MOVING TO ECUADOR - In Transit to Cuenca and Finally Arriving - Part 2

On Tuesday, we hugged our Ella goodbye, and Patty drove us to the airport.  We flew from Tampa, Florida to Newark, and our flight from Newark would land us in Panama, City at 10:30 pm.  On the flight, we met Javier.  He was flying back to his home in Panama City after spending time with his family in Newark.  He offered to drive us to our hotel after we went through Customs, even though we told him we had LOTS of luggage. Javier's cousin, Kathryn and her two boys, Eduardo and Angel met us outside of Customs, and through Kathryn, we found out our Hilton was about 40 minutes from the airport.  They drove us around trying to find us a hotel closer to the airport so we would have an easier transport in the morning and not miss our flight, but to no avail!  We decided to have them drive us back to the airport and we'd spend the night there, but Kathryn graciously offered for us to stay at her home.  Angels in disguise!!!!

It was an unexpected but wonderful night.  Imagine 8 suitcases and 6 people piled into a jeep called "Berta."  What a sight unheard of in the U.S. where we would have been steeply fined or thrown in jail!  This family made room for us in their already cramped quarters, and we laughed together and got to know them and their kind hearts even more.  The next morning, Kathryn drove us to the airport at 7 am before heading to her work place.  We will always remember their kindness and generosity towards us.  Thank you Javier and Kathryn. 

Our check-in went smoothly, except for the overweight baggage fee we had to pay this round, but we were too tired to rearrange our luggage, so $273 later we were on our way to Guayaquil.  We, again, had another flight that left me enough seating to curl up and sleep.  When we landed and passed through customs, our van driver was not present.  We waited over 30 minutes and were advised by the airport staff to take a taxi to another van company, Operazuaytur, and they accommodated us immediately.  After paying at their office, we were taxied, again, to another location where a van driver loaded up our luggage and we began our journey towards Cuenca.  Another experience!!  Driving through the Cajas National Park to an elevation of around 13,000 feet was a thrill ride.  In Ecuador, a center line means nothing, and passing on a double line around winding curves is just fine!

About 25 minutes outside of Cuenca, Patricio, our van guy, stopped at a restaurant where we were transferred AGAIN to another taxi with all our bags.  Our driver, Giovanni, drove us the last leg of our trip (approximately 3 hours later).  We're still not clear on why the vans were not able to enter Guayaquil or Cuenca, but I'm sure we'll find out the true story later.  We were dropped off at our temporary rental in the historic district, and we're both pleased with what a wonderful place we landed at.  Originally, we planned to stay with an Ecuadorian couple, but we were advised that their home was not centrally located and we would be quite a ways from El Centro.  We knew we wanted to be in walking distance of everything!

Our rental is beautiful!  It is in the Historic District, and we are able to stay here and unwind with enough time to begin looking for our long-term home.   We spent the evening unpacking a few things, then off to a wonderful restaurant Carole, our landlady, recommended.  La Vina's food was delicious, and Bo and I toasted to our "New Beginning" in Cuenca.

Yes, we're finally here, and our long journey to get to Cuenca is over.  We're truly here ready to explore our new city and figure out our new and simpler lifestyle.

Beautiful Wooden Door opens to Historic District, walking distance to everything.

There's a beautiful courtyard and fountain upon entering the gate.

Everything is brand NEW!  We're the first renters.  I love NEW!!!!

We slept and slept and slept our first night here.

Thank you, Carole, for opening up your wonderful and comfortable home for us to rent.  We're loving it......

MOVING TO ECUADOR - In Transit to Cuenca - Part 1

Our last day in Oregon will forever be an unforgettable memory.  From 6:30 am up until the last hour, we rushed around moving and storing the last of the furniture, cleaning our now rental house, and trying to cram the last of our packing into 4 already bulging and probably over 50 pounds suitcases.   By 1:30 pm, I knew that we wouldn't be ready for our 3 pm ride to the airport.  Then, just as I was about to take my shower break, the phone call came - a couple who wanted to see our rental, and I heard myself saying, "Come on over and look at it."  Did I just say that?  I did.  So, by 3 pm, our friends were here, our potential renters were here, another friend stopped over to bid us farewell,  Bo was outside boarding up the storage area, suitcases still needed to be packed, the house was still not empty, and I was ready to cry and pass out - seriously.  Obsessive-compulsive neat freaks will relate to what I was going through, because disorganization and seeing a mess makes me shut down, so I can't even function.  AND I was not functioning!

