Complacent for too long…

Complacent for too long…

Sometimes, you have to take the long way around to get where you want to go or you may not appreciate the destination as much.

It came to me in a small, dank somewhat smelly hotel room the darkness of night. I was actually jolted awake by these thoughts: “Why would you want to move to a Country that is well down the path of Socialism?” “It’s time to take a stand and you need to do it at home!”

Hmm, why couldn’t I have these thoughts prior to getting on a plane and riding for over 3000 miles, I would have saved lots of money not to mention the indignity of have those friendly folks at TSA go through my underwear at the airport?

Ecuador has an almost magical quality to it. Everywhere you turn your to look is like a picture that needs to be taken. I found the people friendly and engaging, someone is always willing to point the way or offer advice as to where to find “the best” place for lunch or some spectacular attraction. You do need to be aware of who is in close proximity because you will find out quickly that relieving you of your valuable is a favorite sport here.

The soil is rich and fertile the temperature is moderate for most of the Country. I could love it here and I know my family would too. There is only one glaring issue for me, the Government.

The President here recently got re-elected to office. He was, apparently pretty moderate during his first term but now that he has a second go at it he seems to be stepping up and cozying up to the likes of Cuba’s Castro and every freedom lovers favorite, Hugo Chaves. Ecuador’s President is initiating some “programs” that sound just like they came from the commie play book.

Stuff like: Taking control of all media or how about “community councils”? Community councils sound like Hitler’s brown shirts all over again. You better only have good things to say the Government or that crash you hear in the middle of the night may be your door getting kick in. I love this one; if you own any “unused ground” the Government will take it off your hands and give it to the “people”. These are not instituted yet but they are talking pretty seriously putting them into effect.

Now what?

I caught a flight and came home last night. (Sept. 1st)

And now, I have a “fire in my belly”!

No, nothing to do with the diarrhea I have been experiencing for the last few days.

It’s the kind of fire that motivates a guy to action. No longer will I be silent and just grumble under my breath about the direction our County is going. No longer will I grumble to my family and close friends about the sad state of affairs we are now in and how I wish somebody would do “something”.

We are under attack!

Our God, our Families, our Country are under attack!

Who is attacking us you ask? Evil scheming men in high Government positions that want to ultimately control every aspect of our lives. This is nothing new, since the time of Adam there have been those who plot to take away freedom and choice.

Do I sound like some anti-Government nut job to you? I’ve been accused of worse but please know that I love the Constitution and the Government that our founding fathers were inspired by God to put into place.

If you can’t see what is happening then right before your own eyes then roll over and go back to sleep. Me, I am getting involved!

How did it come to this?

A man, I am sorry to admit that in the past, I have not paid much attention too, who, the more I read his words the more I am in awe of his grasp of what Governments is supposed to be and who was sounding the alarm over 40 years ago; A man who has served as in the Federal Government as the Secretary of Agriculture and as the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Ezra Taft Benson suggested who is to blame and how we have come to this, he said:

“The troubles of the world may largely be laid at the doors of those who are neither hot nor cold; who always follow the line of least resistance; whose timid hearts flutter at taking sides for truth.”

“I accept humbly this obligation and challenge and gratefully strive to do my duty without fear. In times as serious as these, we must not permit fear of criticism to keep us from doing our duty, even at the risk of our counsel being tabbed as political, as government becomes more and more entwined in our daily lives.

In the crisis through which we are now passing, we have been fully warned. This has brought forth some criticism. There are some of us who do not want to hear the message. It embarrasses us.

The things which are threatening our lives, our welfare, our freedoms are the very things some of us have been condoning. Many do not want to be disturbed as they continue to enjoy their comfortable complacency.”

--Ezra Taft Benson- 1973

Ouch! I have been comfortably complacent for most of my life… Time for a change, how about you?

Time to get Political

>>>>Be Warned!<<<<

Ardent political view expressed below...

If you think the Country is going the right way- do not read...

If you think Mr. Obama is Deity on earth- do not read...

If you think socialism is the way to go- Please do not read...

...because you WILL be offended.

A friend of mine made the comment the other day that he thought I went to Ecuador to do a “walk about”. A walk about? Me? Not really.

