Ecuador 2.0 Dec. 6/24 - Mar. 8/25

 ECUADOR 2.0

After 5 weeks in Costa Rica & only 2 days back home, we were off for the 2nd time, to Ecuador; this time to explore the "snowbird" lifestyle for 3 months!

It is definitely NOT an easy journey to get there, but it was worth the effort in the end. It started in the wee hours on our way to the airport with 10+ cm of snow, making for a scary drive in and a concern whether our flight would even be able to take off. Flight to Montreal was late, but we thought we'd still be ok. However, the flight from Montreal to Miami was so late we would have missed the connection to Quito, so they rerouted us to go to Bogota then Quito. To make our tight connection in Miami to Bogota, thankfully we were whisked off the plane and through security - otherwise we would have missed the connection again. After 4 countries & 5 flights (Avianca sucked) our luggage was missing when we arrived in Quito in the wee hours of the morning! We had a hotel booked in Quito, but by the time we checked in, we only had about 3 hours before we had to head right back to the airport for our final, early morning flight into Manta. We arrived on a Monday and finally received our luggage (picked up in Manta) on the Thursday. Phew!   

Ottawa - Montreal - Miami - Bogota - Quito - Manta + 1 hour drive to San Clemente 

The gate to our condo complex in the fishing village of San Clemente...notice Craig is wearing jeans in 28 degrees! Sucker!


An older aerial view of our condo complex within the fishing village of San Clemente 

The view of our condo complex as you come in the gate. Ahhh...the ocean is so close!

The views are incredible and we were very fortunate to be able to look at them for 3 months!!! Craig is wearing his new swim trunks that he had to buy because he didn't pack anything in his carry-on and we didn't see our luggage for 3 days (silly Craig, you'd think he has never travelled before!)

Seriously, can't beat this view!

Just some a chicken and her chicks walking on the road...🐤

The hammock I discovered hidden in the closet ended up being a favorite spot for Craig to laze away the afternoon in

Or here...floating in the pool

Our lovely neighbor, Amanda from Colorado. We enjoyed meeting and getting to know you! You're always welcome to visit us in Kemptville!💗

That bird looks HUGE and also like it's going to eat Craig! I'm so thrilled that Craig was able to witness (and help out) the fishermen bringing in their catch! It was the only time we saw this, so it was great timing! Made also, for a great photo opportunity! At first, there were no birds and then the pelicans and frigate birds swarmed to get their share of the catch. Sadly, for the fishermen and the birds, the catch wasn't very plentiful AT all.

Birdnado!!! Everyone run for cover!

Sunset in San Jacinto - we were invited to a house party at Jon & Amber's beautiful home (they're the American owners of "Pitahaya" (meaning "dragon fruit) restaurant in San Clemente

We participated in a beach clean up. Amazing how much plastic washes up or is discarded on beaches. Craig was also an amazing helper...so amazing, he wasn't back in time to get in this picture.

For New Year's eve, in Ecuador, they purchase

papier-mâché effigies or año viejo (old year) to symbolize the end of the old year and beginning of the new one. They're also called a "monigote" and they come in various shapes (popular figures in sports, politics or from movies) and sizes. It seemed like a fun tradition, so we bought the Shrek donkey for $5 USD. It's usually stuffed with newspaper (to help it burn) and sometimes people write out things from the past year that they want to leave behind and then stuff it into the figure. More pics from this later...

One of our favorite meals in Ecuador (on the coast) is encebollado. It's a fresh and delicious tuna fish soup with big chunks of tuna, tomato, yuca or cassava and topped fresh cilantro and pickled red onions and, if you want, you can eat it with chifles (thinly sliced, fried green plantain chips) on the side or crushed up in your soup. Delicious! Sounds kinda gross, especially because it's eaten for breakfast, but it is so flavorful.

Auntie Judy, this is "Tigre" (meaning tiger)... one of the three, friendly, resident cats at the condo complex we were staying at. They have lots of people looking after them, feeding them and some even let the cats sleep in their rooms with them!