Then came kisses and hugs and calming words from Elizabeth and Ellen, and their ability to take charge and help make the remaining things to be done happen SUDDENLY became a task accomplished, a bit later than planned, but still with enough time to get us to our flight on time.  The "We are going to rent this house" couple left happy (could these people really be our wonderful renters????), Bo finished boarding up our storage area and hurried to clean up and get ready to go, and Ellen and Elizabeth loaded up those heavy suitcases, finally driving us away to the airport.

At check-in, we had to unpack and repack our overweight bags and leave things behind so we wouldn't have to pay the extra $150 overweight charge per bag - and we did it!  We also had a delayed flight so were able to hang a bit with our friends, take some photos, and finally more hugs and kisses goodbye (and tears).  Then we remembered!!  We left a few hundred dollars in the safe, food in the freezer, and several more things that would never have happened had we not been so frazzled and rushed.  I'm thankful I gave our keys to Elizabeth, so they were able to go back to the house and take care of things for us. 

Our red-eye flight was not full so the seat next to me was empty (more favor) and I could curl up and sleep.  We finally both passed out from exhaustion.  We arrived in Tampa on Sunday morning and so enjoyed our two days with our dear family of friends.  We took one day to decompress and visit with Patty and Ella.  Our last night, Bo and I cooked a wonderful Puerto Rican dinner for dear friends who came to feast with us, and we had a wonderful few hours of sharing our faith together and encouraging one another.  By midnight, we hit the sack, ready for another day of travel from Tampa, Florida to Panama City where we would spend the night at our Hilton reservation (or so we thought) before finishing our journey the next morning from Panama City to Guayaquil, Ecuador.

RETIRING TO ECUADOR - I know I can, I know I can.......

I'm not happy!  Actually, I started the day very happy.  When that FedEx van pulled up at 11 a.m. today, I ran to grab the envelope from the FedEx guy.  I think I scared him!  I'm sure he wondered, "Who gets that enthusiastic about a Fed Ex delivery?"  Thanks to Jim in NY (whom we hope to meet and thank personally when he arrives in Cuenca end of December ), we now have all of our necessary documents apostilled and ready for our move to Cuenca.  the NYC birth certificate ordeal is over.  Yes!

So, Bo and I immediately got on our computers to begin to make our plane reservations, FINALLY!  What a task, trying to find a reasonably priced flight from Oregon to Guayaquil with somewhat decent connections.  Nothing!  We were hoping to be in Guayaquil on Monday night.  Then Bo suggested we leave Thursday.  I said, "Pleeeeeze, I can't sanely wait until next Thursday!"  I knew by then I'd have slit my wrists.  Well, he meant two days from now.  Yikes!  No way!  I mean, I can move with purpose when I have to, but that was moving beyond what I was capable of, and I knew it.  If I could have, I would have, since I'm ready to run from here.  However, I would have been a wreck, and I don't function when I become a wreck (who does?????).  So, we continued to peruse the cheap flight sites.

Then the phone rang.  The property manager called and informed me that the soon-to-move-in renters had changed their minds because of an unexpected personal situation.  NOooooooooo!!!  This can't be happening.  I acted (total pretense) really cool and replied, "Oh, well.  Thanks for letting us know."  She continues to try and make me feel better by letting me know there are others interested parties and she will be contacting them.  Right!  I'm sure there are lots of people clambering to rent our house and wanting to move right before Christmas.  Okay.  I'm a bit pessimistic now, but this rental roller coaster ride is starting to wear on me.  So, now I'm not happy!

I have got to believe that everything will work out.  It always does when I look back, but for now, I'm not happy!  Bo and I finally realized that it was not working out trying to find a reasonable flight connection to Guayaquil for the specific dates we wanted to leave on, so we decided to use some of our frequent flyer miles and book an overnight flight for Saturday night that will get us to Tampa, Florida on Sunday morning.  We both need a few days to relax and refocus before booking our flight to Cuenca.  Our dear friend, Patty, called us tonight, and we let her know "We're coming."  Of course, she's thrilled.  She loves us!  So, more DELAYS.  More DETOURS.  More SUDDENLIES.  Bo tells me not to lose heart.  He's my rock and my encourager when I'm weak and ready to give up.  The way things have been going, I sometimes wonder, "Will we ever get to Cuenca?"

For the next 3 days we will finalize emptying and cleaning the house, and I will be packing and repacking our bags until we have the least amount of suitcases possible.  We're planning on two check in bags each.  If it doesn't fit, we'll leave it behind (except for my Omega Juicer and Vitamix - no way I'm leaving those.  I'm a juicing addict!!!).  We'll be on a plane out of Eugene by 5:30 p.m. Saturday.  Once we're on that plane, I will be more enthusiastic and ready for what lies ahead.  I must admit, this has been one of the most difficult life changing journeys I have ever experienced.  I keep telling myself, "I know I can, I know I can....."

