Sunday - Day of Relaxation & an Earthquake

After the busy day we had yesterday, we wanted to just be quiet today.  It was about 11:34 this morning and I was on the computer and Ed was in the dining room.  When all of a sudden, I felt dizzy and motion sick - what the heck.  I felt like the building was swaying.  Well, it was my first earthquake.  A 7.1 earthquake hit central Colombia this morning.  We have not learned of any damage in Ecuador or in any of the cities.  We are on the 13th floor and it was very slight.  When I was feeling "dizzy" I asked Ed if he felt anything and he said no - so it had to be me!  Then, I got on the Expat Facebook site and everyone was talking about it.


Well, after that bit of excitement we decided to go to lunch in the Old Town of Cuenca.  Now the real reason was we only had one meal in the house and was tired of cooking.  Ed had done a little research to find a restaurant open on Sunday.  He selected Hotel Inca Real and it was perfect.

 

The hotel has an indoor courtyard that is lovely and has a couple of dining tables set up there.  We selected to eat in the Cafe part.

 

 

 

The cafe has dark red walls and very old Coke posters.  It has charm and since today was Sunday very quiet.  There was only one other gentleman having a meal.  The restaurant has a Spanish flavor and offers tapas.

 

They started us off with a basket of fresh baked bread and this most wonderful dip.  We had to inquire about the dip and was told; olive oil, tomato juice, coriander, chili powder (gives it that kick) and very thin onion slivers.  I could have eaten that and the bread and had been happy.  Ed went with their house wine from Chili and I got a glass of Sangria (very good). 

 

 

 

 

Ed started off with Camarones Al Ajillo or garlic shrimp.  There were about a dozen large size simmered in butter and tons of garlic. 

 

I stated with Bergara - fried eggplant, Camembert cheese, tomato salsa and olive oil and served cold.  I was a happy camper with my selection. 

 

 

But, we weren't done....

 

 

Ed had their Spaghetti con Camarones = Spaghetti with shrimp.  He cleaned his plate so he must have liked it.

 

 

I selected another tapas for my main dish, Cemarones Eccocados = Coconut shrimp.  It was a rather large serving of 12 large shrimp and was good but the coating was rather sweet.  So, I peeled away most of it and then dipped the shrimp into their dip sauce.

 

 

 

 

After that wonderful lunch, we needed to do a little walking.  We headed towards the central square in Old Town.  We came upon a church with a small flower market in front of it.  It was just about closing up time and the ladies were busy cleaning up their stalls.  I got to wander around, snap a few pictures and enjoy the beauty of all the fresh flowers.  Well, I couldn't leave empty handed so I bought myself a "bunch" of long stem roses.  I really didn't know how many roses there were but I guessed about 12 and paid the large amount of $5.00.  When, I got them home and started putting them into the pitcher we have there were 24 roses!  They smell like heaven!

 

 





 

We continued walking around the square and just people watching.  The weather was nice and NO rain but cloudy!  There are always a surprise waiting for you around the corner.  The little 1954 International truck was beautiful and the driver was eager to tell us about his truck.

 

 

 

It was the perfect day for strolling the streets.  We only could tell by the directions of the church steeples or mountains.  Most all of the stores and restaurants were closed but that almost meant a lot less traffic for us. 

 

 

 

It was time to grab a taxi and head back to the condo.  I believe that our new bed is calling Ed. 

 

It was a great day............

 

 

 

Peggy.....











Saturday = Busy Day

Saturday, Sept. 29th - A full day is scheduled for us...

Ed and I have been keeping a list of basic things that we need for the condo.  A few of the items are really needed quickly; coat hangers (we have clothes on the guest bed waiting to be hung), a knife sharpener and crock pot (friends in Sun City that now have to two I sold, enjoy them).  We have a gas stove and it has a great selection of burners but using the thin cheap pots that came with the condo make cooking difficult.  It seems you can never get the heat low enough just to simmer a dish.  

We had learned of the shopping Mall del Rio and a store similar to Walmart called Coral.  We know it was not near our condo so it was off in a taxi at 10:20 this morning.  It was about a 15 minute ride but cost $4.00.  The reason it was so expensive is because we had our building receptionist call the taxi for us to make sure we got where we wanted to go.

When we pulled up to this shopping center, I was very surprised by the size.  We had also heard that there was a store that sold printers on the second floor between the food court and Coral.  Ed and I walked the whole second floor and only found one store that sold printers (it had Victoria in it's name) and it only offered two different kinds and Ed opted to try somewhere else.  

