Playas, Ecuador

I arrived in Playas on yesterday and will be moving on to Salinas tomorrow. Eric has driven me everywhere and he will take me to Salinas also. This hostal has been wonderful. Ocean breeze at night and I need no AC. Very quiet here, which is why  I am moving a little  sooner than planned. I have seen all the birds this área offers . There are Peruvian pelicans about 25% larger than our little brown ones. Little brown ones, I sound like George Bush. 

  Eric took me on a tour of Posorja. I wanted to stroll the streets but he advised I not do that. It is a fishing village (shrimp) and  very poor. The frigate birds swoop down for morsels. Fascinating. People stared at me in the car.

 I met a doctor while walking the beach this morning. He asked about my hernia! He was very kind and friendly, as are all the folks I have met. The sky has been mostly cloudy but that is OK as it keeps the temp down. I could see the Andes far to the east this morning. Damn, Im going up there. 

This keyboard is set on spanish so I cant type english well. I write mostly in spanish lately.

I love this country. Ill write again in a few days. I think Ill have shrimp tonight. Adios.

I am dealing with a little Atahualpa's revenge. It's pouring rain right now (Thursday 7am) and I can't get to the pharmacia for pepto bismal. I would have thought the rum would kill what e.coli was in the ice. I am learning fast.
I hired a bird guide yesterday and we went to Cerro Blanco preserve just outside the city. Every location has a guard at the entrance. Car dealers, preserves, schools,  stores- everything. I will not go birding by myself. Eduardo cost $15 for 4 hours. I gave him $20. The taxi for a 40 mile round trip was also $15. A flat screen TV cost $2,000. Anywho, Eduardo did not carry binoculars so I just considered him a companion as I was able to identify birds faster than he could. I am a really fucking good birder. Crossing a small wood bridge my fat ass broke through one of the boards. I offered to pay to repair it but when I paid the entrance fee afterward they gave me $6 back on a ten. I have learned to walk on the nails of a wood bridge, not the middle of the board. Saw Laughing falcon, which I have seen in Costa Rica, and 12 other species. It is very difficult to see birds in the Bosque. You hear them but you don't see them. A HUGE tarantula crossed my path right at my feet. Saw one snake. Eduardo is 5 feet tall and slipped under the spider webs. I took them in the face. Big spiders. Argiope types. Fuck.
Rain letting up but I may send out for my pepto pills. Jhony is making me some toast.
 Had my first coffee yesterday and the cafe gave me instant coffee! Jhony makes real coffee. Strong and black, like my men.
 There are more copy shops around the University here than anywhere on Earth.  Shops lined up next to each other. How do you choose one with so many? I will try to get a picture. Printers must cost a lot.
Going to Playas tomorrow morning. May be off line for a few days. No worries. Adios.

It is 2pm and I have had quite a day. Began at 5:30 am with a walk along the malecon by the university. People were gathered along the bridge and along the canal bank staring in the water. I thought, oh a dolphin or something! Raised my binocs and saw a corpse floating face up!  A policia looked at me and I grunted and walked on to find birds (11 more today). Antonio says in 50 years he has never seen a body in the canal so I guess it was my lucky day!
I was told I could walk along 9 de Octubre (street) down the the river and it would take 40 minutes. I went the wrong direction for 3 miles. I turned around and walked to where I was supposed to go and ended up downtown. Had lunch at Hotel Oro Verde. Strolled along the river Guayas and tried my bank card in a ATM. It works fine. Beautiful downtown. Only saw one homeless person and 3 hippies in the park. The people are very clean here. Trash is prevalent but so are city workers picking it up. Traffic police ( vigilantes) are everywhere and help you cross the street. Everyone toots the horn and drives like a madman. Pedestrians do NOT have the right of way. Stupid people are thinned out of the population this way. I love it! The people all wear some type of cologne or perfume. It is hot here but they don't sweat like I do. Everywhere you look a young couple sits and kisses and cuddles. They kiss with such passion and are so sensual. Machismo at work. The girls love it.
 I hired a bird guide for tomorrow and we are taking a bus to Cerro Blanco preserve. The guide and bus should cost about $20. Friday I am moving to the coast and to Jardin de Playas.
http://www.eljardindeplayas.com.ec
They will pick me up here and drive me to Playas for $25. I saw gas is $1.67 a gallon today. I don't want to take buses yet for long journeys. The room will be $30 and included breakfast.  I'll be there for a few days...I think. Antonio's cousin owns it and he called and set my reservation. They are treating me very well. Buenas tardes.

