COMING SOON HOUSE ADVERTISING ads_leader
Meet the "Kids"
L -> R you have Bruna, Carbon, Xanga, Lalo & Julieta. Juli & Carbon are Xanga's parents and Lalo & Bruna are Julieta's siblings. Oh, and the two-legged 'pet' is Tarek, the dog walker. "Long time no blog" some of my loyal readers have complained. Well, it's finally here! This entry covers a full four months (the longest stretch I've gone since starting to blog in Aug 2006!)
In late Feb, I made the long solo drive back down to the coast - 10 hrs - Scarlett's maiden voyage! A good audio book and the trip flies by! It was nice to be able to spend a week with Angela (the buyer of my cabanas) and her sons, showing them around the area, pointing out the best restaurants and introducing them to some folks who live nearby. The day that Angela and the boys headed north to return their rental vehicle in Manta, I took two of their friends south to catch a bus to Guayaquil.
The luxury bus from Olon had no more seats available, so we continued on further south to Santa Elena. My friend Virgina who lives in Guayaquil has a beach house in Ballenita near Santa Elena. After I dropped the friends at the bus station I gave Virginia a call. What luck! She had just arrived in Ballenita with her 90 year mother and
Dog Cuddles
As Julieta and I have an intimate conversation, Lalo stretches out for a rest and Xanga cuddles in close. My stress release was to sit on the step, enter their zone, & let the doggie love wash over me. her cousin Rosa (also my dear friend). They convinced me to spend the night (twisted my arm with a yummy shrimp ceviche!) Virginia rustled up some clothes for me to sleep in and she even found me a toothbrush!
I had to earn my keep, however. While Virginia pottered in the kitchen, Rosa and I spent hours and hours pulling ticks off Virginia's aging Golden Retriever, Brandy. During her last stay in Guayaquil, Virginia had left Brandy in the beach house garden which had unfortunately gotten infested with ticks. We picked off 1000's of the tiny beasts, dropping them into a beaker filled with soapy water where they continued to swim frantically. Any of the persistent buggers who fell to the floor found their way back onto Brandy, or us! We later searched one another's body for "walking freckles'!
That night we drove across the peninsula to visit Rosa's cousin in Salinas (the Miami of Ecuador). We sat in her high rise apt, sipping sweet cocktails and sharing cultural perspectives. The posh cousin lives in the US and takes her annual vacation in Ecuador. The following morning we were to join the cousin &
Starfruit Tree
In Malay they're called "belimbing", the common name in Ecuador is "fruta china" (Chinese fruit) ; I loved looking out the window of my cabana at Alandaluz at this fruit-laden branch! cousins of hers on a beach about an hour north. I'd never been to Ayangue so I was eager to check it out, but I didn't have a bathing suit. Rosa & I made a quick run to the bustling market town of Libertad where, amazingly, I found a cheapie swimsuit in my size! Ayangue lies on a shallow, protected bay. Everyone seemed quite content to just hang out under a shade tent and eat fried fish, but since I'd gone to all that trouble to find swimwear, I had to go for a dip. What a disappointment - the water was so warm it felt like a salty bath!
I bid farewell to my friends (old & new) and made my way back north to Alandaluz. Angela had given me permission to stay in the cabana and use her new fridge and microwave. I felt lucky to have this chance to say good-bye to the place, remembering good times spent there with Tamara & Chaco, Joe & Grady, birthday parties, visits from my Dad & Claire & lots of friends who travelled from far away to share my piece of paradise. I enjoyed revisiting some favorite
Yoga & Surf
In my last few weeks of R & R before starting up at the hotel, I knew I had to get healthier -- so I joined morning yoga class at Otra Ola in Ayampe. Yoga with the sound of the waves & ocean breezes! places and catching up with old friends on the coast. I invited Monica, Paola & Ceci for a farewell lunch. In Kichwa,
huasi means house and a
huasipichai is an official house-warming gathering. The first Kichwa expression I learned was
achachai for brrr, it's cold - so the luncheon with the gals was my
huasichachai (house-cooling party).