About half way between the food court and Coral on the first floor was a place for people to Bungee jump.  Yup, they strap you in and you bounce on a trampoline and get going.  There was a young girl doing it and I was able to snap a quick picture.

 

It was time to tackle Coral, think of a very large Super Walmart and then add a second story to it.  This store sells everything you can think of.  It's a great place to find inexpensive coat hangers, a six pack of coated hangers was $1.53.  I loaded up on those!  It was fun for the first hour just walking around and seeing all the different items they carried.  But, we still had many things on our list to conquer.  We had to get busy and find them and then hit the food section.  A friendly young American with blond hair, named Malia, had to help us out a couple of times (we seemed to keep bumping into her).  She really knew the store and was able to save us time and energy. 

 

In our cart was a new crock pot, a cast skillet, a medium size pasta pot, liquid soap, food storage containers, tomato paste, Saran wrap, dairy products, food and other very necessary items for our new home.  I did spot an excellent set of high end pots, fry pans and lids for the price of $550.00 - no, they were not added to the cart.  I do miss my good pots and pans (Brian, enjoy them & think of me when you cook).

 

Now, after we checked out, the bagger named Carlos, (spoke very good English) walked us over to a counter and he had to check the crock pot to see if it worked.  He plugged it in and waited for it to get hot!  I have no idea if we get it home and it doesn't cook properly if we could return it.  After the test, Carlos put in back in the box and walked us out to the taxi stand.  We find the people very friendly and helpful.

 

Ed and I had plans of going to lunch but now we had a taxi full of food & some of it needed refrigeration.  But, in the morning on the way to the shopping mall, I had spotted them roasting a whole pig at several shops and we asked Carlos to tell the driver to stop at one of the shops for us to buy some roasted pork.  Now, that sounded like a great lunch to me.

 

 

So, our cab driver stopped and Ed jumped out and went to get us some roasted pork.  Well, it wasn't that simple.... they roast the pig until the skin is golden brown and will slice you off pieces.  Then, the meat is not fully cooked so they carve off chunks and have to grill it while you wait.  It is served like a meal with beans and a mashed sweet potato ball that is fried.  Well, Ed couldn't keep our driver waiting for 10 to 15 minutes while our lunch was being cooked!  We arrived home with no grilled pork.  I had been thinking about it since we drove by the shops that morning.  It was now 1:20 and we were both famished.  We pulled out some left overs and put the food away. 

 

Then, it was off again to conquer a new printer/scanner.  We had been given the name of two stores where other Expats had bought printers.  We decided to cross the street and hail a taxi.  A young lad named, Fernando, stopped and picked us up.  The young girls in the front passenger seat was his 12 year old sister.  We got to the first store to find it closed so we continued to the second store. We were told this was "near the Milennium Plaza (another shopping mall).  Before we left the taxi, Fernando put in his cell number into Ed's cell phone so we can call him.  Once in the Mall, Ed had to stop and ask several people where to find the printer store and finally a mall guide helped us out.  We had to walk through the mall and kinda out the back and through a Kentucky Fried Chicken Restaurant for him to point to a store directly across the street.

 

 

 

 

It carried all kinds of printers, computers, and all sorts of accessories.  The printer prices went from a low price ($69) up to several hundred dollars ($700).  We found a HP printer/fax/scanner that fit our needs and then the process of "checking out" began.  You go sit at a counter and they ask for your passport and fill out the sales receipt with all your information.  This takes several minutes, you are then asked to go over to the 'window' and pay.  Then, you go back to your sales guy and he will go in the back to get your printer and then help you out of the store into a taxi.  The whole process took about 40 minutes - but we got what we wanted! 

 

 

Now, we have this large box with our new printer and I have got a ream of printer paper, so stopping for dinner is out of the question.  Besides we were both tired and just wanted to put our feet up.  It had been a very busy and successful day of shopping. 

 

 

I'm writing to relax and Ed is putting the finishing touches to his beef stew that he had started yesterday..... a relaxing night at home and watching a DVD movie that we had brought with us.

 

Peggy

 



 

 



Waking up to beauty

You just can not have a bad day when you wake up to views like this....

Taken this morning at 9am

 



We had a list of things that needed to be done today.  The first item was a visit to the Immigration Office.  We had to present our papers to them to see if everything is in order. 

The weather was dry and a few clouds in the blue sky.  We walked the three blocks to the Immigration Office. 

