Moved to WordPress!

I have no idea if there are any successful subscribers to this blogspot blog but - many of you complained about the interface.  So I did what any good blogger should do. I moved from whereintheworldismidge.blogspot.com to -

whereintheworldismidge.wordpress.com

All of the existing stories are there too.  How cool is that!  So if you get this via e-mail - which means you successfully had subscribed follow on over to word press!

Thanks all!

Midge

Casa de la Cultura

In Ecuador the Casa de la Cultura is a happening place that brings all of the arts together under one roof.  I'm told that every town has at least one Casa de la Cultura.  Hey sounds like Hillsborough, NJ - NOT.  Thursday night for the admission price of nada, niente, nothing, a big fat 0, we enjoyed a terrific Boleros recital by Gustavo - judging from the audience's response when he entered - a fairly well know South American singer accompanied by an extremely talented guitar trio.

Jack and I enjoyed it so much I bought Gustavo's CD.  Price - $5!

The day before, we went to a juried sculpture exhibit.  Some interesting pieces - lots of political sentiment too.  There were a number of people wandering through - some look like they popped in on their lunch hours or cut a class at the university.  Art - wonderful.  Price - FREEEEE.

What is Jack staring at?  Oh, the beautiful woman staring back at him.

The above work drew me in.  I could feel the pain.  It is a riff on the subjugation of the indigenous people.

There were a number of pieces made with recycled metal objects from computer parts to gears, pipes and stuff I couldn't identify.  Also lots of very large pieces carved from one giant piece of wood.

This facility in Ambato has:
Exhibition space containing their permanent collection of Ecuadorian artists -

This is part of their permanent  and varied collection.

Intimate theater/lecture hall -

Large foyer where florists were exhibiting arrangements -

Cafe where local artists sell their work and - well that is all I noticed but the building in huge.  The bulletin board by the main entrance was packed with things that people could do - free events, classes, lectures and my favorite - a theater workshop.

In Quito there are a number of Casa de la Cuturas.  We visited one that had a world class museum - FREEEEEEE.  When I finally edit all of my Quito video you'll get to explore some of the facility.

Wherever in the world you are today - enjoy some art!

Glorious Fruits and Vegetables of Ecuador!

Jack and I are foodies who are on vacation in foodie heaven.  We are in the Ambato, Ecuador home of an incredible chef.  This vacation is a real culinary learning adventure.  Master Chef is introducing me to fruits and vegetables that I have never tasted before and am anxious to continue eating.  Since the temperature in Ecuador stays the same year round - spring in the mountains and summer near the sea - fresh produce grows constantly.  It is abundant, delicious and cheap.  At the bottom of this blog is a link to a video I shot of what you can buy in the organic market for twelve bucks!

Meet Babaco - it reminded me of  a yellow football.  This picture is just 2/3 of one. 

I first tasted this luscious fruit as a "jugo" during "desayuna" (breakfast) in a great local joint in Quito.  My $3.99 breakfast included a "not quite French" but better than most croissant, a great vegetable omelet, café con leche, jugo de babaco and LIVE MUSIC!!!!  There we were in a Burger King style dining room experiencing anything but McBarf style fast food.  We were eating a freshly made and fabulous $3.99 breakfast and listening to a super pianist playing for tips!   It doesn't get much better than that.  We all ordered different  juices and I sampled all of them - Jugo de piña (pineapple), guanabana - silky white and lusciously thick and naranjilla - tastes kind of citrusy and is unique.  Back to my favorite - Babaco - which was like a cross between kiwi and a pineapple!

The inside of the Babaco looks like cotton.  

You simply cut off any  of the unripened green or brown spots, then cut it up and toss the whole thing - skin and all in the blender with a bit  of water and if you like it sweeter - a hint of sugar.   I could sip these everyday - of course I did wonder what Babaco jugo would taste like with a tad of rum.

Some folks make Babaco marmalade or eat it  candied. Restaurants put it on their restaurant cart. 

This next fruit looked a little scary to me.  The Pitaya is a cactus fruit that grows in Ecuador's coastal region.