Knowing that in the coming months I'd have no free time at all, I indulged myself; watching at least two movies a day, taking yoga classes, swimming, reading, and gearing up for lots of work and not much sleep. I arrived at Hosteria Mandala well-rested and in good health. For the entire three months I worked there I stayed relatively healthy. Maja, the owner, reminded me over and over, "Rest when you can" and I crawled into bed for a nap whenever possible. An average night's sleep was about 6 hrs --not nearly enough for me! I knew (and the waiters knew) that if I went more than 2 days without a nap I would start to get fractious...so the staff would send me off to my room to take a break! A few times a week I'd manage a
Puerto Lopez Overlook
From up above Puerto Lopez (aka Lope & PLo) looks stunning. A closer look reveals muddy streets and dozens of unfinished construction projects. 1-2 hour nap (the kind of deep daytime sleep you awaken from, wondering if it's tomorrow) - but I also learned the value of a 20-25 minute power nap!
During my three months as a substitute hotel manager I only managed to go swimming in the ocean twice, and once in the lagoon. I squeezed in two spa appts (facial and foot massage) and snuck up to Manta once for a chiropractic visit. Other than that, the only time I left Mandala was to take tourists to the bus terminal. Each time I go into this job, I know that my own life ceases to exist and that I will be working 150% for 14-18 hrs/day! I love the variety and the challenge, and I get to meet the most interesting people every day.
It's very gratifying to be able to assist people in planning their travels, and to help them in their own language. Virtually every day I spoke English. Spanish, French & German. Even when the German tourists proved to speak flawless English, they were patient with my intermediate German language skills and helped me learn more. There were LOTS of French
Reception Desk
Where I spent 12-14 hrs per day! The wind chimes hanging over the stairway are lovely, except when someone decides to play a symphony while I'm trying to figure up bills!! (and French Canadian) tourists travelling on their own (often the French take group tours). The Francophones were especially surprised & pleased to be addressed in their native tongue!
During this stint at the hotel I met guests from: Switzerland, Germany, Austria, France, Belgium Holland, Italy, Spain, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Honduras, Panama, El Salvador, US, Canada, Great Britain, Australia, Russia, Latvia, Croatia, Hungary, Czech Republic, Romania, Israel, South Korea, China, India, Nigeria, and Mozambique (and those are just the places I remember offhand!) Then there was the couple (she from Quito, he from Austria) who met while working in Indonesia! (fun to dredge up my Bahasa from my Malaysia days and practice speaking with them). Another very cool international couple came through; she from Mozambique and England, he from Italy and Belgium - the two of them living in London.
At Mandala the menus are in all different languages and there are also Scrabble, Monopoly & Risk games in various languages. One evening almost all of the Scrabble boards were checked out....there were games being played in 5 difference languages! I enjoyed taking a stroll around the terrace and peering at
each of the game boards, learning some new vocuabulary along the way. One evening I actually managed to sit down with some guests and play a whole game (in English). From where I was sitting I had a view of the flowering San Pedro cactus. Each bloom lasts only one night, and as the game progressed one of the huge white blossoms opened little by little. I could almost see the movement of the petals as, over a period of about an hour, it reached full bloom.
I am very grateful for the assistance of the volunteer who Maja & Aurelio found to help me with the dogs. Tarek is Egyptian but has lived over a decade in Canada. He is interested in maybe opening a hotel or lodge of his own someday/somewhere (Egypt?) so he is taking this year to work as a volunteer in many different kinds of hotels and learn by doing. Hosteria Mandala was his first experience, and he quickly proved himself invaluable and well-loved! After the first few walks on the beach, the dogs adoringly followed him everywhere! Tarek also helped out in the garden and with various maintenance projects. On nights
Dog Walker
Twice a day Tarek took the dogs out the to beach for a run and a swim. The dogs adored him and followed him everywhere, like the Pied Piper of Hamlin! when I was beyond exhausted, he closed up shop so I could bag an extra hour of sleep. Thanks Tarek for your helpful, upbeat presence during the two months I was flying solo at Mandala.
We received a number of guests whose ship was docked for a few days in Manta, a large city 2 hours north. These weren't your ordinary cruise ship types - they were teaching or participating in a program called Semester at Sea. Aurelio had arranged for these groups to have a tour of the garden (even a few groups who were not staying at Mandala). They were all English-speaking, so it fell to me to take them around. In preparation I took two separate tours (one with each of the gardeners) to learn the local names and the basic care of the trees, bushes and flowers. Then I was ready to lead the tours of 10-15 tourists. I enjoyed a more in-depth look at the amazing gardens, discovering where the iguanas hang out, watching various flowers bloom and go to seed, etc.