This is the 'sidewalk' from our condo to Immigration Office and Super Maxi

 

 

A guard gave us a number and told us to sit.  It was about 15 minutes and she called our number.  We had a charming lady who spoke very good English.  This helped us know exactly what we needed to do.  The document that we had so much trouble with in Miami and then Ed ended up flying to Washington D.C. and to the Ecuadorian Consul there.  We were told today that it was in 'perfect order'.... thank you Marco (the very kind gentleman that helped Ed in DC).  We do have 3 documents that must be translated and then notarized, but we expected that and was ready.  Everything else looks good to go....!  We were told it will be about an eight week process, and we should not leave the country until we have our resident visa.

From the Immigrations Office we took a taxi to the old part of town.  Ed was given the name of a store where we could buy cell phones.  A comfortable $2.00 taxi ride and we were there.  Ed walked up to a gentleman behind a desk to ask him how we get cell phones and he took over.  It was kinda of funny that we ended up moving to three different desks for him to find a computer to work on.  The whole process was about 45 minutes.  First, we didn't needed an expensive phone and the gentleman selected one for us.  Then, he had to take all our information and enter that into the computer.  When, that was done, he installed the new SIM cards for us.  We had to pay next at a different window.  We returned to our gentleman and he then set up the phones.  When the phones were up and working we had to return to the pay window and buy minutes for each new phone.  We had been told that only put $3.00 on a cell phone at a time.  It is very easy to add minutes so we each now have a cell phone.

Ed asked a young lady in the cell store about a nice restaurant for us to have lunch.  She gave us directions and started following them.  We were only a block from the Old City Square.  It is just beautiful and has two old churches there and a charming park in the center. 

 

Door to above church

 

Above the door at the church

 

 

 

 

I loved all the fancy iron work on the balconies

 

 

We didn't make it to the restaurant the lady suggested but came upon one on the Old Square that had several locals eating in it and went inside.  They had a daily special that included soup, main dish and flan price $3.00.  You had a selection of chicken or beef for the main dish it also came with potatoes and rice.  I opted for a chicken and mushroom dish with french fries and rice.  They do like their carbs.  My dish was off the regular menu and the price was $7.00.  Ed tried their local beer, a Pilsner at $1.34.  It turned out that I liked it and would drink it.  I went with a Bud ($2.65) and was happy.  So, our total bill with tip was $17.00 but most enjoyable. 

 

Then, we needed to do a little walking so we strolled down a side street off the main square.  We stopped and bought 4 oranges from a lady sitting on the sidewalk for 35 cents.  We had to cross the street for a bakery to a couple of fresh rolls.   

 

The bakery with fresh rolls

 

It was time to catch a taxi and head back to the condo.  I have noticed that I do get tired and need to rest in the afternoons. 

 

As I write this our new Chaide Y Chaide pillow top king mattress and box spring is being walked up the 13 flights of stairs.  I'm so sorry for the guys lugging it up here but I will give them a nice tip for their efforts.  Can you even think about some American delivery guys walking up 13 flights of stairs to deliver a king mattress?  Oh heavens, these two young men are maybe 5'4" and weigh less than 120 pounds.  The box spring came in two parts so they were able to use the elevator to bring those up... 

 

They have to take down the queen bed in the master bedroom and move it to the office.  Then, set it back up.  This will give us two guest bedrooms and each will have their own full private bathroom.   

 

Our new king bed in the Master Bedroom

Ed enjoys the sitting area in the Master Bedroom

 

 

The Office with queen bed from Master - the guests will lay in bed and enjoy the most wonderful view

 

 

Good Night All,

 

Peggy

 

 

 

 



 

 

Our New Home in Cuenca

Upon our arrival from our drive from Guayaquil we picked up our assistant Realtor, Andrea.  She got the driver to our building and when we pulled up to our building, Andrea had to jump out and talk on the intercom to the guard to allow our van to pull into the garage.  The garage is located under the building and has elevators up to the floors.

Our guys helped unload all the luggage.  Andrea and I took the first load up to our condo.  Then, we went down and Ed was standing all alone surrounded by bags.  Andrea and I took another load up to the condo and then Ed came with the last of the bags.  The elevators were small so we could only put so much stuff on one load. 

Andrea stands maybe all of 5'2' and soaking wet maybe 95 pounds.  But, that little girl is mighty strong.  She pulled her weight in those bags down the hall into the condo.  She then had us sign our lease and showed us around and went through the inventory with us.  The cable TV wasn't working but she promised to get someone over in the next day or two. 

Our new living & dining area

 

 

 

Looking out of our dining room - it has ceiling to floor glass windows

 

The view out our kitchen window.. we don't have a dishwasher but with views like this I don't mind washing dishes.


















