When the Universe Says "No"

Hey! I'm back. Sure, it's been a few years, but what with the pandemic and all, is anybody really surprised?

Sunset somewhere over Mexico

You'll never guess, but we're back in Ecuador, just for a visit. It was time to flee the winter in Eastern Canada and we had to renew our Ecuadorian ID cards, so back we came to Cuenca. We thought we were pretty smart, we hired someone who knows the system to help us get new cedulas, had all of our paperwork in order and had (hopefully) booked enough time to get it all done.

The first step was to have our visas transferred from our old passports into the new "electronic" visas, then get our marriage registered in the Registro Civil. (This, despite the fact that our cedulas clearly indicate that we are, indeed, married to each other. Classic government bureaucracy.) Then, after those two hurdles, we'd be ready to renew our cedulas. Sounds pretty staight forward, right?

The New Cathedral from Terra Restaurant

Alas, no. As Ron is the primary visa holder the agency in Azogues wanted to see him first. He and our fixer dutifully went out there and after a brief wait they were told that they wouldn't be tranferring the visa, as we'd been out of the country for too long. When we left in 2019, permanent residents could be out of the country for up to 5 years. What we didn't know, is that in 2021, the rules changed and that term was cut down to only two years. We were a year too late.

Full moon over the city

We really weren't that surprised. Disappointed, to be sure, as it was nice to have the possibility of moving back here should the need arise. The universe had already given us several indications over the past several years that our time here might be done, but the nudges were subtle, or we were just being thick. 

Sunrise over Ecuador

You'll hear a lot of negative things about the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Azogues office, They are intractable when it comes to the rules. I've found my dealings with them to be incredibly frustrating, mostly because they kept telling us "no". That's on us, really, not on them. Just be forewarned. Many people opt to use the Quito office, to avoid their incredibly narrow interpretation of the rules. All that being said, they did us a solid. They didn't cancel our visas and kick us out of the country. That means that, technically, we're still residents, but it's a very narrow technicality. We have two ways to remediate the situation. Apply for residency all over again starting from scratch, or let our residency go. Because of the new 2 year out of country rule, we've decided to take the second option. 

Anyhow, this leaves us with some free time on our hands, so we've decided to run off to Columbia for the end of our trip. So, here we come, Bogota and Medellin! I guess we're making lemonade.

Danica's Rough Guide to Retirement

It wasn't really my intention to have rules for the blissful part of my life labelled "Retirement". I fully intended to do whatever the heck I wanted. But, like all plans, one must be adaptable.
The hike to Patul reinforced certain thoughts I had about aging, laziness and a cavalier attitude towards body maintenance, if not life in general. (How all encompassing!) So, here are my 7 rules for retirement. (Don't wait, start now!)

A new hair cut always helps.

1. Get up when you want. No alarms (unless necessary), no rigid schedules. Go to bed when you want, too.

2. Nap, there's no shame in it. Chances are you're not sleeping quite as well at night, so make up for it in the day. (I try not to nap after 4pm, as it affects my sleep in the night, but that's not a hard and fast rule, even for me.) Resting or meditating counts, too.

3. Eat well. Fruit and veggies are our friends and keep our body rhythms regular. I'm an adherent of Ron's philosophy when it comes to food. (His rules for life are below, don't blink or you'll miss them.*) That being said, the more natural the food the better. Doritos are okay once in a while. I am weak when it comes to junk food, but limit my intake.

4. Lift weights. Your bones and muscles will thank you, your future self will thank you (even if your present self hates you and the task). Staving off muscle loss will allow you to do the things you dream of when you have time. (Dive the Great Barrier Reef? Check! Walk part of the Appalachian Trail? Check! Wander the volcanoes and surf the swells of Hawaii? Check. Everest Base Camp? Done...you get the picture.)

5. Stretch. Keeping limber can help with balance and reduce recovery times when injured. I do a quick yoga routine almost daily and have incorporated stretching into my afternoon routine. (Thanks to the torn ligament of a few years ago. Never again, fingers crossed.) My balance and flexibility have improved. This will help when I'm clumsy and trip (this happens frequently, sad to say) and if I ever fall, the extra muscle (from strength training) and limberness will protect me.

