Cedulas again, Yuca, and Music

Wednesday afternoon, Jorge came to see us with a huge smile on his face and an envelope in his hands.  We finally received our cedulas.  They are here and in our possession, as are our passports.  What a relief.  Now, every time we make a purchase, the tax we pay is refundable to us.  Plus we get to go to the national parks - including Galapagos for 1/2 fare.  Public transportation is 1/2 off - including air fare originating from and returning to Ecuador.  There are a slew of other benefits as well.

We have discovered yuca root.  Not yucca - yuca.  It is also known as cassava, manioc and a few other things.  It tastes a lot like a potato but is much healthier for you.  It must be cooked as it contains Prussic acid (hydrocyanic acid) which cooks away.  It has been used as a staple for as long as there have been people here.  Our neighbor across the street is growing it along with a field of corn.  We had seen the plants growing and wondered what they were - now we know.  It seems almost all plants have some use around here - whether is be food, medicinal, fiber for weaving, etc.  We have so much to learn.

Steve was pretty bummed when he had to get rid of most of his CD collection when we moved here.  The man loves his music and he had a ton of CDs.   Well, I was fooling around on the computer a couple nights ago and went to Amazon.com looking for something - and noticed that they had a new ap called the Amazon Cloud Player.  I thought that looked like a good idea, because we could buy music, but not have to worry about them shipping us a physical CD.  They just put it in the "cloud" and play from the computer, or we can download to the computer to transfer to a CD or IPod or whatever.  So I downloaded it.  Along with 93 of his previously puchased CDs.  We have music!

Bully, shopping and cedulas

I have heard from Bully's adoptive parents.  He is doing well and has accepted his new people into his life.  They love him and I sure do miss him.

All is well,  We have both had bouts of intestinal what-evers, but they clear up quickly with camomile (manzanilla) and oregano tea blended together (a local cure we learned from the hotel) plus acidophilus.  Even Pepper had some distress, but the same cure and he is healthy again.

We are planning our next mini-adventure in the midst of the big one.  There are many places we can get to within a day of here, such as Loja, Cuenca, and many towns in between so a 3 or 4 day tour with trusty Jorge is in the future.   Our only real complaint about staying here indefinitely is the fact that it is frustrating trying to buy things.  Each item seems to have its own little store.  The only "supermarket", for example, does not have dog food, except in little tiny bags, and is woefully inadequate in the fresh fruit/veggie department.  For those, we must go to another store - the veterinarian's for the dog food, and a fruit/veggie stand for those.  We don't buy much in the way of meats, but there again - at its own store.    We have managed to find what we need, but it usually means going to three or four stores just to get the groceries.  On the plus side, this is a great excuse to walk to town just about every day.  We often walk and roll to town, end up with way to much stuff, and call a taxi ($1.50) to get home. 

The MegaMaxie we went to in Quito had almost everything - like Walmart but no such thing here.  SuperMaxie is like Mega only smaller, but again, none to be found here or even in Macas.  So we are considering a slightly more urban setting in the next 6 month to year.  But who knows, we might find everything here by then, or they will build a larger Maxie for the probable influx of people from Cuenca.  The Pharmacias have most of what we look for, but not everything.  Part of that is trying to describe what we are looking for.  We’ve learned it is best to bring in the scientific name. I had a feeling we would have difficulty finding my anti-depressants, so I started tapering off.  I have been off of them for several weeks now and doing and feeling great - so obviously I do not need them anymore, but I did check and the pharmacia didn't carry them.  I think with a prescription from a doctor, they are obtainable.

That said, the neighbors are wonderful, and we love the area.  Except for the mosquitoes.  The temperatures fit me just right.  No cold feet at night.  No blistering hot days, though the sun can feel quite brutal when the sky is clear in the middle of the day.  Shade is the answer, in the form of  hats and/or umbrellas.