The time was almost 5:00pm and we needed something for dinner.   I wasn't up to going out so Ed walked down to the Super Maxi grocery store and did some shopping.  It is about 5 blocks one way but I was getting worried because he was gone about 75 minutes.  But, it had started raining hard and slowed the trip home and he had an umbrella to hold and the few things he bought. 

He had found fresh rolls, sliced ham (which turned out to be turkey) and cheese for his dinner.  I was happy to do without dinner after getting a touch of bad belly.  Heck, I haven't been in the country 24 hours and have upsets.... well something didn't agree with my system.  But, since we carried our own pharmacy I'm OK. 

The large Master Bedroom with a sitting area with a great view 

 

 

Everything in the condo is very nice but it's the mountain views from every window that have stolen my heart.  We are going to work with the owner of the condo to make a few changes.  The master bedroom only has a rock hard queen bed - which is not going to work for us.  We are willing to buy a king bed and have the store deliver it for us.  We need to owner to have a couple of his workers come and move the queen from the master into the office. 

 

 

Next, there's a heavy wooden desk in the office which would fit beautifully in the right corner in the master bedroom where the blue chair is on the right side of the window.  We gotta have a couple of guys move that for us.  We will need to buy an office chair because we only have a dining chair now and not comfortable to sit on very long.  Ed wants to get back to working on his book and will need a good place to work.  I'm not sure about putting the desk next to the window and him looking out and not working!

 

 

I have turned the guest bedroom into my dressing room with all my clothes in there.  It also has a queen bed and plenty of storage for when guests come, I'll share with closets with them.  We have three full bathrooms and a half bath just off the living room.  So, finding a toilet isn't a problem even when we have guests.  The office has it's own full bath with shower and would be great for future guests.  The current guest bedroom has it's own full bath just outside that room.  It has a tub/shower in there with glass shower doors. 

 

 

So, we are all unpacked and most everything has found a proper place.  Since the condo gets so much nature light and sunshine it isn't cold in here.  So, I'm not sure if we will need the down comforter and blankets we brought.  But, they are just past winter now and the temps are in the uppers 60's during and day and 40's at night.  I did use a very light blanket last night but Ed found that too hot for him.  I think he would do with just double top sheets.

 

 

Tonight I still didn't feel like going out for dinner, so Ed cooked a wonderful chicken noodle soup for us.  He had walked down to the Super Maxi store again this afternoon to get what he needed.  The soup really hit the spot with me and I love it when he cooks.  I'll clean up the kitchen for him, a great team we make!

 

Happy in our new home,

Peggy

 



 



Drive from Guayaquil to Cuenca

Impresionante = Breathtaking

Our van & driver was at the hotel a little early.  Ed & I had not finished eating a sandwich, so we had them wrap it up to take along with us.  There was another guy with our driver and we had to make a quick stop at their office just a few minutes from the hotel.  Ed and I signed a 'contract' and paid the $120 before we departed. 

The van was large enough for all our baggage in the back and Ed and I sat in the row behind the driver.  The nice thing about having a short driver was it gave us lots of leg room.  After we dropped the other guy off at their office, Ed moved up to the front seat.

The early part of the drive was through Guayaquil and not very beautiful.  I was getting a bit car sick so I put my coat behind my head and tried to sleep to pass the time.  About 90 minutes into the drive we stopped for a potty and drink break.  The bano was an experience, when you enter you pull toilet paper from a roll on the wall and take that into the stall with you.  I didn't realize that's what I was suppose to do until I had washed my hands and tried to find the paper towels.  I always carry my own Kleenex with me so I was fine.  But, now I know what to look for in the future.

After the short break, the road starting going up hill and the country side was getting prettier by the mile.  I had my large camera ready but the problem was we were traveling at 45mph and the road had no pull off places.  So, all the pictures were taken while the van was traveling.   

I don't know what I expected on the drive over the Andes Mountains.  Maybe something like when we drove over the Continental Divide up in Montana or maybe a reminder of the Swiss Alps.  What I got was five times more beautiful than anything I have ever seen.  We were so high we were looking down on the clouds. 

 

 

There was more than one time I just gasped with the beauty I was seeing.  I think the first time I did it our driver was sure I was getting sick.  The only thing that made me sick was that I could stop the darn van and take pictures.... that was killing me!  The back windows of the van didn't roll down and I was left shooting pictures out of a dirty, rain spattered window in a moving van.  

 

 

 

We were still going up at this point

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When we were coming down on the Cuenca side of the mountains, it did remind me somewhat of Switzerland and small dairy farmers.  It was all so lovely.

