The first day of March, we decided that we best get into Guayaquil and check in with our visas. We are required to do that within the first 30 days. So I spent Sunday night searching on-line for Policia de Migracion where we would have to obtain our movimiento and then head over to the Coordination Zonal Guayaquil. I was able to find their addresses and input them as notes on my cell phone. So we were set as far as I was concerned. Just had to make sure that I brought along our passports and the paperwork that the consular prepared for us in Vancouver. He is the one that told us that we had to take these forms into immigration before 30 days were up. So we had better get it done.
The next morning we got up and had a quick breakfast and hailed a cab outside the door to take us to the termino terestio in Santa Elena. A $5 cab ride and then to find the ticket booth. It seemed that the one with the longest lineup was the correct one. Purchased our tickets for $4.15 each and jumped on the bus. This particular bus wasn't as comfortable as the last one, but it was still comfortable and it also had a movie. Oh, and I almost forgot, they include free wifi. You just have to make a note of the password at the front of the bus as you board the bus.
Two hours later, once in Guayaquil we stepped outside the terminal and chatted with one of the taxi coordinators and I showed her the note on my phone with the address for the Policia de Migracion and after a few seconds she looked up at me, smiled and pointed in a direction to my right and said that the building I was looking for was right there. Well that made this part of the expedition easier than I thought. We then hiked on over to the building, crossing a very busy road.
We walked inside and joined one of the line-ups and after a few minutes we decided to join another lineup for information. Turned out we should have gone there first as she was kind and helpful and also handed us a generated number on a piece of paper and informed us to wait over there. We sat and waited for about 30 to 40 minutes before our number was called. We both went up and sat with a young gentleman of whom knew a few words of English and was very helpful and precise. So precise, he wanted to see if I had my old passport. Now why would he want something that I hadn't even thought of bringing along with me, let alone bring with me to Ecuador. I was curious as to why I would need it so he told me that he was having a problem with my name. I said, what could be so difficult with my name. He then informed me that my middle name on my current passport did not match what was already entered in their system.
Okay, I am now wondering how that could possibly happen. He informed me that it happened in 2009. I thought to myself, okay we were both here in November 2009 and it must have been the woman that entered our information at the airport when we were coming through immigration in Quito. I told him this and said it would have been that immigration officer and how would I know that she entered it wrong. I know now, but have never known about it prior to this. He then asked me for some other id to prove that my name was correct in my current passport. I didn't even bring anything else with me as we were riding on the bus with intentions of returning that same day. But I did bring our police reports with us, so I handed him mine. He showed it to one of his partners and they then confirmed that it would be acceptable. he told me to run next door and make a color photocopy. So out I went hunting for a photocopy place. There just happened to be one next to the small lunch place next door. Two dollars for a photocopy though. They obviously know where you are coming from.
I brought the original and the photocopy back and he took the photocopy and then asked me to fill out an explanation of why my middle name was entered wrong. Another person watched me as I wrote it out in English and then I had to wait a few more minutes after paying $10 and one by one we each got our movimiento. We thanked him for helping us out. Then it was back to the bus terminal to catch one of the many cabs that are lined up there. Once we caught a cab, it was off to the Coordination Zonal Guayaquil.
Another $5 cab ride and we were there. Similar idea, we lined up to see the information desk and then received a number and sat down and waited. Our number showed up in about 10 minutes on one of the many screens above the agent windows so we ran up to the assigned counter. We handed over all of our paperwork and passports. The attendant looked at everything and seemed a little confused. We were then handed over to another agent at the next window who then discussed our paperwork with a superior and then disappeared for about 10 minutes while we stood there and waited. Finally the agent came back and handed us over to the first agent who then gave us a slip of paper with a number and quantity on it. He then pointed to go and pay over there. So we walked down to the other end and sat down thinking our number would be called. Ten minutes went by and I hadn't noticed any numbers being called so I walked back to the middle of the counters and noticed some people lined up and paying there, so I walked back and grabbed Claudette and we went back and paid our bill and then left the building. Now that was easy. So we grabbed a cab and headed back to the bus terminal.
