The school in Montanita was very good. Though still far from fluent, I’d say Bobby and I are now able to understand 25% of the time (as opposed to -5%). We can communicate well enough to navigate in most situations and USUALLY things go smoothly. The hardest part for me is thinking before I speak. I know some of you will get a chuckle out of this. Well, I’ll admit I tend to say what’s on my mind with immediacy and few edits. In Spanish, I’ve found this gets me about halfway into a sentence and then I’m stuck trying to get my way out of it with some semblance of intelligabilitymenteondo….Right…So, if I pause and take just a moment to form the sentence in my head, I can usually say what I want to say. It might not be in the same form or phrasing I would use in English. And I usually have to find a way to say it in present tense. But it’s amazing what you can say in present tense if it’s required! When I have long taxi rides, I get bolder and more experimental trying out crazy things like past tense, reflexives (which blow my mind by the way) and gerunds. They can’t get away from me and they are usually bored enough to help me say it correctly if I screw it up. Bobby’s better at understanding others and retaining vocabulary than I am (especially words having to do with food, which I find very amusing). I seem to understand the conjugations and sentence structures better. And I’m less worried about sounding like an idiot. So I speak with more ease at this point (though I’m not sure that will last long). Put us together and we make a decent team.
-------------K
Thursday, August 27, 2009
AGUA CALIENTE, POR FAVOR…
Even when they have it, they don’t. Not one place. Not for a whole shower. Not yet. I hope this is somehow improving my circulation.
----------------K
----------------K
MONTANITA, ECUADOR
Greeted by the gregariously warm driver, Andres, we made our way to Montanita in the night. Driving along the coastline most of the way, we could make out boats propped in the sand. Andres speaks no English. But he speaks his Spanish so loud that, if you have a Spanish ancestor, I’m positive they will hear, understand and translate for you. Kidding aside, he was delightful and we conversed surprisingly well thanks to his patience, very clear Spanish, and….. some pointing.
Once in Montanita, we found our cabanas adorably, albeit somewhat uncomfortably, rustic and large. As it turns out, most houses in town are open air. Temperature wise this works out nicely. The noise is another matter. I’ve learned Ecuador is famous for its’ birds. And I found them to be unusual, fascinating, beautiful and undoubtedly the loudest birds I’ve ever heard in my life. We are all acquainted with the rooster and the turkey, of which abound in Montanita, as do their repetitious, hourly morning salutes. But I have yet to lay eyes on the culprits that inhabited the trees surrounding our cabana and sounded like a flock of geese being run over by a trailer truck intermittently throughout all hours of the night and day. And then there are the “night owls.” But, really, who needs the night to start slammin’ the reggaetone tunes down, anyway? …Discoteque at 10am, anyone?
At first impression, the town seemed like a surreal painting, a brown, dreary third worldian place with trash, sewage, and drainage problems and houses made of little more than sticks, juxtaposed with touristy eateries, shops and bars. I was surprised to find these things cohabitating in reality at such extremes and in such close proximity (the town is about 4 blocks all together). It was eery and dreary. It was charming. Was it wrong to think it was charming? And so my mind went on as I looked on in a state close to bewilderment that first day, watching and waiting to understand this foreign little place. The people all seemed happy and carefree, always willing to share a smile. Tourists and locals alike shared in the daily fiestas. And I found the environment to be casual, youthful, and lighthearted. There seems to be no “delincuencia” as they say here, except for the occasional rowdy drunk. I did, indeed, feel very safe once I grew accustomed to the place. And though I never grew fond of those mucky streets, there is now a place in my heart for “cocktail alley” (where the fruity cocktails are made fresh by “Cocktail Poetica” or “Bebida Maestra” who salsa and serve at the same time and in style…& for $2 no less), surfing, salsa and “La Punta” (the rocky end of town that juts into the sea….home to tide pools teaming with sea urchins, anemones, fish, etc… and dramatic rock scapes where the water would splash foamy white between crevices)…..And that list is in no particular order if you’re wondering.
I find Montanita to be a great place mostly because of the people and the seemingly collective carefree attitude about life. You simply cannot fiesta too much here and loud music is always welcome. I suppose the babies simply get used to the noise because there are babies everywhere. If you’re an introspective sophisticate, this is probably not the place for you. But it’s a good dose of medicine for anyone for a couple of weeks, regardless of your leanings.
Did I mention I learned to Salsa?