You remember that guy from down under who said the line “Come on down to Australia and we’ll throw another shrimp on the barb’y for ya”. Paul Hogen, aka Crocodile Dundee is his name and he made a couple of movie that made the term “walk about” famous.

I suppose a walk about means to aimlessly go some place and tour around with no real objectives or plan, perhaps when you go on a walk about you are trying to learn more about yourself than anything at least that is my interpretation of the term.

If that is what it is intended to mean then nothing could be farther from the truth in my case.I’m here for several reasons and nothing about this trip is aimless, I have objectives and I certainly know who I am. So, a walk about is not accurate and my buddy is mistaken. (I still love ya Scott!)

I came on this trip because of what is going on back home. Maybe you missed it but our Republic is changing right before our eyes.

“We the People” now own a majority share of General Motors, a once PRIVATE all be it publicly owne company. How could this happen? And the President of the United States of America can somehow fire the CEO?

Watch this video regarding your Government taking over GM: http://tinyurl.com/kmggu3

Big banks have been handed our money with no accountability; go ahead request an accounting for where the money went from the Fed (Federal Reserve) and see how your request is handled.Prepare to be ignored.

If the Gov is running a little short of cash they will just print more right?

I will never be accused of being a great scholar but what happens when you print money that is basically worthless? Oh yeah, you will probably experience something called hyperinflation.Even I remember from Mr. Wells World History class at Mesa High, home of the bad A Jackrabbits, the photo of the woman with the wheel barrow full of money heading to the bakery to buy a loaf of bread. That’s where we are headed, better stock up on wheel borrows while you can.

This whole health care “debate” is unbelievable. The Government wants to take over health care? What the heck? Our Government couldn’t pour water out of a boot with the directions written on the heel! And they want to take over the health care system? Have you read what is contained in the Bill they want to pass? Probably not, if you are like most.

Oh yes, and the Department of Homeland Security wants to keep an eye on folks who own guns, believe in God and are dissatisfied with “Our Dear Leader”. According to DHS these types of folks should be considered extremists and not just extremists but “Right wing extremists”, the most EV-IL sort of extremist.

I could go on but maybe my reasoning for concern is a little clearer to you by now.

Maybe you think me a crank, thats OK. Maybe all is well in your happy place but maybe YOU have fallen asleep because you don’t feel like you are affected; don't worry, you will feel it soon enough.

Anyway, now that my blood pressure is at dangerously high levels I will calm down and explain why I came on this trip.

Basically, I wanted a palace to go to that I felt my family and I could escape the wholesale destruction of what once was the greatest County in the World.

Guess what? I'm not alone.

I have met at least 3 couples who feel the same way that I do in my travels here in Ecuador, they are looking for a place to weather the storm as it were. If I have met 3 couples sofar, could there be more? You bet! Lots of them.

The USA may still be the greatest but Mr. Obama is hell bent to see it no longer is; this the Country whose Constitution was inspired by God Himself and the Country which been the economic engine that has fought for and funded freedom and democracy around the word.

We are being cut off at the knees and will be paying taxes at levels that will reduce us to mere servents of the state. Just ask out friends in England how it feels to pay the kind of taxes they are now paying. Now, there is some change that you may not have counted on if you voted for B.O..

I wanted a place to run and hide with my family while trying to maintain some or most of those basic freedoms.

A place where arbitrary laws written by boneheaded bureaucrats/politicians based on junk science (Note: vague reference to Global Warming here) would not get in the way of living one’s life to its fullest and highest potential a place where political machinations’ by evil men would not exist. (Look up “machinations” it’s a good word to know these days)

Does this place exist?

Well frankly, NO.

There is no place that is a utopia, not yet anyway but I thought even with all its warts, it's left leaning President and the murderous revolutionary Che Guevara loving people, (not all ecuadorians like Che but enough of them do) Ecuador might be as close as it gets. (Che Guevara, the guy’s image you see wearing a beret, usually warn on T-shirts by miss-guided Idiots)

So, what have I discovered?

That my friend is the rest of the “Why did I come to Ecuador” story, stay tuned and stand up for Freedom!

P.S. I have recently learned the Ted Kennedy has left this mortal realm. At this time of remembrance of the life of Mr. Kennedy I would just like to take note and say: “This is the best thing he has ever done.” Adieu, Chappaquiddick Ted, Adieu. Che, Murderous Revolutionary>>>

Been there, seen that…

I have covered some ground lately. I left Banos and hired a guy to drive me to Cuenca. Cuenca is pretty far South of Quito in the lower third of Ecuador.