RETIRING TO ECUADOR - Thanksgiving Weekend in Oregon!

On Thursday, we had a great Thanksgiving day celebration visiting my mom, and then we spent the rest of the afternoon and evening with our friends, feasting on a fabulously delicious spread.  We're making more memories with family and friends during our wait to leave the country.

On Friday, we received our overnight Fed Ex return from NYC.  My Birth Certificates were returned without the apostille seal because I hadn't sent them to the County Clerk in NY first!  I was not happy!!!  I had no idea that there was a step before the Secretary of State - go figure!  My NYC documents are turning into a real pain and expense!  I immediately called the NY County Clerk, and a fast-talking impatient New Yorker gave me all the details to accomplish this, and then she added that it was taking 5 to 7 weeks for processing.  No way!  A sinking feeling overtook me.  How can this be?  She proceeded to tell me that if a third party delivered them to both the County Clerk and the Secretary of State, they could process them the same day. 

Thanks to GringoTree and the connections I've made reading forums and ex-pat blogs, I remembered a gentleman in NY whom I had corresponded with last month because he was going through the same process of acquiring his documents for his move to Cuenca end of December.  I decided to call Jim and ask him if he could help me.  What a guy!  He offered to pick up my Fed Ex overnight documents on Saturday, and then he would take them to both places on Monday and immediately overnight them back to me.  I could kiss his feet.  Bo and I quickly drove down to Fed Ex and got the envelope off - and today, Jim called me and told me that he had my documents in hand and would deal with it on Monday.  WooHoo! I'M SCREAMING WITH DELIGHT!!!

Without Jim's help, Bo and I would be in quite a conundrum about when to leave, and how to get those documents forwarded to us so we would receive them in Cuenca.  We have no clue yet how mail delivery works in Ecuador, and we don't even have an address there.  So, thank you Jim!  I told Jim we were going to buy him a fabulous dinner once he arrives in Cuenca, and I so look forward to finally meeting him and thanking him in person.  I understand now why some people choose to hire an attorney or a relocating service.  This really is a costly undertaking and one that takes much patience.  there will always be the unexpected glitches and delays.  I continue to remind myself we are in training now so when we finally are in Ecuador, we will have more patience and tolerance for what's ahead when we begin the process of applying for our visas.  I also still know that gathering these documents ourselves has saved us a considerable amount of money instead of hiring an attorney.  I've learned so much about the process, I hope I can pay it forward and help someone else out who is planning to move to Ecuador.

Today is the Duck VS Oregon State "Civil War" game.  In the last 3 years, I've become a devoted Duck football addict. I still have to bug Bo and ask him "So, why did they just do that.....What does that mean.....?"  But I'm loving learning the game, and I'm understanding it more and more.  Because we have Direct TV, we are unable to watch the game today.  Bo asked me if I'd join him at a sports bar, but I declined.  A crowded noisy bar is not my idea of a fun time - I'd rather sit here in peace and listen to it on the radio (which I'm doing!!!), though it's not as exciting as watching it.  Bo just called me!  He left an overly crowded sports bar in Springfield and was heading to find a better place in Eugene.  I hope he lands where he can enjoy the game.  He's really not the rah rah high five type, and he doesn't even wear a ball cap, nor does he "Duck Attire" himself - he just wants to watch the game!!!!

It's another rainy wet day in Bluegene.  I think I'll curl up and watch a movie,

and later I plan to begin going through my clothes and repacking my bags.

Bo and I visited mom for Thanksgiving dinner.  She'll be 87 in January, and I'm thankful we still have precious visits together.  We LOVE our mom!!

Can it be that in one more week we may be exiting Oregon?  Until we have those documents in hand and definite plane reservations, we're still just doing life here a day at a time.

MOVING TO ECUADOR - SUDDENLIES AND STUFF!!!

It's been 5 weeks since we were scheduled to leave Oregon on Oct 5th and drive cross-country hauling our newly purchased Cargo Trailer and Valkyrie Motorcycle. Our plan was to visit friends and family along the way, motorcycle the colorful Fall season of the New England states, and to have another "Bo and Linda USA Adventure" before leaving the country.  Our journey would land us in Clearwater, Florida to stay with family before flying to Cuenca - our final destination.  But, STUFF HAPPENS!!