--------------K
Once in Montanita, we found our cabanas adorably, albeit somewhat uncomfortably, rustic and large. As it turns out, most houses in town are open air. Temperature wise this works out nicely. The noise is another matter. I’ve learned Ecuador is famous for its’ birds. And I found them to be unusual, fascinating, beautiful and undoubtedly the loudest birds I’ve ever heard in my life. We are all acquainted with the rooster and the turkey, of which abound in Montanita, as do their repetitious, hourly morning salutes. But I have yet to lay eyes on the culprits that inhabited the trees surrounding our cabana and sounded like a flock of geese being run over by a trailer truck intermittently throughout all hours of the night and day. And then there are the “night owls.” But, really, who needs the night to start slammin’ the reggaetone tunes down, anyway? …Discoteque at 10am, anyone?
At first impression, the town seemed like a surreal painting, a brown, dreary third worldian place with trash, sewage, and drainage problems and houses made of little more than sticks, juxtaposed with touristy eateries, shops and bars. I was surprised to find these things cohabitating in reality at such extremes and in such close proximity (the town is about 4 blocks all together). It was eery and dreary. It was charming. Was it wrong to think it was charming? And so my mind went on as I looked on in a state close to bewilderment that first day, watching and waiting to understand this foreign little place. The people all seemed happy and carefree, always willing to share a smile. Tourists and locals alike shared in the daily fiestas. And I found the environment to be casual, youthful, and lighthearted. There seems to be no “delincuencia” as they say here, except for the occasional rowdy drunk. I did, indeed, feel very safe once I grew accustomed to the place. And though I never grew fond of those mucky streets, there is now a place in my heart for “cocktail alley” (where the fruity cocktails are made fresh by “Cocktail Poetica” or “Bebida Maestra” who salsa and serve at the same time and in style…& for $2 no less), surfing, salsa and “La Punta” (the rocky end of town that juts into the sea….home to tide pools teaming with sea urchins, anemones, fish, etc… and dramatic rock scapes where the water would splash foamy white between crevices)…..And that list is in no particular order if you’re wondering.
I find Montanita to be a great place mostly because of the people and the seemingly collective carefree attitude about life. You simply cannot fiesta too much here and loud music is always welcome. I suppose the babies simply get used to the noise because there are babies everywhere. If you’re an introspective sophisticate, this is probably not the place for you. But it’s a good dose of medicine for anyone for a couple of weeks, regardless of your leanings.
Did I mention I learned to Salsa?
--------------K
Montañita
So I'm currently in Baños writing this post after receiving the worst haircut in recent history - possibly ever. Katie tried to give directions but it's really a testament to how much Spanish we've yet to learn. On the bright side, the haircut only cost seven dollars.
I would have posted something sooner but there was never really a good time in Montañita. I was always too busy with language school, surfing, salsa dancing, and plenty of vomiting. It was certainly a packed two weeks of which I have mixed feelings about. While I met some fun folks and had a few interesting experiences I was more than happy to shove off to the next destination. I would recommend staying a week to anyone. Two weeks is really pushing it.
• Montañita isn't terrible mind you, it just isn't my bag of purified water. For starters, it's apparently off season (although I got conflicting reports), which means the weather is particularly gloomy. The sky is perpetually grey, overcast, and spitting rain with the exception of 10 miraculous minutes of pure sunshine I witnessed one afternoon. This in itself wouldn't be so much of a problem but unfortunately the town has an engineering and sewage issue. Two hours of mist can cause the streets to become a thick sea of mud and muck you could lose a small child in. It was funny the first few days but increasingly became an annoyance.
• Montañita claims itself a surfing destination. I can't contest this as there are plenty of restaurants and bars with the word "surf" in their name. The town's economy is based on tourism and seems to attract a lot of neohippy transients . You know the kind - sort of unwashed and malnourished, with a back pack the size of a large calf. It's the kind of person that might break out with a hackey sack, bum 5 dollars, or sell you jewelry at any moment. Anyway, I assume it's good surfing here. I don't know, I come from a land locked state. It's just not my scene.
• Katie and I are here to study in a Spanish immersion program that just happens to also provide surfing lessons. So we've chosen to do both. The name of the school is Montañita Spanish and Surf, which so far has been a pretty good experience, no complaints. They've got it together for the most part and I can recommend them. After about 4 days of surfing lessons I can ride a wave of my own choosing for a short period of time. I think it would take several more weeks of practice to not look ridiculous trying.