Let me just say that Danny, my driver is a heck of a nice guy but crazy as a loon when it comes to driving. We left at 10:00 am on Tuesday (I think it was Tuesday anyway) and arrived in Cuenca at about 5:30pm. When I got into Dannys truck he pointed out that it was a new truck and was very proud of that fact. It was a fairly new 4 door Chevrolet diesel LUV pickup but what caught my eye was the baldness or lack of tread of the back tires. I remarked in my pigeon Spanish, “Neccata Nuevo Yantas, Danny” (necessary for new tires Danny, I think that’s what it means).

He just smiled and helped me put my bags in the back seat. If you have spent any time in Latin America you will know what machismo is. Bear with me while I release a little of my own machismo: If know me, you know I don’t scare that easy especially when it comes to driving (there, machismo released).

All I can say is “OH-MY-GOODNESS!!!” Apparently, if Danny was going to make good money that day he had to get me to Cuenca in a hurry. Are you familiar with the term “Pucker factor”? I don’t feel the need to explain it if you don’t but let’s just say I may have created little round holes in Danny’s passenger seat as a result of Pucker Factor.

He drove like a man possessed by the spirit of the late great NASCAR legend Dale Earnheart and nothing I could say would slow him down. Now, this wouldn’t have really been all that bad on U.S. roads. The interstates back home are something to behold compared to a lot of what they consider interstate here. Ecuador is really trying to improve the interstates but they aren’t quite there just yet.

The road condition being what it is, seems to magnify the fact that these roads are some of the most hair pin, tire squealing, gut wrenching-no guard rail, sheer cliff drop offs, I have ever experienced. If the driver miss calculates the turn he can expect to know what it feels like to fly because it will be quite a few seconds before impact. Judging some of the drop-offs, I’d say it may take a full 15-25 seconds to hit bottom if you go off the edge at speed.

Remember I mentioned the fact that Danny’s truck had no tread on the rear tires? I guarantee that little fact was never very far from my thoughts especially in the midsts of rounding the many hair pins on the crappy roads. “Danny, slow down!” was uttered by me more than a few times. Danny would always ask for forgiveness and slow down for at least 3 minutes and the cycle would repeat.

I really don’t know why I was such a nervous-nellie, I mean the site of a huge bus on its side just a few feet away from the long plunge into the abyss and the constant passing in the turns by Danny and those coming the other direction just made for a memorable trip, a long sphincter clamping trip.

Cuenca is a beautiful city. Narrow cobble stone streets, old Spanish architecture, big Churches, It was easier to walk to your destination than take a taxi due to the large volume of traffic. Cuenca even seemed more metropolitan than Quito. I hated it. Well, maybe not hated it but couldn’t wait to vamoose. I caught a $60 flight to Quito the next day. Seems that Northern Ecuador has more of what I’m after.

And what am I after? I’ll tell you tomorrow.

By the way, as perhaps a point of interest or even more accurate the nasty reality; I am experiencing something worse than explosive diarrhea. My oldest son Abe coined a phrase that is accurate in describing this condition. He experienced the samething in Guatemala while he was on his mission for the Church (LDS Church) but is too course to write here. It has to do with “spray” coming from a place where a “spray” shouldn't come from. I have already written too much but I wanted to add that I threw a perfectly good pair of socks away as a result of my gastronomic malty.

Lesson learned: “NEVER trust a fart”. (Abe pointed that phrase out to me also, thanks Abe. You have a lot of couth and it's all UN-)

Moving South

The view from my $8.50 a night room.

The bus trip down to Banos was uneventful and that is generally how I like my bus trips in Latin America. The way bus drivers maneuver those huge rolling bricks always amazes me. It’s a quirk of nature that the death toll for bus accidents isn’t off the chart but somehow, most of the time the bus and passengers arrive unscathed.

Banos is about 1/3 of the way south of the Ecuador and Columbian border. So far, my little short glimpse of Banos isn’t all that favorable at least for my purposes. It strikes me here as a party town, lots of foreigners looking to get sloshed (yes, I mean drink and get looped) and then run rapids on one of the nearby rivers and bike or hike up one of the many surrounding mountains. Nothing wrong with those activities but I don’t much care for the riffraff that is attracted to that stuff. Do I sound like an old grumpy conger or what? Sheese, my kids may be right… I AM an old fart.

