A Day Tour with Many R-Egrets

Seven-thirty in the morning is mighty early when there is no coffee maker in the rented apartment. Honestly, these days it is early for any reason. However, we were standing outside of the next-door Wyndham hotel waiting of our tour guide to pick us up. When he arrived, we met Stuart, our guide until the end of the tour at 5:30pm.

Stuart was jovial and had great English. Jovial is not my adjective of choice in the morning. Perhaps by noon, I can handle jovial. Prior to noon, I prefer silent, quiet, non-communicative, or mute.

The initial part of the journey was getting to the boat. What we had anticipated was touring the Manglares Churute

Ecological Reserve where dolphins are prevalent. Somewhere, something was lost in translation. After driving for two hours, we reached the docks where our boat was waiting for us. This turned out to be a tour of two, not a group. At times, this can be beneficial, but other times, you may not get what you are expecting. This turned into the latter.

Boarding the boat, Ron asked Stuart how long we would be on the water. Stuart said about one and one half hours. This gets me thinking, we arrived at the boat around 9:30, the time on the water would get us back around 11am. What are we going to do from then until 5:30pm to fill up the time? This was not a good omen.

Off we go, passing by numerous shrimp farms, but all that is

visible are huge pumps that pump up shrimp filled water, and then release the shrimpless water back into the river. To say this was not breathtaking is an understatement. What did cause some excitement, alarm, and praise for life vests, was the fact that at about 30 minutes out, the engine started smoking heavier than the Marlboro man. If we were on land, they would have rated this as a three-alarm situation. We had to turn back to get another boat.

Now one needs to realize that a mangrove tree is not a thing of beauty to begin with. The bottoms look like something

from a Disney horror movie when brooms made of twigs come to life. With green leafy tops, it really makes for a contradiction in beauty. Imaginably, it is because we are generally not privy to the root system of most trees as obvious as these, it offends our sensibilities.

What these trees are beneficial for as their contribution to this tour is they lend their branches to birds for roosting, resting, and nesting. If the hills are alive with the sound of music, the mangroves are live with our feathered friends. For the most part, there were egrets, but there were a few pelicans, herons, and frigates. Being totally underwhelmed, but the showing of feathers, I could not help but believe that those who raved about this tour have not been to Belize, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, or the Galapagos for starters. Okay, bragging aside, having been to all of the above, bird watching reached an incredible level in any of the above.

About a half hour more of motor boating, we were guided in looking at a couple of islands. Again, big whoop! Then we

spotted dolphins. Okay, now this is getting interesting. I was an avid fan of Flipper when I was a child. Ron swam with dolphins in Tanzania. We like dolphins. There were two small groups of about five to six in each group. Regrettably, no one trained these dolphins like the ones you see in the movies. They did not swim close to the boat. They did not dance backwards on their tail. They did not act all that friendly at all. For one wild minute, I was tempted to jump overboard and feign drowning just to test their level of commitment to their fellow creatures. My sense was that unless I had a fish in both hands, I would have been out of luck.

When Stuart finally called it quits, we reached shore by 11:45am. He asked if we wanted to see a beach. Sure, why not? Well being born on the shore, most beaches do not impress me; this was no different. Sandy colored sand and water. Not much to brag about. I never left the car, but Ron wanted to walk in the sand for a few minutes. Stuart and I waited.

For lunch, Stuart took us to an outdoor food court where they cater to those who work up an appetite from sunning

themselves on the beach. Most of the options were seafood, but we went to one that Stuart recommended. Ron and I chose the same thing. Called cazuelas, this is dish is made from mashed plantains, and then mixed with your choice of fish, shrimp, or mixtures of both with a sauce on top, and then baked. It was heavenly!

So now, both of us are wondering what we are going to get for the outrageous amount of money we shelled out for the day. Stuart was not full of suggestions, so Ron offered that he could take us to the bus station and then guide us in buying our tickets for Alausí

tomorrow. He was amenable to doing this, so Ron pushed a bit further adding that we really could use a supermarket for dinner fixings. The bus station in Guayaquil is like a horrendously large mall or a city unto itself. Not only is it a gigantic bus station, but there are supermarkets, stores for mobile phone, toys, clothing, pharmacies and just about anything else you could possibly need. It was incredible and immaculately clean.

