have never put their boots on Ecuadorian soil, are not good sources for research.  Someone who can not put together a cohesive sentence on the internet is also probably not a good source of information, and more likely someone who has forgotten to take their meds. 

Instead, if you are chatting in social networking communities find reputable people who are vouched for and give facts, or at least solid and well educated opinions about their life here.  If you want to know who some of these people are feel free to send me a request in my contact form which goes straight to my email.

4.   Include a 3 to 4 week trip (or as long as you possibly can) into your research efforts.

Book the flight and put your boots on the ground, using all the contacts you have established that you have confidence in to help you along your way.  Really get a feel for the country and how your life would be.  Go to the malls, grocery stores, mercados, a church, or whatever places you would normally need to go.  Don´t dedicate your whole trip here to touristic adventures because your real life here will not be all about chasing butterflies in Mindo or walking La Ronda in Centro Historico Quito.  You most likely will not be going on jungle Safari´s either so make sure you take time to research regular life activities. 

You will need to shop, eat, pay bills, and do regular routine tasks you had to do in your former life.  These routine tasks may be performed substantially different than what you are accustomed to in your home country so you must be aware of these changes, and determine whether you can adapt or not.


If I think of any more tips I will update this post, but I hope this gets you started on researching whether Ecuador is right for you.

Mike
www.themiddleoftheworld.com
  

Why NOT retire IN Quito Ecuador??

Ok so maybe living in the center of a city full of 2.5 million people doesn´t appeal to the average retiree or semiretirees looking at Ecuador as an option but WHY NOT?

Skyline of Beautiful Quito Ecuador.

As I stand here on the outside I see so many people passing through Quito within 3 days HELLBOUND for Cuenca or Cotocachi, and I am thinking... Why??

1.  Quito has the best hospital in the country in Hospital Metropolitano.  You are going to eventually get sick right?  Or maybe you would like to jump on the opportunity to save some money on that ¨Lifestyle Lift¨you wanted?

2.  Quito also has all of the amenities of any major world city which, believe it or not, you have become accustomed to having in your native developed country.  Right?

3.  Looking for culture?  Quito has the largest and most well preserved historical center in all of the Americans.  It is literally half the size of all of Cuenca population wise.  Quito also has many exciting day trip destinations for the active retiree within a few hours drive on well paved roads.  You can´t always hide in your new home, fenced in with electric wire can you? 

Ok, so maybe those three points alone will not persuade you to change your mind from buying or renting your quiet piece of the Ecuadorian pie smack dab in the middle of the city, but maybe you should be looking for your piece of the pie somewhere near Quito?  Oh my how sweet the pie is here in the Pinchincha Province.

To the EAST* (Thanks for the correction Journeyman Jack!):  Cumbaya, Tumbaco, Yariqui, Puembo, Quinche, and many other smaller suburbs and towns surround Quito and offer a quieter lifestyle within an hour of the city.  They also offer temperatures in the mid 70s to the mid 80s, Everyday.   

There is also Pomasqui and San Antonio to the north of the city, also featuring warm and dry weather, along with Valle de Los Chillos to the South.

in fact, Sprinkled in and within an hour to an hour and a half of Quito are many small towns that are all charming in their own way, and close enough to the city where it won´t be a hassle just to live daily life.  Not all of them are called Cotocachi either which is realistically more than 2 and half hours away from Quito.

So again I ask, Why not Quito?  It is the perfect base camp to find your dream retirement destination, and I can not put my finger on why their are not entire retirement enclaves scattered throughout the cities suburbs and city limits.  Maybe all the major publications (no names mentioned) have bypassed giving Quito its true praise due?  Even my Ecuadorian father in law of 81 years calls Cuenca a ¨Baby Quito¨.   

Well, Quito and all its secret gems are doing just fine without all the marketing dollars being pumped into it from the retirement publications.  How?  Well, because it is already a self sustaining city without the retirement community investing in it.  Whether or not you settle here, Quito will continue to grow with its rising working middle class and many American establishments that make you feel at home when you are away.  Its developing Yachay Technology Center will most definitely attract more international jobs, (including consulting) and wealth.  No one is slicing Quito´s suburbs up into ¨dream retirement homes¨(yet).  No one really needs too, their are already plenty of middle and upper class Ecuadorians laying their nest eggs there.