 

 

Then, we came into the city of Cuenca.  It is larger than what I expected and does have a slight traffic problem in the Old City. 

 

 

Then, it was a quick stop and the van's office for our driver to find out how to get to our Realtor's address.  So, a local guy joined us and provided directions into the Old City.  We pulled right up to the building and Andrea was waiting for us.  She got into the back seat along side of me and the guy giving directions and off we went to our new 'home'.  It seems the condo is located in the western part of the town, only because Andrea told us.  We are just down from the large shopping Super Maxi Store and next door is SuCasa. 

 

Peggy

 



 



 



Day of Departure for Ecuador

Tuesday - September 25th, 2012 at the Marriott Courtyard Hotel in Guayaquil.......

Sunday morning we joined friends at the Club for Brunch.  It was nice to spend a few quiet minutes with them again.  Afterwards, one of our knights in shining white hair came over to the condo to pick up a load of bags.  We were amazed at the number of bags his small car held.  The plan was for Monday morning another friend to come and pick up the rest of the bags and I would ride to the airport with him.  Ed would go without any bags and could just return the rental car and join us at curbside. 

I was up very late Sunday night getting the final things competed.  Ed cleaned out the refrigerator and I ran the last small load of clothes.  We have a cleaning team coming to the condo next Monday to give it a really good cleaning before our friend visits her condo.

I didn't even go to bed until midnight, just had to much to do and think about.  Now, I was really getting excited but also worried about how the trip would go.  I had heard stories about American pilots calling in sick so flights get cancelled; will that happen to us?  What will happen in Guayaquil customs, will they want to inspect all 10 bags?  Am I bringing in stuff that the Customs people will question?  Will the 3 laptops, 2 Kindles, an IPad, 1 very large camera and 2 small pocket size cameras cause us to get hit with customs fees on these?

Monday morning at 6:15, I wanted to shoot the alarm clock when it rang.  Where did that night go because I swear I only slept for a few minutes.  At the arranged time at 7:45AM our two dear & special friends arrived to pick up the other pieces of luggage and me.  We locked up the condo and off we went.

The plan worked perfectly because the two cars with luggage and me arrived at the same time.  Then, by the time we had unloaded the two cars and put all the bags on a trolley, Ed had arrived from dropping of the rental car.  It was time to say good-bye to our dear friends and head into the airport.  It does ease the good-byes when we can say "We'll see you the end of February."

These are the 10 checked bags - plus we had 4 carry on bags!

We were flying first class with American Airlines and had a really nice guy check us in for our flights.  As we weighed each bag, I wrote down the weight.  I had been told by our friends who loaded the bags into their cars that a couple of the bags were well over 70 pounds!  Well, the weight of the bags were; 45; 47.5; 52; 53; 54; 58; 58; 58.5; 62; and the heaviest at 67 pounds.  I did it and they were all under the 70 pound weight limit for first class passengers.  Ed and I each got three FREE bags and then we paid $150 for each of the other four excess bags.

Our flight out of Tampa departed right on time without any problems.  We had arranged for a long four hour layover in Miami to make sure the connection went without any problems.  Also, we got a day pass into the American's Admiral's Club and four free beverages of our choice for flying first class!  Almost across the the escalator to the Admiral's Club was the Duty Free shop.  We stopped in there and picked up a bottle of Grey Goose vodka and Tanqueray gin.  The two bottles cost $54 and we understand that can be the price for one bottle in Cuenca.   

Ed had forgotten to put some letters into the mailbox next to the condo and they ended up with us in Miami.  I asked the receptionist at the front desk if they would mail the letters for us.  She explained for security reasons they could no longer do that but told me where a U.S mail box was in the airport.  It turned out where I had to go almost walk back to Tampa and come back in through Security again.  After, that little bit of exercise I was ready for something special... a Patron Agave Margarita!  Oh, heavens it was one of the best I have had in ages, in fact it was so good that the second one was even better!  As I was  drinking (not sipping) the second drink, I realized I had better put some food on my stomach.  I ordered a steak panni that was very good but only could eat half because it was rather large.  I brought the other part along with the bag of chips on the plane with me (just in case).

Our flight was about 20 minutes late getting into the air out of Miami.  I got on the plane, stretched out and went promptly to sleep.  I woke 90 minutes later as Ed was just finishing his dinner.  It must of been the lack of sleep that finally caught up with me but I did have a slight pounding in my head!  We had such a great cabin attended that he has saved a dinner for me.  I wasn't really hungry but enjoyed the nuts and fruit plate along with a large glass of ice for my diet Pepsi I had with me.  I was coming back to life and felt human again.