Our tickets for our 4 ½ hour ride to Alausí cost us $5 each. The cost of transportation has blown me away. The shuttle from Cuenca to Loja was $12 each. There were six of us in the van for a total of $70 collectively for a 4-hour trip. I cannot imagine how much the drivers must earn.

We had our tickets, our groceries and directions for where to go within the terminal to get our bus tomorrow. Stuart dropped us off at 4:00pm.

Do I have r’egrets? I have quite a few.

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Ecuador - Guayaquil

The photo album is online here.

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Concentrated Covering of Guayaquil in a Short Visit

I love this city in short doses, because we can see and do all the things that we want in a short amount of time, and then leave. Never tiring of the Malecon, I can walk that daily and still appreciate it again and again. Since we were here last

time, they added a children’s recycling education center. To prove their point, they have recyclables all over the gardens surrounding the building as examples. In the center, they hold classes for school groups. 

We inspected each garden in the Malecon at least once, some

a multitude of times. Ducks in the Malecon get up close and personal. This is most likely because dispensers have food to buy specifically for feeding the ducks.

Venturing into the Minor Basilica de la Merced, we found the most unusual column ornaments. Praying angels

adorn four sides of each and every column in the church. The cathedral was less ornate, therefore, did not deserve photographic endeavors. As I had mentioned, we went to the Religious Museo of Nahim Isaisa. I still have no idea who he is. 

For non-religious escapes, we went to the Municipio de

Guayaquil, Palacio de la Gobernación, Centro Cultural Simón Bolivar, La Rotunda, Casa Calderón in the Las Peñas barrio, Museo de la Musica Popular Guayaquileña “Julio Jaramillo”, Puerto Santa Ana, and back to the archaeology museum. On the way, we found two art galleries open that had not been open any other time we passed. They were extremely inviting; we gave in and browsed. I am certain I missed something. Oh, we were going to visit the home of some famous local painter, but apparently, no one was at home or this was not their receiving time.

One favorite place is Parque Seminario, also called Parque Bolivar, but affectionately known as iguana park. Thousands of iguanas live in this park as well as squirrels and turtles. Generally, we never see the turtles of squirrels, but the iguanas are front and center at all times. Photos of this park will be a separate post.

For dinner, we went to the Pilsner Club on the Malecon. This is their rainy season in this part of the country. Early evening the showers started, but we chose to eat on the covered balcony. Within an hour, we each had half a dozen mosquito bites. This was the first time in Ecuador on the trip that any bugs have bothered us at all. 

Tomorrow is the dolphin and mangrove tour. 

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By the Guyas River in Guayaquil

After a four-hour shuttle ride, we arrived in Guayaquil, almost able to walk a straight line. This is the largest city in Ecuador with close to three million people as well as a major port for South America. The city sits on the Guayas River. This is a hop-off point for many of the cruises to the Galapagos. Other cruise lines port here for one to three days.

Here we rented an apartment in a modern high rise right on

the river, though our view overlooks the hills of Las Peñas. Our host left the keys at the security desk in the lobby, but there was some confusion as to our presence, but it was finally resolved. With a living room/kitchen combination, a short hallway leads into the single bedroom. The entire wall is glass windows that open in sections, which is great when the air conditioning is off. 

Our key card only allows the elevator to go to the ground floor and the ninth floor where the apartment is located. On the thirteenth floor is a swimming pool, exercise room, and sauna, but unfortunately we realized the entire floor is being remodeled, so there is nothing of use for us there. 

Las Peñas is the founding area of the city in the sixteenth century. There are markers declaring it an historic landmark.

Since the founding of the city, the area after rebuilding the houses, painted them bright colors. This area has the majority of Guayaquil's colonial buildings. It is located on the slopes of Cerro Santa Ana, a steep rocky hill. The Las Peñas neighborhood was home to eleven Ecuadorian ex-presidents, four Ecuadorian writers and Ernest Hemingway, 2 Ecuadorian painters and several others of note.

