Bangkok - Tuktuks & Temples

Our first impression of Bangkok was its incredible size and overall efficiency.  Arriving at the airport at 1:00 a.m. after over 22 hours travel from Toronto, we were not looking forward to the hassle of clearing customs, collecting baggage, and trying to find and haggle with a cab driver to get to our hotel.  Customs was a breeze - probably the fastest we've ever seen - Fort Lauderdale please make a field trip and take notes. 

At immigration they checked that we had filled out our entry visa correctly, made sure we knew not to lose the second half as we'd need it to exit the country, stamped our passports, and showed us where to go to catch a taxi.  Leaving the airport and seeing the dozens of taxis, we thought we were going to be surrounded and have to haggle a price into the city. Not so.  A porter pointed us to the ticket machine where a voucher printed out telling us which taxi to catch in which numbered spot.  The driver loaded our luggage into his metered taxi, told us the cost to get to our hotel, and asked if we would like to take the faster toll road and pay the 75 baht tolls.  After about 45 minutes (Bangkok is hu-u-ge) driving on well-kept, multi-laned, modern roads we reached our hotel.  Total cost was 500 baht, including a generous tip, or about $20 Canadian.

Once again, we were met with polite efficiency at the lovely Rambuttri Village Hotel, set in the middle of old Bangkok a block away from the famous (or infamous) Khaosan Road shopping district.  A quick check-in and a porter helped us take our luggage to our very clean room looking out on the courtyard, then showed us how to use the room key to activate the lights and air conditioning.  Our 20 baht (.80) tip guaranteed his warm greeting each day for the rest of our stay.  By 2:30 a.m. we were sound asleep and looking forward to an exciting new adventure. 

The next morning we woke up bright eyed and bushy tailed, and too late for breakfast.  Not to worry. In Bangkok the street food is varied, cheap, fast and good. My favorite is the mango and sticky rice, which I could eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Ken loves the fruit smoothies at about 30-50 Baht (a Baht is about .04 Cdn).  Pictured here are a vendor all geared up with his mounds of noodles, sauces, etc. to make a delicious Pad Thai - about 30 Baht for a huge dish with chicken.  Next to him is our dessert guy making delicious banana crepes with your choice of topping - banana with chocolate is 30 Baht.  Next to him was the stall selling alcohol - local beer is Chang, and a large one (630 ml) for sharing costs about 70 Baht.

Once we were done eating and drinking our way to the main road, we were met with our choice of Tuk Tuks for a 2-3 hour tour costing 50 Baht or about $2 Cdn.  The key is that although they take you to several temples and local sites of interest, also included in the tour is a travel agent or a silk or jewelry maker.  Of course the tuk tuk driver gets a cut of whatever you buy, but I'm afraid our poor driver lost out with us.

About a block and a half from our lovely hotel is the infamous Khaosan Road, lined with restaurants, countless stalls where you can buy inexpensive cotton clothes, hats, bags, scarves, food, and various and sundry trinkets.  Lined with restaurants and stalls it is a bit challenging to navigate during the day as you dodge cars, motorbikes, tuk tuks and people.

The real challenge, however, comes at night when the bars start serving drinks by the bucket - seriously - you can order your drink in what looks like a children's pail for building sand castles at the beach, and the street vendors double or triple in number, while the young "party" people take to the streets frolicking and dancing.  If you've watched New Year's Eve at Times Square, that's what Khaosan Road is like after 9:00 every night of the week.  I took advantage of the extremely rare break in traffic to snap this pic and show you the gauntlet I was going to have to navigate just a few yards ahead.  The young man to the right noticed my camera and interrupted his girl watching to strike a pose for me.

Of course, we couldn't leave Bangkok without visiting one of the numerous tailors beckoning to you from the front of their closet sized shops.  They draw you in with the promise of a $99 custom made suit.  Of course, once you're in and are encouraged to feel the soft and supple cashmere and check out the sumptuous silk linings, you find out the $99 suit is made in the cheaper fabric.  Oh well, as Ken's last new suit was for our wedding, we decided to go for it.  He had a custom black cashmere suit made with flashy lining for $240. Here's a picture of him at the final fitting with his very happy Thai tailor.

R & R in Penang, Malaysia

We are finally taking a break from our travels and from running around very large, very crowded and very noisy cities (which I'll write about later), and have spent the better part of the day enjoying the pool in our hotel in Penang, Malaysia.  We both have the sunburns to prove it!  