Jorge has been very busy this week with one of his other businesses (he does cleaning for institutions) so he hasn't been by, and since he sent our passports to Quito, they will be returned to him.  I have been trying not to bug him too much, but I talked with him today (Friday).  He said he checked on Wednesday and they weren't back yet.  He will check again tonight, and we will see him tomorrow, hopefully with the passports/cedulas.

Update on passports and cedulas:

From the very beginning my paperwork has been a challenge.  Michigan had no record of my birth, nor did Mom or myself, except for the hospital certificate which isn't legal proof, although it did have necessary information such as doctor and hospital.  I had to apply for a delayed certificate of birth.  I thought that we were good to go, but then the passport people told me that it might not work because on the hospital certificate, someone entered my birth date, in pen, and then changed it, which constituted some kind of forgery or something.  But the passports finally came through. Mine showed up a couple weeks after Steve’s so that was really scary. So, again, I thought we were done.  Not.  In applying for residency, Steve’s sailed right through, but my birth certificate became a problem again.  The Michigan delayed birth certificate wasn’t the right document.  They wanted the one that doesn’t exist.  We finally got through that, then all the paperwork had to go through a notary in Quito to get the cedulas.  Steve's was fine and he was approved immediately, but the notary made three errors on mine, misspelling a name (Stouffer), a space in the wrong place, and I don’t recall the other problem – it was even more trivial. Ismael, the young man helping us (and Nora's cousin) argued with the superintendent of the cedula process, and finally got them to overlook the mistakes as they had nothing to do with me directly - only long gone parents and ancestors.  So we were both approved and had our fingers printed, pictures taken, signed an oath to be good people and we thought that we were finally done.

Then they changed the process by which you actually got the cedulas. 

They had been mailing them to the address on the application, in our case, the Bonanza Hotel.  Now, they have decided that you must pick them up in person with your passport in hand, and we are an 8 hour ride away.  We thought we had that covered by having Ismael pick up our cedulas with our passports and a letter giving him permission to do so.  Again, Steve's cedula - no hay probelmo.  Mine - problemos.  Something wasn't right.  I don't know what the sticking point was this time, but Nora told me this morning that Ismael fought with them all week and finally has both passports and cedulas and we will get them next week.  So typical of the workings in Ecuador.  For some reason, I have not felt panicky about all this.  I just figured it would happen when it happened.  Thank goodness, Nora and Ismael, whom I trust, have been getting it done, in spite of a bug running around Quito making everyone miserable.   

So - maybe Tuesday.

We are back!

Jorge brought out his thumb drive and we are now back on-line.  We must buy our won, but again, we need the cedula which we are still waiting for.  In the meantime, Jorge is letting us use his.

Ecuador Time

06/12/2013

OK, I know I have been remiss in getting my blogs out.  I have excuses – none of them good.  For some reason, when I couldn’t connect to the internet, I just assumed I couldn’t blog.  That was silly. 

So, starting again:

We moved to our rental house on the sixth.  The house is really cute and works well for us.  It is open and airy, single floor, and I can gain full access to the master bathroom using my scooter.  There is no way that would be possible with the chair, but we knew that was a strong possibility.  We made a really good decision in buying the scooter. 

 We had to stay at the Hostel Luzcelinda almost a week before we could move to the house due to what is commonly called around here “Ecuador time”.  Troy will appreciate it as being the similar to “SCA time”.  Things get done when they get done – if they get done at all.  So when we were first told about this house, two weeks before we left Quito, we were told that the fence (for the dogs and for security) would be done in the next week.   When we arrived, no fence was installed.  In fact not much had happened since the owner found out she had probable renters.  Jorge stepped in and started managing things – including the owner.  The fence got built, water and power on, drinking water and gas delivered, appliances and furnishings we bought were installed and/or delivered.   And we moved in.  Jorge informed the owner that no, we were not paying for rent before the house was habitable.   Then we ran up against our biggest roadblock. 

