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Emily in Ecuador

Expat sharing Ecuador

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    • Guayaquil
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    • All Coast
  • Sierra
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  • Blogging

    2017 A to Z Reflections #AtoZChallenge

    May 8, 2017 /

    I survived the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge and earned a badge! It is tradition for participants to post reflections after the Challenge. These are my 2017 A to Z reflections. How it started In the last week of March, author Donna B. McNicol asked if any of her friends were participating. I said yes! I had been wanting to get into blogging and figured this was a great opportunity. Why not sign up and learn as I go? Theme I wrote about Ecuador since I live in a country that is not well known globally. Topics On April 1, I had a list with a topic for…

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    Emily Bloomquist 32 Comments

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    Blogging from A to Z April Challenge

    March 31, 2017
    #WATWB

    We Are The World Blogfest

    May 25, 2017
    2018 A to Z Challenge Summary and reflections

    Puerto Lopez, Ecuador A to Z Summary and Reflections #AtoZChallenge

    May 7, 2018
  • White-edged oriole
    Flora and Fauna

    Zoo – I live in one! #AtoZChallenge

    April 30, 2017 /

    Someone told me it’s all happening at the zoo.  — Paul Simon When I wrote my first post for the A to Z Challenge, I did not know the what the remaining posts were going to be about. While blogging about my life in Ecuador for the past month, I realized that I live in a zoo. A natural, wild, amazing zoo! Let’s recap what is in my zoo. Wildlife in my zoo Throughout the month, I introduced the following zoo residents: (click link to open post) Blue-footed boobies Humpback whales Iguanas In a park At my home A Monkey Owls A Frog Sea Turtles   Rounding out my zoo…

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    Emily Bloomquist 51 Comments

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    Ceratophrys stolzmanni (Pacific horned frog)

    Quick stories – Rare Frog, Heated Toilet, Happy Snake #AtoZChallenge

    April 20, 2017
    Sea turtle off Ecuador's coast

    Underwater Endangered Testudines (a.k.a. Sea Turtles) #AtoZChallenge

    April 25, 2017

    When The Rooster Crows

    August 7, 2017
  • Orphans Mary and Joseph - Live nativity play
    Kindness

    Yuletide at the Olon Orphanage #AtoZChallenge

    April 29, 2017 /

    The joy of brightening other lives, bearing each others’ burdens, easing others’ loads and supplanting empty hearts and lives with generous gifts becomes for us the magic of the holidays. — W. C. Jones December 24 is my favorite day of the year. I spend it at the Fundación Santa Maria de la Esperanza Orphanage, or Olon Orphanage, as it is called.  The children give a performance for donors and volunteers who have assisted them throughout the year. It is their beautiful way of saying thank you. Here are some highlights from the 2016 performance.   Nativity Reenactment   Mary and Joseph, seeking accommodation Joseph, Mary and baby Jesus are…

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    Emily Bloomquist 46 Comments

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    Cotacachi expats assisting seniors

    Cotacachi, Ecuador Expats Give Back to Community #WATWB

    November 24, 2017
    Two sea turtles swimming in the ocean

    WildAid Working to End Sea Turtle Trade in China #WATWB

    July 27, 2018
    Cherish the Luv with teens

    Orphanage Teens Learn to Express Themselves Through DJing #WATWB

    July 28, 2017
  • Life

    Xanthophobia, Xenoepist, Xyzlacatosis #AtoZChallenge

    April 28, 2017 /

    The author suffered from xyzlacatosis.  — grab.com Merriam-Webster publishes a list of user submitted new words & slang in their open dictionary. They remain there until they make it into the dictionary. Three words beginning with X caught my eye. First I list the submitted word with definition. Then I use it in a sentence. xanthophobia (adjective) : the fear of the color yellow. One of the primary colors on Ecuador’s flag and national fútbol team is yellow. If you suffer from xanthophobia, Ecuador may not be the best place for you. Yellow shirts are common in Ecuador xenoepist (noun) : someone who speaks with a foreign accent With my…

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    Emily Bloomquist 42 Comments

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    Kinder eggs purchased in Ecuador