I love this meter on the Malecon, showing the rays of the sun

at any given time. We were out during the worst time. A true

need for heavy sunblock and shade.

One tourist challenge is to climb the 444 steps where there are green areas for relaxing or finding restaurants, cafes, art galleries, and craft shops at different levels along the way. Starting from the street level, the numbered steps aid you in knowing your progress. No, we have not done this this time.

When we leave the building by the back door, we pass other similar modern high rises as the one where we are. What is interesting is all of them have business space available on the ground floor, but 90% of this space is empty. I am curious to know how many of the apartment complexes are also empty. We are in River Front II with River Front I on one side and the Wyndham Hotel on the other.

One of the things that I loved about Guayaquil the last time we were here was the Malecon Simón Bolivar. This is a riverside esplanade that extends for miles as it borders the

Guayas River. On one end of the Malecon, closest to us, is the Museo Antropológico y de Arte Contemporáneo. Actually, as a huge complex, it houses contemporary art exhibits; there are currently two different artists have work on display. Another section has the anthropology exhibits from this particular area as well as some pieces from other parts of the country. However upstairs is a giant cinema hall and a separate auditorium.

Continuing down the Malecon, we discovered it is even more beautiful than it was the last time we were here. Additional

gardens blossomed in the diverse landscaping. Added new fountains send sprays of cooling mist into the air; there are areas that are playful for children and adults alike. Various

paths will give entirely different views and experiences of fauna. At the opposite end from where we are located, a number of cheap eateries cater to those less economically successful. This is an area of caution, but the entire Malecon has security guards and CCTV.

Integrated in the Malecon are shopping arcades for those that need retail therapy. Commemorating the famous meeting of Simon Bolivar and Jose de San Martin, the "Rotonda" monument is an everlasting reminder of this historic event that took place here. The last time we were here, a Christmas village with giant toy soldiers dominated the area. It was quite festive, even being in the 85-degree range.

Once off the Malecon, we hunted for the tourism office. Ron had his mind set on a mangrove forest tour with or without dolphins. Regardless of all the searching online, the address of the tourism office in Guayaquil remains elusive. After much hunting, I did find a listing on a TripAdvisor forum. It turned out to be old information with the office having moved. We did discover what looked like a tourism office in the same building as the Religion Art Museum Nahim Isaias Barquet.

We went in and the lovely lady did not speak a word of English. As hard as we tried explaining we did not want the book on Cuenca, we did not need tours for the Amazon, we wanted to know about local things. Ron left more frustrated than satisfied, but ASSumed that there had to be yet another tourism office. 

Before his wild goose got loose, we toured the Religion Art Museum Nahim Isaias Barquet. It was interesting and diverse, but all Catholic art. Then we spent close to two hours

looking for what Ron believed had to be another tourism office. All those questioned, directed us back to the one that left us dissatisfied. What is really intriguing is that Ecuador is the first foreign country to advertise during the Super Bowl, yet they don't have their tourism offices manned with multilingual speakers. The Cuenca office has a man who is fluent in English and Guayaquil is such a transition point for other parts of the country. We finally settled on a travel agency.

There, due to the infrastructure, we spent another 1 ½ hours getting tour tickets. Though a bona fide English speaker navigated our needs, she needed to climb under a desk to plug in a phone line, do something on the computer, unplug the phone line, make a call, rustle up some papers, and so it went. We finally walked out a whole lot poorer and a voucher for the tour. Ron has a line he loves to us “This is a once in a life time opportunity.” So is landing in the poorhouse, but still I give in most of the time.

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Are You Joking? Redeeming Reward Miles Cost a Fortune!

Ron and I were planning on going to Quito, Ecuador for three months starting in December, but then Ron decided that he would rather spend winter in a cold environment for a change. Each year we have been spending winters in the southern hemisphere to avoid being Popsicles; it’s time for a change and married life includes compromise.

