CINDERELLA

                                                  CINDERELLA   by the Fundacion Gabriel Group

       Saturday, December 14^th, 2013, there was a wonderful  presentation of the play, “Cinderella” with some added creative touches.  This delightful play was put on by the same group that did “Man of La Mancha” last year, which was outstanding.  Well, this year’s performance  may have outdone the last one.  It was put on at the Salinas Yacht Club, the same venue as in 2012.

       From the opening, you could tell that these young people really enjoyed being on stage.  They had really worked very hard to learn all their lines, which was evident in their delivery.   The costumes were absolutely stunning- so colorful and bright.

       The audience in attendance was made up of many expats as well as many Ecuadoreans, some of which were relatives of the stars of the show.   Countless cameras were used to take memorable photos of the performance, but did not detract from the enjoyment of the show.  It was definitely a family affair, as many children were also in the audience, and they seemed to like the show very much because they were so attentive.

        The temperature of the auditorium was cooler and more comfortable than last year, and so I enjoyed this performance more, and the stars of the show were also available after the show to meet their fans and have their pictures taken with them.   Having these performances a few weeks prior to Christmas helps everyone get into the joyful spirit of the holiday season.

This year leading up to Christmas has been a hard one, because Evelyn has been in New York for a month, November to the first week of December.

So Evelyn spent Thanksgiving in New York. Cleo became very sick and I had to take her to the vet, Dr. Pizmino. We went to him first, was not impressed with the treatment Cleo received there, so we then went to see Maria Paz. Her treatment and care for Cleo was on the nose (get it?).  Evelyn got back on Dec. 4th, so both of us went to see Maria Paz with Cleo.

What she told us was that Cleo had probably been poisoned.

The treatments are not for sure; this information makes sense because our guardian found sausages and chicken legs on the driveway, and we did not leave them there.

Our neighbour and guardian both told us that it could have been robbers; it could also be someone that has a grudge against us and is taking it out on our dog.

Well, we have not been robbed. The good news is that Cleo has responded to treatment, and just a week before Christmas, Cleo was about 90% back to normal.

One of the reasons that this Christmas has been more of a task for us is that we made the decision to buy a vehicle.

After living here for the last two years, we have exhausted the travel by bus and taxi, and since our other dog passed away in February, we can travel with one dog much more easily.

Due to what happened to Cleo, this also factored into our decision to buy a vehicle. We can take her with us, and not have to worry about her at home.

The challenge of buying a vehicle here is an onerous one. The used car market is a very dodgy one (there is no Kelly Blue Book here) so to find out how vehicles are priced is a maze.

We have a friend who did help, and for this he took us to Guayaquil where he knows of car sales’ outlets that he trusted.  We traveled all around, unable to find a vehicle .

So we thought of a new vehicle.  Prices are much higher, but you are dealing with a recognized market.

We were shocked at the lack of knowledge and customer service displayed by the salespeople; at this point, we were beginning to lose the need to have a vehicle.

As fate would have it, a friend of ours had a family disaster, where he needed money quickly. This friend owned a vehicle, and this vehicle we have come to know. He has it serviced when it needs it, and I thought that if he were in a mind set to sell it, we could service both our needs.

After some teeth grinding and muttering to himself, he agreed to sell the vehicle. A price was agreed on, and because he needed the cash, we made our way to the bank.

Now this is the week before Christmas, and the lines to the teller were very long.  By the time I got there, I was told that they could not let me have that much money.  I beckoned to my  friend  ( who is Ecuadorian) to come over because I wanted  him to hear this. After some very fast talking in Spanish, he turned to me and said that they would have the money in about half an hour.

So, on Christmas Eve, we were on our way to drop off some gifts (our intended destination was an open house) we got waylaid, ended  up stopping with a couple of friends for a few drinks and a good chunk of conversation .

By the time we got around to leaving, the crash of the waves, a nice breeze, good conversation and a few drinks, we both looked at each other and said that it could not get any better, so let us just go home.

