Morning Update – Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Today’s Photo: Montecristi, Manabi by giancarloVera

The Gaithers Love Ecuador – Gary and Sue invite others to join them in Bible Study on Wednesdays at 2:00 p.m.

Gringos Abroad – Bryan explains why they decided to leave the Yunguilla Valley and return back to Cuenca.

Kimbler’s Exit to Ecuador – Their globe trotting friend JD came for a visit and made it a mission to try home cooked cuy. They all decided to try some more culture at a traditional restaurant.

Life in Quito – Liliya breaks down the price of beer in Ecuador sold at the local supermarket in Quito.

Looking for the Simple Life – Susan knew there were plenty of fruits and vegetables for her vegetarian diet. Eventually she found some meat substitutes but, she didn’t really know how to cook them at home.

Nancy and Chuck – Next up for the Watsons is a visit with Chuck’s family in Seattle. After a visit with the grandkids Chuck, Nancy and her son Matt will head out to sea on a Disney Cruise to Alaska.

Pro-Ecuador Blog #1 – Linda started eating her quinoa with fruit because she couldn’t wait for the milk lady one more una minucito.

Pro-Ecuador Blog #2 – Gary and Linda went to visit friends from Cotacachi now living in Bahia. Rene and Merci looked so relaxed they hardly recognized them.

Retirement: Plan B – I spy with my little eye hats everywhere!

Castles in Cuenca – The Castles head to the Alhambra, the last fortress of the Muslim kings. They toured the summer palace and stopped for lunch in Granada.

Ecuador Photos – The bands play on as they march through the streets of Riobamba.

Today’s Weather in Ecuador
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Morning Update – Monday, May 28, 2012

Ahhh Cuenca!! – Dano’s application for his resident visa is finally approved nearly fifteen months after the whole ordeal began. He should have the prized Cedula in his hands, if nothing else goes wrong.

Bob & Rox #1 – Five coconut palm trees had to be removed because of a beetle and grub infestation. Antonio the Fire Chief was the only one brave enough to climb the tall ladder to poison the little buggers.

Bob & Rox #2 – The guys are finishing up with the tile on the new deck. Sylvia is adding aggregate to the cement steps. Next the railing goes up. Looking good, guys!

Castles in Cuenca – The Castles arrive in Sevilla for the social event of the year. The ladies spend boo coo bucks on the most beautiful finery to show off at the Feria de Abril.

Cuenca Tech Life #1 – Paul and Valeria review Chicken Francaise at California Kitchen. He interviews other diners in the restaurant. Don’t forget to attend their special Father’s Day event.

Cuenca Tech Life #2 – I’ll have to come back to listen to Bill Keyes (an old gringo rocker) and three talented Ecuadorian musicians perform at the San Sebas Café.

Ecuador Photos – Colorful costumes and frilly hats prance down the Riobamba parade. If it twirls is goes, now swing those shawls. Everyone pause for the girl and her monkey.

Eric & Katy in Ecuador – Eric reveals his plan for receiving money from his bank account back home.  They still get great service from their branch up in Michigan.

Finding our Paradise in Ecuador #1 – I missed a few blogs over the weekend, Nan talks about their coastal trip to San Jacito and San Clemente. Mmmm, my mouth is watering just looking at the food in her photos.

Finding our Paradise in Ecuador #2 – Nan and her friend Nancy explored the small town of Morro; a peaceful place built on the edge of the canals.

Finding our Paradise in Ecuador #3 – Nan comes home with a dollar’s worth of mussels and cooks them in white wine. She generously shares the recipe.

p.s. That’s all I’m going to post this morning, we’ll catch up with the rest of our bloggers tomorrow.

Today’s Weather in Ecuador
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Morning Update – Friday, May 25, 2012

BLAST FROM THE PAST – If you’ve recently joined the Xpadorian bandwagon here’s one of Steve’s favorite posts from the past by Clarke and Brennie…Next Stage.

Castles in Cuenca – The Castles arrived in Sevillia to perfect spring-in-Spain weather; their tour guide reminded them that in the summer it gets very, very hot there. They toured the gold covered cathedral and saw Christopher Columbus’ tomb.

Ecuador George – George reposts a poignant article friends sent him from a nurse who cares to the needs of the dying. She asked them all what they regret the most and here is what they told her.

Ecuador Photos – Swirling and twirling the dancers go by along the route of the parade in Riobamba.

Juntos en el Camino de la Vida – Well now, I didn’t know that yesterday was an Ecuadorian National Holiday. May 24th was the 190th anniversary of the Battle of Pinchicha when Quito declared its independence from Spain. Yippee, fireworks all weekend!

Life in Quito – Liliya responds to her readers about this banking issue and reminds them of “Black Tuesday” in Russia when overnight their pensions and savings lost a third of their value.

Rich and Nancy – Rich and Nancy post updates from Cuenca’s many renovation projects; the City doesn’t waste time getting them started. Construction barriers prove to be the perfect canvas for local artists.

We’ll leave you with a video for the weekend, Happy Anniversary Quito!

p.s. Once the video has started playing, click on the little gear and change quality to 360p, so much better.