• We stay at the school's private cabañas which are open air, hut like, private rooms. Apparently they are next to a farm or zoo because several different species of birds will wake us up at different intervals in the night including a rooster operating on a different time zone.
• I've had quite a few variations of arroz con pollo, lots of bananas, fish, fruit juices of every sort. I've found it's pretty standard Ecuadorian fare. I was surprised to find that many of the menus also had a section with Italian-esque food like spaghetti and pizza which I'm assuming is for tourists. I did try the pizza. A pleasant surprise was a barbeque joint called the "Happy Donkey". My assumptions were wrong about this place and I had my best meal there. As far as I know they don't actually serve donkey.
• I'm curious about the seemingly feral dogs that wander the streets and enter random restaurants with impunity. I often see collars but I never see the owners. Sometimes they run in packs down the street but most of the time I see them guarding territory and begging for food. They literally walk into restaurants. The dogs give you a pathetic "woe is me" look and if that doesn't work they change tactics and start to hump something until you give in. Occasionally you'll find a cat or two holed up in the makeshift safehouse that is the kitchen. I'm sure it's a dangerous town for cats. I wonder if there are any health codes in the town and if so how do they read?
Maybe something like, "All employees must wash their hands after bathing a dog in the kitchen sink.", or "All nursing kittens must be at least 1 meter away from prepared food, with the exception of the really cute one that keeps licking your spoon".
• I got sick at the end of my first week. Not sure what caused it. Don't think it was the food as Katie and I share most dishes. I vomited about 7 or 8 times every 15 minutes or so until I no longer had bile to give and my back was in pain. I took another day or so of watching bootlegged dvd's like "Patton" that were lying around to recover. A lot of people in the Cabañas came down with the same thing and Katie had something similar the following week although her reaction was bit less severe.
It's been pointed out that people leave Montañita and only talk about the bad experiences, which is probably true. I can say that there was plenty I did like. The school, for one, made me feel productive, was a good home base, and provided the opportunity to meet new friends. And even though I was constantly gagging on salt water and flailing about like a man on fire, I also enjoyed my first experience surfing. Isidro, my instructor, was more than patient and also somehow managed to make me simulate surfing on sand which he most likely laughs about with his friends in private. I'll also have fond memories of cocktail alley and the spontaneity of pulling up a plastic chair next to a tiny kiosk to consume enough rum to dance to reggaeton. I'll look back fondly at men announcing their morning catch being sold from the basket of their bicycles and the walks around the craggy rocks of the point.
-------------- B
I would have posted something sooner but there was never really a good time in Montañita. I was always too busy with language school, surfing, salsa dancing, and plenty of vomiting. It was certainly a packed two weeks of which I have mixed feelings about. While I met some fun folks and had a few interesting experiences I was more than happy to shove off to the next destination. I would recommend staying a week to anyone. Two weeks is really pushing it.
• Montañita isn't terrible mind you, it just isn't my bag of purified water. For starters, it's apparently off season (although I got conflicting reports), which means the weather is particularly gloomy. The sky is perpetually grey, overcast, and spitting rain with the exception of 10 miraculous minutes of pure sunshine I witnessed one afternoon. This in itself wouldn't be so much of a problem but unfortunately the town has an engineering and sewage issue. Two hours of mist can cause the streets to become a thick sea of mud and muck you could lose a small child in. It was funny the first few days but increasingly became an annoyance.
• Montañita claims itself a surfing destination. I can't contest this as there are plenty of restaurants and bars with the word "surf" in their name. The town's economy is based on tourism and seems to attract a lot of neohippy transients . You know the kind - sort of unwashed and malnourished, with a back pack the size of a large calf. It's the kind of person that might break out with a hackey sack, bum 5 dollars, or sell you jewelry at any moment. Anyway, I assume it's good surfing here. I don't know, I come from a land locked state. It's just not my scene.
• Katie and I are here to study in a Spanish immersion program that just happens to also provide surfing lessons. So we've chosen to do both. The name of the school is Montañita Spanish and Surf, which so far has been a pretty good experience, no complaints. They've got it together for the most part and I can recommend them. After about 4 days of surfing lessons I can ride a wave of my own choosing for a short period of time. I think it would take several more weeks of practice to not look ridiculous trying.
• We stay at the school's private cabañas which are open air, hut like, private rooms. Apparently they are next to a farm or zoo because several different species of birds will wake us up at different intervals in the night including a rooster operating on a different time zone.
