Hey Everybody J

Thank you so much for all your replies – a single word or several pages matter not, its enough that you replied & keeps me in the loop of your lives – its not all about me….

Here we go then with update No2, one more & it officially becomes a serial, so I think this deserves a better title than “Update” – Answers on a postcard will be drawn at random the night before the next episode; all entries must be in by that morning & all judges decisions are deemed final unless a better entry arrives 😉

So this time Im going to try to talk a little more on what its like living here, Ive included a lot more photos of the town & hopefully we will begin to create an understanding of what it feels like to live a simple life on the coast of Ecuador…..

It was the weekend & as though the sport gods were smiling down on me, we had internet access, meaning that with a few quick keystrokes, I was metaphorically knocking on the door of a dodgy members only club. In reality it’s an illegal hosting site for UK television streamed live, but if the right guy is on the door, a knowing wink, a clandestine handshake & you’re in. Behold a whole day of quality Rugby, enjoyed from the womb-like comfort of a hammock, under the shade of gently rustling palm fronds. Winning & winning works up a healthy appetite, so it was off for a wander to find a place to eat…….

…….Most “restaurants” do their night-time cooking outside, with a couple of modified oil barrels & a few lumps of driftwood, you have the makings of a brazier. Its generally a whole family operation as the kids have to earn their keep. In general it seems the grown ups do the prep in the kitchen, then hang around socialising, whilst the kids – at least 4, man the BBQ, serve, drum up business, take the money & clear up. Fair division of labour Id say 😉 So that all seems reasonably standard, but unlike that which we have come to expect in the west, there isn’t really a menu & you simply get to pick from what they have & on it goes to the grill. There are usually 3 choices: Chicken (pollo), Meat (carne) or a skewer (cucho), which come as either carne or pollo. The first is obvious enough, but the others really are pot luck as to what meat, though no less tasty for it. All places do the same thing, so perhaps not unlike the southern states, its all about the basting sauce they use, who managed to get what from the meat seller, or perhaps who lives closest to the road & used to have a dog……..

So you go to the grill, make your choice & take a seat, often with other diners as they have few tables, so most seat at least 10 & its rare to see a place with more than one matching piece of furniture. At some point a child will deliver a side plate with your chosen protein, whilst another will appear from inside with a plate of rice & a version of gravy with beans in it. A few have a drinks chiller, but most people seem to bring their own. If you want a beer, one of the kids will run off down the street to the guy that sells beer & bring it back for you – they get to keep the bottle, so earn themselves a few cents on returnables. I seldom manage to finish it all, but at $3.50 I don’t feel bad about leaving some of the rice! The thing is they are very functional. This isn’t going out to dinner, there are no interesting discussions over multiple courses & certainly no lingering over coffees & dessert wines. You choose, you eat, you leave. Panda Dining!

What struck me as strange about this night, was how busy everywhere was – Olon is a sleepy town, so where did everybody come from??? I got a clue 7am on Sunday morning as coaches thundered past my bedroom window. It transpires, every weekend, people from in-country flock to the coast. Mostly from the largest, but officially the 2nd city of Ecuador, Guayaquil. They venture west in their droves, many loaded up to the gills in some old jalopy, quite a few in the relative comfort of a modern 4×4 & the rest on coaches. It’s a 2 ½ hr drive from Gq, so they definitely get an early start to descend on the beach for 7am. Of course there aren’t any red lines, no double yellows, or parking restrictions of any kind except don’t drive on the beach itself, so its something of a free for all. Presumably why they start so early! Im lead to understand that on holiday weekends, the whole country heads to the coast, so cant wait for Easter 🙂 Fortunately the coast is as long as the country, so in effect, the whole population, (slightly more than London at 16m), just steps 120 miles to the left. 🙂 Round these parts, most head for Montanita & its 24hr party scene, with Olon getting the families. It was Full Moon in Montanita Monday night, cosmically as well as symbolically, so borrowing the party idea from Asia, they let rip on the beach. Sadly its organisers are considered to be too commercialised by the locals & so the event is mostly for “tourists” & thus I was advised not to bother. I popped down there for a looksee, stayed half hour then turned around & headed away from the carnage. Not that they didn’t appear to be having a great time, but the music was just awful…..