    Kinder Eggs – Contraband #AtoZChallenge

    April 13, 2017

    Puerto Lopez Canton Celebrates Anniversary With A Parade

    September 25, 2017
    Puerto Lopez beach when empty

    Alcohol Free Ecuador Elections

    February 12, 2018
  • Kindness

    Water. Clean Drinking Water #AtoZChallenge

    April 27, 2017 /

    Drinking tap water in coastal Ecuador is a great way to get parasites. Or worse. — EJB A few weeks after the April 16, 2016 7.8 Ecuador earthquake, Tennessee pastor Gary Vance arrived in Puerto Lopez. He had a suitcase full of water filters and a plan – provide clean drinking water for those who needed it. Clean water welcomed in a tent camp Photo courtesy of Gary Vance   He offered to install a water filter for the Olon orphanage. We went there the next morning. Gary installed a filter and trained a thrilled staff on maintaining it. Water filter installed at the Olon Orphanage Photo courtesy of Gary…

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    Emily Bloomquist 42 Comments

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    Young Orphanage Kid's Orchestra

    Christmas at the Orphanage in Olon, Ecuador, the Happiest Place on Earth

    January 1, 2018
    Cotacachi expats assisting seniors

    Cotacachi, Ecuador Expats Give Back to Community #WATWB

    November 24, 2017
    Boys dorm at Olon Orphanage

    Olon Orphanage #AtoZChallenge

    April 18, 2017
  • Tagua hand carved turtle
    Flora and Fauna

    Vegetable Ivory – Tagua #AtoZChallenge

    April 26, 2017 /

    Thinking in generations also means enabling our young to have a decent standard of living.  — Paul Tsongas   Tagua, sometimes called vegetable ivory for it’s resemblance to elephant ivory, is a nut from the Tagua palm tree. The hard white inner nut can be carved and polished like ivory. Artists carve it into jewelry, figurines, and many other products. My friend Marianne Fry in Puerto Lopez has been designing and exporting hand-carved Tagua products for 18 years through her company, Feel Good Exports. Each piece is hand crafted by artisans living in remote areas. These products afford families an opportunity to make a decent life for themselves who could…

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    Emily Bloomquist 34 Comments

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    Sea turtle off Ecuador's coast

    Underwater Endangered Testudines (a.k.a. Sea Turtles) #AtoZChallenge

    April 25, 2017
    Owls tree stump art, Houston, Minnesota

    Tree Stump Art

    July 31, 2017

    Guayaquil’s Parque Historico Wildlife

    May 15, 2017
  • Sea turtle off Ecuador's coast
    Flora and Fauna

    Underwater Endangered Testudines (a.k.a. Sea Turtles) #AtoZChallenge

    April 25, 2017 /

    The beach is in our blood. Everyone in our family returns to the beach instinctively, just like the sea turtles. — Sandy Archibald Four sea turtles species live off the coast of Ecuador. Green Turtles, Leatherbacks, and Olive-Ridley are endangered and Hawksbills are critically endangered. People are working to improve their numbers and chances of species survival. Sea Turtle Isla de la Plata, Manabí, Ecuador Sea turtles live the majority of their lives in the ocean but are born on beaches. Female sea turtles return to the beach where they were born to lay eggs. Each egg nest is marked to prevent human damage. Each nest is marked with caution…

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    Emily Bloomquist 26 Comments

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    Tagua hand carved turtle

    Vegetable Ivory – Tagua #AtoZChallenge

    April 26, 2017
    Rice for sale on Ecuador roadside

    Ecuador Rice Fields – Beauty, Predators and Allies

    August 21, 2017
    White-edged oriole

    Zoo – I live in one! #AtoZChallenge

    April 30, 2017
  • Travel

    Tide Pools in Puerto Lopez #AtoZChallenge

    April 24, 2017 /

    “Despite the sea being wild and the waves rolling away from the shore, the tide always returns.” ― Katherine McIntyre, By the Sea The Puerto Lopez tide pools are a popular family weekend destination. Kids can swim in the ocean without worrying about being swept out to sea. Puerto Lopez, Manabí, Ecuador (Click on photo to increase size) During low tide, the pools are naturally protected from waves by large rocks and a curved southern shore. Puerto Lopez, Manabí, Ecuador Crystal clear water warms while the tide is out. Tiny fish enjoy a temporary reprieve from larger prey. Puerto Lopez, Manabí, Ecuador As the tide starts coming in, everyone packs…

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    Emily Bloomquist 34 Comments

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    Calle La Ronda in Quito Ecuador