Now we are planning to leave mid-January, returning mid-April. I have been miserly collected frequent flyer miles from multiple airlines, but Delta has the most saved. There are close to 200,000 miles in my Delta American Express account with another 189,000 in a general American Express account. Still there is a stash in my Diners Club account, but I have not checked to see if they are partners with Delta. Rarely do I transfer miles until I am certain to cash them in. Knowing these tallies would be beyond sufficient, I ventured over to the Delta website to view possible frequent flyer flights.

First I examined the flights from Budapest to Quito for various dates. It would have cost 300,000 miles, which seemed excessive, but I have the miles to cover it. What you don’t realize when you think about using miles is the hidden fees of taxes and other made-up fees the airlines use to collect revenue. These can be exorbitant. Taxes and fees for this particular flight cost 244,000 Hungarian forints in addition to the 300,000 miles. At the exchange rate du jour, this ran to $1,100. No flight options were available from Budapest to Guayaquil, but did look at other alternatives.

Delta’s flight pattern is through Atlanta, one of their hubs. Trying another alternative, I explored flights from Budapest to Atlanta. Using frequent flyer miles it would’ve cost us 185,000 miles, but again the fees were excessively shown as 292,400 Hungarian forints. The exchange this time came to $1,317, more than going straight through and not getting us close to South America. Closer, yes, but still not close. So where is the benefit in frequent flyer miles?

In June, Delta is changing their frequent flyer program. They will no longer award miles based on mileage, but it will be based on the amount of money spent for the ticket. Remembering the good old days when flying from the US to Europe only cost 30,000 miles, it is now exactly that, a memory.


Where exactly are the 'rewards' here? It seems they give with one hand while carving out your heart and wallet with the other. All the while, they want you to be grateful.

It seems we will have to bite the bullet paying for our tickets, collecting more frequent flyer miles, and possibly using them in the future for some emergency need. Alternatively, we may use them for a stay at a nice hotel; generally this is not our modus operandi. However when we do go to Ecuador this time, we intend to rent an apartment rather than staying in a hotel, a B & B or a hostel.

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A Peaceful, Joyous, Prosperous 2014

As festive as the picture may look, our New Year celebration was almost non-existent. We returned to Panama City yesterday afternoon, because we fly to Nicaragua tomorrow morning early. Being told that there are no municipal celebrations, so no fireworks to hunt down, no best viewing place, we decided to stay put. Whether this information was accurate or not, if there were something happening, the dangers of sidestepping individuals with wayward firecrackers would not have been worth the risk.

It has been decades since New Year’s Eve has been an rousing holiday for me. We have had some memorable New Year’s celebrations in the past such our dinner cruise in Sydney, Australia; gathering in Lisbon, Portugal where a young couple gave us glasses of champagne because we had none; and Guayaquil, Ecuador where they burn effigies to rid the future of unwanted things or people. Every year for the last nineteen, we have watched the calendar turn over in some city and country other than the one we called home at the time. Having a visual feast of fireworks is not as important to me as feasting on the love and friendship of those around me. Even when others were absent, for the last twenty years, I have had Ron by my side to welcome in the New Year, anticipating what may unfold in the next twelve months.

This year was no different; we were together in embracing the New Year as it unfolded, except we did not leave our room. We watched movies, shared a bottle of wine and snacked on cheese and olives. It was all we needed this time, this year, shedding the past and welcoming the new.

There are planned life changes already in the forecast for 2014. Our wedding is 3 months and 18 days away. By the time we return to Budapest, it will be even closer. That is a thrilling, but scary thought considering all that needs to be accomplished still. Other ideas and life changes are percolating.

Regardless of how you have welcomed in the New Year, I wish all of us good health, abundant prosperity, and a fulfilling life.

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Under the Weather Reader Writes In

A reader commented on my post "Under the Weather" with 
"Well, tell us about your favorite destination so far. Where would you like to live, if you had the choice?"

After having traveled to over 50 countries, picking one is like sharing who your favorite child is. However, like having a large family, there are children I would like to visit more often than others. There are few children that I don't want to ever visit again, but pressed, I could do without Morocco again. Luxembourg was nice twice, but three times is not the charm.

