Casa Colibrí is Born!

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Casa Colibrí (Hummingbird House) is nine months old today.  Bill and I have been living in the house about three weeks.  We swore we would NEVER build a house.  We only wanted to renovate an existing property or purchase a house that was livable. The old adage "never say never" sure has hit home with us. I am going to share some of the great, good, and bad things that have occurred as we have taken this journey.

We bought this plot of land (300+ square meters) from a man I met on the street in Manglaralto.  As crazy as that sounds, while we were looking for land or a house to purchase, I spoke to anyone and everyone who would listen in case they knew of a contact. We kept hitting walls.  Some houses were totally out of our budget, some houses were for sale by a few members of the family and not by others, some properties were beyond renovation, etc.... I was speaking to some girlfriends in the park one evening about a recent robbery of some friends and a man walked into our conversation offering to help share his security footage from his home security cameras.  I soon learned he spoke very good English and his family owned a couple of pieces of land in Manglaralto. He showed them to us the next day. We instantly fell in love with this property.  It has an ocean view, sits on the malecon (walking path) along the river, a concrete garage for construction materials was already on site, and the property is located in a quiet area of town, away from the central park.  The center of town can be noisy in the evening during festivals and concerts.  Some events last until 4 or 5 AM with lots of music!

In Ecuador a title of land ownership is called an escritura.  We worked with a lawyer to make sure everything was in order and when we were ready to transfer ownership, we all met in an office in Santa Elena.  The translator came in wearing all black with large rings, super shiny shoes, and a huge watch. He looked just like Roy Scheider.

We had to stand and be sworn in before he read us the legal document. He also recorded all the proceedings.  It was very official!

Next, we found the best maestro in the area.  Our friends, Tim and Janet, have hired Cristobal as their maestro and had complete faith and respect for him.  We asked his advice and opinions and that started the ball rolling. Bill worked diligently drawing a plan for our house.  He measured, planned, and made changes as we thought of things we wanted and needed. We did not use an architect and we don't regret that decision at all.  Cristobal and Bill planned things together so that the layout worked well.  We then had to get the proper permits.  Our great friend and liaison, Alfonso, helped us get our building permit and pay the fees involved.

Cristobal wanted to make sure we had full advantage of our terrific view so he wanted to raise the elevation of the lot to match the elevation of the malecon.  We started construction with the foundation and elevation material on September 11, 2017.

 All the columns are tied together with rebar to help with earthquake protection.  We live in a country with active volcanoes and earthquakes occur from time to time, although most are small tremors.

I want my friends in the states to understand that EVERYTHING has been done by the hands of 6 (now 8) members of our crew.  All the rocks were moved by hand. Pascual has bent all the rebar for every post.  Brothers Juan and Pedro have hauled more big rocks and bags of cement than you can imagine. Eveleo and his father Pedro have smoothed concrete and hauled materials as well.  The only days we had a crew of more than 8 were when the first and second floors were poured.  These had to be finished in one day, so Cristobal hired a crew of about 15 men to help with the process. When they poured the second floor, we also had a winch to bring up the loads of cement.

I didn't go up to the second floor until the stairs were poured, but I scared the crew because when I first went upstairs I cried and cried at the beautiful view of the ocean on one side, the river on a second, and the beautiful hills of Dos Mangas and the jungle on the third.

As the days went by, I took pictures of the progress.  We would rush over at lunch time and check on things and every evening after the crew left I would snap a few pictures.  I have hundreds of photos of the progress.

 December

 January

 February

 March

 April

May

We tried using colors and architectural designs which reflect homes and colors we have seen in our area. It's been a big change from the subtle colors I have always used at home.  We have lots of arches, which are found in many of houses in the area. We also wanted big windows and used lots of glass blocks as we know that the winters here have many gray days and we wanted as much light to help us through the gloom. We have used the construction materials which are well known here in Ecuador.  Rebar, concrete, bamboo are commonly used and our crew can work magic with them.  

Our living space is upstairs with one bedroom, a huge kitchen and open living and dining area. It's about 160 square meters (about 1600 sq. ft.)including a big covered porch.