Christmas Day, what a fantastic day- clear blue sky, nice breeze, again we met up with friends, enjoyed good conversation and drinks. As the day melted away, we had to say goodbye and off we went to a party for a short time and met other people.  We did not stay too long, but can say that we had a very nice Christmas this year.  

Nelson Mandela

Born: July 18, 1918

The last great leader of the 20th century -- and an inspiration for this new millennium -- died in his country South Africa December 5th 2013.

Nelson Mandela touched all of us with his courage, his unyielding resistance, and his grace. He knew how to fight, and he knew when to make peace.

"It always seems impossible, until it is done." 

Living the Life Ecuador Coast

New Terminal, New Airport

It has been on the books to open for some time but when it did there was much surprise
The Salinas bus terminal is now closed and the thriving business area around the old bus terminal is just a corner three blocks from the beach, the vendors that hawked there wares there have had to move on to other areas.

The old bus station above and the new bus station below.

Clean new concourse 

Entrance to the where you board the buses 

Buses waiting to fill a bay

Buses in the bays dropping off and pickling up passengers 

Local transport can take you from the Bus terminal to Salinas by taxi or bus.

The number 13 bus will take you to and from  Salinas to the terminal.

A taxi from the terminal to Salinas will cost you $5.00

First adds for the now open Salinas Airport

The tower San Lorenzo

The tower San Lorenzo

There could be one coming your way

The tower San Lorenzo

Spring tides San Lorenzo

Spring tides San Lorenzo

Here are some questions and answers that my be of help to you if 

you are thinking of living in Ecuador

Answers provided by the Cuenca immigration office

Q. Police report requirements - If a US state has a state police entity, will a report issued by that entity for the past 5 years duly executed, notarized and apostilled be acceptable, or is the requirement now a standard FBI Criminal background check?

A: If you have a state criminal background check, apostilled, it's completely acceptable.
_________

Q. Applying for visa and residency - I am considering applying for a visa and residency in Ecuador. However, my wife, whom I'm separated from, has no interest in moving with me. I have not started any divorce proceedings and don't plan to in the short term. My question is: are there any problems with applying and receiving a visa and residency without any involvement with my estranged wife?

A: There is not a problem to apply for a residency if you are separated from your wife, but you have to still bring your marriage certificate for the cedula:
_________

Q. Proof of income - My husband is deceased and my 15 year old son and I are now in Ecuador. We receive survivor social security benefits and I, being the legal guardian of my son, am responsible for overseeing the benefits he receives. The total of the benefits we both receive is more than the required amount for a pensioner's visa and we have the legalized document from the Ecuadorian Consulate in the US that verifies our combined income. Will this be accepted by the Ministry here in Cuenca?

A: The pension has to be for a lifetime, so when your son will be 18 years old, unless he will receive his own minimum required pension and you will still receive the minimum required income (presently $800 per month), it won't be acceptable. Please be aware that if your personal lifetime income presently exceeds $900 per month ($800 for yourself and $100 for your son) you may qualify for a pensioner's visa and your son may qualify as your dependent.
_________

Q. I understand that during the first two years of a residency visa we can leave Ecuador for 90 days each year. I want to confirm that the time starts the day we get our cedula. Or, does the time start the day we receive our residency visa? Also, if we use 60 days the first year, does the extra 30 days roll over into the second year?

A: The time starts once you get the visa, not the cedula, and the remaining days don't roll over for the second year.
_________

Q. I would like clarification regarding how long a resident visa holder may be gone from Ecuador in the third and subsequent years; 18 months, but over what time period? Can I travel for 18 months, return for a month and leave again? Or is there a limit on the 18 months?

A: Beginning the third year you can leave the country for 18 months, you may travel for 18 months, return for a month and leave again without a problem.
_________

Q. I heard that the CD that is used to obtain a residency visa is no longer needed to remain on deposit after 2 years. I heard that after 2 years we could cash in the CD. Is this true, or must the CD remain for the entire time we have the visa?