This is "Donkay" (you gotta say it like Shrek does in the movie). He's all smiles here, but soon he'll be thrown into a big bonfire

Livin' his best (short) life with an oceanfront view!

Not a terrific picture, but proof that we saw a pod of dolphins pass out front of our condo (happened twice!). We HAVE to go back for whale season because they apparently will come close-ish to shore frequently


For only $20usd, I had my 1st Surf lesson ever - gotta learn some of the basics on the beach first before you head out into the water. There's a very specific technique to get up - it takes a bit of strength and flexibility. I won't use it as an excuse (well, maybe a little), but I made the mistake of putting sunscreen on my legs, which made it very slippery, and therefore, more difficult to stand up on the board. Nearly every time I'd plant my back foot to stand, it would slip and I'd miss my chance

Getting there...may as well pose for the picture

Almost up on this try...you have to stand up sideways, I was still facing forward here. I needed to pivot and get my hands off the board!

Finally! I made it up, but man, was it exhausting! I was worn right out after the hour-long lesson. I meant to go back and do a 2nd one, but then thought better of it - I didn't hurt myself, why push my luck? I am happy with experiencing the thrill of the wave!

This is our neighbor with his beautiful horse. He saw me looking at his horse, so he stopped and performed this little maneuver for us. These two were parading down the street and followed by his hummer that had a huge speaker taking up the whole back end.

The HULK riding in a truck...you'd see a lot of figures secured outside of vehicles and driven around town

We enjoyed seeing all the wonderfully crafted monigotes. Such a shame they're just going to be thrown into the fire! Probably decorated with toxic paint sending poisonous fumes into the air...😞

Craig hamming it up with the gringo ladies (Ramona & Doris) in "el centro" for NYE 2024!

Showing Donkay a good time before the bonfire

This was the start of the bonfire. I threw Donkay in the pit and he landed so sweetly in the other guys arms. Awww...

It's starting to burn now!

James & Chantal enjoying the festivities!

Ramona, always having fun and looking great!

Ok, so there's a story to this blurry photo...often they'll burn the manigotes in small fires on the streets and and you jump over the fire 12 times to ensure happiness and prosperity for the upcoming year. James went first (although, we each only jumped over it once) and I followed. Before doing so, we saw this group of Ecuadorians standing further from the fire and they were yelling at us, but we thought they were just encouraging us to jump over the fire. Seconds after this photo was taken, fireworks exploded out of the fire! Thank goodness we weren't jumping over it at that time! I guess that group of people were warning us, not encouraging us! Close call! lol

Can't beat the view...with front row seats every night for amazing sunsets!

One night, we came back to this in the bedroom! HOW did it get in? I calmly left the room, shut the door and told Craig to deal with it! He did a great job and the bat lived happily ever after. You're my hero baby! Forget "Superman", you're "Batman"🦇

We were always trying to get a good shot of the pelicans...they flew by constantly most of the day. Never tired of seeing them and Craig would yell out "pelicanos" or "pelicans"! ... every...single...time


This photo wins for the most pelicans in a picture

We were happy too discover the "chicken guy". It was about $16 USD for a whole, roasted chicken, rice, salad, lentils and fries.

Craig, Amanda, Michael, Sharon & myself on our balcony

Another balcony shot with Ramona, Amanda, Roger, myself, & Craig

💗Jake & Kiki arrive...💗

Craig & Jake hamming it up for the photo of them in the moto taxi on the way to Vicky and Cisco's place. We all were invited there, along with Roger & Ramona. Vicky is a lovely, Ecuadorian friend who welcomed us with open arms and treated us so kindly (despite the language barrier). Cisco, her hubby, is a Cuban-born American, living full-time in San Clemente. We're so grateful we met this lovely couple who we had a lot of fun with! We've invited them to come visit us in Canada...hopefully they'll take us up on it!🤞

Jake & Craig doing the guy-pointing thing! This is the view from Vicky & Cisco's place that they share with their 5 lovely dogs!

An iguana in one of the magnificent and protected ceibo trees next door! They're so unique looking and are considered to be sacred to the Ecuadorian people as they are believed to carry human spirits to the heavens. I like them best without leaves, but with leaves, they resemble broccoli because of their shape and all-green colour. Love em!