Our bedroom with a small porch overlooking the river and ocean. (Abby's happy place!)

the porch off the bedroom. 

 master bath (no cabinets yet.)

 living room/dining room

 bar between kitchen and living room. (barstools being made as we speak.)

 kitchen (cabinets finished on Thursday)

 big porch off the kitchen

guest bath

The downstairs is currently being finished as well as the railing for the steps.  The downstairs will have the laundry room and storage area, as well as a guest bedroom and huge covered porch. We hope to have most things finished in the next few weeks but will work on some things (like the fireplace) at a later date. The garage will be torn down and in its place will be a garden and gateway to our house.

Now for the great, the good, and the bad, in reverse order.

The Bad

• We have gone over budget and won't be able to completely finish things right away. 
• The language barrier has slowed us down a bit, but we are improving every day.
• It has taken longer to complete than we expected.

The Good

• We have loved getting to know the construction crew.  We know we have made lifelong friends as they all live in the area.
• The crew has taught us so much about ingenuity and making things from scratch.  
• We have provided jobs for a lot of people in the area.  The crew, the window maestro, the cabinet maker, the tile store, and the local hardware store have all done great business with us. 

The Great

• We would have never been able to afford to live by the ocean in the states and now we have a beautiful home right on the Pacific.
• We are mortgage free!
• Our utilities (including internet)for one month are less than $100. 
• We have used lots of bold color and Ecuadorian craftsmanship. 

hand painted floor tiles from Cuenca

• We wear flip flops and shorts all year long!

Heartfelt Thanks

We have had so much support from friends here in Ecuador and we want to send big hugs and thanks to some friends.....

Tim and Janet McGuinness- Tim and Janet opened their home to us when our lease was finished on our rental house.  We stayed in an apartment in the downstairs of their house for six months.  They always made us feel loved and welcomed.  We spent many evenings together on their porch watching the sunset and talking about the day.  Tim and Janet also introduced us to Cristobal.  They provided us with a listening ear when we had problems and always gave great advice. Tim was so, so, so helpful with translating for us when speaking with Cristobal.  They both would come to the construction site every Friday for our weekly meeting and Tim would help us understand the construction process.  Tim and Janet have become our very best friends, and Bill and I look forward to many more sunsets and lots of traveling with them.

Alfonso Baudilio Bonilla Rosales- Baudi has helped us make connections with great people.  He helped us find a good real estate lawyer and helped us obtain the construction permit.  He and his family have become our family as well. We honor his advice and perspective on things.

Cristobal Manuel Orrala Suarez- Cristobal knows more about construction than you can imagine. He does everything from electrical wiring, plumbing, concrete, woodworking, and laying tile.  He is the ultimate perfectionist and you can tell he loves his career. Cristobal is humble and kind and always wants his clients to be happy with the outcome.  He is a great leader for the crew and a wonderful family man. We will forever be grateful to him for building our dream home.

The Crew- We want to thank the rest of the crew for building our house and for their wonderful work ethic. Pascual Matias, Pedro Yagual, Juan Matias, Eveleo Yagual, Pedro Matias, as well as the new additions of Pedro and Gilson have worked diligently every day.  Bill and I enjoyed coming over every Friday evening with payroll and a case of beer. We loved trying to chat and joke with everyone as they tried to teach us new sentences. We thank them from the bottom of our hearts.

Bob and Rox Hedges- We stayed with this couple who have since become our good friends, when we first visited Ecuador in 2016 and again when we returned in 2017.  They shared their love of Ecuador and their knowledge of Manglaralto with us.

Tom Butinski- Tom was a stranger to us in September of 2017.  He lived in Cuenca, Ecuador and was about to move to Colombia.  He posted a video on an Ecuador Facebook site that he wanted to sell all his household goods to one person.  We communicated back and forth and finally made an agreement.  Bill and I bought all his household good, sight unseen.  Tom made sure things were packed carefully and shipped to our little town on the coast.  Since we didn't have anyplace to unpack things, they stayed in storage for seven months (Thanks to Woot Gibson for allowing us to store things.).  When we moved in last month it was like Christmas as I opened the crates and unwrapped the furniture!  Everything is beautiful and we were very fortunate to have found Tom.  We continue to stay in contact, even though he has moved on to Colombia. *If you remember, we came here with six suitcases, a dog, and a cat....so we needed to furnish this house!