Anyway, speaking of riffraff there is a hot springs in town and that may explain the many massage facilities that are evident on some of the streets. I think they are legitimate massage places but I will never know for sure. I have this thing about people touching me. A handshake is about the limit of my comfort zone so there is no chance of me getting a message but I just might try out the hot springs.

I am supposed to contact a guy about some property he has for sale here but then again I may pass on that too. It’s hard to get to Banos. The bus trip was a 4 hour ride and they don’t have an airport for commercial aircraft. I did meet a nice couple from the States they found a place to rent here. They were excited that it only cost them 150 per month which aint too bad, especially since it overlooks a river.

Perhaps I am just tired and I will fall in love with it here tomorrow, it really is beautiful here. We will see but whatever happens, happens.

The view from the back of the building I'm staying at in Banos.

Have a head ache? Maybe you just lack oxygen.

Three bucks will get your pretty much anywhere around Quito via taxi. If you have a plan and know what you want to do, taking a taxi is a bargain. It sure beats walking in my out of shape opinion. I did walk to Church this morning; it was only 4 blocks away, I can handle that.

Church was scheduled to start at 9:00 am and I was starring at a locked gate being the only one around at 8:45. Was I concerned? Not really, because this is Latin America and that’s the way it works here. Starting times are pretty much a suggestion of when something should begin. I love it.

Church went well; I was greeted and welcomed by most of the good folks who were flying in the door at the last minute so the service could begin. It’s interesting attending Church where you don’t understand anything but I knew when to say amen and recognized most of the hymns which I “sang” in English. The Spirit is all that is important and It was in attendance.

I bailed after Sacrament Service and had the whole day in front of me. There is this cable car gondola thingy that I heard about. What a great way to spend some time I thought and for the most part it was.

Flagging down the taxi I leaned in the passenger window and asked “Taxi metro?” He indicated that he not only had a meter but would actually use it. I got nicked the other day by a taxi driver who didn’t use a meter and I didn’t negotiate the cost of the ride prior to getting in. Lesson learned.

The taxi ride to the Teleferiqo (the cable car to the top of the world) was uneventful until the last quarter mile. The hill we were going up was extremely steep and the taxi just gave out. I mean it wouldn’t go another inch up the hill with me in the back. The driver was embarrassed and so was I. You know it’s time to lose weight when the car you’re riding in knocks’ out because it can’t handle the load.

Finally arriving at the place where you buy tickets for the cable gondola I spotted a sign that says Adults $4.50, Foreigners $8.00. “What the heck is this?” Why would they almost double the price for tourists? I thought. If I spoke the lango better than my current 1 year old level of Spanish I would give somebody a piece of my mind. After a few minutes of fuming I glance back up at the sign and it says something about “express service”. Hmm, could I get to the head of the line and bypass the hoards waiting to purchase a ticket?

Being a foreigner has its advantages. I would have been waiting in lines for 2 hours, at least, but because I am a foreigner and was willing to cough up 8 bucks for the privilege, I was ushered to the front of the line.

My gondola was waiting to transport me to head throbbing and lung burning hell. Once again I didn’t think about the effect of high altitudes and what it can to do the body.

For a couple of days after arriving in Quito I felt the effects of altitude sickness. Nothing major, just slight dizziness, headaches and the ever present mouth agape drawing in as much air as my lungs could suck in.

The gondola ride was absolutely beautiful. It was so wonderful I barely noticed the non-stop jabbering of the teeny boppers from Germany (I’m guessing). Nope, the ride was sptacular, awe inspiring in fact.

There are several platforms you can choose to go when you exit the gondola. After looking around I decide to go to the one that is up about 200 steps or so. I didn’t count the steps, there could have been more or less but who cares, I was feeling good!

Finally at the 10,000^th step or at least it felt like the 10,000^th step I was at my chosen destination. I didn’t know my heart could beat that fast or that I could suck in bugs from 10 feet away and why did everything look like I was looking down a narrow tube? At least I didn’t quit like that little wiener of a taxi that couldn’t get me up the hill. I had made it.