Once at the bus terminal we stopped at the grocery store, grabbed some snacks, headed over to the ticket window, purchased our tickets and headed up the two escalators to the top floor and out the doors and onto the bus. It was a rainy trip back to Salinas and the bus driver did a great job getting us home. https://vimeo.com/215428081 We were back in our condo in just over two hours.
The term "March comes in like a lion" didn't really ring anymore. We have been used to lows near or below zero at night and then possible highs of 5 to 10 Celsius during the days in Calgary but not here. We are now growing used to temperatures that do not fluctuate very much at all. A number of things are making it different than what we are used to. The sun comes up at the same time plus or minus a few minutes and sets in similar fashion every day. I have had to set a few items so that they do not update to daylight savings time as Ecuador does not recognize daylight savings time. Now that's one less thing that I ever have to worry about, unless of course I do some travelling outside of the country
So these very subtle things that make it different actually help to reduce the stress in ones life. I have been feeling more and more relaxed since arriving. It could also be because Claudette has taken to practicing her Spanish. She also celebrates her birthday in March, so I have to keep track of when this month arrives as one does not want to forget his wife's birthday.
We have been to the beach once so far. Seems if it's not in your front yard, you just don't use it that much. I sure enjoy frolicking in the waves though. It's a good workout for all of your muscles. I have occasionally sat on the deck for brief periods to catch some rays on my white skin. The sunlight here is intense when the cloud clears away. You are actually hardly ever complaining about a cloudy day. Even when it is cloudy in the morning, it's usually sunny by mid afternoon. Which is kinda nice as you are not having to get up in the morning to a hot sweaty atmosphere. I just love it when there is a good strong breeze blowing through the condo.
We actually sat out on the deck for a good part of a day in the first week of March listening to tunes on Spotify with a blue tooth speaker while Claudette used her Surface to practice her Spanish. I had purchased some Spanish audio and video lessons a few years earlier so it was good to see they were getting used. The day was clouded over all day and I am pretty sure the sun never did break through, but boy did I get red! I was really surprised that I could burn on a totally cloudy day. So let that be a warning. I had to spend the next week watching my time in the sun. The picture below was how it was all day. How could I have possibly burnt?
We have been spending most of our time during the day and evenings looking at properties on line and watching Bloomberg during the day and then CNN for the early evening news. Then NBC to cap off the news before switching to a Netflix or Amazon production. There has been some good Canada rugby games on too. And I cant forget that the Flames are playing well and playoffs are near. The news has been more interesting lately due to the real good investigative reporting going on around US politics. Some days you can get a real chuckle over it. The lyre in chief is keeping us entertained.
Also during our first week, we headed out again with our realtor Kimberly to view some properties. Our first stop is in Manglaralto to see the house that we were interested in earlier. We took a slightly closer look inside the house as we wanted to present the owner with another offer. I was checking some of the windows to see just how much maintenance I would have to do on an ocean front home, plus I wanted to see the view from the window in the living room. All of the ocean front windows and doors have wood shutters which help with security and privacy. The master bedroom would be big enough for our bedroom suite that is waiting in storage for us. It also has an en suite with a shower. One of the spare bedrooms also has an en suite.
There was plenty of good growth fir trees surrounding the back of the property and some palm trees throughout the property. The patio was huge and surrounded the property. There was a garden on the street side which I liked as we could really make use of it for vegetables. The tree house was interesting as you could sit up there and see what was going on along the street and also have a great view of the patio, pool and Pacific Ocean in the background. And once we sell our existing lot, we could build a casita above the patio and rent it out. Anyways, this home is listed at $199,900 USD.
We then went to Olon and looked at a property there that was a 4 story home with lots of woodwork and recently upgraded. It had a nice back yard which also backed on to a soccer field. It was sided by a 5 story condo and a 4 story home. It was listed for $159,000 USD. It was okay but not much room to build a casita and it's about 3 blocks from the beach. As there were about 3 blocks to the beach, the sliver of view could disappear over time if someone built a higher building in front.