It was served to me chilled, cut in half and placed in a cup.  We ate it by scooping it out - seeds and all - with a spoon. Think sorbet in it's own cup.  If I can find these in New Jersey they will be dessert at my next dinner party.  Simple, light and tasty!

Click on the link and watch Buy Local!  Eat Organic!  Shop Ambato!  After the film, why not go back to the upper right hand corner of the blog, enter your e-mail address and subscribe! Where ever you are in the world - be happy!

Tonsupa Ecuador - Great Beach Lousy Landlord!

No, I haven't forgotten to write - I was just off the grid for a while.  Here's the story -

Its 8:31 AM on Thursday, February 20, 2014.  The sound of the surf rolling in and out has calmed me down.  Sitting alone here on the luxurious patio of Edificio Arena, I am determined to tell the tale of our condominium stay on the glorious Pacific Beach of Ecuador.  The frustrating experiences, the lack of water, lack of electricity, lack of anyone giving a shit kept muscling into my brain - but the ocean is so damned relaxing to look at and hear.  I sigh, take a breath and stare at the sea.  No one else is around.  I should just let the angst of the week go.  

Poof, I let it go.  I still need to tell our story to warn others not to rent Apartment 3A in Edificio Arena, town of Tonsupa in the province of Esmeraldas from Carol and Floyd or their manager Julie without taking precautions.

Let me start at the beginning.  After a 6 plus hour drive down the mountain from Ambato - not a stinking little mountain either - the Andes with switch backs and other scary stuff - we arrive in Tonsupa.  This small piece of the Pacific coastline bliss that has become - based on your perspective - ruined or enhanced by high-rise, after high-rise, after high-rise condo facing the sea. 

It is dark but not late.  Via e-mail, our pals who made the arrangements had been told that Julie who usually manages the rentals was out of town but that Karen would meet us to take the remaining rent and give us the lay of the land.  We arrive - no Karen.  

The concierge gave us a set of keys and told us to go up to 3A.   We are two couples.  Hence, we asked for two sets of keys - which we never got.  We loaded and unloaded the elevator - whose doors will decapitate you if someone doesn’t keep a finger on the open-door button.  Ready to leap into vacation by the sea, we opened the apartment door.  Whoa - open the windows quick this place smells like an old ladies house on the bayou that hasn’t had a window opened in decades.  We open all the windows. The great ocean sounds and smells waft in.  The flowers that grow along the coast are spectacular.  The colors and scents are breathtaking.

We've opened windows and life is good.  Now we’ve been in the car for over 6 hours.  What’s the first room anyone over 50 runs to?  The bathroom - no water - nada aqua!  We're happy campers we'll go but can't flush.

Billy checks for internet - you need a password.  The woman who was to meet us is called.  No answer.  Called again and someone else answered.  Billy texts her that we have no water, asks where she is and how do we get internet.  Karen texts back only the internet code.  

Since Karen never showed up, the concierge is fetched.  He goes in a closet and turns the water on.  That should have been my first inkling that the owners of the condo - Canadians Carol and Floyd - don’t have a clue that the folks they hired just ain’t up to the job.  Karen who was to be our point person and collect the rent didn’t show up.  Julie her boss is away.  Lauren finds a black notebook under the TV which allegedly gives information about the place.  Missing is simple stuff like where do you take garbage. Included are things like - don’t throw toilet paper in the toilet it messes the local sewer, don't take food or drinks to the pool, don’t come into the lobby in wet clothes - you know the don’ts.

We laugh over the water issue, guffaw over the don’ts, unpack, grab a bottle of wine and head out to the patio to sip wine, listen to the surf and marvel in the beauty of the place.  This is Monday.

That night we went to bed and as most folks of our generation do - went to the bathroom during the night - what no water again?  No flushes?  We get up in the morning and discover that we don’t have electricity either!  No water, no electricity and oh yeah the included wi-fi internet has never worked. Karen is called and texted but does not respond.  She didn’t come yesterday to pick up the rent and now on Tuesday she doesn’t answer the phone.  Hey, we’re on vacation by an incredible ocean in a high-end place with a great pool and patio and it only costs us $100 a night for the apartment.  What’s a little inconvenience.  