Today’s Weather in Ecuador
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Morning Update – Thursday, May 24, 2012

Castles in Cuenca – Gil and Deborah just returned from a five week overseas trip to Spain and Portugal. They post photos from their first stop in Madrid and the train trip down to Cordoba.

Ecuador Photos – More dancers in costumes as they sashay down the streets of Riobamba.

Finding our Paradise in Ecuador – While enjoying their breakfast of eggs, juice and toast at the Hotel San Jacito the Levins spied several dolphins swimming by.

Life in Quito – Liliya hears about a cheaper way to transfer money from their bank in the U.S. but she is wondering if the savings was worth standing in line at an authorized bank in Ecuador and then walking the funds over to their regular bank and standing in another line to deposit them.

Today’s Weather in Ecuador
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Morning Update – Wednesday, May 23, 2012

NEW LINK ALERT – So many future Xpadorians are thinking about moving to coastal Ecuador. Well, Al Eisele and his wife Linda, expats living in Manta, have created a wonderful website with all kinds of information about living and traveling to the largest city in Manabí Provence. I’m sure you’ll agree that Manta Expats Online is a great resource for those considering the possibilities of moving to the area as well as an online portal for expats already living there.

Bob & Rox – Bob gives us an update on the new deck construction; the guys build a shade area and install the tile floor.

Cuenca Tech Life – Lenny is helping a couple from Otavalo set up a blog to show off some of the products that they are selling in their tienda.

Ecuador George – George longs to own a home by the water. He investigates the possibilities of a little place on the coast but doesn’t care for the humidity; perhaps a cool lake or raging river, and it must be close to amenities.

Ecuador Photos – Robert posts more photos of dancing troupes as they march down the Riobamba parade in coordinated costumes.

Life after 60… – Here are some random photos of Doug and Diana’s flight back from Quito and around their apartment in Cuenca.

Life in Quito – Sometimes their tenants leave things behind, so Liliya gives it away to their concierge Jose or their maid Jimena. Their neighbors have also been beneficiaries of abandoned stuff.

Pro-Ecuador Blog #1 – Linda observes life in Cucita as they wait for the bus to take them up the coast. The couple enjoys riding the buses; they get more of the local flavor, sights and smells.

Pro-Ecuador Blog #2 – In this month’s View from the Roof, Gary discusses the popularity of Ecuador’s president Correa. He includes a link of an interview by Julian Assange, founder of Wiki-leaks.

Today’s Weather in Ecuador
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Morning Update – Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Cuenca Tech Life #1 – Paul invites all the Dads to come to California Kitchen for a special Father’s Day event. He and Valeria review last Friday’s special, Swedish Meatballs.

Cuenca Tech Life #2 – Lenny videos a live performance in the gazebo at Parque Calderon.

Ecuador Photos – More photos of the traditional costumed indigenous parading in Riobamba.

The Gaithers Love Ecuador – Gary explains about the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion rule for U.S. citizens living outside of the country. You must be at least 330 days out of the U.S. during any twelve month period to qualify.

Life in Quito – Lilya tells us that giving away her unwanted stuff is different in Ecuador. There are no organizations that will pick up your donations but her people are very appreciative to receive any castoffs.

Olon Again…Naturally – Leigh has met so many kind gringos but today she is especially proud to introduce Tod and Mary. They run a nonprofit organization that helps Ecuadorian kids with medical attention, food and clothing.

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Morning Update – Monday, May 21, 2012

Clarke and Brennie…Next Stage – Clarke tries to figure out who is to blame when he comes home cold, wet, tired, muddy and splattered with tar. It seemed like a good idea and he probably do it again. Who you gonna blame next time?

Ecuador Photos – We have a weekend of Riobamba parade photos to catch up on. There’s a small town band, some local dancers and colorful winged creatures that Robert thinks might be angels.

Eric & Katy in Ecuador – The couple went on an educational tour in the central highlands visiting farming communities of the indigenous Ecuadorians. OK, so maybe the ziplining wasn’t exactly educational.

Finding our Paradise in Ecuador – Nan downloads her videos and experiences the sunset in San Clemente all over again. You’ll need to grab a big Pilsener to get the whole effect.

Juntos en el Camino de la Vida – Our Wine Guy finally comes through with another recommendation for his Xpadorian friends. Keep an eye out for Montes, a renowned Chilean winery’s, Cabernet Sauvignon/Carmenere blend.

Life at Latitude Zero – Patricia introduces some of the wild creatures they’ve encountered now that they’ve moved to the coastal countryside. And… last but not least, Scott, the fabulous photographer with la lenta grande.

Life in Quito – Lilya changes her checking accounts back in Minneapolis. She says you can avoid transfer fees if you write a check and deposit it to your Ecuadorian bank account.

Looking for the Simple Life – Susan has some goals she would like to accomplish this week. Maybe writing those down will help her overcome the obstacles and get the job done.

New Beginnings in Cuenca – Oh happy day, Trish and Eamon are finally moving into the house. It took six months instead of six weeks to complete. Let’s hope the satellite hookup is timelier.

Today’s Weather in Ecuador
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