We then went on to look at a home that was between Olon and Montanita that was on the East side of the highway E15 and you would have to cross the highway and go through a private resort to get to the beach. There was a current agreement between the two but that could be cancelled at any time. The home was a bungalow which had been built recently but didn't have any place to build a casita to rent out.
We then doubled back to Ayangue and toured one home that was built and for sale for $154,000 and then looked at another home that was under construction for $180,000. The one for $154k was laid out a little strange as when you entered there were two bedrooms on the main floor and you had to go up a flight of stairs to the second floor to get to the kitchen and living area. The lots were of a pretty good size with room to build a casita or two. We liked the views from the hill but two factors came into our decision not to buy in this development. One of them had to do with an HOA and the other was that there were no trees for shade. I really do not want to pay any HOA fees and the trees would take a few years to grow in or we would have to spend a few extra dollars to purchase fully grown trees.
https://vimeo.com/216898802
The next day we took a stroll along the beach heading North and as the tide was out we made it all the way to Santa Rosa and then walked along the fish market area and proceeded part of the way back before hailing a cab to make it the rest of the way home.
https://vimeo.com/215918402
We then enjoyed a week of Rugby Sevens along with watching the Calgary Flames in the first round of the playoffs with Anaheim. I was spending the days looking at places to stay on the coast on Airbnb. I decided on three areas to take Claudette to along the coast. I had been communicating with a property seller from Quito who had a property for sale on Portete Island. I had seen pictures of it about a year earlier on the Expats Facebook page and had emailed back and forth then. So I had double checked with the owner to see if it was still for sale as I thought it was close to paradise from the photos that he had emailed me. He informed me that it was still available. So I figured it was a good idea to make some plans for a road trip and check it out.
Claudette and I both discussed the Manglaralto home and felt that we should send them an updated offer to see if it got any bites. So I emailed Kimberly an offer of $180k which matched a price of another home that we had seen on line in San Clemente and that home was fairly new and very large. Hopefully that would work.
With the accommodations confirmed, we got up early on the Thursday morning and caught the bus from Santa Elena to Guayaquil and rented a car from Thrifty at the airport. Just love how convenient it is with the bus system and getting to and from the airport. I set up Mompiche on my Google maps app on my Blackberry Priv and off we went. We drove all afternoon and arrived at the La Jungla bungalows around 7:45 pm and met with Morongo of whom assisted us with getting a young lady to take us to our Tree house which was about a 20 yard walk into the jungle.
The accommodations were acceptable for the price. It had a a queen bed on the second level which required climbing some wood steps to get up too. There was no ceiling fan but they did have the mosquito net. On the main level there was a bunk bed, a chair and a washroom with a a shower. After settling in we went across the sandy street to Punto de Encuentro which had a view of the ocean. We ordered their special and the food was good. We enjoyed a couple of cervezas and then headed off to bed.
The next morning we took a stroll along the malecon and found a place to have breakfast. After breakfast we took a walk around town and then back to our room to pack everything and throw it in the car. We then drove for about 15 minutes South to Boliva.
We had to park and catch a small boat across the estuary to Boliva which is the only town on Portete Island. I sent an email to the home owner to let him know that we had arrived and we continued walking through town to the west side of the island. I suggested we walk up the beach as I knew the property was on the north end of the island. I had heard that it was 6 km to the house from the village. It was a beautiful day with a nice ocean breeze and lots of sun. We were both wearing hats so that helped. I then got an email from the owner stating that he would not be able to make it and that he would have someone on the island meet us at the home. So we kept walking up the beach. It took us about an hour to get there. One of the neighbors came by to let us into the rooms which were all locked.
