San Clemente, Ecuador

Here's a look at some random properties in case you're interested in buying what might be a future Riviera, Costa del Sol, Miami Beach, La Jolla..........  The following shots show the range of beachfront properties available in this undeveloped village where zoning regulations probably don't exist yet.

 Some land still completely without structures.



And one of my favorites is this funky little cottage on a cove where 17 fishing boats call home.  The "se vende" written on the wall means it's for sale.

 And after all that walking it's time for a "cervesa grande" at a beachfront restaurant we grew fond of : Viviana's. It's a bamboo structure with a split bamboo floor - be careful where you put your chair legs because there are holes in the floor.  Cervesa $1.25.

And another day much like all the other 364 days draws to a close.

Water temp and air temp are both in the roughly 75-85 degree range today and apparently every day of the year.  Yep, I could get used to this.

San Clemente, Ecuador

Here's one of the most common sights in Ecuador these days - Amy with her camera. 



Strolling the San Clemente beach as the tide goes out.



Sorting the catch on the beach.

 Low tide is a good opportunity to look at real estate opportunities. This beautiful spot was recently purchased by a California couple who are fixing it up for part-year living.



 This compound with two houses is for sale.

 This is probably a tear down but it's still ocean front.

I really lked this all bamboo house.  No windows or doors - all bamboo structure including frame and support elements - but they have electricity and Direct TV!  Not sure about WiFi. And speaking about WiFi, sometimes we had trouble getting a good signal in our room so we were forced to email and blog at the location below:

Someone had to do it...........

San Clemente, Ecuador

In the daily morning ritual, the fishermen begin pulling in the nets.  There is another line of people just like the one above about 500 yards or so to the right.  Each group pulls in their respective line creating an ever-decreasing arc formed by the net.  After an hour or two of pulling, the net reaches the beach with the catch.

 In anticipation of the food to come, the flocks of great frigate birds and pelicans swarm nearby waiting to dive on the small fish left by the fishermen.

 They are big birds and they are not bashful. (Note to self: don't wear a black t-shirt next time in order to avoid  lots of white spots on it again.)

 The nets are emptied into bags, carried to the truck, and then off to market and restaurants. A perk of the occupation was evidenced by many of the men as they tucked a particularly nice fish into their pocket to take home for lunch or dinner - all you see is the tail sticking out the top of the pants pocket.

But work is not done for the fishermen - they must then spend time repairing the nets and getting ready for the next outing.

Here's where a picture would go of a beautiful fish lunch but, since we're vegans in a fishing village we make do otherwise - here's a typical lunch for Amy and me: rice, lentils and potatoes, salad of tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, broccoli in a lime juice dressing, and grilled plantains. It's a meal that tastes as good as any food on the planet.  Most of the cooks at these hole-in-the-wall restaurants are happy to oblige once they get over the oddness of gringos that don't eat fish, chicken, or any other animals.  Total lunch: $3.

And after lunch - rest time at  Palmazul.

San Clemente, Ecuador

I lived in San Clemente California, for a half-dozen years back in the 1980's. It is quite a treat now in the 2010's to visit another San Clemente - this one in Ecuador.  That's about where the similarities end.  San Clemente Ecuador is an undeveloped village where the residents for generations have taken to the sea in their small wooden boats to bring back the day's catch.  San Clemente California may have the glitz and the glamour, but San Clemente Ecuador has a beach that's wide and flat, people that are smiling and friendly, water that's warm as a bath, and an air temperature that rarely changes. I would bet that in some distant future this area, like much of the beautiful Ecuadoran coast, will see lots of growth.  There is already a gringo condo development half completed here.   And yes - that is corn lying out in the street, drying under the noon sun for some later meal either in a restaurant or family home.

  This is our beachfront hotel, Palmazul, an extraordinarily beautiful location, facility, and people.  What started as a two-day stay keeps stretching into another and another and another.........maybe we should just move in!

This is the view from our room.  It got so cold one night with the glass doors open, the surf thundering,  and the ocean breeze blowing that I almost had to put a sheet over me to sleep - but on second thought I didn't bother - maybe tomorrow night .............

Here's the beach from our hotel looking north.  Word has it that the two-house compound pictured is for sale.  Rumor is they want $170K total - pretty high prices in these parts.