Arrived at Miami at 1:30 am. No one there until 2:30. Breezed right through! It was dark but I could see the city lights  as we passed over the middle of Cuba.  My friends Kathy Kelley and Steve Lamb were down there in Havana, sleeping I assume. As the sun rose we were over the Caribbean. Then I could see Cartegena and we started to descend into Bogota. Beautiful Andes and a snow-capped volcano. Had to walk the tarmac to my next gate. Ran out of breath with my heavy bags at 8,400 FT. Cool at 56 degrees also. Bogota is a huge city in a Central Valley.  Boarded the plane for Guayaquil and it was cloudy most the way. Rain when I landed.
 Customs had several questions as to why I was staying 84 days . The he said 'welcome to Ecuador' and I smiled and moved on. Jhony Martinez met me at the exit and put me in a taxi. Yes, his name is Jhony. Handsome. My spanish is getting better but I am so tired that I can't think.  Strolled the Malecon along the river and birded a bit. Hard to distinguish birds in cloudy weather.  Saw 5 new species that I COULD identify. (564). The University is right next to me and  I feel safe among students. Security is everywhere.
They have dollar coins here that are different then in USA. People don't like to break a $20 so I carry coinage. Had a steak (bistek) dinner and sangria for $8. A small girl cam to my table and held out candy. I just said 'no gracias' and now I feel bad. Maybe I will see her again and give her a coin. $1 is a lot of money here.  Can't give it away all the time and I know they select me. Hell, I'm the tallest person I have seen all day!
This room is a little less than expected. I am here until Friday.  I have to make arrangements tomorrow.  Buenas noches.

Atlanta traffic is horrendous. I could not imagine having to tackle it everyday. But I made it and spent a night with Susie and Randall. He made some Lemoncello which is mucho potent and delicious. I picked up Marc Anderson in Cumming and headed to Asheville. We arrived around 1pm and found our accommodations at the Altamont were very nice and within walking distance of everything. And we saw everything. We are officially members of the Yacht Club. The sky was gray and drizzly but we found the bars and made new friends without getting wet. The next morning the sky cleared and we had breakfast and went to Biltmore. The day could not have been more perfect. They played the pipe organ while we were standing in the dinning hall. The sound was tremendous. We toured the estate and had wine and cheese at Antler Village. As sunset approached we went to Grove Park and had drinks and appetizers. Freshened up at the condo and hit the bars again. We must have walked 5 miles. I made it to midnight.
In the morning the sky was gray and the air chilled. It began to snow. By noon it was really coming down. I said "wow" 20 times at least. I told Marc I wanted to see snow while in Asheville and here it was. The pictures don't really show how heavy it snowed. Met Marc's friend Mandi for lunch and headed out of town by 1 pm. After dropping off Marc I drove to Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, Ga.
I am fortunate to have a friend such as Marc. He travels well, is kind and generous and very genuine. Thank you, Marc.

Friday, December 27th, was the Christmas bird count for Apalachicola. I was leader for a group of 6 to Little St. George Island. Myself, Linda Allen, Donna Gaudet from Quebec, local resident George Watkins (boat captain), Melissa Forehand and Robin Vroegop. Robin and I used Audubon's 4wd vehicle and birded the east end. The other 4 folks took west end. Cold rain pelted us in the morning but about 10am the sky let more light through. Bayside Robin and I found killifish 12 feet from the water, stranded at low tide and still alive. Very strange. I wonder if they lived until high tide?
The island is ever-changing. Habitats range from sea shore to savannahs to marshland and scrub oaks which grow short and angled. Sea shells liter the beach- so many types.
We counted 64 species on the island. 75 is average but the rains kept birds in hiding. Black scoters and redheads off shore, bald eagles kept them all nervous. The eagles are nesting at this time of year. Once the eggs hatch the eagles will be more active snatching ducks from the water to feed eaglets.
Dolphins were abundant in the clear waters. Mullet are running, I think. I love a barrier island with only 6 people on it.
I just returned from the Apalachicola airport where 5 of us roamed the short grass fields to spook Sprague's pipits. We saw one and this is birdie number 557 for me. We thanked BJ for letting us break the FAR and TSA rules and walk the runways. Another beautiful day.

Sunday, December 8th, began with fog but it quickly cleared. We took another trip up to Howard's Creek Fish Camp. John, myself, Marc, Terese, Rex, Sabrina, Pamela and Paul. Wonderful day had by all. 82 degrees and muggy. I bought Christmas hats for us and Marc bought me an official Howard Creek hat. Very unique bar in a very unique community. Lots of bald eagles and ospreys.