    Calle La Ronda in Quito’s Historic Old Town

    November 13, 2017
    Hammock between palms on beach

    Hammock Time on Puerto Lopez Beach #AtoZChallenge

    April 9, 2018
    Ultralight view of Puerto Lopez, Ecuador

    Ultralight Flight Over Puerto Lopez, Ecuador #AtoZChallenge

    April 24, 2018
  • November Sunset
    Travel

    Sunsets near the equator #AtoZChallenge

    April 22, 2017 /

    “Are you dreaming? Stop dreaming; come and watch the sunset, it is better than all the dreams!”  — Mehmet Murat ildan Sunsets near the equator come and go quickly. A few minutes after the sun begins coloring the ocean and sky, it has set. Dusk lasts a few moments, then it is dark. November 9 The sun sets almost perpendicular to the horizon instead of diagonally as seen closer to the north and south poles. The further north or south you go from the equator, the longer a sunset will last. March 12 The north and south movement of the sun throughout the year is quite evident near the equator.…

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    Emily Bloomquist 40 Comments

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    Los Frailes Beach from lookout platform

    Los Frailes – Ecuador’s most beautiful beach

    August 13, 2018
    Hammock between palms on beach

    Hammock Time on Puerto Lopez Beach #AtoZChallenge

    April 9, 2018
    Puerto Lopez beach during Carnaval

    Family Friendly Carnival in Puerto Lopez, Ecuador

    February 19, 2018
  • Puerto Lopez new malecon
    Travel

    Reinventing a 2.4 km beach front boardwalk #AtoZChallenge

    April 21, 2017 /

    I want to run the beach’s length, because it never ends. –Deborah Ager Ecuador recently reinvented the Puerto Lopez malecon (beach front boardwalk). From beginning to end, construction covered a two year period. The 2.4 km malecon is completely upgraded and unrecognizable from it’s former self. New malecon from Victor Hugo Hotel April 2017 What was wrong with the old Puerto Lopez malecon? A deteriorating road, crumbling sidewalk, and no public restrooms made up the old malecon. Two rivers had to be waded through during the rainy season to walk across them. During the dry season when no water flowed, we all drove through their dry bed to reach the…

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    Emily Bloomquist 32 Comments

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    Emily on the Puerto Lopez pier

    Emily in Puerto Lopez #AtoZChallenge

    April 5, 2018

    Community Theater in Cuenca

    June 26, 2017
    Puerto Lopez sunrise rainbow

    Rainbows and the rainy season in Puerto Lopez, Ecuador #AtoZChallenge

    April 20, 2018
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Magnificent frigatbirds have been known to remain Magnificent frigatbirds have been known to remain airborne for up to 2 months! 
Males are solid black, females have a white patch on their neck and chest and juveniles have a white head, neck, and chest. All three included in this shot of them getting fishermen's scraps at the end of a day. . . . . . 
#coastalbirds #birdsofinstagram #puertolopez #manabi #ecuador #allyouneedisecuador #southamericatravel #foreversummer #visitecuador #ecuadorpotenciaturistica #ecuadorentusojos #frigatebirds #seabirds
Randomly seen during a drive was this modern day c Randomly seen during a drive was this modern day cowboy wearing earbuds along a road in coastal Ecuador. #manabi #ecuador #horsesofinsta #horse #cowboy #discoverecuador #allyouneedisecuador
Sunsets at the equator happen quickly. Have your c Sunsets at the equator happen quickly. Have your camera in hand before it begins or you are likely to miss whole thing. This one is in front of the #victorhugohotel.
#placestovisit #puertolopez #travelsouthamerica #southamericatravel #allyouneedisecuador #momentsofmine #foreversummer #beachsunset #manabi #bloglife #ecuadortravel #palmtrees #canong16 #ecuador #awesomeglobe #sunsets
Mama blue footed booby standing guard over daddy a Mama blue footed booby standing guard over daddy and baby on Isla de la Plata off Puerto Lopez, Ecuador. The female large eye pupil distinguishes it from the male smaller eye pupil. #bluefootedbooby #isladelaplata
Friendly green iguanas roam everywhere at Parque S Friendly green iguanas roam everywhere at Parque Seminario ("Iguana Park) in Guayaquil, Ecuador.
#iguana #guayaquil
"I'm like an old turtle these days. I don't run wi "I'm like an old turtle these days. I don't run wide-open everywhere, but at the end of the day, I'll be where I'm supposed to be." --Tracy Lawrence
#seaturtles #isladelaplata
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