Here's a picture of a ceibo tree up in the hills behind our condo (in the dry season). After only a week of rain, the entire hill went from an all brown, dry scene (above) to this...

You can't even distinguish the ceibo tree anymore

Ramona, the dog whisperer

𝅘𝅥𝅮𝅘𝅥𝅮Just a happy, happy, happy guy𝅘𝅥𝅮𝅘𝅥𝅮

Kiki, in her happy place, taking it all in

Jake out with his pelican friends. They arrived right after the King Tides, so the waves were still pretty big. We were happy to be able to get back out on the beach and in the water.

Jake & Craig boogie boarding

There are some BIG waves here!

Ramona and sweet Dutchess
walking the beach

Just a rando surfer dude ... thought it made for a nice picture

Saw this cool octopus-like-thing on the rocks at the beach. Great picture of it Craig!

Kiki & I at Pitahaya Restaurant in San Clemente. I'm wearing tagua earrings. It's a special nut, that is very hard (also called Ecuadorian "vegetable ivory") and can be shaped and coloured in so many ways. You'll see more on this later...

. 

It looks like a fish! ("pitahaya" - dragon fruit)

Kiki taking a break... this area in the street was badly flooded on March 10th/25 by heavy rains

Ahh, such cute buddies!

Don't kill him!

The vegetable lady (we called her Prima - but that just means "cousin") that Craig enjoyed getting fruits and vegetables from in San Clemente

The guys, shopping

Jake mopping the floors while Kiki was napping - now that's how it should be ladies!!! 😉lol

Yummy seafood dinner at Viviana's - ocean front dining at it's best!

I asked Ramona to take a picture of Kiki & I and this is what she did! 🤣 Love it!

Far left: Belén (my lovely and spirited Spanish teacher), Ramona, Chantal, Kiki & I

After fusbol, their hands were all black from the handles!

Craig wanted to show off the fresh pineapple!

Dinner out with Jake & Kiki at 

 Doña Costilla restaurant

It's a right of passage when you go to Montecristi to shop! 

The "Panama" hat is actually the Ecuador toquilla straw hat...that's where they originated.

Pitahaya (dragon fruit) fields somewhere between Montecristi and San Clemente

Great friends since 2002 (ish)

My beautiful, forever friend, Kiki

It was awesome to see these two so relaxed and enjoying the beach/pool life!

    Good catch - with extra points for style!

Action shot! 🏈

This photo prompted us to reenact a group photo from 2008 (in Mexico) we should have did the exact same pose, but pretty close ... see below

 

               Then...in 2008                   and now...2025

Jake's saying "Come'on!! Take the picture"!

I had a lot of fun boogie boarding!

With my buddy, Jake

I can just hear the "wooooh"

Getting a little swallowed by this wave!

Bros will be bros!

The girls version of a great photo!

Another great meal at Pitahaya!

It's a very relaxing atmosphere here at Pitahaya

It was so wonderful to have these two come visit us for a couple of weeks!!! SO glad you could make it and loved seeing you enjoy yourselves! Love you guys! Sorry we had to leave you and go to Panama!

Sooo...this trip to Panama wasn't originally in the plans, but because of Ecuador's "new immigration laws", you apparently cannot be in the country on your "anniversary date", so rather than risk it, we decided to do a 2-night little trip to Panama City to avoid any issues.



Same view from our hotel room, at night and then the next morning

                       

Casco Antiguo, also known as Casco Viejo or San Felipe, is the historic, old-town district of Panama City. Completed and settled in 1673, it was built following the near-total destruction of the original Panamá city, Panamá Viejo in 1671, when the latter was attacked by pirates

Cool view from the church tower of the Panama skyline...I remember, when sailing through on a Panama cruise, how surprised I was at just how modern the city is

We always enjoy climbing church towers and roaming around "old towns". They're usually really touristy too though...

Not sure what this was all about - possibly a 

Quinceañera (when a latina turns 15)?