6. Honour your body's limitations by don't be ruled by them. The group on our hike proved to me that age is no limitation to ability and the power of the mind goes a long way to achieving things, even when your body might think you're nuts.

7. Laugh and cry. I sometimes feel that there is nothing that laughter can't heal, but to get there, sometimes we have to cry first. No shame in getting out the emotions, either. Your brain and heart will be grateful

(* Ron really only has two life rules: everything in moderation and use it or lose it. It serves him well, and I happily benefit from it at the same time.)

Bonus tips: wear sunscreen. Be kind to your skin and it will reward you. 
                   Disconnect. No, that tweet, post, text IM isn't that important

Be kind to yourself and yet demand more of yourself at the same time. Oh, and don't forget to enjoy your retirement.

Our Crazy Adventure in Patul

There is a certain amount of truth in the fact that Ron and I were never really "budget" travelers, no. We like to have our own bathroom, ideally a king-sized bed and if breakfast is included, well, that's pretty perfect. We aren't Waldorf Astoria kind of folks either, but swing closer to that side of the scale than the other. 

Then we decided to discover South America and, as neither of us is working, this requires certain...accommodations...to the budget. We've camped, rented RVs, hosteled it. (Okay, in a private room, but it was still a hostel.)  Now, we decided to go off and see this tiny little pueblecito called Patul. It's due north of Cajas National Park. There are no roads to get to it, just horse trails and it's high up in the Andes where they actually get frost and snow. (Did I mention it's still officially winter here?)  The good news is that we got to stay indoors, which actually has four walls, but we're still in Ecuador, so there is no central heating. Ah, we're on the equator, how bad can it be?

Why this craziness, you might ask? One of our friends has always wanted to go there and arranged a trip for us. Us being 10 brave souls ready to roll the dice on a new experience.

Start of the hike with Indy leading the way

Wet! That's what you get for hiking at cloud level

Our overnight stay was in a village that has a population of 43 (give or take). They (happily) got electricity a few years ago, but there's no internet, no municipal services or other niceties. (Yup, that means no toilets ergo no bathrooms with nice things like sinks and tap water to wash.) The hike into the village was going to take approximately 6 hours, so we were quite pleased to do it in 5.5. The weather was not cooperative. The rain started on the bus ride up and continued to dog us through most of the trek. When the wind joined it, it made the going pretty unpleasant. The walk is about 11 kilometres (a little under 7 miles), but you have to pass through a summit in the mountains that takes you up to almost 4200 metres (13,812 feet). Okay, so you start at around 3700 metres, but still, it's a steep slog up that hill over a very short span of time, especially in crappy weather.

While the wind and rain were pretty unrelenting, we were happy to be heading down hill. In a small village called Baute, a lady was kind enough to let us shelter in her house, to warm up and have something to eat. She and our guide exchanged pleasantries (and money changed hands, I'm sure). She told us that she gets visitors maybe 5 times a year, and most are couples who are lost in the wilds of the Cajas. Let that be a cautionary tale for you, should you decide to visit.

Baute in better weather (on the return trip)

Taking off the chill in a local homestead

Photo by Bob Itami

Photo by Bob Itami

The cloud finally started lifting as we arrived at our destination. The laguna was beautiful and the valley was spotted with buildings with grass covered rooves. We could finally make out the soaring arcs of the surrounding mountains and the sun made an appearance.

The village is picturesque and even houses a small cemetery dating back to the late 1800s. There is a school that the children from Baute also attend. The school has 11 students.

Half-century old homestead in Patul

Life in the village is quite humbling. The farm animals are abundant and the chickens love to wander through the houses at will. They're often chased back outside with a broom or swift foot in their direction, but seem undeterred about finding a cozy roost somewhere inside. The house that we stayed in was made from adobe and cinder block and lacked doors or glass in the windows.(Like most of the houses in the area.) 

