The Zen of Living on South American Time

I was talking with some new arrivals recently, and they seemed impressed with the level of subsistence here. (To clarify, not truly subsistence, but decent lifestyle.). We really don't lack much of anything that we had in Canada, except some minor items like specialty foods.

Classic siesta mode - both human and canid

That doesn't mean that life here is just like life in North America. No, not at all. I remember my sister describing "island time" when she visited the Bahamas. The entire country was able to downshift into a relaxed "it's all good, mon" vibe that, upon arrival, was vexing for her fast paced North American lifestyles. She and her hubbie eventually made the switch, as well, and had a very relaxing holiday. This concept is also prevalent in Ecuador; not called "island time", but "mañana". Yes, mañana literally means tomorrow, but it's not used (usually) in the literal sense, no. It's used more in the "sometime in the future" sense. (Tomorrow never comes, right?)

Family pickup match of football (downtime!)

This is a major change from how things run up north. For example: our building operates off two large water pumps that distribute water pressure throughout the building. One of the pumps is short circuiting. We found this out nearly 3 weeks ago. The technician is supposed to come on Friday. This is a perfect of example of "mañana". Now, water, for us, is essential to our well being and happiness. Water pressure is also essential for our tankless water heater (calefon/on demand water heater, as you like.) No pressure, no hot water. This, we've discovered, is a first world problem.  The job of correcting the electrical issue was deemed "small" and therefore, not a priority. Hence a (hopeful) repair tomorrow.

Interesting enough for onlookers

This also applied to our sofa cushions (see the "Epic of the Sofa Cushions") for another example of "mañana" in action. It is a process, adjusting to this slower pace. It happens in restaurants, too. (No, you don't have to wait for weeks to get your order, but an hour isn't completely unheard of, to be sure.)

Then I noticed one goalie...(their side lost)

We're seeing it on a grander scale with the light rail system that is being constructed in Cuenca. (Granted it's been riddled with budgetary and labour issues, as well.) It's now two years past due and looking like it might be delayed again. This is to be expected, when has a municipal project ever completed on time? However, when your cable/internet provider says they'll send out a technician in three days, this is when things start getting challenging.

Full on traditional dress! We might be relaxing,
but we can still dress nicely.

There are places where the concept of "mañana" don't apply is on the road. (I've discussed this before as well.) The sweet nature of most Ecuadorians goes out the window as soon as they sit behind the wheel of a vehicle.  This is a mystery to me.

Even tortoises get in on the napping action

So, if you're thinking of hanging out down here for a while, pack your sunscreen and heaps of patience. Time is one of the few things we actually have in abundance as retirees, so we need to spend it gratefully..

The Irony of Being an Expat

It isn't my personal irony, but it is an irony that exists here. We've met a lot of types of people during out stint in Ecuador and most of them are pretty amazing. There's the adventure seekers, looking for new experiences and cultures; the financial refugees, that mostly hate that they aren't home; the wing nuts, never satisfied and always paranoid, and the families, looking to give their children a different outlook on life. There's also the combination of some of those things and it can make life here quite interesting.

Have I been teasing you? Here's the irony: we've come across people who are anti-immigration in their home countries, but live here...as immigrants. 

Representation of my mind being blown

Say what, now?

Yup. I don't care for the word expat, as it seems to differentiate between "immigrants" and "white people who relocate", and that's just ridiculous. For all intents and purposes, I'm an immigrant. I left my home country to try living somewhere else for a while. Yet, for those that live in this state of irony, they aren't "immigrants", they're "expats" and that's (somehow!) different. (Magic thinking, perhaps?) I can't say for certain, but this double-think (or cognitive dissonance) might contribute to the whole "Ugly American" phenomenon. Of course, that particular moniker doesn't simply apply to those from the United States, but many different countries.

I haven't met a lot of people that perform this sort of mental gymnastics, but they do exist and I often wonder if they ever realise the incredible irony of their stance? They're of the same ilk that fled liberal governments, for fear of the incipient reach of "communism" and wound up in a socialist country. As I said before, most people here are good, kind contributing members of society, no matter where they live. But, I'm reminded by a good friend that "this is the life we chose".