It truly was a paradise, but there would be some issues making the home suitable to live in year round and if we were to rent this one out and build our own behind it, there just was not enough room left over behind this one and it didn't make any sense to spoil this view. The property was being sold for $150,000 USD. That would leave us with enough to build a small bungalow in the back but the access to the property was also an issue as there was no access except at the beach. This would mean we would have to get a quad or something or a boat to get on and off of the island and to pick people up. Just a tad too secluded. After seeing everything we thanked the neighbor for assisting us and went about our 6 km hike back to Boliva.
While walking back along the beach I received an email from our realtor in Salinas informing us that our offer on the house in Manglaralto had been accepted. That was a great feeling and helped us in our struggle to finish the hike. A couple of horses even joined us for a kilometer or two while we were strolling the beach in and out of the water to help keep our feet cool. I really wanted to jump into the water, but wasn't really dressed for a swim.
We made it back to Bolivar and sat in the shade of a big Flame of the Forest tree and cooled off while our feet got a breather. It had been at least 27 years since we had put in a hike this long. I had been doing long hikes on my own in Kananaskis so I was prepared for the distance, but I know I was pushing the better half for the last few kilometers. And it was hot too with no breeze for the trip back so a bottle of water was definitely what the doctor ordered. The park was a nice setting too.
After a brief relaxation on the park bench I suggested we better get a move on as It may be dark by the time we get to Canoa. It was only another 10 minute walk to the estuary where we could catch a small boat across. Once on the other side I paid the boat guy a dollar and we jumped into the sweltering car and quickly started it and turned on the AC.
Then it was back on the road south to Canoa. It was slow moving through Pedernales as I always seem to have a problem driving through this town. We got into Canoa about 6:30 pm just as the sun was setting and it got dark quickly. We were booked at the Coconut Surf Hotel for the night and finding it proved to be more fun than not. I drove by it a few times before we noticed the small sign on the gate. The sign could use a light and the Airbnb listing could also give some directions as there were none at all and an email to them did not receive any response. We parked and I walked through the gate and down the steps to a bar/lounge area where a young couple were relaxing and they confirmed that I was at the correct place and showed me the room that we were booked into. I went back and grabbed Claudette and our bags and we settled in and then went out for dinner.
The view from our window in the morning
We grabbed one of the first places that we walked by and ordered a seafood pasta. The plate came with more food than I could eat. Once we were done, we then hiked over to the Surf Shack for a couple of cervezas. They had some music playing across the street on the beach that everyone seemed to be enjoying. After the drinks we headed back to the hotel. Once back we sat and chatted for a bit and then retired to our room. The next morning we got to see the rest of the property and strolled out to the beach.
https://vimeo.com/216905800
We then loaded the car and headed back up the highway to Jama and then over to El Matel to take a look at the lot that we had purchased back in 2009 at Coco Beach Village. We stopped at our lot and grabbed a photo.We then met another one of the neighbors who had purchased well after us. She was friendly and really wanted us to reconsider and build. Well, we had that chance a few years earlier but some other residents had placed a stop build on the development so it didn't happen. We paid $52,915.00 for the lot back in 2009. We are now selling it for $35k and since we purchased it, the developer has added a road, sidewalks and road lighting along with a clubhouse, pool and tennis courts. It comes serviced with water and power.
After our visit at Coco Beach Village we started our road trip to Montanita. It was slow going through Bahia as there was plenty of road repair from the damage following the earthquake that happened the previous year. That city took a beating. We enjoyed the drive along the coast on E15 as it was nice and windy and would pop out with an ocean view every once in a while. There was even a nice little cruise on the highway that was tree covered and pretty.
https://vimeo.com/216916462
We arrived in Montanita while the sun was still up and checked into Hosteria la Gondola on the south end of town. It's located behind the bus parking lot which you can see from the highway. It was a nicely laid out property with several little casitas and ours was a nice size. The cost was $70.00 CAD for the night. Once we got everything inside and settled in we took a walk up the beach to Montanita for dinner. I grabbed this photo of the entrance to the hosteria from the beach. This is the bar and they will serve you drinks for a price.
We found a place on the beach at the south end of town that was run by an Ecuadorian and the food and the service was good. The meal was $5 and the cerveza was $2.