The openings are covered with whatever scraps can be found, like old plastic feed bags, tarps and the occasional animal skin. The interior flooring of the home we stayed in was a combination of dirt, concrete and wood. The kitchen seems to be the heart of the home, which is pretty universal, but not all homes sport a very pregnant guinea pig, tucked in a warm corner. The entire family gathers in the one room, cooking over an open fire and nestling up on benches against the walls to stave off the cold.

The family was incredibly gracious and somehow managed to feed the 11 of us from the tiny kitchen, not just once but three times. 

The cooking fire, no stove, just open flame.
Photo by Bob Itami

Meals have no definition here, there is no cereal for breakfast or sandwiches for lunch. All meals come with rice, potatoes and some form of protein. The vegetables that we ate were brought in, except for the broad beans, which I believe probably are their main source of vitamins. The trout must be running as we had beautiful little fish for both lunch and breakfast the next day. Our dinner consisted of freshly butchered chicken. I'm pretty sure that one of the photos I took is of our dinner. The children were tasked with catching the birds and putting them in a bag, presumably to calm the fowl before their imminent demise. This is life on a farm and gave me a clear understanding that if it were up to me to dispatch the meat, I'd probably be vegetarian or pescatarian. 

Delicious or darling, you decide

Somehow, more palatable

Dinner, anyone?

The temperature never hit double digits the day we arrived and dropped to below zero in the night. You could actually feel it as we sat in a small circle huddled under the only light bulb in the main living area enjoying the fruits of the family farm. We called it a day before 8pm, seeking to get away from the cold, by curling up in our sleeping bags and finding oblivion. It was then that the family gathered and ate their own meal. 

Abuelita y nieta (grandma and granddaughter), staying warm
Photo by Bob Itami

There is no early to bed, even for a farming family. It wasn't a restful night, between the cold, the noise of the family and the farm animals outside, the dogs running amok in the middle of the night and sharing a room with almost the whole group made for a challenged sleep. I rather hate how much of a slave I am to my little routines and luxurious comforts.  

Our neighbours for the night

One of the boys took a chair and turned it into a motorcycle with a few sticks and an amazing imagination, he played on that with his siblings and cousins for the rest of the night. If that isn't a life lesson, I don't know what is.

We were up at daylight, around 6 am and on the road before 9am.   Before leaving, I had an unfortunate interaction with a thistle plant while using the outdoor "facilities". Mental note, don't do that...even if the plant looks innocuous it can still git ya. I had welts the size of quarters for most of the day and a prickling sensation that I cannot recommend.

The return journey was grueling. We all knew it would be challenging, having walked down the track to get to Patul, but little did we know it would be a 3 hour+ ascension, with unrelenting hills and only the smallest respites of level ground. There were a few times when my legs were burning and begging me to rest, but the cold wouldn't allow it. Once at the summit, we still had another couple of hours down to get to the parking area where our transportation would be waiting. Despite the physical demands of the hike back out, the weather was much more cooperative, offering sunshine and blue skies (with a cold wind), with the clouds still threatening to gather, causing us to keep a brisk pace. It was one of the hardest hikes I've done so far, but none of us gave up and we made it back to the parking lot in a respectable 5 and a half hours. The whole group deserves a good round of applause for taking on such a demanding trek and making it without incident.

Ever upward

Trail Warriors

The road travelled, looking back to the valley

It was an eye opening experience, one that I'll remember for a long time and one that will make me more grateful for the life I have, and appreciative of how well other people manage, no not just manage, but thrive and enjoy, a life with so much less comfort than I have. If you ever have the opportunity to experience something like this, take it, embrace it and appreciate how privileged we actually are to have doors and internet and a ready supply of water coming out of our taps, not to mention the other trappings of "civilised" life. We don't need more, in truth, we could probably do with a whole lot less and, for me, that's comforting in its own way. I can survive with less, I can be happy with less and the world would continue to turn.

Embrace it or Die

I can't begin to guess how many blogs I've done about the whacky world of Ecuadorian bureaucracy and just general quirkiness, but I can't resist another one.