Miss Judy at Omnisariato- Omnisariato is the hardware store in town.  Tim, Cristobal, Bill, and I went in to open an account.  With a handshake and a kiss on the cheek, we opened an account and Crsitobal was able to charge construction supplies to our account as he needed.  We go there twice a month and pay some money toward the balance.  We will miss seeing Judy, but we won't miss handing over the money!

Cyndy Wergin and Annie Rikel- Thank you, ladies for allowing me to copy some of your design styles.

We had to put a lot of trust into people that we really didn't know and that is a true leap of faith, but time and time again people have been very generous and kind to us. ́́́́́́

Finally, thanks to my partner in crime and the love of my life.  I have often heard that building a house can put strain on a marriage but I can honestly say it was a pretty easy process....except for that one week.

Bill and I are still in awe of the life we are building here in our new country.  We love Ecuador...the good, and the bad, and the strange. We are excited to continue this next chapter of our lives together.

Cheers!

It's Been a While!

Hello friends,

I apologize for neglecting this blog for over a year!  Time has passed so quickly and I suppose I have been busy living life.  There have been so many changes and new adventures in the last year, I have been focusing on doing things rather than writing about them.  But several people have been asking questions about the move and our experiences, so I will get back to adding to this blog again. 

For the month of May (and maybe beyond) I will be blogging about life here in Ecuador with the idea of "gratitude" as my overall theme.  These sets of blogs will be know as "Gratitude at 2 Degrees South Latitude" with various articles of some of the best things I have discovered in our new home. I hope you enjoy them.

Stayed tuned..........!

$$$Ca-Ching$$$

As the title of this post indicates, I will be addressing one of the most common questions about living in Ecuador...money.

Most people are a little surprised when they find out that the national currency of Ecuador is the US dollar.  I did a little research on the topic and found that Ecuador began using US currency in 2000 to help stabilise their economy.

But probably the most surprising thing about the US currency in Ecuador is the popular use of the US Sacajawea dollar coin and the fifty-cent piece. When the dollar coin was introduced in the US, it quickly died in popularity.  Now it seems most of these coins have ended up in Ecuador! I do not recall using the fifty-cent piece other than with the tooth fairy back home in the US.

Of course, using US currency is a big plus for those who have moved to, or are planning to visit Ecuador, but I have found that using the dollar coin is also a big plus when you live in the damp coastal areas.  In Ecuador, it is very difficult to turn in our used ripped or damaged bills, even the banks reject money that has been torn, so the use of coins makes it easier to keep your money safe and undamaged.  The damp salt air can be hazardous to your paper bills! Ecuador is a cash based society, so carrying around a credit card is useless unless you go to a major city or a shopping mall.  The nearest mall to us is about an hour's drive away and the nearest major city is Guayaquil, about 2 1/2 hours away. 

Now to address the other burning questions regarding the cost of living in Ecuador.  I mentioned in a previous post that the cost of living here is much lower than in the United States and now that we have lived here for three months, I can give some detailed examples.  Our internet, which is comparable to the service we had in Henryville, Indiana is $35 a month.  It's not super fast, but it meets our needs. Milton, from the internet company, comes around to the house on his motorcycle to collect our internet fee each month.  Directv is roughly $7 a week. You can go to the local hardware store and prepay for Directv service.  Gasoline is $1.48 a gallon.  Ecuador is a member country of OPEC and the price for gasoline has remained steady for some time. Our house in completely electric and we pay about $35 per month for electricity.  The company puts the bill in the slats in our front gate each month and we pay at the local CNEL office in Manglaralto. The billing works the same for our water as well.  We pay about $15-20 per month, but we have a pool to maintain so I am sure it's lower for others. We also buy bottled water for drinking purposes at $2 for a 5-gallon jug.  This lasts us about a week and a half because we work hard to stay hydrated. It's very easy to get sick in the tropics if you don't drink lots and lots of water. I carry water with me almost everywhere I go. 