F’n A it is raining - not just a drizzle - rain, rain - teaming rain.  So what the view is stellar.  We sit on the balcony and stare.  Hey, my pal Lauren bellows we have electricity!  The water runs too.  Quickly toilets are flushed and eggs are fried.  Who cares if it is raining the view is great, we have books to read and the sounds of the Pacific to roll over us.  Our pals decide to take a rainy stroll on the beach and discover that even in the rain the beachfront ceviche stand is open right in front of our hotel. 

Why cook when you can have ceviche shrimp and lobster for $8 with rice, plantains and popcorn. Popcorn sounds a bit unusual but hey don’t knock a local custom until you try it.  After eating our ceviche oysters and shrimp we toss some of the popcorn in the cool broth and slurp them up.  The crunch and corn taste works amazingly well with the spicy broth.  

That night the water stops running AGAIN.  The toilets are full and not flushed.  Wednesday morning the electricity is off but never comes on.  The water doesn’t tinkle but we all do and the toilets are rank.  But the sky is blue, the clouds are rolling by and the sea beckons.  Shit, without electricity we can’t turn the gas stove on without a match - who has a match?  No one smokes, no one carries matches. Billy goes off on a quest for matches - he gets back and Jack gets up.  Jack announces he has a few packs of matches in the base of his gym bag.  Whew - we have bottled water, can light the stove and coffees can be made. Fruit is sliced and bread is buttered.  We eat on the balcony staring at the beach as it comes to life. 

 

Once again Billy texts Karen.  No response.  We pretend we are camping in the woods.  Piss in the hole and cover it later.  We set up camp down at the pool.  It is incredible to us that on this glorious day no one else is out here.  

Turns out that only three apartments in the building are occupied during this week - one by a nice couple from Florida who have relocated here.  They tell us something that the owners, Julie, Karen or a sign posted in the apartment should have - there is a water shortage in Tonsupo and the condo association voted to turn the water off every day between 11:00 PM and 7:00 AM!  So everybody keeps a bottle of water next to the toilet for night time flushing.  Hey,  I get that.  What I don’t and will never understand is why the Canadian owners Carol and Floyd, manger Julie or helper Karen haven’t told us!  Why didn’t they leave a gallon of water in each bathroom?  Why isn’t a sign posted?  Now we get the two nights without water but what about today - no water, no electricity, just a great sky, fabulous beach and super pool.

After watching the boats near the buoy pull-up traps and venders setup on the beach, we order ceviche again from the little place on the beach and eat on the patio.  Great food, great company, great view.  Just lousy unresponsive landlords who live in Canada - I hope the snow has stranded them without firewood, water and electricity.

Talking to local folks, we discover that the electricity is out in the whole city.  They are laying new pipes for something and everyone but us knew that on this particular day there would be no power.  What unkind cretin would rent an apartment - even for only $100 a day and not tell folks about the construction?  Ya know, Lauren and I are pretty flexible ladies - candles would have been brought, water stocked and iPads charged.  We would have coped.  Not telling us was bloody rude.  Late in the afternoon the electricity - as everyone else knew it would - came back on.  But not the water??????

Karen is again texted and called - who the hell is she?  We have a health and safety issue here and we are holding $250 in remaining rent to pay her.  I decide, since it is my cash, that we ain’t paying shit since there is so much of it in the toilets.

I swim laps, I read a novel, I poop in a poop filled toilet.  Inspiration hits - OK we are copying the women from another unit - we grab two cleaning buckets fill them with pool water and go upstairs to flush!

Finally, late in the day, Karen appears.  Billy and I explain that we are not happy.  She barely shrugs.  She tells us that the water pump in the building is broken and will be fixed soon.  Soon is such a vague word - soon today - soon in an hour or as soon as hell freezes over?  She unlocks the closet that houses the router and Billy plays with it.  We are logged onto the system but not to the internet. The internet problem will never be solved. (We later discover that when the power goes out the Condo owners or Julie have to call the cable company to get everything re-started.  Well they sure as hell aren’t around and didn’t tell us.  We did discover a notebook with condo information under the TV.  It’s instructions make no sense since the company they say to call no longer exists.) 