When our cabin attendant saw that I was drinking diet Pepsi, he brought me three cans to stash in my carry-on.  I loved that man!  So, for the first couple of days, I will be able to start my mornings with a diet Pepsi and that's a good thing!

The flight to Guayaquil was just a little over four hours long with very little turbulence, really a very pleasant flight.  The first thing we needed to do when we arrived was go through Immigrations and have our passport stamped.  Then, it was onto baggage pick-up and all the bags were there and waiting for us.  We had to 'rent' three roller carts and a guy with a vest helped us.  It turned out he was part of the customs team.  I thought he was just a baggage handler and had requested some assistance from him and he helped.  With our three roller carts over loaded we headed to the scan machines.  You place each one of your bags in a machine, including your hand luggage, and then the guy MIGHT select which bags he wants to "inspect".  Our cardboard box was selected and one duffel bag was selected.  He guy opened each and took 5 seconds looking into them and sealed them back up.  Well, that was easy! 

The guy in the vest that was still helping us, had to pull off all the airlines claim tickets and get our claim stubs and hand them over to guards after passing through the machines.  As we walked out the airport arrival door, we looked for our name on a hotel sign, but our driver wasn't there.  So, our helper told us where to stand and how to call the hotel and get picked up.  Ed gave our vest helper a nice tip and thank him very much for his assistance.  It was about 20 minutes before our hotel van arrived because of a traffic accident on their route to the airport. 

We got all our bags in the back of the van and got inside to relax.  Our driver said he had another passenger from our flight he needed to get.  He went back into the airport while we just waited.  Just a few minutes our driver comes back with a couple and two small suitcases.  I got to chatting with the lady and learned they had come from Budapest and had been re-routed due to a flight cancellation.  Not one of their three bags arrived and the next morning they were heading to the tour the Galapagos Islands.  Then, they were going to a flower market in Quito for their import business. 

The hotel stored our 10 bags in their secure luggage room.  We didn't see the need to bring them upstairs and handle them any more then necessary.  The room was large and lovely.  We had free Internet and I was able to make a short post on Facebook letting everyone know that we had arrived safely with all luggage.

We have a large private van & driver picking us up at noon from the hotel for the three hour drive to Cuenca.  As I look out our hotel window it is cloudy and I hope it burns off so I might get a couple of good pictures on the drive over.  We have to go to our Realtor's office to pick up the keys to our condo and then our driver will take us to the condo.  It has taken months to pack up all our belongings and I want them all unpacked and settled tonight!  I have this nesting feeling coming over me.

So, is this when our journey begins?  Was everything that we had to do before only prep work to get to this part?  What will Cuenca be like and will we like it?

Opps, I just learned that hot water was not included in the price of the room.  I just had a cold shower and now trying to warm up from that little experience.  But, I like really hot showers - is this something I have to give up?

Peggy



Note from Ed:  'guess I was hyped up as I had trouble getting to sleep last night, but once there, snooze city!  Bed was great, and the room is spacious.

Breakfast was a nice Marriott buffet.  Lots of Papaya, melon juice, and mashed corn tomales.  They did made to order omelettes, and had the typical continental buffet items.  The ham was kind of sweet and a little tough.  You could have been anywhere in Europe, except for the array of exotic fruits.

Can't wait for the trip up the Andes to Cuenca in a couple of hours.

EDM

Final Items on "To Do" List

Well, the long almost never ending story about getting the last document certified has a happy ending..... we now have both of our Social Security Pension Letters certified by the Washington DC Ecuadorian Consul.  Ed's over night trip there was worth the extra cost and hassle to get them in our hands.  Ed showed up at 9:00am on Monday (Sept. 16th)  morning and meet with Carlos Farfan.  He looked over the papers and everything was in order and told Ed it would take about 20 minutes.  He suggested that Ed go have a cup of coffee and told him were the cafe was located.  Ed said the difference between the Consul in Miami and DC are just worlds apart - in fact they could not be more different.

When Ed walked into the DC consul he was greeted by a friendly receptionist sitting at a desk - not behind a glass wall with a tiny hole to take through.  Ed got meet Marco, who stood and greeted him and introduced myself and shook hands, while in Miami the lady never greeted us nor introduced herself.

The other night I had a dream that the lady in Miami was removed from her position and demoted.  When we walked into the Immigrations office in Cuenca, she was standing behind the desk and was the person who was going to hand our residency paperwork!  Talk about having a nightmare! 