The Metropolitan Archcathedral Basilica of Santa María la Antigua (Catedral Basílica Santa María la Antigua de Panamá) is a Catholic church located in the old town of Panama City in Panama. It was consecrated in 1796, although construction work began in 1688, 108 years earlier.
(above paragraph from Wikipedia)

We appreciate the ancient architecture all around the world 

Just a quick, 2-night trip to Panama City - all seems to have worked out since we didn't get fined entering back into Ecuador or leaving to come back home. It was worth it to see it also. Sadly, this had to happen while Jake & Kiki were still visiting us, so we missed out on 2 nights with them, but they enjoyed the condo on their own

This big guy came running up toward me when I was sitting by the pool...he was quick, so hard to get a photo, but eww...he's kinda ugly! I believe it's a possum.

A bag of delicious limes is only $1 usd! Beautiful sky too... oh, and the model!

Beachfront ownership is high maintenance! Here they were digging up the large boulders and replacing them in front of the homes to protect them from the ever-pounding surf. After spending time here, we realized just how much maintenance is involved owning a beachfront property...all metal rusts quickly, all surfaces are constantly covered in the ocean air slime, appliances and electronics die MUCH faster and that all adds up (and is a pain in the butt). It's a trade off for having such a gorgeous view to wake up to every morning.

Another attempt at capturing the pelicans who constantly fly by

Craig trying the tonga Manabita at Montubio restaurant in Portoviejo

Craig with his buddy Michael. We enjoyed walking the beach, playing in the waves and hanging out by the pool with him and spending time with his friend Sharon & her friends Diane & Rick

Life's rough...

Next up, a roadtrip to Mindo

We had the pleasure of going to the cute, little town of Mindo, Ecuador with James & Chantal and stayed at this lovely, boutique hotel called Zafiro. LOTS to do in town and we did most of it! lol

Beautiful view at the hotel of the creek. It has a very tropical feel here, in Mindo. Much cooler and definitely wetter, but I really loved it! Poor Craig was freezing.

Some of the typical wares for sale in the street shops. I should have picked up one of those colourful, round bags!

These huge (about 5 cms) beetles were plentiful in Mindo...I believe it's a Oryctes Rhinoceros beetle and it likes to attack palm trees, but are harmless to humans, thankfully. 

A cute, little outdoor bar in Mindo with fancy drinks

We really enjoyed the cable car and hike to waterfalls. Unfortunately, James couldn't join us for the hike, but he enjoyed the ride across the valley.

We're getting in that thing and suspending ourselves over a very deep valley

🤣Not for those with a fear of heights!

We were rewarded with beautiful scenery on our hike, but surprisingly, not much wildlife at all, just a couple of birds, but not even a hummingbird

Chantal, you're in the jungle baby!

I kind of blend in

A beautiful, little bird

The friendly cable car dog wanted to get in the picture

Nature presenting itself to me while I waited for the cable car

I think Chantal has this beautiful expression on her face the whole way across

Love it! THIS is what runs the cable car? 😨
The conductor of the cable car allowed me to sit behind the controls...a lot less modern than one would hope! 

Mariposas de Mindo - butterfly sanctuary lobby

Craig was good at getting the butterflies on his finger...If you go here, be very careful not to touch their wings or you'll damage them!

The best we could do to capture the bright blue wings that you could only see when they were in flight

That's a beautiful species of butterfly! 🦋

Craig admiring the bamboo forest

Oh James! I should know better than to stand in front of you!😏

Me posing with current president, Daniel Noboa. There are cardboard cutouts of him all over the country. On Feb. 9th, 2025, there was a general election in Ecuador. Noboa was in the running for re-election. Out of the many, many candidates, it will come down to Noboa (right-wing) and leftist candidate Luisa González in the runoff, as no candidate secured a majority in the first round. The run-off will take place on 13 April 2025.

Punto Ornitológico Mindo is a reserve dedicated to bird tourism and it's maybe a 15 minute walk from downtown Mindo. For just $5 usd you can sit there forever feeding the hummingbirds and then take a walk through the forest with a young guide. It was hard to walk away because it's so amazing to be up close and personal with the hummingbirds. 