Although Penang is another large city - just under 2 million people with close to 750,000 occupying the island where we are currently residing, it is possible to get away from the hustle and bustle and just chill out at the beach.  

Our private beach

Although I say we're getting away from the noise and commotion, I should mention that it's the Chinese New Year, which is celebrated in a big way here.  The first night we stood on our balcony to watch the fireworks, which went on for about 2 hours.  The next night, same thing.  After being woken up by crashes and booms the 3rd night, we asked if there were fireworks every night here.  Turns out the Chinese holiday lasts all week, so we're getting lots of relaxation but very little sleep.  

At this point in our travels, we've discovered 2 new things about ourselves (and one new thing in general).  First, in general this part of the world is surprising in its modernity and fascinating in its mix of cultures, but is way too hot and has way too many people - so not the retirement spot we are looking for. Second, big cities are fun to visit for a day or two, but the noise and constant press of people gets tiring after a week.  Third, we are not hotel people and don't like packing up every few days and searching for a new place to live.  We do much better when we establish a home base and then use it to explore, as we did in Ecuador and Costa Rica.

We're leaving Malaysia tomorrow and flying back to the Phuket area of Thailand, where we've rented a studio apartment for the remainder of our stay.  Lots of pictures and stories of our experiences to come once we're settled. 

15 THINGS WE LOVE ABOUT ECUADOR - NUMBERS 7 - 1

#7. THE FOOD 
Ecuador has an amazing variety of food.  We've talked about the fresh produce and the fish market.  The large and modern grocery stores also carry a wide choice of meats, cheeses, baked goods, dairy, etc.  What you won't find is much choice in the way of cereals and canned goods.  Everything is fresh and additives are rare. We lost weight in the two months we were there simply from eating healthy food.

The most expensive meal we had was when we went to the best restaurant in town (Martinique) for the lamb chops in red wine sauce, pictured here.  Appetizers, drinks, a bottle of wine and an amazing dinner for two ran us $89.  A typical lunch or almuerzo in Ecuador consists of homemade soup, a salad, a large glass freshly squeezed juice, a main course having rice, vegetable or plaintain, choice of meat (chicken, fish, pork chop, beef) and a small pastry for dessert - all for $2.50 to $4 (at the expensive spot).  And then there are the carts on the beaches, offering fresh fruits, ice cream, coconuts and other snacks.  We ate out 5-7 times a week, and most weeks did not spend more than $100
 
#6. THE BEACH TOWNS
From the city beaches where you could watch the commercial fishing boats in the harbour at Manta, to the small and colourful fishing boat lined beaches at Crucita, to the beautiful, wide and palm-treed beaches at Puerto Lopez, to the major kite-surfing beaches at Santa Marianita, we enjoyed them all.

Each coastal beach town has it's own "vibe" and flavour and each offers something new and distinct for your visit.  We featured a few of these unique beaches throughout the remainder of this post.  We understand the same can be said for the inland towns, but that remains for another visit.

AND NOW FOR THE TOP 5 (WHICH ARE ALL #1 IN MY BOOK)

#5. THE LACK OF BUGS
During our two months in Ecuador, we rarely had to worry about bug bites. This may seem trivial to some, but we still have scars from the fire ants and no-see-ums in our beloved Costa Rica, so this was major.

We were able to leave our balcony doors open and enjoy the ocean breezes all day long - no screens - and eat our dinner outside on the patio without worrying about being swarmed.


#4.  THE WEATHER
The weather in Manta where we were mainly based runs between 22-30 degrees Celsius (71-85 for our American friends) all year long.  It gets 320-350 days of sunshine during the year and the sea breezes keep the humidity down.  It gets colder in the Andes, where the cities of Quito and Cuenca are (nice places to visit, but...) and more humid in the tropical regions to the south. We found the desert weather just about perfect!


#3.  THE PEOPLE
Although a small part of the population in Ecuador, the ex-pat groups are friendly and extremely helpful.  We met for lunches, dinners, breakfasts and were given rides to various outings, provided with advice on where to shop and how much to pay for things and where to get medical assistance if needed.

The Ecuadorians, while not quite as outgoing at the outset as the Ticos in Costa Rica, were also very friendly and helpful.  Most do not speak much English, but we were able to meet them halfway with our very limited and poor Spanish, and this was sufficient for them.

The Ecuadorians love to party, as do the ex-pats, and we were often serenaded by live bands, salsa music, and massive fireworks displays set off for any occasion.


