-
Quick stories – Rare Frog, Heated Toilet, Happy Snake #AtoZChallenge
“If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.” ― Mark Twain Rare Frog We saw a cool frog in Puerto Lopez. Took some photos. Figured we’d see more like him over time. Did some research. It is a rare Ceratophrys stolzmanni (Pacific horned frog) found only in Ecuador and Peru. Haven’t seen one since. Ceratophrys stolzmanni (Pacific horned frog) Heated Toilet Our friends rented an apartment. The owner assured them that there was hot water (many homes in Ecuador have only cold water). Turns out he had installed a hot water heater for the building’s only incoming water pipe. There was no cold water. Happy Snake Some…
-
Post-Earthquake makeshift camps #AtoZChallenge
“Living outside is crappy.” — Cheryl PaPania, Don Juan, Manabí, Ecuador April 16, 2017 marked the one year anniversary of a massive 7.8 Ecuador earthquake. I described my experience the night of the earthquake earlier. Today is about a group of people I met 12 days after the quake. Our friend’s car had been in the shop, ready for pick up, when the earthquake hit. The car was at her mechanic’s shop in Manta, an hour and a half north. His family and building structures had survived and after 11 days he proclaimed the roads passable. Some of us collaborated to bake and purchase food and drinks for those we…
-
Olon Orphanage #AtoZChallenge
“If you want to celebrate a happy occasion, do it by helping those who are in need” – Mohith Agadi Fatima greets us with hugs at the entrance while shifting the young boy she is holding to her other arm. We make our way to the boys’ dormitory. Fatima gathers all of the boys together and explains that they are about to receive a special performance. My friend Dori-Ann’s 14 year old daughter, Catie, pulls out her violin and plays Disney songs. The boys are all silent, listening raptly to every chord. When the concert ends, the boys all gather to give Catie hugs and thank her for playing. Boy’s…
-
Nurturing Owl Parents #AtoZChallenge
“Then nightly sings the staring owl, Tu-whit; Tu-who, a merry note.” — William Shakespeare, Love’s Labour’s Lost A pair of burrowing owls built their home adjacent to our driveway in Puerto Lopez. During the first few weeks, when anyone walked or drove past, they flew away. They slowly began remaining at the entrance to their home and monitoring us instead of fleeing. Soon cars, trucks, mototaxis and motorcycles drove by while they held their ground. They guarded the entrance, ever watchful. Burrowing owl pair adjacent to our driveway Puerto Lopez, Ecuador One often hunted while the other guarded the entrance. Burrowing owl guarding entrance Puerto Lopez, Ecuador Walking down the…
-
Monkey on my head #AtoZChallenge
“The responses of the baby monkey are very similar to those of a human baby.” — Harry Harlow A monkey climbed all over a guy in the courtyard. A woman fed it pieces of banana while she touched it here and there. The monkey ran over to some dogs, climbed all over them, raced back to the guy. It was on top of his head in a no time. Bite of banana. To the dogs. To the man’s head. Rinse, repeat. So much energy! My husband and I had stopped for lunch at a hotel near Cojimies. We were receiving quite a show with our meal! After lunch, we asked the…
-
Latitude Zero #AtoZChallenge
“With the possible exception of the equator, everything begins somewhere.” — C. S. Lewis I expected to see big signs the first time we drove across latitude zero. Not Las Vegas big but tourist photo spot big. I thought we might have a countdown as we approached. We were northbound from the southern hemisphere traveling along a coastal road. The GPS told us we had crossed into the northern hemisphere but there were no signs. Except for one in front of a home at latitude .007. Sign in front says Latitud .007 Mr. Bond was not home We spent a few hours exploring then turned around to head home. Driving…
-
Kinder Eggs – Contraband #AtoZChallenge
Update: United States laws have changed since I wrote this and Kinder Eggs are now legal there. I imported illegal goods into the United States. Chocolate Kinder Eggs. Kinder Eggs I got in Ecuador Top is unopened Bottom is opened Ecuador is a major exporter of chocolate. One chocolate candy sold here is the Kinder Joy Egg. I mistakenly thought they were from Ecuador because I never had seen them in the US. Kinder’s web site explains the eggs as follows. Kinder Joy: is an experience for kids taste, heart, imagination Kinder Joy is the only product that combines the tastiness of a milky cream and a cocoa cream,…
-
Jama Bridge Jumping #AtoZChallenge
¨If all your friends jumped off a bridge, would you jump too?¨ — Parents to kids everywhere Jama is a town in a beautiful area of coastal Ecuador. We were passing through on a hot day. Teenagers congregated on the bridge heading into town. The water below promised relief from the heat. One boy jumped from the bridge walkway. Everyone cheered. He scrambled back up the riverbank while another boy jumped. The first boy raised the bar by climbing to the top of the bridge and jumping. Jumping from the top Jama, Ecuador Huge cheers for him. From the water, he yelled up to challenge his friends. Challenging his friends…
-
Iguanas at our bedroom window #AtoZChallenge
We were living just north of Olon, Ecuador. Large beautiful trees hung over our two story home. The porch thatch roof was just outside our bedroom window. Iguanas ran around in the trees. Iguana in a tree Iguanas jumped from the trees to the roof fairly regularly. Once there, the glass windows interested them. They banged on the glass. It sounded like they were knocking on our bedroom window. I would sneak to the window when they knocked, anticipating a great photo. As soon as they heard me, they sprinted away. I never did get a decent picture of them. I got a lot of the thatch roof. An iguana…
-
Humpback Whales #AtoZChallenge
June through September is Humpback Whale season in Puerto Lopez, Ecuador. They migrate from Antarctica, 16,000 kilometers (almost 10,000 miles) away. While in the warm equatorial waters, the whales fast, focused on mating and birthing. Whales are seen breaching in the distance from shore. For a closer view, take a whale watching boat from Puerto Lopez. A whale might breach near your boat. Breaching Humpback Whale Puerto Lopez, Ecuador Most likely, you will see some tail slapping. Tail about to slap the water, creating a big splash Puerto Lopez, Ecuador It is incredible to watch a 16 meter (52 foot) whale swim under your boat. I am completely in awe…