Internet:  We were assured it was available and relieved to see the house was wired for it, but the first company we checked with, the largest company  which is cable and our preference, first said that we had to have our cedulas in hand before they could help us.  (We technically have them, but not the actual card which was supposed to be mailed to us.  But after we moved out of Quito, the powers that be changed the rules again and you now have to personally pick them up and Nora couldn’t pick them up for us as they require the passports.  We had to send her our passports and a letter stating that she has our permission to pick them up.  They should be here tomorrow.) Then the internet company said there had been an accident just up the street from us and the cable severed.  They said they would be fixing it (again – Ecuador time) but in the meantime were arranging for other companies to pick up the services here.  Yesterday, Jorge checked with them and they decided they weren’t going to fix the cable, nor would they try to find service for those of us who live here.  Smaller companies, which use antennas to send the signal, said that they can’t reach our area.

Jorge has an internet thumb drive that works off the cellular system.  He is going to bring it out here today or tomorrow to see if it will work here.  It should.  We have a strong cellular signal.  If the thumb drive doesn’t work, I will check out dish service, if that doesn’t work, we will have to move again – closer to town.  Bottom line:  No internet – no deal.  That was the deal when we moved here, and it still is.  In the meantime, I will continue to try to keep you updated on what is happening by writing these blogs and sitting in the hotel parking lot just up the street to use his Wi-Fi to send it.  We need to get a large umbrella to block the sun while I do this as I cannot see the screen otherwise.   There is a gazebo there but with numerous steps and obstacles.

 

So, for the time being, we still do not have internet.  And no Magic Jack.  We do have contact, should we need it, here in this country with our cellular.  The problem arises if you need to contact me.  Should that happen, contact the Quito Hotel Bonanza (you will have to go on-line to get the Magic Jack number as I don’t have it right now and cannot get on the internet).  They can then call me.

On the plus side, the weather here is neither hot nor cold.  It is sweaty during the sunniest part of the day, but down-right pleasant any other time.  It is rainy – but that is why it so lush and green.  I am having an on-going battle with mosquitos – but I have that fight anywhere I go, it seems.  We are both healthy – only minor bouts of Montezuma’s revenge, so far.  The dogs are doing great.  I think they are just happy to be someplace other than a tiny motel room.  They get to go outside without a leash and visit through the fence with all the neighborhood dogs that roam freely.

I have been experimenting with local foods.  Plantain has been a favorite when sliced and baked or fired.  A lot like a potato.  Rice, of course, is a staple.  Wheat…well what can I say…my freedom of wheat sensitivity came to a crashing end.   With corn being such a staple around here, you would think that corn tortillas would be easy to find.  Not so – wheat, yes, corn, no.  So I have been learning to make arepas myself –kind of a fat corn tortilla.  Papayas are everywhere, and a gazillion fruits I have yet to master the names of.  Some are yellow – sort of pear shaped that you peel the skin off (it is hard like a shell) and scoop out the greyish non-appetizing center, It is wonderful.   There are a number of similar fruits.  One is the fruit of a cactus.  Very pretty to look at, but again, break away the outside and eat the inner goo which is so yummy (supposed to help digestion).  We have been learning about some of the herbal plants that grow everywhere (thanks to teacher Jorge).  A tree that grows by the side of the street whose leaves are crushed and made into a tea that helps cleanse the kidneys, lemony grass-like plant (lemon grass? – I miss my internet) in our back yard that is supposed to help you sleep – I was wide awake for hours, but I felt great.   I am not sure how a person would go about starving around here.  I love the eating patterns.  Except at the Hotel Bonanza, which catered more to the Americans, the norm is a huge breakfast of eggs, plantain, fruit – usually 3 or 4 types - breads, fresh juice, and of course, coffee.  I am always full after just the fruit.  Lunch is again a feast of fresh juice,   some kind of meat, sometimes in a soup – usually chicken, but also fish, tough beef, pork – lots of rice, potatoes, fruit…it goes on.  Supper is a snack.  I sleep better, feel better and I am never hungry in the evening as I thought I might be.   I have tried pig stomach (interesting but not a favorite) fish soup that surprised me by being sweet/sour, and a number of things I’m still not sure what it was.