The other big item on our "To Do" list was selling Ed's Volvo XC90 (the large 7 passenger SUV).  We thought we had it sold to a friend but he changed his mind just before our original departure date.  Since, we had this additional time, we made a full effort to get it sold.  Ed drove it to the Tampa Volvo dealership to see what they could offer.  The price they offered was so low that Ed drove it home. 

Ed placed an ad in the Tampa newspaper that ran on Friday, Saturday & Sunday of this past week.  The paper made a mistake in printing of the ad and it read the car had only 8,000 miles not 80,000.  So, many of the calls were people just checking on the mileage.  Ed called the paper but the mistake was never corrected during the run.  We did have several very interested people wanting to see the car.   But, none of they were interested in driving out to Sun City to view it.  So, we took the top three people and made arrangements to meet them near the airport yesterday morning. 

Our 10:30am meeting was with a guy from upstate New York.  He was looking for a car that could handle with winters and last 2 to 3 years up there.  He was down in Tampa on business settling his father-in-laws estate.  There were some items out of the house he wanted to take back to his wife.  So, he test drove the car and liked that Ed had put on new tires the day before ($850) and bought the car with cash!  It was $700 lower than our price but we liked the guy and know he'll take care of the car.  That was one major item off the list that is completed and we can cancel the car insurance!

Just as we think we have completed our "To Do" list, something gets added to it that we didn't expect.  We learned yesterday from an American living in Cuenca and going through their residency process now, that we will need two addition marriage certificates that have been apostilled.  So, today we have to write away for two certified copies from the state of Virginia.  They will then have to be sent to our daughter in Ohio.  She then will have to return them with a check to the Secretary of State in Virginia to get them both apostilled.  She will then express mail them to us in Cuenca.  We will not need these for a month after our arrival, thank heavens!  The Ecuadorian Immigration Office just changed their requirements recently and we can get on top of this before we leave the country.

So, we are down to just four days before our flight.  Last night I read an article about American Airlines and many of their pilots are calling in sick.  The problem they are having with the pilots is causing many of their flights to be delayed or canceled.  So, our next problem will be when & IF our flight departs on Sept. 24th.  I guess you'll just have to stay tuned for that story.

Peggy





  

The Never Ending Story of Social Security Verification Letter

If you have been following the long, long story about us getting all our paper work completed for our residency in Ecuador... it still continues!

Sept. 3rd - 5th we did a two night trip to Miami that we believed would provide us with the certification we need.  The trip was a total bust in getting anything done.  I think the only thing we did was really upset one employee and she is still trying very hard to make our lives difficult.  We wrote an apology letter and asked for forgiveness and sent in along with what we thought were corrected papers, at least we were told if they were submitted this way they would be approved.  Our corrected documents were expressed mailed to the Miami office on Sept. 6th (Thursday).  We expected them to be returned to us with the pre-paid express mail envelope we provided not later than Tuesday the 11th.

This morning (the 13th) Ed received a phone call from a gentleman speaking Spanish from the Miami office.  He told Ed that they needed $45.  We had sent them a cashier's check for $50 to cover the cost (amount on website).  He explained to Ed they don't give money back.  Ed told him we didn't need any cash back but return our papers.

I have the feeling that the "witch of Miami" sat on our documents.  She knew our original departure date and waited to make sure we wouldn't get the papers in time.  Both Ed and I had a feeling that the Miami Ecuadorian Consulate would not approve our documents, or them not arrive in time, not matter how great of an apology letter we wrote. 

When we started this process, I was going as a dependent on Ed's pension.  Now, I am applying under my own pension from Social Security.   That means I needed my own Social Security Verification of Benefits Letter.  We were starting from the very beginning with this document and it just meant I needed my own papers to be properly completed.

The first step, you have to obtain a Verification of Benefits Letter from Social Security to prove the amount of your pension.  The amount for Ecuador has to be $800 per person plus $100 for each dependent.  The letter has to be signed by an employee of the SS office.  The employee's signature has to be notarized. 

Ed and I both had to appear at the Social Security office in Tampa for them to provide each of us with our letter.  I had arranged for a Mobile Notary to meet us there at 1:00pm on Tuesday, the 11th.  We were called back to a 'booth' after 30 minutes of waiting.  We explained to the young lady behind the window what we needed.  The employee was very unsure that she could or would do this.  She had to visit her supervisor and was asked to wait again in the lobby.  It was another 30 minutes before they called us to a new 'booth'.  To this new employee, Mr. Lopez, we explained what we needed and provided our Social Security numbers and photo ID card. 