After dinner we went for a short walk through town and then headed back to the hosteria for a drink. Here is a photo of the view from the restaurant which would be the south end of the beach of Montanita.
Without a doubt, you know you are in or near Montanita as the atmosphere alone shows up everywhere including the adjoining room that night. I slept well, but my wife complained the next morning that the girl next door had fun with a few men last night.
When we got everything ready, we loaded up the car and decided to have breakfast in Manglaralto as it's just a couple of minutes drive south. While we were having breakfast Claudette mentioned that she thought she could see dolphins swimming in the ocean right next to us. Sure enough, there was an entire pod of them just off of the shore. Can't wait to live here!
There was an interview being conducted on the malecon. Appeared to be the local news talking about the recently constructed malecon. This all made me feel that much more happy about choosing this town to move to. Manglaralto also has a hospital and it is only 4 blocks from our future home.
Following our short time in Manglaralto we continued on the E15 south and then east to Guayaquil to drop the car off at the airport. Feel like I am getting used to this. When we got to the airport and checked the car in, I found that I had to pay an extra $300 as I failed to check the car out this time with unlimited mileage. Live and learn. Won't make that mistake again, especially when we are planning to drive 1800 km over 4 days and they only grant you 100 km per day free. On the way out of the airport I grabbed a short video of the fish pond just outside the doors.
https://vimeo.com/215428803
Then it was into a cab and off to the Termino Terestio and then to the ticket window to buy a couple of $4.15 tickets and up the escalators to catch the bus back to Salinas.
Once we got back I received an email from the realtor's office that we now have our utilities which have to be paid. $31.40 for electricity and $8.48 for electricity. Well, hard to complain when my electrical and water in Calgary before we left was around $200+
I then requested some banking information from our realtor and once I received it I then set up a payee on my XE account and about 24 hours later I deposited $9990.00 USD to her account. I was utilizing XE.com as Claudette had previously used them to transfer money to Jamaica along with the developer for our existing Ecuador lot. It took about 24 hours for XE to approve a new payee and then about a week to transfer the funds to the realtor's account.
Then I found out that our realtor up north had the Power of Attorney ready for us to notarize and sign. I then contacted our lawyer in Quito for recommendations and he was kind enough to send me info on Notary#2 here in Salinas who we could use. He emailed the POA which I had emailed to him on to the notary and I suggested to Claudette that we should walk to the notary this afternoon so that we would know how long it takes. That way in the morning, we would know what time to leave for our appointment.
Well, on our preliminary walk to the notary we ran into one of the Island Realty realtor's Tony and chatted with him for a bit and Claudette asked him if he could help us translate at the notary's the next day. He kindly said it would be no problem. So the next morning we walked to the notary's office and shortly after Tony arrived and helped us translate everything. His help was much appreciated. We then went for lunch together at a nearby restaurant.
The next morning we jumped on the bus to Guayaquil and met with Dana Cameron at the Terminal lunch area and discussed our plans with her on obtaining our Temporary Residence. She was very helpful with our questions and we felt more than comfortable handing over all of our paperwork to her. She would start working on translating our documentation to Spanish and the only thing we would now have to get and pass on to her would be our deed for the property that we are buying.
We then headed over to Servientrega to courier out our POA to our realtor in Jama. The fee was $4.50 which sounded pretty good to me. He should receive it in a couple of business days. We then walked to the ticket window and purchased a couple of tickets for Santa Elena and boarded the bus for our trip home. Another nice relaxing trip home enjoying the air conditioned bus and a movie.
Once we got home I then received a few emails from one of the companies that looks after shipping goods into Ecuador. I forwarded them to my wife to have a look at as she will look after paying for the shipping. I had also received an email copy from our lawyer asking the realtor to ask the owner for a number of items including the deed and an assessment. I then forwarded that to Dana to see if what he was requesting would be sufficient. So another month passes by. Wondering why we love Ecuador, not anymore!
