Reluctantly, we are leaving this lovely town of Baños de Agua Santa, Ecuador. We could easily grow roots here, but the remaining 6-7 months beckons us to pack up and continue on to new adventures. Here's a few random thoughts and observations from two career-breaking gringos:
1. We'll definitely be back to do all the things we didn't get around to doing/seeing. We would love to come back here with friends for a 1-2 week vacation. The biggest expense would be the flight into Quito or Guayaquil, but after that...it's cheap cheap everything!
2. To have an even better experience, learn conversational Spanish so that we could get beyond superficial communication of basic needs and really get to know the friendly locals. For next time, there's a couple of language schools in town.
3. ...however, English and our broken Spanish is getting us pretty far. :)
4. Baños is an electic mix of locals, ex-patriats, adventure travelers, backpackers, and Ecuadorian vacationers.
5. Baños is very inexpensive, but also has luxury accommodations. Both of us can easily live off of $60/day (or less if renting an apartment/room and cooking for yourself). 25-50 cents for bottled water; $1-2 for a large bottle of beer; less than $5 for a full meal; $20 gets you decent lodging for 2; $1/kg for laundry service; $1/hour bus ride; $5 haircut and shave; $5-10 to rent a bike for the day.
6. Ecuador is on the US $, eliminating the need to do any currency conversions. We've been paying mostly by cash. Example, there is a 10-15% up charge when paying the hostels with a credit card. ATMs are easily accessible with a bank fee of $5 plus 10% of the total withdrawals. Best not to hit the ATM everyday.
7. Women of all ages love to wear their ultra-tight pants and spandex. Contrast that with the backpackers in their ultra-baggy tie-dye clothes...
8. Stray dogs that look nourished, happy, relaxed, and BALANCED - as Cesar Milan, the dog whisperer, likes to say. Ogi (our dog) needs to come here and let the strays school her on how to be a more balanced dog.
9. Young kids hang out at their parents' businesses, but they are well-behaved, don't interrupt, and keep themselves entertained.
10. Jack Daniel's is almost as ubiquitous as Coca-Cola. Very strong brand presence in most countries. Did you know, Coca-Cola is in every country except 2? Guess where? Cuba and North Korea. I'll take a Jack and Coke.
11. We haven't missed or even thought about TV since we left. I have all these books on my Kindle, too, but haven't even had time to read. What the heck are we doing? Nothing really, except walking around, people watching, enjoying nature, soaking in hot springs, researching our next destination. It's tiring 'work', but someone's gotta do it.
12. Everyone seems to have their own little mom-and-pop business selling food, beverages, souvenirs, services, providing lodging, etc. They don't have 'staff' either. The same person who takes your order cooks your food. The same person checking you in also cleans, cooks, and manages the lodging.
13. The weather is PERFECT (to Akiko's standards) and there are no mosquitos. Sunny and in the 70s during the day; misty and in the 50s at night.
14. We could tell that everyone knows everyone in this small town; yet, unlike a regular small town, the influx of travelers keeps the vibe fresh and exciting.
15. For a small mountain town, there are excellent restaurants from traditional Ecuadorian cuisine to American, a brewpub, international fare, French, Japanese, Swiss, Chinese, Italian, vegetarian, vegan.
16. We appreciate that Baños is SAFE. There is no fear of getting robbed on the streets, people are friendly, and we feel safe walking anywhere - even at night.
17. Baños is an excellent place to commune with nature. There are plenty of outdoor activities, even for the less adventurous.
18. Hyundai is huge in Ecuador! Being a Hyundai owner myself, I've noticed that half the cars and SUVs are Hyundais. My "Sadie", the Santa Fe, will feel right at home here.
So, what's our "We can live here" factor on a scale of 1-10? Perhaps a whopping 8. We love it here.
-A