#2.  THE COST OF LIVING
During our travels, we are looking out for places that might fit our retirement plans.  Criteria are a warm (but not too hot & humid) climate, a city that is not too big or too small with lots of interesting shops and cafes, a waterfront, a stable government, and a good, inexpensive healthcare system,  where we could afford to live on our pensions.

Have we found it?  Could be.  Manta has all of the above, plus a 2 bedroom, 2 bath oceanfront condo can be had for under $200,000.  Outside the city, you can still find them for under $80-140,000).  We calculated that we could live quite well in Manta on around $1500/mth including rent, taxes, transportation, groceries, and maintaining a busy social life.

The only drawback, unlike the lush and beautiful Lake Arenal area in Costa Rica, the Manta area is not very pretty if you're looking inland.  Being situated in the middle of a desert, our house needed dusting every day due to the blowing dirt and sand.  Most ex-pats, however, appear to have adjusted very well and are quick to tell you that tropical forests are half an hour down the road if you need a "green" fix.



#1.  THERE IS SO MUCH LEFT TO SEE & DO
Although we managed to do a lot in our two short months in Ecuador there was so much left unseen and undone.  We didn't make it to the northern and southern coastal towns.  We did spend a few days in Cuenca in the Andes, but did not spend any time in the capital city of Quito or the large and bustling port city of Guayaquil.  We did not visit the many unique inland villages or hot springs, or make a trek into the Amazon rainforest.  We did not make an excursion over the the Galapagos Islands to see the unique creatures who live there.

It appears as though our Ecuadorian adventure has just begun!.

15 THINGS WE LOVE ABOUT ECUADOR - Numbers 15-8

#15. TOILET PAPER?
This is going to sound bizarre, but one of the best inventions since sliced bread is the toilet paper in Ecuador.  Instead of a hollow middle with a cardboard tube, they start with a wrapped "mini" roll.  You just poke it out before placing your toilet paper on the holder, and then pop the mini roll into your bag or pocket when you go out.  Check any person's purse, backpack or beach bag and you'll find one of these little beauties tucked in somewhere. No more doing your business in a public washroom to find that someone has taken the last sheet off the roll. 

#14.  THE TOWN OF MONTE CRISTI 
This is the statue guarding the entrance to Montecristi where panama hats are actually made.  When U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt visited the Panama Canal, he was photographed wearing one of the Ecuadorian hats that were commonly sold in the area. The photograph became famous (even before Twitter) and the hat was dubbed the "panama hat" even though it was, and still is, made in Ecuador.  The hats are hand-made in Montecristi and, depending on the quality and style, will sell for $20 to several hundred dollars.  The more expensive hats look and feel like silk and can be machine washed and re-shaped.  In addition to the traditional fedora, these beautiful hats come in all sorts of sizes, shapes and colors.  I bought a beach-walking hat with a wide brim and scarf for tying it on, and a "garden party" hat for dinners and more upscale outings.  In addition to hats, Montecristi boasts many shops with colorful woven goods and pure alpaca blankets and throws.  Prices are excellent and bargaining is expected.  A fun place to visit (and spend money).

#13.  THE BOATYARD
It was fascinating watching the Ecuadorian shipbuilders crafting these beautiful wooden ships by hand.  The wood for the keel is chosen based on the grain having the right bend, and then the ship is built from the ground up using mainly hand tools.  
We could spend hours just watching these master boatbuilders crafting these ships right on the beach in the same way their ancestors have done for centuries.  Sitting on the side of the beach, we could smell the sawdust and pitch used to coat the ropes (made out of de-husked coconut fibers) which were stuffed into any cracks between boards; hear the hand saws and hammers being used to size and fasten the boards; and watch the workers paint layers of fiberglass onto the wooden skins being fastened over the plank sides. 

The white boat in the picture here had just been completed and pushed out to await the high tide so it could be floated out into the harbour and anchored for the proud new owner.


 
#12.  THE FRESH FRUIT 
There are fruits available in Ecuador that I have not seen anywhere else in the world. Not knowing what to do with many of them, we decided that we'd buy a new one every time we went to the market or grocery store and experiment. Even though we went to market at least a couple of times a week during the two months we were there, we still haven't tried all the available fruits. 

Some fruits are good for juicing (eg. tree tomatoes and naranjilla) and some are yummy and fun to eat (like the baby bananas and sweet, yellow dragon fruit).  