At midday the boats are waiting above the high tide line for the next outing while the fishermen repair their nets in the shade.

Amy walking north during low tide.  I was surprised to see a 6 foot (2 meter) tidal variation.  Somehow I thought variation at the equator was much less. 

Happy gringa in paradise.

And after all that walking and sun and heat, the gringa must get her rest!  Hasta luego!

Bahia de Caraquez, Ecuador

Bahia, as it's called, is located on the central Ecuadoran coast.  It is a narrow peninsula surrounded by the Pacific Ocean on one side and the Chone River estuary on the other. We arrived on the Sunday after New Year's day so the place was mostly partied out and the revelers were mostly heading back home. We found a quiet and slow town.  Quiet by both the lack of people and a lack of cars.  The "taxi" fleet in town is almost exclusively composed of bicycle-cabs which supports the quiet and the ambiance.

After a number of false starts checking the $20 per room hostels, we ended up at this $78 per room  hotel on the beach, La Piedra Hotel. Although we try to be thrifty travelers, we are not 20-something backpackers and the $20 facilities were just too rundown for our spoiled and senior sensibilities. We needed to do laundry about this time in the trip but the only lavanderia in town was closed so the proprietor of the hole-in-the-wall convenience store we had shopped in agreed to do our laundry for us for $4.  It sure is nice having Amy there to haggle with the locals since she speaks Spanish - and she does love a bargain..........

Here's a self portrait of us both holding down the hammock. It was one of those low gravity days and someone had to do it. :-) 

Mindo, Ecuador

Here are random photos in and around Mindo, Ecuador.  Mindo is a small friendly town west of Quito, Ecuador just south of the equator at about 4100 feet MSL; there are no traffic signals, unleashed dogs amble the streets peacefully or rest in the shade sharing the world with the humans, chickens, roosters, and the occasional cow.  It always surprises me how well dogs and other critters and people can get along if you let them -  I think we humans cause most of the problems by trying to control the world the way we do - there is another way and it does work.  Maybe not as orderly and manicured a system as in the US but definitely a more natural system.

An Ecuadoran couple strolls toward downtown Mindo on New Year's Day.  New Year's eve saw partying by young and old complete with the burning of effigies in the street and throbbing Latin bass music until the first hints of dawn this morning.

This property known as "the Yellow House" is owned by a reportedly original founder of Mindo who arrived in the valley a generation ago and began what is the Mindo of today. 

Here we are finishing lunch at a "sidewalk cafe" in downtown Mindo at 1:11pm on 1/1/11. The sidewalks are narrow so most pedestrians walk in the street since the tables block the walkways. It's part of the charming ambiance of a life lived in a more relaxed way - without all the choking rules and regulations and codes and zoning often encountered in the US.

Tomorrow we leave the rainforest area of Mindo and head to the coast.  Amy is dropping off a final batch of calendars with photos taken by the children of SALEM as part of her Cameras for Kids in Ecuador program (see earlier blog posts).  Susan Alban, owner of  CassKaffeSu with her husband Luis, hopes to sell some of them to her clients at the hostal/restaurant/cafe they operate in Mindo and give the proceeds to SALEM .

Mindo, Ecuador

Today we went back to SALEM to spend some more time with the kids (see yesterday's post for info about SALEM). The photo above was taken in the Parque Central de Mindo (basically the center of town).

One of the town merchants, Susan and Luis Alban, the owners of  CasKaffeSu, a hotel, restaurant, and wine bar, allowed Amy to bring a half dozen kids into the courtyard to take photos.  They have a beautiful, colorful, and fanciful, Escher-inspired design which the kids enjoyed.

Karla was just bubbling over with enthusiasm, taking pictures of anything and everything with wide-eyed abandon as we roamed the town.  She could also steal your heart away in an instant - she got mine anyway.

Cesar had more fun playing with this wheelbarrow, resting in it, or figuring out ways to get it over the bamboo bar than any child could have doing anything.

Here's Amy with her "kids" finishing up the field trip before going inside to upload the days' fun.

A slideshow with music has them all captivated as each child uploads his/her photos to Amy's computer.

And now it's time for Amy to say goodbye for another year to her "kids."  Cameras for Kids in Ecuador has brought something new and different to these kids who in many cases have lived very difficult lives.  Your help to Amy and/or SALEM has brought the kids joy and unleashed wonderful creativity.