Pigs on View

12 Angry Pigs

Part One

Part Two

12 Angry Pigs To Night

12 Angry Pigs To Night

Director and cast

Below is a snapshot, this tells you who is looking at the blog today.

Entry	Pageviews
United States	141
Ecuador	57
Canada	17
Ukraine	16
Malaysia	10
United Kingdom	6
China	4
Russia	4
Japan	3
Morocco	3

Welcome

Welcome

Welcome to the now open Salinas International airport, providing three flights a week to the capital Quito.
The airport provides full security for domestic and international passengers, short term and long term parking ( free for now), concessions for your needs while in the airport, and a fully air conditioned building.

The main gate once passed directs you down a duel carriageway to the parking area, which has ample parking for the size of the airport.

A modern building provides easy access for the modern passenger and the less able, with ramps provided for wheelchairs and low pavements. 

The new Church on the hill, Santa Elena

The new Church on the hill provides not only a very nice place to worship, but a fantastic vista as well.

To the rear of the Church, under construction is a large swimming pool and very nice areas of garden to picnic in and enjoy.

Still under construction

This weekend is election weekend

If you have registered do not forget to vote.

Also remember that Friday, Saturday, and Sunday

there will be no sale of alcohol from the stores or  your favorite restaurant. 

Health care 

Here is an option if you are looking for health care now that you are living in Ecuador.

From: FOPS Healthcare 
 ​​

 Are you seeking a Group Healthcare Plan in Ecuador?

This Group Plan offers you:
1. Great group rates through major international insurer.
2. Full legal compliance with Ecuadorian laws (including "Dependency relationships") Sponsored by one of the largest NGO (not for profit) organizations in Ecuador. Full plan transparency.
Out of a sense of need, we are unpaid ex-patriot volunteers who have come together to share this opportunity with our friends and neighbors.

3. Plan Highlights:
a. Semi monthly premiums payments.

b. Covers singles, couples, and families; with selectable coverage levels from $25 to $75K per incident.

c. Low cost group rates guaranteed for the first year.

d. Options for dental and life insurance

e. Full coverage up to age 70 and reduced coverage to age 80.

f. International trip coverage up to 30 days at medical rates of destination country. 

g. Possible continuation of coverage for previous Salud group members. You must be signed up before March 1st. 

h. In and out of network coverage (worldwide).

For further information, please contact:  
fops.healthplan@gmail.com

12 Angry Pigs

12 Angry Pigs

A play for the community by the community.

Living the life Ecuador Coast

Quality

In an effort to improve the quality of products being imported to Ecuador, the Ecuadorian Institute for Standardization (NEM) have made 48 policy changes that require the importer to show that the product is safe and have quality  control in their manufacture.

These requirements have placed a burden on the importers that has slowed down the import of a number of products of up to 180 days.

Complaints have been filed by the importers and are being considered by customs and the NEM.

Partly Free

An annual report produced by the organization Freedom House.

 Looks at countries around the world and ranks them as to the freedom of their governments. 

Ten countries listed below were ranked, and  aspects of these countries gave them the ranking of partly free.

The countries ranked are,

Bolivia

Colombia

Guatemala

Mexico

Honduras

Paraguay

Chile

Uruguay

Ecuador Venezuela 

Ecuador and Venezuela are ranked together because they have modern voting systems and hold elections, but partly free because they unduly control the media to neutralize the opposition.

Salinas Apartment living

There is a saying, you can not pick your neighbor and you can not pick your relatives 

Recently I was reminded of the ugly American, we have all heard about the one that shouts, thinks that they should be served first and so on.

Recently I heard about such a case, living in an apartment you have to put up with the lift working at odd hours and doors slamming, kids being kids, loud music, TV on at all hours, smells, back up at the laundry.

Just imagine it is 10 pm  on a Saturday night it is high season in Salinas. The apartment  building has a pool and a BBQ  the music is playing, and there is a mixture of nationalities in the building, the temperature is pleasant with a slight breeze. the smell of food is in the air, the kids are playing in the pool and the parents are cooking on the BBQ. 

When all of a sudden an American person appears at the door of their apartment screaming, will you people keep the noise down I need my sleep, this happened several times.

The Ecuadorians I was told were upset, but what can they do we are on holiday, what we were doing is normal for Ecuadorians.

Is this the picture that you want these Ecuadorian family's to take home with them ?

One thing is for sure in the high season in Salinas there is noise.

Below is a snapshot of where the blog is being viewed.

Pageviews by Countries Entry Pageviews United States 108 Canada 43 Ecuador 38 Brazil 9 Iran 9 Indonesia 4 Germany 3 Peru 3 Argentina 2 Bosnia and Herzegovina 2

  

Living the life Ecuador Coast

Bad Start

This year seems to have gotten off to a bad start, with petty crime and robbery on the increase as the high season gets going.

For all international people: be alert, check your surroundings, keep your valuables close and your friends closer.

The hot spots for these petty criminals are the places that are frequented by international people.

Some good and bad news

The Japanese family that was murdered in December 2013 in Guayaquil while taking a taxi:

The police have apprehended gang members that they believe are the perpetrators of this terrible crime.

Minister Jose Serrano reported that after the 

operation called “Sunrise”, we arrested, early 

this morning, five suspected gang leaders of the

express kidnapping gang in Guayaquil.

Subsequent to the arrest of five gang

 members, a cache of arms 

and ammunition was 

found during a search of their homes; also 

found were stolen motorcycles and cars.

Motorcycle robbers 

Last high season, we had a spait of robberies by people on 

motorcycles, These were, for the most part, carried out on 

the streets away from the Malecon, where the level 

of policing is lower. 


Today, on our way back from a meal, we came across such 

an incident. We stopped the car and I went to get out. That 

was enough for them; they scuttled away like gutter rats. 

The people were unharmed, but the assailants got away.

Living the life Ecuador Coast

Ecuador Tops in Latin America for Internet Connectivity

  

Ecuador's push to expand and improve Internet service appears to be paying off. It leads all Latin American countries in average peak connectivity with 18.5 Mpbs. Rounding out the top five are Chile with 17.2 Mbps, Mexico with 17.1 Mbps, Brazil at 16.7 Mbps, and Colombia, at 15.9 Mbps. The U.S., by contrast, has average peak connectivity of 37 Mpbs.

Tickets and fines

Since the minimum wage has gone up from $ 318 to $ 340.

The tickets that are given out by the Police and the Transito have increased to take into account the higher level of pay; this is an automatic process.

An example of a ticket: if you are a car owner and you park in the wrong place and get a ticket, it will cost you 50% of the minimum wage in place at that time.

Protection for new Home and Condo buyers

With effect from December 18 of last year:

There was introduced more protection for the investor, home buyer of new construction.

This law is not retroactive.

 So basically, what it means is that if you are buying a new property which is part of a complex, the delivery date is contingent on the requirements of occupancy permits (fire department) certificate of completion of the construction process,

But, what it means is that you cannot take occupation until the last unit has passed all of the inspections. This will increase delivery time, but provide security to the buyer in showing that the contractor has been subject to the conditions of the local authority, in passing all inspections and complying with the needs and the requirements of local and state authorities.






Food for Thought-  Savoretti Restaurant

        We tried this pleasant looking restaurant today for lunch. It is an Italian restaurant on the corner across from the Catholic Church in Chipipe. The menu consisted of pizzas, lasagne, canneloni,etc.  The food was good, but it was overpriced. Lasagne with nothing else was $8.90. Canneloni with spinach and cheese with nothing else was $8.20. Water was $1.20. A single glass of wine was $7.50. Well, we won't be returning to this restaurant-too expensive for what you get.