Snapping pictures almost faster than my camera could record them to the SD card I noticed a throbbing in my head. My heart rate was recovering and my vision was getting back to normal but the throbbing was just beginning. Ignore it; it will go away, right?

I visited other platforms and kept snapping pictures. Looking down at Quito from +13,000 is truly breath taking, figuratively and literally. After a couple of hours I was ready to make like a sea gull and get the flock out of there. My head hurt.

Turns out that Quito Ecuador is the second highest capitol city in the world following Lima Peru. I almost doubled that altitude buy going up to near the top of this huge mountain and now I know what altitude sickness is really all about. Not fun but what are you going to do? I got places to see and capillaries to burst.

Next:

Moving on. I’m done with Quito.

Mi grande cabasa is hurting.

Guinea pig: Furry Little Pet or Another White Meat?

What a day, what a day! I signed up for a tour of the Otavato market today. Not sure if this has anything to do with my hygiene but I was the only one to go. The trip itself was great but it was really nice to have the owner ofthe Travelers Inn as my guide and translator.

Anyway, from a guinea pig taste test to an incredible market to the finest leather craft I have ever seen. Oh, did I mention the scenery? Seldom have I seen such fantastic sites, if ever. This place is truly unbelievable and I have just barely scratched the surface.

Let's go to Church!

If you are going to see the sites of old town Quito (Ecuador) you will undoubtedly be looking at Churches. I don’t think it’s too much of an understatement to say the Churches here in Quito are rather ornate.

You may be the sort that prefers your alter wrapped in gold leaf, If so, this is the place for you. I visited 3 of the larger Churches and only got away with taking pictures in one but the one I did get photos of will give you at taste of how the houses of worship are done in this part of the world.

The rest of old town is pretty hilly with narrow streets typical of colonial architecture. It is a vibrant place bustling with activity. Some might say it has a certain charm. I say get me one of those 2 wheeled segway scooters to run around on and then I may notice the “charm”. Walking for most of the day at around 9000 feet altitude on hilly ground has the tendency to suck any high fluting fancy ideas regarding the appeal of any given place right out of me.

Here are some pictures:

I have straddled the equator! (And I liked it.)

Met a great family from London and overheard them talking about a little trip to the center of the world they were planning on taking. Being the shy type I naturally kind of invited myself and tagged along.


For 12 bucks you can’t beat this type of outing. If that is all I would have spent that would have been great but of course I had to buy a new finely crafted wool shoulder bag. The Indian lady who sold me the bag was a master negotiator.

She started out at $12 dollars but that was just a ploy, she wanted $10 and she knew I would pay it. She toyed with me allowing me to think I could come out on top of this deal but my feeble attempts to get her down proved futile. Her confident expression and unyielding manner made me cave in early on. But now I can ditch my militaristic looking gringo bag and hopefully attract less attention of would be bad guys- but I digress.


First stop on the 12 buck tour was the outlook for the Pululaua valley. This just happens to be the largest volcano crater containing no water in South America and maybe the world. Very pretty, hopefully the picture will load and you can judge for yourself.


Then we stopped at a “museum” that explained many of the mysteries of life. For instance maybe you saw my videos in another post showing how water spins counter clockwise and or clock wise depending on which side of the equator you are on. Not only that but water won’t spin at all when you are standing directly on the equator. And by spin I mean like when you flush the toilet and the water spins, got it?


Not only did we learn about the Coriolis effect (the water spinning stuff) but also why certain Indian tribes go pretty much buck necked and tie there privy member up to keep it secure. They had a life sized anatomically correct statue for illustration purposes. That’s something a guy just won’t forget any time soon and that’s all I want say about that.

As if that wasn’t enough we also saw a real shrunken head and even learned how to shrink the heads of anyone we vanquish, if of course, the need arises.


Oh, least I forget our last stop of the day was the French made Center of the World Monument. Why did the French make it? I missed that part but it seems the French thought they would make a huge monument to exactly mark where the equator ran through. The only problem was they were off a few miles… but it’s the thought that counts right? Leave it to the French to mess up something like that up. Viva La Fenchies!

I don’t want to put too sharp a point on the whole fiasco but not too far from that monument is the ruins of a pre-Inca culture that made their own monument and they were only off less than 100 feet! (According to Google Earth)


What a day it was, I made new friends, learned some “stuff” and straddled the Equator all on a 12 dollar tour, what a deal.

