Vida Diaria

Helpful, illustrated words and phrases for everyday living. These signs we made by a previous Workaway.

Scrabble

Previous Workaways left us a hand crafted set of letter tiles. Did made a board.

Sid showing off his Navy skills

Some days are smoother than others

We only have one drill bit.

Organic meats and vegetables

Cooking here has been a pleasure. The fruits, vegetables and meats are all organic and non-gmo. We've stayed away from processed foods entirely and most carbs. We do still end the day with wine or beer but not as much as at home.

Agua Blanca

We toured an archeological site called Agua Blanca. The artifacts from the settlements date back more than 4500 years to Valdivia. The artifacts include this funeral pot, and these animorphic carvings that resemble current residents.

Last of the furniture rebuilds

We repaired the lounger, the coffee table, the picnic table and now the bench.

Den

Something has tunneled out from under the bodega overnight. The hole is about 4" in diameter and runs straight down about 18" before branching out into a horizontal tunnel. I'm not sure who is looking bing in there but I'm impressed by their tunneling.

Tennis court rust

The tennis court has been sitting unused for five years. During that time a huge quantity of rust has accumulated under the fence. We knocked off what we could and swept up the rest to keep it out of the gardens.

Sea Turtle Nests

San Lorenzo is the most important beach in Ecuador for the sea turtles. All four species nest here: Green Leatherback, Olive-Ridley and Hawksbill.

We were lucky enough to see some of the volunteers relocating one of the nests. They let us see the eggs but not photograph them directly.

San Lorenzo

From the exit from the Pacoche hike it's only a 10 minute walk down the mountain to the beach town of San Lorenzo.

Refugio De Vida Silvestre Marine Costero Pacoche

We spent the morning hiking in the rainforest. A guide is required and the cost is $20 but there is no limit to the group size. Our Guide was Carlos and he was excellent.

The walk is all downhill and fairly easy but rocky and slippery near the stream on the lower trail.

We saw tarantulas, poisonous spiders (hunting frogs), tiny tree frogs, redheaded woodpeckers, howler monkeys and lizards. Also bamboo, ficus, mahogany, ivory nut, arabica coffee, pineapple, banana, plantain, grapefruit and orange trees. The rainforest also has black panthers, armadillos, and laughing falcons which we did not see.

Boogie board

Sid spent some quality time with the boogie board as the tide came back in.

Manta

One of the larger cities here is Manta. It's a little bit over an hour away, North on the coastal bus which costs about $2.00 from Las Palmas and another $.30 for a local bus.

They have large grocery stores and shopping malls. Mall de Pacifico is not exactly Mall of America but it hits all of the highlights: shoes, clothes, books, electronics, home goods and a food court. And the Megamaxi grocery store is similar to a super Walmart in scope (but with fewer options). In general everything you could need can be had with pretty little effort as long as you don't mind hauling stuff home on the buses.

We've been twice now each time adding to our more specialized pantry. We added peanut paste, coconut oil, basalmic vinegar and jalapeños none of which are available in the local tiendas.

Beach bonfire

It doesn't really count as a bonfire when you burn brush and driftwood during the day but it's still fun.

Deconstructing and reconstructing

Previous Workaways used spare lumber to build a bench, a picnic table, a coffee table and a lounger. The saltwater has done quite a bit of additional damage and the wood wasn't very good to start with. We've been given some more wood to do repairs. First we have to take them apart or at least remove the rotten parts. Then we can put them back together and repaint them.

Cistern piping

Another project for us included cutting off the city water supply line. There is no city water here yet. And filling in a depression caused by overflow water.

We're waiting on the pvc threading tool to finish trimming the pipe.

Sunset

We've almost achieved a sunset picture.

Cabana D’ Chuky

Puerto Lopez is known for good Ceviche and we've been told the Chuky's is the best. But to be safe I also ordered the Mixto Apendar (mixed fried) with shrimp and fish. Fantastic.