This little guy decided to get in on the hummingbird action too! Love it!

Hopefully you can access this hummingbird video

I mean, come on...how sweet is that. What you're seeing with the hummingbird on the right is their tongue coming out (about the last 1/3). So cool.

These guys were pretty and large.

Sorry honey, I definitely hogged the bird-feeding experience and therefore did not get great pictures of you feeding them.

There's so many different kinds and various sizes. I should have held the feeder on my head for an interesting picture!

The next few pictures were from the little forest walk we did after feeding the hummingbirds.

In Ecuador, these large rodents are known as "guatusa" - a Central American agouti

Despite James having knee issues and Chantal not being a swimmer, they bravely and somewhat reluctantly agreed to do "rafting" with us (they can blame me, I really wanted to do it). I've done a lot of rafting, but never before have I experienced it like quite we did here in Mindo, Ecuador. There were three tubing levels available to us - "level 1, 2 and 3" (higher number the higher the difficulty). We chose level 1 to be kind to James & Chantal. We thought it would be a lazy river experience, but it definitely was not! The safety standards were a little lacking, although we did, thankfully, have helmets and life jackets. The water was shockingly cold, but that was barely a concern once we started going because it was a shallow, narrow river with a LOT of rocks that you simply could not avoid. James, unfortunately, had his spine realigned by a large one...hopefully no permanent damage was done! Our guide was pretty good - he got us down the river in one piece after all - but it seemed like things easily could have gone very wrong. He was jumping off the raft a lot to steer us in another direction and hanging onto my shoulder to stay upright. At one point I actually grabbed him to help him back on because it looked like he was having trouble.

Me, all happy, about to go rafting, but having no idea what I was in for! lol

Again, two naive rafters who have no idea what's about to happen. The river doesn't look TOO bad behind them, but trust me, it got much worse. 

See that large rock in the background? Just multiply that by several hundred for our trip. In the truck, it did not seem like a very far distance, but in the water...it seemed like quite a long time! lol

Even I look a little concerned about what was coming in this picture (above).

Blurry, but a good action shot with Chantal's tube up in the air from a rock

This is probably the spot where James is saying "Who's f-ing idea was this"?

I THINK James was just acting here...since the craziness was seconds from being over

Not sure if you can open this video or not, but if you can, it was a totally accidental video Craig took while the camera was in hanging from his neck in a water-proof case. It gives you a better idea of what it was like.

Everyone's happy we survived! So...notice the size of our guide (to the right of James in photo). It was not just us 5 on the raft either - there were two Ecuadorians who joined us at the last minute - they had just gone down the river and came right back to do it a 2nd time. Crazy buggers! So, that means there were 7 of us total (with the guide) going down this river full of rock mines and our 100 pound guide trying to control all that weight. Insane really. For $6 usd each, you can experience this too! Imagine what level 2 and 3 are like?

Riding in the back of the pick up truck afterwards. James has an expression on his face that says "Holy shit, did I just do that"?

While James & Chantal relaxed and recovered from rafting, Craig and I continued the wild adventure by going on quads. Just us 2 and a guide. I think it was about $20 usd, but I can't remember. It was fun, but I would have liked a forest trail instead of on the roads. Still really enjoyed it though. 

If you went on the 2-hour excursion you'd see more waterfalls. We hired them for 1.5 hours, but the guide was misinformed and took us back after 1 hour. It was fine with us, we had our fun.

You gotta do something interesting as the guide took photos! Pretty good flexibility for a old gal!

A beautiful river in the background. No, I did not choose my helmet to match my shirt.

Eat my dust honey!

I remember doing this kind of stuff with my Dad on the 4-wheeler. It was fun going through the water, but I wondered if it was good for the engine.

We're such a cool couple! 😎

When it's raining out, why not go get a couples massage? The 4 of us showed up to get our massages (we had an appointment), but they could only massage 2 people at once, so James & Chantal went somewhere else and came back for theirs. I loved the massage because it began to pour rain and we were in an open-air structure so we could hear it and that added to the experience. It was a good way to end our time in Mindo. There's so much to do here! We didn't do the night tour or frog concert tour, zip lines or chocolate tour, but we packed a LOT into our 3 days. Loved it! Thank you again to James & Chantal for driving and joining us on this adventure!