 
The problem was we needed a special statement to be added to the regular form Verification Letter.  It had to read... 

"On .......(date), I the undersigned, do hereby certify that this is a true and original Social Security Verification Letter for Edward D. Mooney, issued by the Social Security Administration."  The employee then signed and give his business title.  It was this statement & his signature that was notarized by our mobile notary.

The next step in the process was for this paper to be apostilled at the Florida Secretary of State in Tallahassee.  Ed and I debated if it would be returned quickly enough for us to get it to the Ecuadorian Consulate in Washington D.C.  We both felt it had to be done quickly.  So, the following morning (yesterday the 12th) Ed drove the 9 hours round trip up to Tallahassee. 

When he arrived at the Secretary of State's office, he learned they do NOT take cash or credit cards, small detail we over looked on their web site.  The girl at the desk was helpful and told him where to purchase a money order.  Ed runs out to get that little detail done.  He returns with money order of $20 ($10 for each of our Social Security Letters).  It take a few minutes before the documents are returned with their new apostille.  A quick bite of food and a stop for gas and he's on the road again.

Now the final step for this document is to be certified by an Ecuadorian Consulate.  They must see this Letter with it's signature, notarization, apostille, translation and notarization!  This is the part the Miami Consulate was giving us a hard time with.  So, Ed and I are by passing Miami all together now.  It is on the suggestion from other Expats in Ecuador to take our 'new' documents directly to the Washington D.C Ecuadorian Consulate.  We were given the name of Mr. Marco Farfan at the D.C consulate and talked with him this morning.  Ed was able to make an appointment with him on Monday (Sept. 17th) at 9:00AM.  He said it would only take minutes to have our documents certified - IF they are properly completed!

So, on Sunday (the 16th) Ed is catching an afternoon flight from Tampa directly into Washington National Airport.  Ed will have his Monday morning meeting with Marco and will return to the airport in time (we hope) to catch his 5:30PM.

Will Monday bring an end to this long story of the one very need Social Security Verification of Benefits Letter .....?  Stayed tuned....

Peggy

The Car is Sold.... OOPS... NOT Sold Yet!

When Ed and I started making our plans to move to Ecuador, everything has gone very smoothly.  We sold our home in days, had a very successful Estate Sale, we moved into a friends condo that she only uses part of the year, and we found a new home for our two mini schnauzers.  I should had known there would be one or two speed bumps along the way.  Here is our first....

It was back in June when a friend of Ed's (lets call him Guy) said he would be very interested in buying our 2005 XC90 Volvo.  The SUV is in excellent condition and has less than 82,000 miles.  Guy did some research on the car and he and Ed talked about the price.  Ed did not have a hard ball price set on the car but suggested where he would like to be.  The end of July, Ed went back to Guy to see if he still wanted the car and Guy told Ed is did.  But, that he would take it just before we left for Ecuador.

Ed spent the month of August in Montana to visit his 6 sisters and one brother.  For the last 20 years, their whole family meets up at Seeley Lake and has a week long reunion.  This trip had been planned long before our plans developed for moving to Ecuador.  This year even our two children and their families would be joining the reunion.

The month of August I focused on getting documents completed for our residency for Ecuador.  I found great duffel bags and started packing up items that we needed in Cuenca.  I didn't have to deal with the car, because we knew it was sold and Guy was just waiting for us to be done with the use of it.

When Ed got back from Montana, he and Guy meet.  Guy wanted to look over the car again and see again what all the options it had on it.  They were just down to taking final sales amount.  Ed told Guy that he really wanted to make it a "win win" situation.  Guy said he would get back with Ed on his price.

The day before Labor Day, Guy wrote Ed an email and informed him that he would not be buying the car.  Well, that sure us in a pickle.  The following day we were driving down to Miami to get some of documents completed by the Ecuadorian Consulate.  We were down to less than two weeks before our departure and that really didn't give us time to sell the car.

Ed drove the car over to the Tampa Volvo dealership because they had shown interest in buying it.  He took a half day doing that and was only offered half of the going sales price of the car.  He drove it back home.

I contacted the our friend who owns the condo where we are staying.  I asked permission to store the car in her garage here until we come back the end of February.  She said that would be fine.  It is not a perfect solution but we don't feel like giving the car away.  We will take some time to sell it then.

Our second speed bump came down in Miami and dealing with the Ecuadorian Consulate.... but that is another story.  It is titled 'The Ecuadorian Consulate Story'.

Peggy