• I've had quite a few variations of arroz con pollo, lots of bananas, fish, fruit juices of every sort. I've found it's pretty standard Ecuadorian fare. I was surprised to find that many of the menus also had a section with Italian-esque food like spaghetti and pizza which I'm assuming is for tourists. I did try the pizza. A pleasant surprise was a barbeque joint called the "Happy Donkey". My assumptions were wrong about this place and I had my best meal there. As far as I know they don't actually serve donkey.
• I'm curious about the seemingly feral dogs that wander the streets and enter random restaurants with impunity. I often see collars but I never see the owners. Sometimes they run in packs down the street but most of the time I see them guarding territory and begging for food. They literally walk into restaurants. The dogs give you a pathetic "woe is me" look and if that doesn't work they change tactics and start to hump something until you give in. Occasionally you'll find a cat or two holed up in the makeshift safehouse that is the kitchen. I'm sure it's a dangerous town for cats. I wonder if there are any health codes in the town and if so how do they read?
Maybe something like, "All employees must wash their hands after bathing a dog in the kitchen sink.", or "All nursing kittens must be at least 1 meter away from prepared food, with the exception of the really cute one that keeps licking your spoon".
• I got sick at the end of my first week. Not sure what caused it. Don't think it was the food as Katie and I share most dishes. I vomited about 7 or 8 times every 15 minutes or so until I no longer had bile to give and my back was in pain. I took another day or so of watching bootlegged dvd's like "Patton" that were lying around to recover. A lot of people in the Cabañas came down with the same thing and Katie had something similar the following week although her reaction was bit less severe.
It's been pointed out that people leave Montañita and only talk about the bad experiences, which is probably true. I can say that there was plenty I did like. The school, for one, made me feel productive, was a good home base, and provided the opportunity to meet new friends. And even though I was constantly gagging on salt water and flailing about like a man on fire, I also enjoyed my first experience surfing. Isidro, my instructor, was more than patient and also somehow managed to make me simulate surfing on sand which he most likely laughs about with his friends in private. I'll also have fond memories of cocktail alley and the spontaneity of pulling up a plastic chair next to a tiny kiosk to consume enough rum to dance to reggaeton. I'll look back fondly at men announcing their morning catch being sold from the basket of their bicycles and the walks around the craggy rocks of the point.
-------------- B
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Our FIRST FLIGHT….
Bobby and I agreed to make entries only once a week. But I must make exception here because our first flight deserves it’s own entry in our blog. Never in my LIFE have I enjoyed a plane ride as much! Who knew business class was so fabulous and why didn’t they tell me? On second thought, it’s probably good they didn’t or I would have been miserable in economy. As is, I can’t imagine going back. Don’t ask me how we got in Business class, because, I do not know. But there we were being offered champagne as we marveled at the legroom and nearly infinite and indulgently delectable seat positions. I am not exaggerating when I say I was a giggling schoolgirl and it felt like we were on honeymoon. I take this delightful start as a good omen.
------ K
------ K
For the record…..I LOVE Bobby’s family in MIAMI!!!
(Tere, Bobby, Esteban, Idonna, Brian, & Eduardo... please forgive any misspellings)
They made our short, 24 hour, layover so incredibly special. We met second cousins, third cousins, cousins of cousins and 4th and 5th cousins (if that exists)! And we absolutely fell in love with them all. Eduardo, Bobby’s 2nd cousin, and his son, Eddie, picked us up at the airport and took us to their home where Tere, his wife, played the perfect host with a spread of homemade Cuban delights to dine upon. Nearly all the Barturen children were there and then some. Their father Juan is Bobby’s Grandfather’s older brother. He and his infamous wife, Kitty, of fiery Irish ancestry, were recently in a terrible auto accident. Thankfully they are recovering and we got a short visit with them at the hospital. At the ripe ages of 92 and 87, they are incredibly beautiful, smart and witty. My husband has such good genes ; ) Before visiting Juan Sr., Esteban, Bobby’s 2nd cousin, Idonna, his wife, and their son, Brian, took us through the beautiful neighborhood of Coconut Grove. Gorgeous! It was such a treat getting to know everyone and I, honestly, can’t wait to set up a family reunion. I want to see Jose with his brothers. They are both so funny. (Teresita y Abuelo Barturen: Porque no sabemos el “nick”nombre, “Pepe”?! We loved learning Jose’s nickname……Pepe :)
To our most wonderful extended Miami family:
Thank you for your warmest of receptions. We had a lovely time. Please be our guest in New York whenever you want to come to The Big Apple!
