I haven’t
written a post about our life here in Salinas for quite some time so here we
go.
First let me
mention that our weather this year has been extraordinary! Usually starting in
the month of June (and lasting until December) our winter season begins with
gray cloudy skies and cooler temperatures. I know I know- weird for 2 degrees
south of the equator but true. But not
this year! Wow! Our skies have been sunny, ocean still warm and we are having great
beach weather. Possibly the beginning effects of El Nino coming this high
season? We’ll find out and hope for the best.
July 1 was Canada
Day. Since there are many Canadians living here, our newest bar/restaurant
Fiddler Green (located on 2nd St. 1 block from Banco Pichincha),
celebrated Canada Day.
We went with
our Canadian and American friends (we all like parties of any kind) and enjoyed
a great time and good food at one of our favorite places to hang out.
July 4 was
USA Independence Day and was of course another excuse for another party. This
one hosted at yet another new bar/restaurant Aloha2 (located at the former ‘Sin’
bar). The turnout was amazing- almost everyone we know was there.
The dinner
consisting of a whole pig was delicious.
And 3 bands
were there to entertain.
The dancing
carried on way past my bed time.
And then
there was live entertainment! An awesome party.
It has been
a year since my friend Susana, was elected president of the local chapter of
the Red Cross/ Cruz Roja here in Salinas. During that time many changes have
come about. The Cruz Roja building has been repaired & repainted inside and
out. New doctors are now available and some of the spaces not required have
been rented out producing much needed revenue. As well, a large number of dedicated
volunteers have helped in several endeavors during the last year. Our new and
invigorated Cruz Roja is alive & well thanks to our new Presidente!
In July, we
held a 75th anniversary party for Cruz Roja in Ecuador at the
building. Food was provided by the volunteers ( I baked 60 little quiches ) and
several dignitaries were invited to participate including the mayor of Salinas, the head of the Salinas Yacht Club the the Cruz Roja president of Guayaquil.
Several
volunteers were thanked for many years of service and of course we listened to
many speeches hohum LOL.
The entire
group posed for a picture.
A sand
castle contest was held on the main beach- first prize was to be $100. Each sand
sculpture had to do with whales as it
was the start of Whale Watching in Salinas. Humpback whales come to the warm
waters of Ecuador from Antartica every June to September to give birth and find
mates- not necessarily in that order LOL.
Many entire families participated in
the contest..
Sections
were partitioned off for each group vying for the prize.
Sculptures beginning to take shape
Awesome
finished pieces
I don’t believe
a month goes by that we do not have a parade and July was no different. Many of
the local businesses participated in this one including the new Amygo's owned by
our friend Amy- a service that does travel, new visitor help, tours etc.
Many friends
came out to help march
And dancing
spontaneously started
Nothing like
a Salinas parade.
The new
Salinas Aloha2 bar also had a Craft Show this month. Both Ecuadorian and gringo
artisans were invited to display and sell their treasures.
Bought a
huge doll from this group.
These women
hand painted rocks- bought one plus ordered fridge magnets for presents to take
home.
As
throughout the year, we had our Beersbee on the beach every second Tuesday.
Though the crowds are much smaller this time of year, we still had great fun
chatting, drinking beer and participating in the several team sports.
The sporty
types
The audience
My good
friend Cody from Cuenca and her friend visiting from Prague spent a few days
with us. We spent 2 afternoons sitting on the beach and enjoying the great
weather.
One of the
mornings, the four of us took the long walk to loberia (so called because sea
lions live there –called lobos del mar-sea wolves).
From there
we walked along the new path all the way to Chocolatera hoping to see some
whales. The weather was awesome and scenery great!
That
afternoon while sitting on the beach, we decided to buy live lobsters from one
of the many local vendors to cook at our condo that night. We stored them in a
styrofoam cooler until it came time to cook.
OK, in all
honesty, I’ve only been an onlooker in one other lobster fest at home but
figured I could duplicate the process. First we brought our huge pot of water
to a boil. Uwe swept the sand off each lobster (we bought 6 for the 4 of us)using
the brush from our dust pan, then I washed them off in the laundry sink and
then into the pot, 2 at a time.
We all took
turns tossing 2 in and NO they did not scream!
Our dinner
turned out delicioso- lobster tails, warm garlic butter, salad and pasta with
parmesan cheese.
Uwe and mine
20th anniversary also fell in July. Usually we just go out for a
really nice dinner but this time as after all it was the 20th, we
decided to do something different. Even though we had been to Montanita (a great
little surf town an hour north of us) many times, we had never stayed
overnight. We booked a room at a very nice(and expensive) Hotel Dharma
overlooking the beach.
The weather
was misty and rainy both of our days
And we
browsed around town and had a lovely Italian dinner
And last but
not least, several members of our Salinas Cultural Society Art club went on a
trip to check out more museums in the city of Guayaquil. We hired Victor with
his van
victorcolorado85@yahoo.com to take us and arrived
after a 2 hour drive.
Our first
stop was the MAAC
Museo Antropologico y de Arte
contemporaneo
http://www.museos.gob.ec/redmuseos/maac/
http://www.museos.gob.ec/redmuseos/maac/
After spending approximately an
hour admiring many archeological and painting exhibits, we walked to the end of
the malecon, to the Pena neighborhood to see
Music Museum
While
there we also went to the Cerveza (Beer) Museum- a personal favorite
And after a great lunch
We went to the last museum for this great day enjoyed by all!
So
you think retired life is boring LOL? Not so where we live. There is always something
going on in Salinas.
