OUR RETIRED ADVENTURE
qUEREMOS VIVIR AL SOL
KSha
Costa Rica is amazing! Beauty abounds.
Panama is "home" for now. Loving life!
South America is next! Columbia here we come.
Costa Rica is amazing! Beauty abounds.
Panama is "home" for now. Loving life!
South America is next! Columbia here we come.
![]() Our initial foray into South America will end after 5 months with a satisfying stay in Salinas Ecuador. Our penthouse condo view has been spectacular and we've enjoyed keeping an eye on the walkers, joggers, the youth soccer team's workouts on the beach, the constant boat and ship "traffic", and the snorkelers and families in the ocean and on the sand. Our music playing garbage trucks and crews will always be at the top of this list as well! We had dinner on the malecon awhile back at Luv'n Oven; a highly recommended open-air restaurant across from the shore. Sha had the lasagna and I had the cazuela, a hearty seafood stew packed with most of the edible things you find in the ocean; delicious! This happened to be the day before a special national election to decide if the new president was to be granted different powers to fight the drug cartels that have created violence and turmoil in the prisons and across the country since he was elected. A mini parade came by the restaurant as we had dinner in support of the referendums up for the vote. Sha and I have continued to enjoy not only our walks on the beach, but also our walks through the different neighborhoods and along the malecon. Salinas is a beautiful part of the Santa Elena peninsula, where the roads are in excellent condition, public transportation buses are numerous and always available and the people are almost always friendly to us wherever we go. All properties are walled and gated for security; but many walls in the neighborhoods are painted to give them a welcoming and friendly vibe. Talented artists are featured in these few examples below. (yada; then yada again) We decided, before we left Salinas, we had to do one "touristy" thing that would get us to the area of the peninsula we really couldn't walk to; on board El Tren Touristico. Our destination was points on the southern part of the peninsula that are located on a Naval Base. Our train ride tour took us around the malecon in Salinas (which we were very familiar with) giving us a chance to see the crowded beach on the weekend from the shaded train. We then headed south past the harbor and into Playa Chipipe, the next beach community as we continued on to the Naval Base. After entering the Base, we rode 3.5 kilometers and first stopped at La Chocolatera; this point got its name due to the foamy appearance that the waves acquire when hitting the rocky cliffs, 'creating a similar effect of hot chocolate.' The train stopped here for about a half an hour so we could get off and walk on paths to the different viewpoints along the shore. The second point on the Base we got to visit was La Loberia, a rocky beach a short ride from La Chocolatera and home to a colony of sea lions! Both points were cool to see; but the sea lions were worth the $5 train ride. (yada for the 29 pics) Didn't think I was going to forget a sunset did ya? Not quite like P.L.'s going into the ocean; but, Salinas has its own unique flavor to enjoy. (yada) We have a 1 AM pick up scheduled for Monday, May 6th for our ~2 hour ride to Guayaquil Airport. Our 6 AM flight to Miami should afford us some time to catch some shut eye; or the comfy airport chairs as we wait for our connection to Atlanta where we will get to spend some time with our life-long friends Randi and Ed in Greensboro GA. We'll then head to NE and SD to see mom, dad and family and then to see my high school classmates for our 45th reunion. We will then head to Chi town for the summer.
Of course, this is all based on our being allowed back into the United States on May 6th; and that North America is warm enough so my fingers can type an update...I'll keep you posted on that. We very much enjoyed our time in beautiful Ecuador! The people are friendly and welcoming; the mountains, beaches and cities have been amazing to explore; and the equatorial weather is just what the doctor ordered. We are already planning a return trip to see Paul and Susan and more of what Ecuador has to offer. Ciao mi familia y amigos! Hablamos contigo en Estados Unidos. Pura Vida!
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Kevin & Sharon SeibelBeginning our next big adventure! Archives
December 2023
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