Where would I love to live if I had the choice? This is an interesting question, since we all have a choice to live just about anywhere we want to live. The real question is do we want to make the sacrifices to make it happen? For some, it may mean leaving family, while for others it may mean leaving the security of a pay check.

My sites are set on Central or South America next. I fell in love with Guayaquil, Ecuador, but the majority of Americans are in Cuenca, Ecuador. Ron wants to check out Panama and possibly Nicaragua also. We will see what research and the future holds.

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Ecuador - Guayaquil Photos

Ecuador - Guayaquil have been uploaded and are here.

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From Tearful Good-Byes to Ruff Nights

North Seymour 

6:30 Dry landing – closed shoes, rocky trail, frigate birds expedition
8:00 Back on board
Breakfast
9:15 transfer out.

Last night, 6:30 am sounded so very early to leave, but I was up at 4:30 and could not fall asleep again. Ron got up because I set the alarm a half hour too early, so we were up before the crew. Some were dozing in the lounge. No coffee yet! Get to work and get the coffee brewing.

Another, but the last rocky trail to execute our balancing skills is the mornings off shore experience finale, before leaving for the airport. I realized that what makes these rocky trails especially difficult with a group is trying to plan your steps from one rock to another. Sometimes I have my next stepping stone all planned, but the person ahead of me decides to either stop for a photo or back-up. While I am in mid-stride, I have to do an immediate reconnoitering to decide where I am going to land. Sometimes the results are disastrous as I sail through the air like Dumbo without the gracefulness. For someone my size, I do have narrow feet for a man. The US American male average is a D width, but mine is a C, making them too slender to keep balance all that well. Thankfully, I never aspired to being a trapeze artist.
  
On the frigate bird expedition we learned the differences between the Great and Magnificent versions, the latter have a purple stripe on its back. They are not cross mating birds so they stick to their own kind. Birds of a feather frock together, but don’t tolerate mixed relationships. Fortune was with us to see a few of the males extend their usual floppy red pouches until they looked like they were having one of those party contests where you hold a balloon under your chin trying to pass it on to the next person. Females are attracted to the largest distended neck and choose their mate based on a size factor. Large chicks in training were all over the trees as well, gaining their courage and getting life coaching to take off on their own. Frigates have to capture their fish without landing on the water. Their feathers don’t have the oils needed to keep them water repellent, with a drowning result if they are not careful.

Blue footed boobies were on call also. I have to admit these are the only birds I was excited to see; they are my favorites. Their feet start out a dark greyish blue, but get more vibrant as they mature. BFB bodies are not much to brag about, so if they didn’t have the blue feet, they would probably not draw any near as much attention. We never did see the red footed booby, but we did have ample opportunity for the Naszca booby.

Breakfast was ready when we returned, our last one on board this boat with this group of people. Soon, we will all set off on our different ways, trying to keep in touch via e-mail or in some cases Facebook. As time goes by, it will be interesting to see who keeps in touch. We have had people we met years ago on safaris, come to stay with us at our B and B. Maybe we can meet for a European reunion.

With all of our luggage placed in the lounge, we each did our last minute tasks: filling out evaluation forms, saying good-bye to the staff, rechecking rooms for forgotten items, and getting shoes on for the last dinghy ride this trip. Our luggage went ahead of us, so it and the bus to the airport were waiting for us when we arrived. This was the challenging part saying good-bye to the few who were not flying on with us. Then it was cumbersome yet again at when we arrived in Quito wishing well those who were going onward to other places or to home.

Once again, I was totally impressed with the AeroGal flight. We went from Baltra to Guayaquil about a 2 hour flight, left passengers there and then continued on to Quito adding another 30-45 minutes. The service on the first leg included a cold, but lovely lunch. On the second segment, it was a drink service.   

Our agency had arranged a pick-up at the airport, so there was no need for a taxi. Neither the driver nor the escort knows how to reach our hotel, our third one in Quito. It is called Colonial House because the building is 200 years old and protected by the historical society. When we did approach it, I was not amused by our choice. It seemed far away from most things and not a fabulous looking neighborhood. Yet, it did get rave reviews on TripAdvisor and HostelBookers.com. 