Craig had fun in mindo, but it was cold there, up in the cloud forest and he was missing the heat and the ocean. He had a blast playing in the waves for 3 months!

Craig absolutely loved the viche (peanut-based soup) at the San Jacinto Hotel restaurant during a music/artists night. Sadly, some of the artists could not make it because of the flooding in Charapotó (the rainy season had started). The flooding hit San Clemente hard after we left.

😍Francine & Alain, Monique & Mario arrive😍

After they spent a lovely day in Quito with Monique and Mario touring around and shopping, they all joined us in San Clemente for a few weeks.

I just love this beach photo taken right out front of our condo complex.

Craig, Alain & Mario enjoying the waves (sorry it's a little blurry)

You probably WISH this was blurrier!

The 3 amigos!

Never turn your back to the ocean!

Are they holding Alain up?

Our turn (Francine & I)! 

Francine enjoyed getting pounded by the waves while I boogie boarded around (and sometimes nearly into) her

I asked Monique & Francine to do a fun pose and this is what they came up with! lol Craig had to get in on the action...

Monique, Mario, Francine & Alain enjoying pool time. I'm normally not a huge pool person, but in that heat + humidity, it was sometimes the only way to get some relief from it

Myself, Francine, Monique, Chantal, Ramona and Diane went on a little adventure to Sosote (via public bus) to buy some tagua jewelry

This, above, is off the palm tree (Phytelephas aequatorialis), commonly known as Ecuadorian ivory palm. It is the main source of Ecuadorean vegetable ivory or tagua, a botanical alternative to ivory. It is found in the tropical rainforests of the western Andean slopes of Ecuador. It has a woody trunk which can grow to 20 m in height and very long pinnate leaves. A tagua palm can take up to 15 years to mature, but once it gets to this stage it can go on producing vegetable ivory for up to 100 years. In any given year a tagua palm can produce up to 20 pounds (about 9kg) of vegetable ivory. (excerpt modified from wiki)

Above shows how the tagua nut grows on the tree and below you can see that it can be dyed to pretty much an colour imaginable because the tagua nut is naturally white.

Time to head back to Montecristi with M&M, Francine & Alain...

The Basilica Menor Católica Nuestra Madre de Monserrate (Catholic Minor Basilica of Our Mother of Monserrate) was constructed between 1959-1962 and is a prominent structure in the town of Montecristi

2nd sucker we had pose in the colourful mask in Montecristi (lol, still a fun photo)

It was usually from the hammock that we were trying to get photos of the pelicans

"Super" Mario was excited for his first
first tuk tuk ride and then, on top of that, his tuk tuk (or "moto taxi" as it's known as in San Clemente) was a Mario Brother's themed one! We were heading off to La Boca to see the mangroves. The remnant of the La Boca Mangrove ("manglar" in Spanish) is located in the estuary of the Portoviejo River, between San Jacinto and Crucita parish in Manabí province. It's where this river meets the ocean.

It's a very cool spot to explore on a guided tour of the mangrove trees followed by a guided boat tour and it's inexpensive (I believe $7 usd pp)

Mangrove forests are life, as this type of ecosystem is home to a large number of bird, mollusk, fish, crustacean, and other species. According to UNESCO, mangroves act as a natural coastal defense against storm surges, tsunamis, rising sea levels, and erosion. They need to be protected, but are sadly disappearing.

The gang listening to our guide

They're such unique ecosystems! Nature at its finest

All of us getting on the boat that's to take us up the river looking for wildlife. Craig & I, Francine & Alain, Monique & Mario, James & Chantal, Roger & Ramona, her visiting friend and Marr

A ton of birds like hanging out here. So beautiful to see. Humans could take lessons from all these different birds getting along in one place

Roseate Spoonbill (Platalea ajaja) - these birds were so beautiful and interesting to watch!

Love the shape of their bills!

That guy looks pretty cheeky with quite the attitude!