Perhaps the biggest change in our spending compared to living in the US is the amount we pay for food.  We try to go to the big grocery store for staples about once a month.  We mostly buy cleaning supplies, pet food, toiletries, frozen meat, and basics like sugar and flour.  Then every few days at home in Manglaralto, we go to the local tiendas (shops) for fresh fruits and vegetables, eggs, and bread.  We walk to the nearby town of Cadeate for our bread as it is known for its bakeries. We will also buy a whole chicken in Cadeate as well.  Now that the shop owners know us and realise we live here, the prices have dropped and I believe we may be getting the local prices for things. All in all, our grocery bill has been cut by at least half from when we lived in the US. The following is a photo of some produce we bought a week ago.  We paid about $3.60 for all of the items in the picture. 

We have a fish vendor come to our door about twice a week on his motorcycle with huge fresh shrimp and fish, which he will fillet for us.  The shrimp are about $7.50 per pound for the large ones and a whole fish can cost about $30, but that will feed us for about four meals.  

Eating out at a restaurant is also super cheap.  We have had delicious meals for no more than $10 an entree.  Lunch specials are usually about $3.  There are lots of choices as well.  We have a favorite Peruvian restaurant, a pizza place, sushi, Italian, Thai, Asian, etc....There are many choices; however, there are no fast food restaurants in our area.  We really haven't missed that, though.

Another added bonus of eating fresher foods and walking to go shopping is that we have lost a bit of weight.  Both Bill and I are now having trouble fitting into the shorts we brought with us.  I see a shopping trip for clothes in our near future. 

There is also an increase in "gringo" products coming to our area.  Many people from the US and other countries come to Ecuador and share their speciality foods.  We have a French baker in the nearby town of Olon, a Russian couple started a cheese, beer, and bread store also in Olon, and a brewery in Montanita makes really good beer and ciders.  

The cost of medical care and medicine is probably the most amazing difference here in Ecuador.  In the US, I took a prescription and even with my insurance co-pay, had to pay $50 a month.  I can get ninety days of the exact same medicine at the local farmacia (pharmacy) with no prescription for $16! Bill had to make a quick trip to the emergency room two months ago after fainting, and the cost was absolutely free.  We did pay $21 for the medicines that the doctor suggested he take.  Once we obtain our residency, we will be able to get health insurance for about $80 per month.  When we turn 65, our health care will be free. You can find many doctors who can speak English as many have been trained in the US. You can search the internet for many first-hand experiences regarding health care, elective surgeries, and other health care topics, but so far, our experiences have been very positive.  

On the flip side (I have to tell the whole truth, after all!), there are several categories of consumer goods which are quite expensive in Ecuador.  Cars are cost prohibitive.  Importing your own car can cost double the value of the car by the time you add import taxes.  Buying a car in Ecuador limits the brand of car you can choose. We see lots of Hyundai, a few Toyotas, and Chevrolets, and Great Wall, a Chinese-made car.  Bill and I decided that since the cost of buses and taxis is very cheap, and both systems are readily available, we are going to go without a car.  We are delighted to have no car payments, insurance issues, taxes, or repairs to pay for. So far it been a great decision (see the previous paragraph about weight loss!).

Appliances also tend to be quite expensive here as well.  You are also very limited to the brands which are offered.  Computers and televisions are very expensive.  We stopped by a computer/appliance store last weekend and the price of a laptop on a payment plan was going to be over $2000!  Recently Ecuador signed a trade agreement with Europe and there is hope that appliances and technology prices will drop.  

Finally, I'd like to comment a little on income in Ecuador.  Along the coast, the average salary for a worker is about $20 per day. We've met people who clean houses, make concrete blocks, sell popsicles on a bike, wash clothes, landscape, clean pools, run restaurants, work in a hospital, guard banks, ...you name it.  And even though the average wage is VERY different here in Ecuador than in the US, most every person we've met seems happy, has pride in his job, and has a smile and a wave for us. 

Even though no one makes a huge amount of money here and water can be in limited supply due to a recent drought, the Ecuadorian people have a tremendous amount of pride in their appearance and their possessions. Mothers work hard to keep their families' clothes spotless, taxi drivers are constantly wiping down their cars, and the local tienda owners are busy keeping their shops tidy. A retired friend of ours loves to use the word "tranquilo" when describing his life here in Ecuador.  I think that perfectly sums up the country we are growing to love more each day.

Our Happy Holidays

I am sorry for my delay in posting in this blog.  Usually the holidays for us are low key, with a few scattered events and a quiet Christmas as well as New Year's at home, but this year, it's a whole new world!