We were greeted by Paco, the first time we had heard that name here. He is young, friendly, with excellent English skills, which seemed to disintegrate as the hours passed. We arrived at 4 pm. Our confirmation stated that we could check in any time after 6:30 am, unusually early, but what the heck. However, as Paco was giving us a tour, of the dining room, kitchen, computer room, game room, and outdoor garden with patio, he was also informing us that the people in our room would not be leaving until 9 pm. What? 

Ron spent some time outside talking to a Canadian couple looking to move to Ecuador so they are doing the feasibility trip to check it out along with a month of Spanish lessons in another town. There was also a professor from Colorado who came and went during the conversation. Excusing myself, I headed to a table in the garden to check e-mail and start the uploading of blog posts. Once I had a handle on it, I joined the group conversation. Oh, yea! In the garden, the hostel has chickens, including a rooster, two ducks, and four rabbits.

Deciding it was long due for dinner, our Canadian friend suggested a local Italian restaurant to which we poo-pooed and said we wanted something local. Big mistake in this neighborhood. The local cooking is primarily street meet for street meat with Mama setting up her hibachi right outside her door while she cooks mystery meat on a stick. The end all was to go to a local Ecuadorian version of a fast food restaurant. I ordered the chicken combo, which was fine until they brought the soup. I spooned the broth, found something floating that was white as fresh snow, but had claws. There was a full and complete chicken foot in my soup. Waiter, there is something foul going on here.

Arriving back at the hotel by 8:00, we half expected to be able to check in when we returned, but this was not the case. We had to wait for the others to leave the room at 9 pm and then have it cleaned. They called it the ‘matrimonial’ room as it is the only one with a private bathroom, but a single bed. There are no words to describe the fumes that were emitting from my heat, but Ron found a comfy sofa and fell asleep.

On the top floor, they did assist with the luggage, but we were located right across from the television lounge which adjoins the 2nd community kitchen. The owner seemed a little embarrassed by the delay in our getting our room, so she showed me the lovely view out the window, if we stood on one leg, leaned to the right, held on so as not to fall, and look over the other buildings. 

9:47 pm there is a dog barking in the street right under our window. There is another dog competing somewhere toward the back of the building. 11:59 pm the dogs have not stopped barking. Took a sleeping aid, but still nothing has kicked in. Finishing my book and then will try. This is the smallest double bed I have slept in. Not a happy camper.

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Guayaquil - Gotta Love It

It is January 1, 2013 and we walked through Guayaquil's broad sidewalks, even broader streets, some are ten cars across. The streets are pretty empty since it is the holiday and nothing in open. There are few restaurants open at all; the only ones are the hotel dining options.

Guayaquil is the largest city in Ecuador, out-sizing Quito. Other than the small town of Otavalo, it is the cleanest city we have seen. There are a mix of skyscrapers and colonial type buildings mixed and mashed on the same block. There are buildings that look like Art Deco and others that look like something from the future. The city has the river Guay on one side, where there is an extensive boardwalk. They term it a boardwalk, but being from NJ, I am a purist. It is tiled the entire length that runs for a couple of miles. 

We had to stop at a Ramada hotel for a drink at lunch time, because we could not find anything else open where we were. Lunch was the intent, but neither of us remembered cash or credit cards, so it was do with what we had.

The city has dozens of statues, fountains and parks. The parks are lush teeming with trees, plants and wildlife like our friend above. It is a very likable and seeming livable. Ecuador is the #1 country for North American ex-pats according to AARP, Transitions Abroad, and International Living among others.

Later in the evening, we went to a 5 star hotel for dinner in their restaurant. To celebrate the holiday and since I found out that vodka is very low in carbs, I had a martini, my first in decades. It was so good. We had a wonderful dinner and evening.