The Deliciousness of the Festival of Corpus Christi

There are a lot of festivals here and, mostly, I don't understand the why of most of them. That doesn't stop me from enjoying the celebration, of course! I actually had to look up Corpus Christi (Cristi, here). Of course, I knew it's a Catholic celebration and by the name, it should be obvious that it celebrates the body of Christ. So I went online. (Whatever did we do without the internet?) It's actually a celebration of the Eucharist - the transformation of the blood and body of Christ to the holy wine and communion wafer. This is also know as transubstantiation.

2nd best macaroons so far

What I didn't get is why Corpus Christi is celebrated here with a wealth of sweets, so I did a bit more digging. It wasn't just a matter of taking the communion wafer to a whole new level, no. Corpus Christi happens to coincide with the return of the Pleiades constellation to the sky over the Andes and many indigenous groups use this time of year to celebrate the harvest and consider it the "new year". Sweets and harvest time go hand in hand. So, I feel I've solved the mystery. I've always loved how traditional festivals and Christian ones seem to line up so nicely. Of course, we all know that it helped ease the disparity between the old and new religions.Catholicism had a pretty amazing marketing team, back in the day.

Vendors as far as the eye can see

So, despite my status as a non-believer, I still get to browse the sweets, enjoy the odd treat and enjoy the fireworks displays that are set up in the main square of parque Calderon for the five day event. What fireworks have to do with transubstantiation, I have no idea. Nor, do I know why they're built into bamboo towers, so close to the crowd that you can get singed hair. What I do know is that if there aren't fireworks in Ecuador, it isn't a real party.

At least this year, they've cordoned off an area around the towers, before you could get as close as you liked! Safety first! (So not an Ecuadorian motto!)

Galapagos Grandure - About Our Trip

Spoiler alert: no matter how you do it, it isn't a cheap trip. The islands are over a 1,000 kms off the coast, so you're pretty much trapped prey and, in fairness, it must cost a lot to get goods to the islands.

We weren't really sure how we wanted to do the Galapagos. There's really two options, a cruise or island hopping, the later being more affordable, but providing less access to the far islands. (We've also heard that the water taxis between islands can be quite an adventure on their own - not for those with weak stomachs.)

Hanging out on the top deck

After much debate we opted for a cruise that hit most of the islands we wanted to see. (None seem to hit them all, so you'd have to take multiple cruises.) Most tour companies offer similar routes, either north or south and have a variety of options with regard to number of days. Almost every multi-day tour will meet you at the airport (we landed in Baltra, the other option is San Cristobal). This makes it seem like it might be hard to get to Santa Cruz, where the hotels are, but it really isn't all that difficult. A bus (free), a barge ($1pp) and another bus ($2pp) or taxi ($25 - this can be split with other travellers, if you're feeling friendly) and you're in town (coming back you pay $1.50 extra to get to the bus terminal by taxi, but that's for up to 4 people (driver excluded).

Things to know: there are restrictions on the type of food you can bring to the islands (citrus is definitely out, but KFC is okay...go figure.) You will also have to wait for your bags to be checked out by the dog squad before you can pick them up.You will pay a $20pp transportation fee at the airport before arriving on the islands and will also have to pay $100pp park entry fee for foreigners ($6pp for residence/citizens & $50pp for participating South American countrymen). Cash machines are available in the airports and bigger towns of the Galapagos  Conservation is a big deal in the Galapagos and the airport in Baltra is the world's first LEEDs Gold airport. All the power is taken from three wind turbines on the island and, apparently, doesn't have enough juice to include wifi.

We opted for Latintours - Nemo II. (There's also a Nemo, and Nemo III, with each ship catering to different budgeting needs. See site here.) They are all sailing catamarans with a motor, as well. Double hulls are more stable in the water (less rolling) and we liked the idea that we might get to travel under wind power.  They call it an 8 day cruise, but in reality it's 7 nights with the final day being only a few hours long. 

