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We headed back to Ecuador (finally) on Thursday, January 11, 2018.
We flew from Orlando into Guayaquil, and spent two nights in the city. With two malls near the hotel, we spent a day shopping for necessities before leaving for the coast. On Saturday, we took the 3 hour drive
up to Puerto Cayo - our final destination.
So, here we are -- absolutely loving the life in Ecuador!
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OK, we'll try not to look like total "foodies" by posting nothing but food photos - BUT - this is one of the big reasons we moved to Ecuador! On Friday, Feb. 2nd, we took the bus up to Manta for an appointment with our lawyer to work on our residency visas, and start the process of opening an Ecuadorian bank account. While there, of course, we bought some fresh tuna from the seafood mercado right in front of the beach. This 5 lb. hunk of tuna was swimming in the ocean the night before, and cost $20 or approx. $4/lb. Last time I checked at Publix, tuna would run at least $16/lb., if you could find "fresh" tuna!
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Naturally, that's what we had for dinner.... seared tuna with black beans and rice, and the most delicious papaya I've ever tasted! YUM....
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On Monday, Feb 5th, we went into the village of Puerto Cayo to pick up the fish that our friend, Luis, had obtained for us from a fisherman friend... turned out to be $14 for 4 to 5 lbs. of Dorado (Mahi Mahi). This filet appears to be one whole half of the fish. So, that's about $3 a pound for Mahi!!
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So, for dinner - what else?.... dorado with pineapple salsa! Served with rice and more fresh papaya!
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But never fear... Doug won't have to forego his craving for BEEF... the cattle here are very lean (think of buying ground sirloin for $3/lb), but the steaks are still very tender. At a recent shopping trip to the supermarket in Jipijapa, Doug scored a two-pack of T-bones shown below. If you can read the label, it is priced per kilo (about 2.2 lbs), these were approx. 0.75 kilo or a little over 1-1/2 lbs. - cost $6 and change! Limited fat!
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Arrived at the Dreamkapture around 10 pm on Thursday night. Friday morning, breakfast first and then off to shop at City Mall.
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Moving to a different country with only 4 checked suitcases and 2 carryons is rather difficult. It's amazing how much stuff you think you can't live without that gets left behind!
So we spent the day at the mall, buying those items we needed but couldn't bring - and also checking out prices on everything from appliances to electronics.
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Saturday afternoon, January 13, 2018, we arrive at our destination - "Casa Anna". Anna and her husband Steve live in the beautiful house on the oceanfront, and we will be renting half of the duplex/guesthouses on this beautiful property.
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This is the front entrance to our unit, with the bamboo fence behind it (which is at the front of the property, on the street to town.
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Each evening around 6:30, we gather on the patio behind Anna's house to watch the sunsets - which are spectacular. Behind us is the outdoor kitchen - you "gotta have one of those" in Ecuador!
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Sunset in Puerto Cayo....
Doug says it reminds him of the sunset events in Key West!
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We were very rarely "up" to catch the sunrises over the Atlantic - but we can certainly enjoy a 6:30 sunset over the Pacific!!
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Fresh fruits and vegetables delivered right to our door every Wednesday and Saturday, either by Fernando or his son, Fernando Jr. Everything you see on the counter was only $11.00!
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So, what's for dinner? Some small Pompano ($1/lb), and some super grande shrimp ($7/lb.).... delicioso!!
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