A: The CD always has to be in the custody of Banco Central for the entire time that you have the visa: It's not true what you heard.
_________

Q: If I have a CD based visa and change banks. Is there a simple procedure to use the new CD in place of the original one, or do I have to start the entire visa process over again with new, apostilled paperwork?

A: If you have an investor's visa based on a CD, and you decide to change the bank, you have to start again, the whole process, for getting a visa, and bring all apostilled papers from the US again.
_________

Q: Criminal background check: How long is it good for and does the time run from the date of the report or the date of the apostille?

A: The criminal background check is valid for a period of 180 days and starts to count from the date of the report, not the apostle.

_________

Q: Can the financial institution for the $25K CD in Guayaquil now be changed? They wouldn't let me change it last time, unlike in Cuenca:

A: You can change for another financial institution. If you decide to change, you have to start the whole process again.
_________

Q: Can visa based on a CD and obtained in Guayaquil and all the administration involved upon renewal, be transferred to Cuenca? I'd prefer not to make repeated trips to Guayaquil to renew the CD.

A: You cannot transfer your visa to Cuenca: You must go to Guayaquil to renew your CD. Unfortunately you must remain with the office where you started your visa process. However, if the applicant does move the CD to another bank, and therefore starts the process over, he may then start the new process in Cuenca. 

Manos a La Obra

Manos a La Obra

Above are images of William and his family, this young man had a grasp on life that most of us would find uncanny, this young man new his life was to be short, but the time he had was spent loved by his family and the community that supported  them through this hard time.

Today I had mixed feelings when I received the phone call to tell me that William had passed away.

The mixed feelings were that I knew that he was in pain and in our small way we tried to ease the pain by providing a better home for him and his family to live in.

 His pain is no more but the pain will live on through what remains of his family, the comfort is that he believed that the place he is to go to is better than the one he was in.

William, a young life that has moved on.

Living the Life Ecuador Coast

Foods of Ecuador

In Galapagos

On my recent travels, I was asked to take part in a young chef's competition that had chefs from all of the cantons of Ecuador.

The top four chefs from Ecuador were there to judge the presentation, quality, taste, and the origin of the food from that area.

The young chefs are in school and not only

 are they representing their school but their home district as well.

Unbeknown to me, when I arrived, I had been volunteered to help with the judging of the food. This was a task that I was unprepared for, but I rose to the challenge.

The challenge was not the tasting of the food, but indeed the knowledge of the food for a particular area; for this, I had to wing it.

Armed with a pencil and a list of areas that were to be scored on, I went on with the four judges and looked at the food, asked questions about the food and tasted the food. After 19 tables of food, I was glad that they offered bread and water to clear the pallet. We all retired to a table and added up the scores, then we each came up with a winner. By some strange quirk, we all agreed on the same winner, Canton of Guayas. This is where it was to end, but I was so impressed with another entry, that I asked if we could make an honorable mention for the canton of Pichincha. The judges got up and went over to their table and came back and agreed that they could do that, so we had two winners that  night.

Did you know this 

Hedy Lamarr

Invention of Spread Spectrum Technology

Although better known for her Silver Screen exploits, Austrian actress Hedy Lamarr (born Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler) also became a pioneer in the field of wireless communications following her emigration to the United States. The international beauty icon, along with co-inventor George Anthiel, developed a "Secret Communications System" to help combat the Nazis in World War II. By manipulating radio frequencies at irregular intervals between transmission and reception, the invention formed an unbreakable code to prevent classified messages from being intercepted by enemy personnel.

Lamarr and Anthiel received a patent in 1941, but the enormous significance of their invention was not realized until decades later. It was first implemented on naval ships during the Cuban Missile Crisis and subsequently emerged in numerous military applications. But most importantly, the "spread spectrum" technology that Lamarr helped to invent would galvanize the digital communications boom, forming the technical backbone that makes cellular phones, fax machines and other wireless operations possible.