They come to the beach in their droves then, renting a gazebo of which there are many & don’t leave until the suns gone down. I cant say I blame them, for around 12hrs they get to live on the beach, its lovely!

There’s a point break between here & Montanita, with a drop off at about 150m out from the shoreline. This means there are swells, there are waves & its no accident the place is a hot spot for surfers. What it does mean though, if you are just a swimmer, its hard work! There is no gentle lapping of the waves on the shore, oh no; The Mighty Pacific, pounding the shore like “Prisoner 41” at ramming speed. Powerful & relentless as it sucks the water away to feed the swell now rising above your head, dragging you towards its thunderous base, then crashing across your chest, knocking you off your feet as you splutter & cough into the next frothing mountain of water s it tumbles towards you. Adrenalin pumping, neurons firing, which way is up your panicked mind screams, but as your head breaks the surface allowing to you gulp lungfuls of sweet fresh air, you realise your feet are touching the bottom. As you straighten your legs, the water barely covers your waist. The embarrassment blooms across your cheeks as you realise you’d been in worse danger when the fat kid fell in the baby pool 😀

It is kinda wonderful though, the beautiful Pacific, whilst cooler further south & positively chilly as far down as Peru, it is a balmy 24 deg today, so no sharp intake of breath as the water reaches past mid thigh. With a high tide early afternoon, the beach feels a little smaller, everyone inching their belongings back as the tide runs erratically across the glittering sand.

I watched a young boy yesterday, digging a hole on the edge of the surf. Not unlike young boys everywhere, he reveled in delight as the water crept ever closer, putting his hands down in the hole to get a crabs eye view of the approaching sea. Unfortunately for him, the next wave was bigger than before, the hole filled up immediately, bringing with it all the previously excavated sand & he was buried up to his armpits, head beneath the surface. With scant emergency or regard for the subsequent waves, his dad or elder brother simply ambled over & gave his shoulders a huge yank, eventually releasing the child. I expected this to be big drama, the kid nearly died, I almost stood up, but the brother ambled back to his deckchair & the child again began digging, though a little further back & with a wary eye on the encroaching water.

It seems I was mistaken about the weather, its getting hotter! I went to visit my property site on Monday – yes, the acclimation period is over & its time to get to work – I chose the spot because its inland a little from the sea & well shaded with plenty of trees. What I didn’t expect was how much everything else had grown up around it. So fighting my way through what is now approaching a mini jungle, I felt the first flood of salty rivulets running down my chiselled torso. Ok, that last bit may be as a result of heat stroke, because when I checked my phone, we were at 36 deg & climbing. Fortunately the breeze was still strong, but I am seriously reconsidering my initial plan of buying a machete to have at it myself. As I don’t yet have the official go ahead, I do have time to source a few locals, eager to earn a few shekkles clearing my land & be glad of it. I do intend to work with the builders as I teach them new construction skills, but Im not sure I see the value in doing too much of the more mundane tasks myself, Im a lover not a fighter, a conductor not the orchestra, a mind not a minion……& it appears the heat stroke was worse than I thought 😉

So yes, its Easter this coming weekend & as is the custom in all good Catholic countries, the church opposite me has been brimming every night with pre-event prayer & preparation. It probably holds a few hundred people, but twice that were jostling for position outside, the whole place buzzing like they expected a resurrection right there n then, tho of course immediately asking forgiveness for their selfish expectation & heading home to flagellate…..Im not sure what I expect for next weekend, but theres no question it will be long & loud, with many a procession.