The days I had garden tours I had to forgo my naptime -- it was hard for
Makeshift Scaffolding
To refinish the wood on the entry gate, they pulled the brightly painted water tanker truck right underneath to facilitate sanding and varnishing! me to be away from reception for hours at a stretch - I'd return and there would be dozens of new emails to attend to. On any given day I had to answer 20-60 inquiries; making or confirming reservations, giving tips on transportation or excursions, advising about the weather, packing tips, postal service, security issues ... you name it! Mondays were the worst -- even as I was responding to one email, three more new ones would arrive. Avalanche! Needless to say, I rarely had the time or desire to check my personal emails!
I won't ramble on and on too much about my daily duties at the hotel -- those of you who have followed my blog for a few years have already read about the variety of challenges I face daily managing a hotel. There's never a dull moment and it FULLY embrace the meaning of the expression "multi-tasking". Last week for the first time I had to buy live lobsters (we only accept ones that are 1 to 1 1/2 lbs!). I learned that the slimy dark grey octupus must be pounded violently with wooden mallets so it will be tender once it's boiled
Refinishing the Main Gate
Aurelio's unique woodworking technique stacks 37 layers of plywood (known here as "playboy"), then shapes the wood with a power sander, creating here a whale tail motif. Tarek is varnishing the recently sanded surface. and turns a lovely shade of deep dusty rose. When you clean squid you have to remove a clear plastic-like "backbone" by turning it inside out.
Awakening from a late afternoon nap, feeling a bit groggy, I'd gear myself up for the evening's duties by thinking of it as throwing a party! I was responsible for choosing the music, setting the mood depending on the types of tourists who were in residence. As the tables on the terrace filled with dinner guests, I'd take a stroll around (trying to remember who spoke which language) and inquire about how they'd enjoyed their day's activities. Folks would ask for board games or reference books, or another liter of wine or two more caipirinhas (a yummy cocktail made with crushed ice, smashed limes and Brazilian cane liquor). As the diners finished their meal I would tempt them with one of the yummy desserts ("You're the devil!" they accused even as I tried to convince them that Mandala is a calorie-free zone!)
The average stay for a hotel guest was 3-4 nights, but when we weren't fully booked more than half would extend their stay to a week
Canine Sistahs
Julieta got more of the Weimaraner, Bruna more of the Labrador. Both are sweet girls. or more. I really enjoyed getting to know folks more when they were booked for 2-3 weeks or more. Some were taking Spanish lessons and I would practice with them - help them with their homework. (I can hear my nephew Sam's 15 yr old voice, "Do you ever stop being a teacher Auntie Jill?") For the staff I had the challenge of making out the weekly schedule. Since it was supposedly low season (even though the place is almost always full!) Maja had scheduled a week-long vacation for each of the waiters, kitchen staff, cleaning & gardening crews. I had to shuffle a substitute worker to fill in for those with days off.
I won't ramble on and on too much more about my hotel management duties -- I'm not sure how interesting it is to someone who's not in the "biz". Besides, I want to go ahead and get this published since tonight I meet up with another group of volunteers from Engineers Without Borders. We will be finalizing the potable water project we began in 2006; evaluating the system's sustainability and setting up maintenance plans. It's fitting to send off this blog entry just
Carbon & Lalo
The love to clean each others gums -- maybe it's a show of affection or maybe they're just looking for leftover food stuck between the teeth. In either case, they seem to adore this practice. as I turn the page on a new chapter! I've had 3 full days of rest since making the drive up to Quito and I am ready for that midnight airport run tonight!!
Scroll down (and hit "next") to see more dog pix and other photos.
A few fun terms I heard from various guests: Etch-a-sketch is the original IPAD-Sixth grade boys are pre-humanos
COMING SOON HOUSE ADVERTISING ads_leader_blog_bottom
Tot: 0.099s; Tpl: 0.019s; cc: 12; qc: 30; dbt: 0.0337s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Tamara
non-member comment
Adios, cabanas de Alandaluz. We shared sooo many good times there! Dinner parties, scrabble games, squid sticks, bagels and lox and a whole lot of Chaco loving. May your next home be as full of love and creativity as your last one! Big hugs from VAN! xo