I do believe this beautiful creature is a snowy egret

And these beautiful creatures are Craig & Alain! We were there during the rainy season, so the water is very brown, murky and full of garbage. Apparently, if you're there in June, the water is clear, there are different birds & other creatures there and not a lot of garbage. It would be nice to go back and see it again at that time

Looking good sailor!

Alain, always willing to pose for me 😍

One night, when sunset was during a lower tide time, 5 of us went down to the beach to enjoy it and capture some great photos. Ahhh....Francine & Alain sharing a moment

And we go from the lovely, sunset moment, to THIS! We enjoyed an evening in el centro for Carnival! Spraying this foam and throwing dye at one another is apparently a custom and we embraced it! Love you guys! 💗

You two look like you're really enjoying that!

Craig, as usual, took it in a strange direction, but it was great to see such joy from Francine!

You're such a good sport Francine!

The crowd was really getting into it! The DJ was rockin' and everyone was having a great time. Craig and I partied in the "mosh-pit" until we lost our hearing...hee hee.  Although we did bring the median age up a little from the rest of the crowd! lol

And this is how MY mind works

Santa Craig

There was a lot of good people watching during Carnival! That butt must be artificial...although I don't think that mattered to Craig & Roger!

Partying like a rockstar is thirsty work!

Love these three characters!

Don't think Jan was a huge fan of the spray foam! Doug either, next to her. Amanda, next to him was ready, with her huge can, to get Craig back! Glen, Doris & Kevin were just enjoying the spectacle

Craig, making new friends (no matter how old men get, they're still like little boys)

I can just hear Craig saying "hey man, bring it in"...

...for this picture

This dude, who looks a little shady, was offering Craig a random shot of likely, liquor he made at home that can cause blindness, but Craig just grabbed it and pounded it back

STILL partying like a rockstar!

The Rockstar is running out of energy...needs to go home to bed now

During our last week, we just had to get together with Cisco & Victoria (Vicki) - two beautiful souls who can take Craig's dirty sense of humour

Loved meeting and getting to know you both!💓

And just like that, our time in Ecuador was coming to and end. Here we are, back in Quito at the centre of the world (Mitad del Mundo)

What does that say? 4877 km to Toronto?

Francine with her new Ecuadorian friend

Craig & Alain standing beside one another, but on two different hemispheres

Ahh! Alain, your body is in both hemispheres at the same time!

View from up in the tower

The tower we just had to go up in

The delicacy Craig just had to try before leaving Ecuador because we didn't try it in Peru - guinea pig. Not at all appetizing for me because it's a pet, in my eyes, and so little. Plus, the fur and feet do not help

Although the feet come in handy to pick your teeth afterwards (sorry if that offends anyone, but it's kind of funny)

And, because we're already missing San Clemente and the beach, I thought we'd end with beautiful sunset pictures...

Craig's taking these pics from our condo balcony

I don't really know how to sum up our 3-month vacation other than to say it was a wonderful experience and we will do it again. Craig and I aren't exactly on the same page about it though...he'd live there year round since he loves the heat and being by the ocean, but I was always trying to escape the heat with the pool, ocean or air conditioning. My skin, however, really loved all the humidity and as soon as we got on the plane to come home, our skin let us know it was not happy and after returning home, our noses were really dry and I got a nose bleed. I like having a home in Canada and don't mind the winters, but he could do without the home base and can no longer stand the cold. What do we do? Find some sort of compromise, hopefully.🤞
San Clemente was very relaxing and enjoyable. The people of Ecuador are very friendly and welcoming, especially where we were. We will return, but not next year as we have a big trip to Australia & New Zealand planned.
Cheers! Thanks for following along!
If there's a picture of you in here, and you really are not liking it, just let me know and I'll take it out.

On a very sad note, we were just informed that one of the renters we got to know (Steve) from Ensenada Del Pacifico condo complex passed away this morning. My heart goes out to his family and friends who will be in shock with this news as he was a very vibrant and active senior. So sad.
Rest in peace Steve. 🕊
I hope, wherever you are, you're playing in the waves