Unfortunately though I may have to move out of my room! I told you I secured a family room for $20, which the owner has no issue honouring, however, he told me this morning that he puts his price up to $30 for the 3 day holiday. Ok, so Ill stay where I am & pay the difference I think – Nuh uh Senor! Turns out he not only increases his prices by 50%, but it also becomes a per person rate & with the mattress pulled out from under my bed (I never knew), he claims the room will sleep 8….Im not paying that, so rationalise the process as me helping him to maximise his revenue by my very personal & selfless sacrifice – maybe all the religion is having an effect on me as I feel almost saintly 😉

The photos this time are a walk around town after breakfast, so about 9ish in the morning. You will see most of the buildings appear unfinished, that’s because it’s the norm here. Most people have very little money, so they make a start & build a room in which to live. As they find a few dollars, they work towards adding another room, usually this is a second floor, but sometimes it’s a perplexing addition that simply provides a function known only to them. Unfortunately, there’s a finite period of time before the salty sea air attacks the poor workmanship, so several never get their planned extension. The hotels work the same way, a few rooms, then a holiday weekend, a few more are added, maybe one year they will render & paint them, though unlikely the same colour paint will still be available….. The streets then are a mix of what I call the front room shops, actual houses & hostels/hotels. Most are pretty with trees & shrubs, though with a little imagination & a soupcon of design flair, it could be gorgeous. Right now though its crying out for a gentrification that’s unlikely to happen for quite some time. Like anywhere there is graffiti, though very little of the gang slang & far more of the artistic or amusing mural.  I walk up past the town square, currently under a refurbishment which includes t’internet cabling works & children’s play area. Out onto the main coast road, there’s something of a market – meat seller, fruit etc, but mostly the goods are bought to you by vendors, concerned you either don’t know they have something or wont go to them. This means you often don’t get what you want, but if you wait anywhere long enough, what you need will come to you. A concept the “free thinkers” tie dye on their day wear 😉

Ive also included a before & after shot of my land – the before is clearly wooded, but open enough to allow horses grazing in the middle. The after is virtually impenetrable, but bodes well for when I plant my own herbaceous borders 😉 I also included what will be my access road off the main road & then the branch off to my land.

There is traffic, but its hardly constant & one only really needs to look both ways to avoid the bicycles. It helps that every pueblo has a sleeping policeman at each end of the main road. I say policeman, but these are often so big that one has to actually stop & ease your vehicle over – simple but effective & gives everyone in between plenty of time to cross. I waited for the bus into Montanita the other day, but without an actual bus stop, wasn’t sure where to wait. I saw the bus stopping 100yrds up the road, so considered sprinting as it picked up its passenger. I opted to stroll (ref 36 deg heat & flip-flops). There would be another shortly, but to my amazement, it stopped 4 more times as it drew level with other people standing by the road, so I waited. Sure enough, as it got to me it slowed & I hopped on. At 50 cents minimum fare, it generally runs to $1 per hour of travel, the seats recline far more than on an aircraft, most have A/c, will be showing a pirate copy of the latest blockbuster on a screen taped to the back of the drivers compartment & vendors hop on & off bringing refreshments & mobile phone accessories – there are certainly worse ways to travel. Many also have toilets, but its an unwritten rule that only women should use them, no doubt because many are perpetually at some stage of pregnancy – gawd bless them Catholics! J

Somewhat contradictory to the poverty, theres a brand new sports stadium, replete with football pitch, volley ball, basketball & hockey courts – I believe this was a “generous contribution” from a wealthy guy that coincidently now owns a considerable amount of land previously owned by the community…..The floodlighting is super bright, so the very wise people on the local council voted to remove the bulbs from the street lighting everywhere around the stadium. Little thought was given to the fact that the stadium switches its lights off at 9pm, thus plunging the surrounding area into darkness 😉

So that I think will do for this instalment & I hope it has painted a slightly clearer picture of a simple life, uncluttered by the pressures of 1^st world living. I will no doubt have something to say after the many splendoured celebrations next weekend, but unless Ive got something to share, don’t want to commit myself to making this weekly. Though if enough of you want it, Im sure I could think of something to say 😉

Mad love to one ‘n’ all & as always, wish you were here…..

S x