As is the case with many of the famous women inventors, Lamarr received very little recognition of her innovative talent at the time, but recently she has been showered with praise for her groundbreaking invention. In 1997, she and George Anthiel were honored with the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) Pioneer Award. And later in the same year, Lamarr became the first female recipient of the BULBIE™ Gnass Spirit of Achievement Award, a prestigious lifetime accomplishment prize for inventors that is dubbed "The Oscar™ of Inventing."

Proving she was much more than just another pretty face, Lamarr shattered stereotypes and earned a place among the 20th century's most important women inventors. She truly was a visionary whose technological acumen was far ahead of its time.

Living the life Ecuador Coast

The Galapagos Dance adventure 

The Zafreros Dance Group enjoying the Galapagos

Halloween on the Malecon

Witch's Brew at Smokin'

Marcia as "I Dream of Jeannie" giving out candy to passing children

Crowd on Malecon checking out costumes

Larry,Terry,Evelyn,Joan, and Mary at Smokin' celebrating Halloween

Larry telling Vic,"Such a cute hat!"

Monica consoling Joan because she did not get enough candy.

"The cookie monster stole my candy!"says Joan with Monica looking on.

Marcia getting a kick out of the children

Marcia with Freddie Krueger(Edison Salinas) and his daughter

Galapagos Island Dance competition

# CLASSIC EGGS BENEDICT WITH HOLLANDAISE SAUCE 

$ 5.25

SMOKED SALMON AND SCRAMBLED EGGS ON TOASTED WHEAT BRAN BREAD

 $ 6.75

CLUB STEAK SANDWICH WITH ONION RINGS & CHIPS

 $ 9.90

# BACON, CHEESE & MUSHROOMS QUICHE WITH GREEN BEANS DRESSING 

$ 5.80

# TRADITIONAL ENGLISH FISH PIE WITH VEGETABLES 

$ 5.80

GRILLED CHICKEN CAESAR SALAD 

$ 7.70

EGG OMELETTE WITH MUSHROOMS, CHEESE, HAM 

$ 4.75

COCONUT TART 

$ 4.75

BEVERAGES:

FRESH SQUEEZED ORANGE JUICE 

$1.50

FILTER COFFEE 

$ 1.50

ENGLISH TEA 

$ 2.00

HOT CHOCOLATE 

$ 2.00

NOTE:  PLEASE MAKE YOUR RESERVATION AT LEAST 24H IN ADVANCE.

TO INSURE AVAILABILITY R.S.V.P. FOR ITEMS WITH #

Where: Big Ralph´s Restaurant

When:  Sunday 03/Nov/2013

Time:   9:30 - 12:00

GATHERING OF WOMEN EXPATS

AMANTES DE SUMPA GATHERING OF WOMEN EXPATS

Today, Oct. 22^nd, at the Museo de Amantes de Sumpa in Santa Elena, about 14 women expats gathered to participate in making of gua gua bread, which is an Ecuadorean Andean tradition that honors the deceased every year on the Day of the Dead, Nov. 2^nd. Historically, at the indigenous people's funerals, it was customary to nail a doll made of wood to the tombs of the deceased and offer them food. The gua gua bread, in the shapes of babies or dolls, represent some of the food that was offered.

But first, there were some women who had not seen the Amantes de Sumpa, or lovers'

remains embraced in death, which is the main feature of this museum. These remains are about 2500 years old, whereas the rest of the museum's features show what life was like for those people who lived 10,000 years ago.

After seeing the remains and a little of how these people lived so long ago, Suzanne, her friend Beatrice and another Ecuadorean lady all helped with getting the bread ingredients ready to knead. While one of these women actually kneaded the bread, Suzanne explained the tradition and some tips to know when the bread was ready to set aside to rise (double in size) and also the order and placement of the ingredients (it does make a difference).

When the kneading and rising were complete, everyone got a section of the bread to fashion into whatever shape they wanted. Some of the ladies got very creative in making their “dolls” with all different kinds of details, like eyes, nose,mouth, different appendages and one was even strumming a guitar. Then, these dolls made it onto large baking sheets and put into the crackling oven fire that was there on the premises, very similar to the ones they used eons ago.