The first exciting event came on the 21st as we got to help out and witness first-hand the wonderful generosity of our dear friends Bob and Rox.  We rented a suite from them in June and as well when we returned in November.  Bob and Rox helped us so much with our decision to live in Ecuador. They both have huge hearts and we saw that in action when we attended their Christmas party for the neighborhood (barrio) children.  With the help of donations, but mostly single-handedly, Bob and Rox plan, purchase, and organize an event for around 350 kids and their mamas!  Each child gets to come up and visit Santa, receive a toy, a bag of treats, and have lunch in Bob and Rox's lovely backyard by the sea.  There is music, laughter, and lots of hugs and smiles.  The reaction of the children when Papa Noel appeared was priceless.  Bill and I had so much fun helping out that day. Bill helped take out the trays and trays of food for everyone, and I got to help the ladies put together the  lunches. Incredibly, Bob and Rox served us dinner on their deck that night as well! Bob even took pictures of each and every child with Santa, which he had printed and handed out to each family later in the week.  If you would like to help them with next year's event, you can find their blog by Googling "Bob and Rox Ecuador." It's on Squarespace.

Rox with Papa Noel, beginning the gift giving!

 Sometimes it's just too exciting and a nap is required. 

The next series of events which we attended and helped was the fundraising efforts of local expats who raised money to purchase a refrigeration system for the local orphanage.  There was a beautiful sunset concert, with music by college students from Quito.  There was a silent auction as well. Several expats also organized a lovely dinner to raise money.  I posted the web site for friends and family to donate to the cause and all the fundraising efforts were successful! The new refrigeration is purchased and will be installed shortly!  Bill and I recently visited the orphanage with our friend Erwin Musper.  I will write a post all about the orphanage at a later date, but I will tell you it was a life changing event for me. If you would like to donate to this wonderfull cause, please go to https://www.youcaring.com/orphanage-sant-maria-de-la-esperanza-ecuador-617532?fb_action_ids=1342146185798810&fb_action_types=youcaringcom%3Ashare. The money donated will help to keep freezer full of food for the 60-70 kids who live at the orphanage.

To thank the expats for their work on fund raising and also their work on putting together backpacks full of toys for every child in the orphanage, the children put together a beautiful Christmas pageant. Two wonderful friends of ours devoted many hours of practice helping some of the older girls learn to play keyboard and guitar.  They learned Hallelujah by Jeff Buckley. A local singer accompanied the girls. There was not a dry eye in the house.  The children also presented a pageant representing the birth of the baby Jesus with dancing and actors.  It was a special day.

These little boys were my favorite part of the pageant.  They loved spinning the straw hats on their heads before the performance started.  It was fun to watch the teachers trying to herd this group. 

 Our sweet friend, Woot, who is the perfect Papa Noel handed out gifts to each child in the orphanage.

Erwin speaking seriously to the wonderful woman who runs the orphanage. I imagine they're thinking up another great project to work on for the kids. 

Our son, Kevin flew in on Christmas Eve day.  What a perfect gift for me! We enjoyed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day visiting new friends and enjoying time together. We finished Christmas with a wonderful turkey dinner at our friends Bob and Rox.  To say that having Christmas dinner with wonderful friends while watching the sun set on the Pacific Ocean was a special event for us is an understatement.  I simply couldn't believe I was there!

New Year's celebrations in Manglaralto, and all over Ecuador, are full of traditions and fun.  For three days before New Year's, many young men in the community spend the evenings dressed as women.  They parade through the town and go door to door dancing and playing music.  These men are called "la mojigas" and it is expected that you give them small coins or beer to get them to move on.  Then on New Year's Eve, they shed their costumes and return back to their original form, and the party continues.  Another tradition throughout Ecuador is the burning of effigies.  Many households purchase an effigy to burn at midnight in order to get rid of the bad luck and start a fresh new year.  Many of the effigies are super heroes or comic book heroes.  This year, we purchased a Pikachu effigy and burned it on the beach at midnight as fireworks were going off up and down the coast.

There is always one old man and old woman in the group of dancers. They represent the old year. 

This was truly an unforgettable holiday for Bill and me.  I was so lucky to get to share it with Kevin and our new friends here in Ecuador.  Here's to many more celebrations!

Happy 2017!