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Burn Baby, Burn

Okay, I have been avoiding the owners of the hostal/hostel like the plague, because I did not trust myself to be civil after that party. There was no warning, no concern, no nothing that an accommodation should offer in such a situation. We are leaving today on a 3:30 pm shuttle for Guayaquil; the best way to avoid them to send Ron, the mediator to do all the work. Ron is a people pleaser, so he will tell them all the positive kudos they want to hear about our stay as I am in the room writing my TripAdvisor commentary with the wrath of Simón Bolívar as he was kicking Spanish ass.

I knew they were playing Musical Chairs the night of the party, because I kept peeking through the blinds. It was not until I went into the kitchen, right next to our room that I spotted the Pin the Tail on the Donkey paper taped on the wall RIGHT under our bedroom window. The nerve of it all and for god sakes, not one of them was under 25 years old. How crazy!!

This was our last go round with the city of Cuenca, the 3rd largest in the country. In some ways 3 days was too long, but I fear I did not give it a fair trial. My church junkie needs were met today, because most of the churches were closed until today. We went from church to church, but even I became overwhelmed with photographing gold, so quit.

Some Canadians started talking to us as we were leaving the park, there was some parade forming with dozens of floats, all nativity recreations. Some people hold onto grudges, these guys refuse to give up Christmas. Anyway, the Canadians had been here for 7 years and love it. They were not sure why other than it was cheap. Apparently, you can get a long term Visa if you have an income of $800 a month. They have a 1600 square foot, 2 bedroom place with a huge patio and only pay $400 a month for rent. No one I spoke with could pinpoint the attraction of this town that drew them other than the fact that it is cheap and there are many other ex-pats. None of them explored other cities or towns before deciding on this one. Rather short sighted.

Just a side note for my own memory, no one can sell alcohol on Sundays throughout the country. Therefore, you will not find a single bar open and not one restaurant will sell you a beer.

Being New Year’s Eve, there are still more businesses closed than open. We did find the used English Bookstore, called Carolina’s open. Quite a comprehensive collection, we swore we would not buy any books, because we brought books to read and leave for others. We found 2 we surely would not find in Budapest. Chatting with the owner, she is from South Carolina, hence the name of the store and her name is Caroline. She and hubby have been here 17 years.

Taking a taxi to the shuttle office, we arrived in quick time, which was fortunate as we were told the shuttle was leaving at 4pm, but a Brit on the same was told 3:30. The scenery was breathtaking; hairpin curves in thick fog at times almost instilled a renewed interest in religion. When there was clear viewing the mountains and green pastures were glorious. This really is a beautiful country.

Arriving at 7:00 pm, we took a taxi to our hotel. Lovely place, Hostal Joshua is highly recommended. Finding a restaurant open on New Year’s Eve was a difficult as my passing for 40. Unlike our budgetary needs dictated, we had to settle for a high priced seafood brasserie. As we were scanning the menu, we both realized that our charge cards were at the hotel. Between us, we had $40. Dinner was sparse. Ron had soup and a beer; I had an appetizer crab salad and diet Coke. The bill was $32.89.

Ron finally found a place where he can watch CNN to see if the USA has sailed over the fiscal cliff or if a bridge of sanity was constructed. The joke on him was that 99% of the coverage was New Year’s Eve in NYC with Kathy Griffon and Anderson Cooper. The real thrill of the night came close to midnight.

Our host directed us out on the street where the neighbors gather for the festivities. All of the local families brought their dolls that they created or bought. Spider Man, the Hulk, and Little Smurf made an appearance along with a dozen others we did not recognize. They all stood there like ladies in waiting or Joan of Arc waiting for their fate. Before midnight, there were dozens of fireworks sailing through the sky, lighting it with gold, green, and reds at times singularly and others in combination. The real show starts close to midnight when all of the dolls who have been so patient are put in a pile in the street where they are saturated with gasoline and lit on fire.

The surprise for us was that each of these babes and boys were filled with firecrackers. As they burned, they exploded. There must have been some layering, because not all of the firecrackers went off at the same time. They continued over time for twenty minutes or more for several. It was quite fun to be part of the neighborhood. They seemed to enjoy sharing it; a number of people made a point to pass by us and wish a Happy New Year!

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