Of course, we were hungry by this time, and when the gua guas were done, we ate them with great relish, and they were delicioso! Served with the gua guas was another tradition handed down from generation to generation, and that was the drink called colada morada, which was made with purple corn, some fruits like blackberries, pineapple,strawberries, etc., spices like cinnamon and cloves and corn starch. Over the years, the recipe has changed to make it easier to prepare due to modern time constraints. Actually, this drink was to honor the deceased saints, and it was also muy sabroso, not too sweet!

Then, to top the day off, we went to Randy's home in Santa Elena and she had 5 different cakes and 5 different kinds of ice cream to help celebrate all our birthdays. What a treat!

After sitting and talking for awhile, we all left satisfied that this day was well worth the time spent!

Sin Bar open
After a well deserved rest, Kim will reopen Sin Bar- ready for the upcoming summer season.
Mary Kelly will be celebrating her  65th birthday on the 26th of October at Sin Bar.
Why not scoot along there 18.00hrs and help her enjoy it!
Mary told me that you only turn 65 once, but that is not holding her back. 

Living the Life Ecuador Coast

Alstom to supply the country’s first tramway system to the city of Cuenca

19/09/2013

Alstom, leader of the consortium 1 CITA Cuenca, was awarded a contract by the city of Cuenca to supply 14 Citadis trams, along with electrification, power supply and system integration. The part for Alstom is worth approximately 70 million Euros. The 10-kilometer2 line will be the first tramway system in Ecuador. It will include 20 stations and will cross the historical city center over 4 kilometers.  The line - which will be inaugurated in 2015 – will be able to carry up to 120,000 passengers per day.

Cuenca, the third largest city in Ecuador, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. To preserve its architectural heritage, the city chose Alstom’s APS3 technology, a catenary-free solution with a 10-year success record that powers the tram through a third rail embedded in the ground between the running tracks. Cuenca will be the first city in the Americas to obtain a catenary-free tram, already in service in several French cities as Bordeaux, Reims, Angers and Orleans and soon in Tours as well as Dubai in United Arab Emirates.

The Citadis tram for Cuenca is about 33 meters long and can accommodate around 300 passengers. Its full low floor and wide doors enable easy passenger access, especially for those with reduced mobility. Additionally, Citadis features large central aisles allowing passengers to move inside.

“This project and our Citadis will improve the urban mobility of Cuenca, home to about 500,000 inhabitants, with one of the cleanest, most efficient and most comfortable means of public transportation. It is also an opportunity to show other Latin American countries that similar projects can be developed in their cities” says Michel Boccaccio, Senior Vice President of Alstom Transport in Latin America.

The trams and the infrastructure components will be produced at the Alstom Transport sites in France (La Rochelle, Ornans, Vitrolles, Saint Ouen).  The project is mainly financed by the French Treasury through the ECR (Emerging Country Reserve) loan scheme4. Alstom has already sold nearly 1,700 Citadis trams to 41 cities around the world.
The fare will be kept at the same rate of $0.25; the average speed of the tram system is estimated to be 22 km/ hr. which is an improvement on the bus and car transport which is around 15 km/ hr . Two of the tram cars arrived in Cuenca early this month;  these long loads traveled at night to avoid clogging the roads due to their slow speed.

Manos a La Obra Update

Here are some images showing the progress of the home improvement.
What you can see are the new roof line, the base of the bath and laundry room, and the installation of the sewage line.
The wall for the bathroom will be completed and the floor, then the roof can be put in place.
After that the project stops due to lack of funds.

City sewage 2 m below, we had to dig this out and construct this manhole 

sewage line from the new bathroom, drop of 1 cm per meter to have the correct drain away

The laundry produces gray water which they will use to water their plants

new wall of the bedroom and passageway to rear of the house

you can see here how the roof line has been lifted to accommodate the extension