One of our favorite fruits is the Granadilla.  Crack open the hard shell and inside is a green jelly full of seeds that looks just like a little brain. Then you dig in and eat the sweet and juicy fruit, seeds and all, with a spoon. I think of my late sister Karen, who was obsessed with Zombie movies, whenever I crack open one of these. She would laugh until her stomach hurt whenever the zombie "chased" a human (who had to run in slo-mo to ensure the zombie could keep up) so they could suck out their brains.  Weird, but fun. 

 



#11.  THE FISH MARKET
Every coastal town in Ecuador has a fish market, but Manta's may be the biggest and best.  The city is known as the "tuna capital of the world).  

It's a treat to be able to walk along and pick your fresh catch of the day, then have them filet it and provide you with what you want, all for about $3-5 a pound (or medio kilo).  Mahi-mahi, sea bass, shark, tuna, octopus, shrimp -everything you need to make a fresh grilled, steamed, baked, fried or stewed feast.

We also enjoyed watching the pelicans, herons and boobies enjoying the leftovers.

(Thanks to fellow travellers Dick Nash & Anita Oliver for letting us use the first photo in for this section. See their blog at No Particular Place to Go.)

#10.  TARQUI MARKET  

Right in the center of Manta is the busy Tarqui Market.  Extending over blocks, it is a cacophony of sights and sounds.  There are blocks of sidewalk displays of fresh produce where you can buy two whole pineapples for a dollar, or fresh made cheeses, eggs, peanut butters, jams and jellies, deep fried delights, or live chickens and ducks.  One of our favorite vendors walked around with huge loaves of fresh baked banana bread, still warm from the oven.  We always carried our backpacks when visiting Tarqui.

After finishing our "grocery shop", we would wander off to the other parts of the market, where there would be blocks of handcrafted hats, blankets, clothes, bags, backpacks, and shoes, more blocks of electronic gizmos, phones and various hardware supplies.  Whatever we needed, we could undoubtedly find at Tarqui Market. 

(Thanks to fellow travellers Dick Nash & Anita Oliver for letting us use their photos for this section. We forgot to take our camera with us on our market days).

#9. TRANSPORTATION
Although we didn't have a car in Ecuador, we never had a problem getting around.  Manta has a proliference of modern yellow cabs, with the typical fare being $1.   Just step out of your apartment building and raise a hand, and one will be at the curb before you get there. The highest cab fare we paid was $10, and that was to a town about half an hour outside Manta.

If you have to travel a longer distance, the bus service is good - fare between cities that may be hours away - $3 - in town it's .25 - half price for seniors.  Then there are the people movers; basically pick-up trucks with a covered back and bench seats on both sides.  And on the beaches you will have the motor transports shown here.


#8. SEA BIRDS
 We could spend hours watching the sea birds around the beach towns of Ecuador.  The blue footed boobies, tropical bird with their 3 ft long tail, herons walking the beach fishing for little fish and crabs left behind in pools at low tide, frigate birds soaring high overhead, and of course the amazing pelicans gliding just above the waves, wing tips gently dipping into the spray.

 It was easy to tell the birds apart in the air simply by their hunting style.  Boobies dive into the water like a cruise missile - sleek and fast - then disappear for a while, finally bobbing up to the surface with their catch.   

Pelicans, while graceful gliding over the surface, would do an ungainly face plant to catch their prey just below the surface, then distend their gullet to swallow it whole.  

We never saw the giant frigate bird land.  They would soar high in the sky, then dive down with their talons extended and pluck their prey from the water and quickly soar up to the sky again.  Even when the boobies, herons and pelicans would surround the fish vendors, stealing scraps from the scrap pile, the frigates would simply swoop down and grab something from the top of the pile in mid-flight, then with one flap of their giant wings be off again.

 

Santa Marianita - Windsurfing, Puppies and "Church"

About a 20 minute cab ride ($8 fare) south of Manta is the tiny village of Santa Marianita, known for its windsurfing. We typically spend lazy Sunday mornings there, stopping at the Donkey Den (yes there are donkeys) to meet friends for breakfast, and then retiring with our coffee cups to "church", where we relax, trade stories, watch the windsurfers, fishing boats and the occasional whale.  

Here's ken hanging out at "church" to the right.  Church is basically a big thatched roof gazebo loaded with hanging chairs and hammocks where we (literally) hang out after finishing our breakfast.

Sometimes our lazy mornings extend into lazy, sunshiny afternoons, forcing us to hang out on the beach where we treat ourselves to fresh coconuts, fruit or ice cream from one of the vendors carts. 

On one such occasion we met up with our friends Fred and Carla and Carla's cute Chinese Sharpei puppy.  Yes Carla is just as beautiful as she looks, but it's impossible to hate her because she's equally beautiful inside and out.

