Thursday 22 May 2014

They are Back

They are Back



BRUNCH MENU
Sunday 25th 
09:30 to 12:00

#HUEVOS ESCALFADOS BENEDICTO
CLASSIC EGGS BENEDICT WITH HOLLANDAISE SAUCE  
$ 5.75
SALMON AHUMADO & HUEVOS REVUELTOS CON PAN DE SALVADO
SMOKED SALMON & SCRAMBLED EGGS ON TOASTED WHEAT B. BREAD
$ 6.75
SANDUCHE DE CLUB STEAK CON AROS DE CEBOLLA & PAPAS FRITAS
CLUB STEAK SANDWICH WITH ONION RINGS & CHIPS
$ 11.00
#QUICHE DE TOCINO, QUESO & HONGOS CON ADEREZO DE VAINITA
BACON, CHEESE & MUSHROOMS QUICHE WITH GREEN BEAN DRESSING
$ 6.20
ENSALADA CESAR CON POLLO A LA GRILLA
GRILLED CHICKEN CAESAR SALAD
$ 7.70
HUEVO FRITO, SALCHICHA, TOCINO, PAPAS SALTEADAS, TOMATE Y HONGOS
FRIED EGG, SAUSAGE, BACON, SAUTEED POTATO, TOMATO & MUSHROOMS
$ 6.95
OMELET DE HUEVO CON HONGOS, QUESO & JAMON
EGG OMELETTE WITH MUSHROOMS, CHEESE & HAM
$ 5.25
POSTRE DEL DIA/DESSERT OF THE DAY
$ 5.25

NOTA:   RESERVACIONES AL MENOS 24 DE HORAS DE ANTICIPACION
PARA ASEGURAR DISPONIBILIDAD FAVOR RESERVAR LOS ITEMS MARCADOS CON #

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BIG RALPH'S HOSTAL & RESTAURANTAv. San Lorenzo y Av. Carlos Espinoza Larrea,
(Diagonal a Pizza Express)  Salinas - Santa Elena, Ecuador
(00593) 42930910 / 0996188111
Horario de atenciĆ³n: Mie - Sab 18H00 - 21H30
http://www.bigralphhostal.com/

Sunday 11 May 2014

Excitement and taking shape

Excitement and taking shape




PhotoPhotoPhotoPhoto


Did you see the  Salinas fire department working on the condo building that went belly up and is now inhabited by squatters.
Well it looks like the scaffolding on the side of the building was collapsing, putting in danger people passing by and vehicle traffic, I would think that the squatters would not be to happy about the situation.

On the move



Down along the malicon things are taking shape, the new pier, as the number of tourists has decreased and the kids have gone back to school it looks like the work level has increased.
The construction of the pier seen from San Lorenzo

That is not the case for garbage removal, across Salinas we have not seen any regular collection of garbage away from the tourist and retail areas for the last few weeks.

Waiting to be cleaned up


At the Pasao we are seeing workers lined up waiting , just like in the US at Home Depot, these are the guys that should be cleaning the streets and removing garbage.
So the budget crunch has hit.
The new Mayor takes office May 18, let's look for some changes.

Ecuadorian promotion agency looks to Spain for mango opportunities


The Ecuadorian government hopes its country’s mango industry will be able to capitalize on opportunities in Spain, where production is limited to the regions of Malaga, Granada and the Canary Islands for climatic reasons.mango_952293 _ small
In information given to www.freshfruitportal.com by the Ecuadorian Institute of Export and Investment Promotion (Pro Ecuador), the agency said Spanish production could not keep up with demand, and a lack of year-round supply meant other mango-growing nations needed to come into the picture.
“This fruit is widely consumed in Span for preparing juices and ice cream, but it is also highly used in diverse culinary preparations,” Pro Ecuador said.
“Spanish consumers prefer Spanish mangoes, but when they don’t find them in the supermarket, they are inclined toward mangoes of Brazilian origin, followed by Peru, which in one way or another is the most well-known.”
In 2012, Ecuadorian mango exports to Spain reached US$182,616, putting the country in ninth place for mango purchases from the South American nation, however this meant a participation of just 0.52% of total volume shipped.
However, this represents around one tenth of European consumption of Ecuadorian mangoes, with the continent purchasing aronud 5.26% of shipments.
The top mango suppliers to Spain in 2012 were Brazil, Peru, Portugal, the Dominican Republic and Mexico, with Ecuador in 12th place.
The U.S. is the main destination for Ecuadorian mangos, accounting for 82% of purchases, followed by Canada, the Netherlands, Colombia, Mexico and Belgium.











Thursday 1 May 2014

End of the high season, into the low season

This has been very different from previous years
due to a number of factors,
which include the closing of the bus terminals in Salinas,La Libertad, and Santa Elena;
the increase of inspectors where the fish are brought in, and the building of the new jail and police station.
The new pier that is under construction to provide a place for the jet skis and other fun craft to be launched from, for the safety of the beach goers.
This year we will also see a change in the running of Salinas, thanks to the election of a new mayor.

The new bus terminal in Ballenita, which I wrote about at the beginning of the year, has replaced the three terminals mentioned above, which has relieved some of the traffic concerns in all three areas.
What the new terminal has also been responsible for is the reduction in the foot traffic where the now closed terminals are.
A large number of small businesses have had to relocate or close due to the loss of foot traffic in those areas.
The number of taxis has also dropped, very noticeable in Salinas.
Talking to people and frequenting restaurants on the malecon foot traffic  has dropped this year. This has not been as good as last year and everyone blames it on the removal of the bus terminal.
Another reason which has not gotten much press is that now, the new terminal is located at the start of the Ruta de Spondylus, the access to go north has become easier.
Whereas before passengers were deposited in the heat of Salinas, they now have a choice to continue on to Salinas or go north.
There has been an increase of visitors all the way up to Montanita and in between.
The other option for the coast has been Playas. This area has been receiving a great deal of money and attention from Guayaquil, to upgrade the infrastructure and attract employers to the area.
Looking forward, the new mayor for Salinas has a lot of catching up to do on the infrastructure; such as road repair, garbage removal,  sewage pipe repair, sea defense, and street lighting, to name a few.
There is talk of trying to get a bus depot reopened here in Salinas.
You may have noticed the new communications towers going up around Salinas. I am informed these are for government and military use only. They have used eminent domain to get these towers up, because a number of them have ended up in the back yards of peoples' homes.
Where this has happened they have been well compensated at a thousand dollars a month.
But no mention of the health hazard has been made clear to the occupants of these sites.
For now the towers remain inactive.
This year has brought in the lowest catch in size and quantity of fish. Not only do the fishing boats have to go out further, but also for longer periods of time.
Concerns over the amount and quality have been expressed for some time.
A five-year study came to an end this year, and the findings are still waiting to be released. One of the concerns of the study was how to compensate fishermen not to fish to allow fish stocks to recover.
If you go to Santa Rosa, as an example, you can see up to a thousand  boats bringing in their catch.
 Inspectors are there to check as much as they can, but the fish are dead by the time they arrive.
The issue is not only to inspect the catch, but to reduce the number of people going out there to fish.