Yup, I guess the blush of being home has worn off slightly. Of course, this is the "life we've chosen" as a friend often says, but some things are just so...well...foreign. 

Sunset in Cuenca

In an attempt to comply with the health insurance requirement here, we decided to apply for the government medical coverage, known as IESS (not I E S S, but eeeyes!). So the spousal unit applies with little effort, and then we try to add me as a dependent...nope. So we trundle ourselves down to the IESS office, line up, get a number and then wait for our turn. The nice lady helps us, getting all my information and entering me into the system. Was that it? Was I registered? Nope. She tells us we have to go back home, log in to the system and add me properly now that she's registered me as a possible dependent. Off we go and low an behold, there I am on the list of dependents. We check the box, press continue and finalize. I am now supposedly registered. We shall see. (I did get a certificate of insurance, so that's a good sign, right?) 

Little man so proud to be astride

A bit round about, but such is the way things work here. Our chocolate contact suddenly wasn't offering her services anymore, so we had to go directly to the source; a manufacturer on the coast. Of course they'd help us, and it would be less expensive than going through and intermediary. We received the product list, got together a big order for ourselves and friends and placed it. They'll deliver the next day...(yup, wait for it)...if we can deposit the funds to their bank right away. Wait, what? We can't pay on delivery? Nope. But the banks are closed.  "Go early tomorrow." But we have another appointment tomorrow morning. "Deposit when you can and send a photo of the receipt and we'll arrange the deliver."

Cotton candy vendor

Much back and forth ensued. We weren't crazy about depositing almost $100 in a bank account where we'd never see it again. Needless to say, we wound up rolling the dice and doing the deposit and low and behold, the chocolate showed up the following day - 10 minutes after we set the delivery deadline, of course.

Sweeping vista of the coastal BC mountains

So, this is the craziness that we've signed on to, at least for now. So we must embrace it or risk losing our minds. We just have to realize that this isn't really a problem...it's not like we don't have the time and we've chosen to be here, so we have to play by their rules, no matter how unusual they seem to us.

Vancouver's Not So Hot Spots

Being a Vancouver native, I've been to almost all of the major tourist attractions (Stanley Park, Granville Island, Gastown, Chinatown, Commercial Street village, Main Street Village, Kitsilano Beach, English Bay, the West End, the Capilano suspension bridge and so many more)  and while always enjoyable, sometimes it's nice to break out of the travel rut and go to something new. Of course, the city is constantly evolving and, continually, offers more for visitors and residents alike.

On my sister's mad rush to fill in her Tourism Challenge book, we had a whirlwind tour of some of the lesser visited and newer attractions.

Here are some of the highlights:

Queen Elizabeth Park (an oldie, but goodie, don't miss the Bloedel Conservatory):

Views of the city

A sure sign of spring.

Pink Dogwood blossoms
(Dogwood is BC's flower)

Sea to Sky Tram (new) and Bridal Falls (an old friend):

Heavy run-off from the winter melt

Overcast, but always stunning

Heading up the tram, will it clear?

A flirtatious look at the Coastal Mountains

BC at its most beautiful...green and blue

Finally lifting

Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Gardens (there are also amazing bonsai trees here):

Nestled in downtown Vancouver

The water lilies were stunning

Day lily with interesting veining

Mayne Island (thank you Erin and Darryl!):

Mayne is one of the myriad of coastal islands that can be reached from Tsawassen or Horseshoe Bay ferry terminals. They all have a unique experience to offer, but you can count on abundant British Columbia beauty on all of them.

Rhinoceros tree

Interesting bark development

Inlet near our cabin retreat

 UBC Botanical Gardens:

Heart of a peony

Oriental Gate

Japanese maple

The old vine

'Chelle on the forest walk

A slightly confused leaf...still the symbol of Canada

So what's my point with all of this, you might ask? Vancouver is an amazing city with lots of known and hidden wonders. Go out! Wander! Enjoy every discovery and soak up the nature, the culture and the overall beauty. I'm forever proud that it's my home.