I am not knocking Cuenca, Salinas, or any of the smaller retirement destinations that Ecuador has to offer, but they are all knocking Quito all the time.  Its too dangerous, too dirty, too congested, too this and too that.  Not entirely true.  There are sections of the city and its suburbs that are safe, clean, and quiet also.  Ever heard of Tenis? Gonzales Suarez?  Amaguana? Guayllabamba? Probably not.  All you can google up of Quito without due diligence is Mariscal and the Centro Historico (which is which nice in areas also).

So what I am saying to all the retirees who are considering Ecuador is give Quito a shot.  Take it from someone who is 32 years old, not a Real Estate agent or investor, and has NO SKIN in the game whether or not you even retire here.  Check out QUITO before you make your decision.

Mike
www.themiddleoftheworld.com

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Ecuador - Whale Watching and other things Tonsupa - Esmeraldas Province.

So my family and I decided to take a last minute trip to Tonsupa for the weekend to get out of Quito.  It was just me, wifey, the little one, and my suegra.

The road trip took about 6 hours and featured a stop for delicious Almurzos in Puerto Quito at a small road side restaurant with a river running right by it.  My son and I went down to the River and spotted a few things photo worthy.

I bet this spot would make great for fly fishing

So many rocks

I am not sure what kind of bird this is but its super cool

Can you see the Trucha?  (Trout)

The river was a great unexpected diversion from the road trip and one day I hope to go back to explore Puerto Quito further.  Anyhow, this place served the yummiest breakfast.  I had a simple Continental Breakfast and it gave me the boost I needed to keep driving.

We arrived in Tonsupa around 12:00 and it was jam packed with locals from Quito and tourists from wherever.  We made the mistake of not securing reservations and had quite a hard time finding a hotel for 4.  We ended up in Hotel Tulipanes which is more of a hostel than anything.

Los Tulipanes Cabanas - That pool looks inviting. 

I was so happy to see this sign after 10 other hotels were already full.

Nice little waterfall rock thingy

Great place to kick back. 

  Our room was not so much photo worthy because it was simply two sets of bunk beds for the 4 of us.  Needless to say we weren't planning on hanging out in the room at all anyways.  Cost was $120 for all 4 of us.  We were about 4 blocks from the beach.  The owner was a great guy.

We hit the pool immediately and withing 30 minutes some drunk ass Ecuadorian college kids came plowing through the hotel towards their room.  They must have gotten an early start and one of them was flat out belligerent.  He could barely walk so I had a good laugh.  apparently he didn't like that too much.

When I got out the water and towards our room, the guy stumbled up to me and started saying something.  I never took a course in drunken Spanish so I didn't understand him but it had tough guy words in it.  Me, being with my family, I simply turned around, and my wife told his friends to collect his drunk ass before he got hurt.

The guy tried to grab me but he was so limp from drunkenness he had the grip of a jelly fish.   He must have weighed in at an even 120 pounds, I am pretty sure my son could have pummelled him, so instead of laying him out like a lawn chair, I just said "NO ME TOCAS!", and stepped back.  They he said something that sounded like "what did you say?" in Spanish, and I said "You heard me!".  Then his friends finally dragged him off.  That guy is lucky to have such good friends, I will leave it at that.

Anyhow, back to enjoying our time.  After the pool it was time to hit the beach!  I didn't take pics personally because I didn't want to risk getting my phone wet or sandy but here is a good shot of Playa Tonsupa I found on the net.  If you took this pic please let me know so I can give you credit.   

Playa Tonsupa Skyline

  I did however get quite a nice snapshot of the smooth road we walked in order to get to this beautiful beach.

This was one of the few roads in the beach area that wasn't just dirt rocks or sand.  Tonsupa is definitely in its earlier stages of development in comparison to places I have visited in the Sierra.

One of the highlights of this weekend getaway was having the opportunity to ride alongside of humpback whales!  I will let the photos do the talking here.

Seeing the Mommy and Baby whales frolic in the water made the whole trip worth it, and I highly recommend whale watching in Tonsupa.  If you'd ever like to take a journey like this don't forget to contact me on my company's official website www.themiddleoftheworld.com  and I will be happy to have it arranged.

I wish I could have highlighted a bit more of the NIGHTLIFE in Tonsupa but Mother in Law wouldn't babysit the little one for the night.  I guess it all works out however because I found out the week after the trip that my wifey is now Pregnant with number two!!  Life is grand and I am excited to have another one in my life.