Did you know...?

Did you know that depending on which side of the equator you are on will determine the direction water will spin when you flush the toilet?


This and other semi nonsensical facts are just waiting for any traveler who will take the time to learn.



Here is the dramatic Proof:





This one is showing water drainging on the North side of the equator (by just a few feet)

This on is directly ON the equator, its the real "NO SPIN ZONE" (sorry Mr. O'Rilley)

And the last video showing the South side of the equator you will just have to take my word for it because I cant get it to up load but rest assured it spins the other way than on the North side of the equator.

For Your Viewing Pleasure (or not)

You may be wondering, "will this video be corney?" Undoubttedly it will but what the heck to you expect?

Please know any opinions on the Kallari Chocolate are purley mine and mine alone. I gave others a taste and they loved it. These taste testers were from Europe and obviously have a more refined palet.

I think that I am just used to the American "caca" they pass off as Chocolate. Who knows?

In Country

Arriving in a foreign country always carries a little of apprehension for me. Did I fill the visa forms out properly? Did I bring the correct papers, do I look like a smuggler or some undesirable and will suffer extra scrutiny from the immigration officials?

It didn’t help that the good folks at Continental Airlines put the bug in my ear about my passport being messed up. When I got to Houston I was told to ask for a supervisor and have them inspect my passport. I even had an appointment with the passport office in Houston to get a new one if necessary.

Mr. Brooks looked at my ratty PP and said “you know they have zip lock bags you can keep these in”. Thanks, for the lecture but can I fly with this one or do I need a new one? “It looks good enough to me and I will add to your file that I gave approval”. “Oh, by the way, this doesn’t mean that the officials in Ecuador will accept it, have good day” Nothing happens and I breezed right on in to Quito.

I’m staying at a Hostel that costs $20 bucks a night. When I arrived at the Travelers Inn at 11:30pm Diego was waiting for me. He took me directly to my private room and asked if I need anything else. “Nope, not a thing, see you in the morning”. I was tired and didn’t waste any time spreading my silk sheet out on top of the bedding and passing out. It must have been 2 o’clock or so and I woke up freezing. It was time to get over my weirdness of letting hotel bedding touch me and I piled on the covers.

Sleeping in until 8:30 was a great treat but time is a’wasting; only have a month here and I got ground to cover. Shower then out the door. Diego was good enough to give me a city map and pointed out some interesting places to see and I was on my way. I felt slightly dizzy walking down the streets. Some of you may think that me being dizzy is not all that unusual and I can’t disagree but this was different.

Turns out Quito elevation is around 8000 feet or so I’m told. If true, it would explain my being out of breath and dizziness. If it’s not true then I am stroking out or something. I think it’s the altitude.

After my mid morning hour nap I was more coherent and made a plan. I wanted to see the Plaza Grande and the Basilica, two touristy things to do for sure. It was time to travel like a local also. The map says they have a trolley and it goes right past my intended targets (more or less).

On my way to the trolley I spy a sign that got me excited. “Trout Pro Shop” Hot Dog! Could it be possible I could wet a hood on this trip? Entering the store I somehow, in spite of my miserable Spanish skills I sealed the deal; I had a pack rod and reel, 3 spinners and a map to trout streams and lakes supposedly full of fatties (I’m talking fish here), all of this for under $22 dollars. A two hour bus ride and I can release my inner “EL PESQUADOR” (The fisherman, for you none Spanish speakers). Did I mention this fishing area is in very close proximity to hot springs?

The trolley trip was short due to some bonehead trying to get into my back vest pocket. I noticed him looking at me and my bag while waiting to get on the trolley and when I jammed on he followed me on and positioned himself behind me. He wasn’t a very good pickpocket because I felt him tugging on the zipper. I just turned around knocking his hand away and got off at the next station. Taking a taxi is safer and that is what I did.

Just got through talking to a guy who was robbed at gun point, he was walking to the hostel at about 8:00pm and got jacked. So much for carrying my mono pod around thinking I could beat a robber with a knife. Apparently they look for foreigners with back packs or bags assuming they have a lap top and a camera. The lessons to learn here is don’t walk at night and if you are out and about take a taxi.

Anyway this is my first post while in Country. Time to move along and get down the road.