The internet is important to me since it is the only way I can make phone calls via Magic Jack or Viper, retrieve e-mails and generally find out if there is something we need to handle in Flagtown. 

We do not give Karen the rent.  We explain that the landlords should have made provisions for the nightly water outages or at least told us.  Further, there is still no water and hey we can cope with a lot but will not accept being ignored and not given information.

Later our new Floridian friends tell us that the five year old pump has been rusted and was on the association’s maintenance list.  Hey - did the association board tell the owners the approximate dates of the repair?  If so why did Carol and Floyd or Julie not make that clear before we rented?

Wednesday night Jack and I walked half a block to a local restaurant and for $30 had beers, interesting local shrimp dishes and of course - my favorites - fried plantains.  Later all of us hung out with the Floridians, swapping travel tales, laughing and talking about life outside the U.S.

Today is Thursday, so far everything works.  I mean - the electricity popped out for a few hours and we knew there would be no water at night and had pails of flushing water - but hey conservation is a good thing.  The sun is shining - I could bitch more but I’m going into the pool.  Hope the sun is shining wherever in the world you are!

UPDATE!  Monday, February 24 we get a very nice e-mail from Julie.  Sorry things were so terrible etc. etc.  We will respond gently with suggestions for improvement and pay them partially what we owe them.  We think that if Julie had been on site things would have gone much smoother.  

Yikes - When I'm Not in Italy - Where Am I?

For the past year Nonna's Mulberry Tree has been my creative savior.  On that blog I share the stories of how a type A personality manages to live in Pontelandolfo, Italy explore her roots and ultimately learn, "Il Dloce Fa Niente" - the sweetness of doing nothing.

Today, I am in Ambato, Ecuador and want to share what I've discovered.  Well, where could I write about great meals for less than $5 or the warmth of the Ecuadorians?  I had no choice.  I had to start a new blog!

Welcome to Where in the World is Midge?

Jack and I looked out the window, heard the weather reports, checked the expiration dates on our passports, found out if my Godson could house sit and how much we owed on our credit cards.  All the stars were in alignment and we booked flights on Delta to visit chums in Ecuador. Hell, our Anniversary was Valentine's Day - we looked at this as a his and her gift.  (Confession, I didn't even buy Jack a card.  In Ambato on Valentine's Day - our 20 plus anniversary - not one - GUILT -  but two cards - now I have EXTREME GUILT- were on the table for me.)

This was my first Delta flight. Folks were easy to deal with - the Delta Newark Liberty terminal experience was seamless - we even had okay sushi for lunch. 

BUT - yeah, yeah, there had to be one BUT. My butt wedged in a seat next to uber green man. Delta doesn't have a premium economy seat like Alitalia which is wider, has better service and more leg room.  We paid Delta extra for expanded couch seats which gave more leg room but in a three across seat you still feel like you're in steerage.  When Jack booked the seats he selected a deuce.  When we got to the plane it was not a deuce but a squishy threesome. Jack sat next to the window and I got the torturous middle seat.  The guy I sat next to tossed his well used backpack under the seat - he obviously was the type who hiked across the continent and was very green.  So green that he didn't waste water on a shower.  UGGGGG

Flights from Newark through Atlanta only land at Quito International Airport in Ecuador at midnight.  That airport was small and super.  We got our bags and found a cab.  Thirty USA dollars - Ecuador's official currency is the US dollar -  and one hour later were at our hotel on Plaza San Bas in Quito - the capital of Ecuador.  The cute little Hostel San Bas cost us the incredible price of $27 a night!!!

Yikes, I'm babbling.  My intent was to give you the heads up that I would be blogging about more than living in Italy.  

Subscribe and add your comments to the blog.  Let's have a dialogue about traveling and all of our acts - the second act being full of adventure.

Enough for now.  Stay tuned for the Ecuador adventure and be able to know the answer to - WHERE IN THE WORLD IS MIDGE?