---- K
Some Tennessee pics
We'll be posting pictures of our trip from time to time on flickr. Since we'll have so many it's best just to navigate to this collection. Our first set of Tennesee photos is still growing.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
What we do when we are not working on a Travel Trailer
For you NYC folks, here is the creek that we would swim in when it was terribly hot. It only took 15 minutes of trying to negotiate plumbing in a tiny closet of a hot tin can before I was ready to jump in.
Here's some video we made with Katie's little camera. We got an underwater housing for the camera during our last week in Tennessee in the event we snorkel etc.
B
Here's some video we made with Katie's little camera. We got an underwater housing for the camera during our last week in Tennessee in the event we snorkel etc.
B
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Ode to Tennessee....
Our time in Tennessee was a sweet gift. And like any intangible gift in time was filled with joy, frustration, struggle, laughter, exhaustion, peace, etc….etc… I would be a liar if I said the Airstream didn’t school us in our ignorance of, well, …Airstreams! For three weeks we labored over the Silver Bullet. And during that time we learned a tremendous amount about plumbing…especially plumbing in tight spaces. But not enough to get it done ourselves…. at least not this time. The day we employed professionals to fix the ever-evolving leak was the first best day we had! We gave up and it was wonderful! We played in the creek the rest of the afternoon. It had been calling us…..well, more like torturing us….as we sweated ourselves to exhaustion while cramming our hands and shoulders into impossible positions tightening this and sealing that without the luxury of air conditioning in a tin can parked in the sun. “To hell with this!” was our battle cry and to the creek we ran. It took the guys at the shop two more weeks to fix our illusive multiple leaks. Knowing our Silver Bullet was in someone else’s sweaty hands made those afternoons in Knob Creek that much sweeter. With Silver’s return, we parked him on the edge of the water and immersed ourselves in our little version of Walden Pond. Ready for intimacy with the night and nature, I’d imagined a still kind of quiet that reaches your soul and stills it, too. But, as Katie’s imagination is often just that, I learned what a racket it is on Knob Creek at night!!! You couldn’t hear someone 10 feet away if you tried! Between the frogs, the crickets, the owls and the beavers (who can only be doing belly flops from the tree branches from the sounds of it), the soundtrack at night was a chorus of noise. Our biggest treat was a crane that visited nearly every morning to fish just outside our bedroom window. We’d wake up, pull the curtains and watch him standing in the reeds to mask his presence, curl his neck down like an S and come up with a large minnow, sparkling and silvery in the morning sun. And it became an even more special treat to learn one day walking along the bank that our crane was a girl crane….a Momma crane to be exact… with a gangly baby ….. assumingly startled by our presence, she flew the nest with an unmistakable youngin’ skawking and flapping not far behind.
During these past two months, we ate too much and worked too hard and have gained 10 lbs, a remodeled Airstream, a 100 tree line at Aunt Barbara’s, a Leg Up sign at Aunt Beck’s, a new walkway at Dad’s, and a silken sealed siding, re-organized shop and re-organized fridge at the Kelly’s! We had a ball watching our amazing nephew do the fabulous things 1 1/2 year old musical geniuses do. And…..the list truly goes on and on. But, though tempted, I won’t bore you with ramblings about every detail. I’ve gone on enough. As Bobby would scold, “TMI {Too Much Information} Katie!” So I’ll let the pictures tell the rest of the story.
To our Tennessee ( & New Orleans) folk:
Thank you, you wonderful family and friends of ours for all the love, food and, especially, time you shared. It was visiting with each of you that I cherish most. We love you and can’t wait to see you at Christmas time!!!
---- K
During these past two months, we ate too much and worked too hard and have gained 10 lbs, a remodeled Airstream, a 100 tree line at Aunt Barbara’s, a Leg Up sign at Aunt Beck’s, a new walkway at Dad’s, and a silken sealed siding, re-organized shop and re-organized fridge at the Kelly’s! We had a ball watching our amazing nephew do the fabulous things 1 1/2 year old musical geniuses do. And…..the list truly goes on and on. But, though tempted, I won’t bore you with ramblings about every detail. I’ve gone on enough. As Bobby would scold, “TMI {Too Much Information} Katie!” So I’ll let the pictures tell the rest of the story.
To our Tennessee ( & New Orleans) folk:
Thank you, you wonderful family and friends of ours for all the love, food and, especially, time you shared. It was visiting with each of you that I cherish most. We love you and can’t wait to see you at Christmas time!!!
---- K
Saturday, August 8, 2009
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