When a friend of Carla's joined us with her equally adorable English Bulldog puppy, we just had to have an impromptu arranged marriage and wedding.  Here's me practicing to become a grandmother should Suri and Pita's union prove to be fruitful.   

It's a tough life, this retirement business, but we're learning to embrace it!

 



Isla de la Plata - a poor man's Galapagos

Just off the coast of Puerto Lopez, Ecuador is the island preserve of Isla de la Plata.  A national park sometimes referred to as "the poor man's Galapagos), it's the nesting place of several different kinds of boobies, frigate birds, tropical birds, sea lions and a variety of other sea life. We took the hour long boat ride over, stopping to watch a pod of whales on the way.  This family of four followed along with us for a while.

Once on the island, we had a choice of several hiking trails with a guide who was there to point out the wildlife and to ensure that no-one interfered with the environment.  As we've said before, Ecuadorians are very serious about protecting their environment.  One of the trails was closed because some condors had decided to build a nest in the middle of it and they were waiting for them to hatch.  Anyway, after a steep climb of around 200 steps built from rocks, bamboo and rope bridges and what basically amounted to wooden ladders, we realized what poor shape we were in and elected to do one of the shorter trails.

One of the highlights was watching a pair of boobies doing their mating dance. They circle each other with the male doing a high-stepping goosestep while whistling at the female, who urges him on with squawking sounds until he gets close enough to touch bills.  This picture shows them at the end of their dance, when they stopped to look at us as if to say "Can we have a little privacy now please".

Standing on the top of a high cliff, we watched these beautiful cliff birds, which our guide simply called "tropical birds".  They swoop high above the break, and then gracefully land on the cliff side clinging to the rock with their wings out and their meter long tail feathers spread out behind. They nest in little crevices in the rock. Facing extremely high winds and craggy, open rock faces, it's amazing they manage to procreate at all, let alone accomplishing it while looking so graceful and majestic.

A few hours hiking the island, then back to the boat for lunch, a bit of snorkeling to observe the colorful fish surrounding the island, followed by a very fast and bumpy ride skimming the tops of the waves all the way back to the mainland.  All in all, a wonderful but exhausting day.





 

Puerto Lopez - A Lovely Weekend Getaway

About an hour south of Manta along the coastal road is a lovely town called Puerto Lopez.  We headed down there with friends one weekend and stayed at the amazing Hosteria Mandala http://www.hosteriamandala.info.  The couple who own the resort started with a couple of cabins many years ago, and now have around 20; each one nestled down a private path surrounded by beautiful flowering plants and trees brought in from all over Ecuador.


While the landscape around Manta is mostly desert, the Mandala is a beautiful rainforest retreat.  The owner's are artists and have decorated each cabin with a theme.  Our cabin was the Pulpo or Octopus cabin, so the etched glass doors, carved hardwood sinks, toilet seat, etc. were all adorned with various octopi.  Our outdoor deck had two hammocks and a seating area for relaxing after a long walk on the beach 

The main reception area, dining room and even the gates of the retreat are beautiful treats for the eye, with everything carved from local hardwoods.  

Each of the hand carved table tops in the indoor-outdoor dining room contain a board game.  After a gourmet meal served by friendly staff who speak several languages, you can sit and listen to the ocean while challenging your partner to a game of backgammon, chess or a myriad of other games. 

Hosteria Mandala may well turn out to be my number one favorite place in Ecuador!

Of course we didn't just relax at the resort.  A walk down the beach to the ubiquitous fish market was in order.  The market in Puerto Lopez is right on the beach in the centre of town, with fishermen pulling their small fishing boats right up on the sand and then unloading their cargo onto old, well-used tables to sell their catch whole, or filleted if you wish. 

Weaving our way through vendors, fishermen hauling in their catch, dogs, locals and tourists, we saw swordfish, dorado, shrimp and crabs being brought to small tables where the bartering began.  The market is a bustling cacophony of sights, smells and sound, and then by the lunch hour it's all cleaned up and the beach is pristine as though none of it occurred. 

Ecuadorians are passionate about their eco-system and their environment.  Garbage pick-up is every day.  All the leavings from cleaning and filleting fish at the market is put in buckets or tarps covering the sand on the beach, and then hauled away (probably to the pet-food factory) before high tide, which then comes in and washes the beach. 

Walking back from the market to the hotel, we were a bit intimidated by these guardians of the environment.  The sign urges you to protect the beach and the aquatic creatures.  We made sure we complied!