Under sail - we cheated the motor was going, too.

Covered outdoor dining area

Briefing area and lounge

Our cabin

Here's our itinerary, accompanied by some photos of the islands we visited:

Day 1 - Bachas Beach - our first sea turtle sighting. The visibility wasn't great, but it was an amazing start! (Snorkel and hike)

Day 2 - Plazas Islands and Santa Fe (snorkel and hike)

 

Day 3 - San Cristobal, Kicker Rock (shark city!) and Brujo Hill (snorkel and hike)

Shark hunting!

Play "sea lion or rock" - I dare you!

Day 4 - Española, Suarez Point and Gardner Beach (snorkel, walk and down time)

Day 5 - Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz - Charles Darwin Centre and the Highlands (walk)

At the tortoise sanctuary

Day 6 - Floreana - Champion and Post Office Bay (snorkel and hike) Floreana has kind of a crazy history involving idyllic Germans, a fake Baroness and murder. Click here for a quick summary of the strange goings on. It will open in a new window.

Founded in 1793 and has been in operation ever since.
Letters are hand delivered by travelers.

Day  7 - Bartolome and Chinese Hat(snorkel and hike) this is where we saw the manta's

Lava tunnels

Pinnacle Rock

  
Day 8 - Black Turtle Cove and back to the airport

Black Turtle Bay is a natural sea life nursery

Golden ray school

Sere lava fields - quite a contrast to the sealife

Last minute trips (off season) are fairly easy to come by if you don't mind the uncertainty. Many of our ship mates stayed on Santa Cruz for a few days in search of a good deal. At this time most last minute cruises will expect payment in cash. Because of cash withdrawal limits on your bank card and the weird limits on the machines themselves this might wipe you out.

Tipping: this was a huge stresser for us, even before the trip and a hot topic on travel sites. While our guide made it perfectly clear that tipping is not a requirement, I know how things work in Ecuador. The cost of your cruise will mainly go to the boat owner, tour company and the booking agent will get a cut. (Our advice, deal directly with the cruise company itself, you'll pay a bit less. Here's a good site: Galapagos Cruise Links) Wages here are low and prices on the Galapagos run double to triple what they are on the mainland.(Case in point: Pilsner beer (large bottle) is $2-3 in restaurants on the mainland, on the islands it will cost at least $5.) So while tipping is voluntary, the crew will be at a major financial disadvantage if you skip the monetary gratitude. 

Part of the crew hard at work

Our Captain - Antonio - manning the helm

Some companies suggested 10% of your cruise value (pp) and others suggest a daily rate both for the guide and the crew. Our company suggested $10-15 per day (pp) for the guide and $15-20 per day (pp) to be split equally amongst the crew. (We had 6 crew members, so that doesn't divide too evenly.) They deserved it, our crew worked ridiculously hard to make sure we were happy, safe, well fed and entertained. I am doing the crew a disservice, I didn't take any pictures of the food. They really did an amazing job. We tipped on 7 nights which made it easier on our pocket book and was fair as the last day wrapped up at 8am and the first started at 11am. We did the lower of the range, but it still cost us $350USD. I won't even get into what that is in Canadian dollars.

Many of our cruise mates were caught by surprise. Their cash had been wiped out to pay for the cruise itself and they had no access to bank machines before the end of the cruise. Consider yourself warned about it all. (I know, Aussies, this is particularly hard on you!)

Best time of year: Depending on what you want to see (mating, hatching, whales etc.) different times of year will be better. There is basically a wet season and a dry season. High season is June to August and December and January. Water does get rougher starting from July-December with September & October the absolute worst. We went in "low" season and lucked out majorly. We saw almost everything on our list and some things we didn't even know we wanted to see. Do your research, but keep in mind that Mother Nature doesn't give a fig about your plans and may thwart you regardless of how well you plan. Here's a good place to start: Ecuador Travel Site and the Galapagos Calendar (same site).

Thanks for coming along on our adventure with us. We highly recommend a visit to these amazing islands and the Nemo boats.