My Books on Amazon
There are 70 blog posts for you to enjoy.
Tosagua, Ecuador
December 7, 2022
Tosagua, Ecuador: a nothing-special, completely forgettable agricultural town of around 11,000 people. The area has been inhabited since long before the Spanish conquistadors arrived in 1534, but the town didn't become an official town until the 20th century. A little more of its history: in 1917 there was an outbreak of bubonic plague that decimated the population. Then in 1935 a giant fire just about wiped out the whole place. 1984 the city was finally founded. Then in 1998 there was a 5.7 earthquake on August 4 at 12:35pm which was followed by a 7.1 earthquake at 2pm. The city was hugely effected by those, as were just about every town and city in the western Ecuador. As for the weather: average daily highs are 31° C (87° F) and average nightly lows are 23° C (73° F).
Read MoreBahía de Caráquez, Ecuador
December 6, 2022
Bahía de Caráquez, Ecuador, a city of about 21,000, is a tourist destination city on the Pacific coast. The city is actually two distinct halves separated by the new bridge. There is a new mall located at the end of the bridge, too. The city was founded in 1628, so you'd expect to see a lot of historical buildings, but no, there aren't any left after the various natural disasters that have hit the town. Anyway, the half of the town on the coast, with the beaches, condos, hotels, etc, is the new side (the tourists' side). The other side, to the east of the bridge, is the city-proper. It is long and narrow, sitting between the hills and the bay.
Read MoreSan Vicente, Ecuador
December 5, 2022
San Vicente, Ecuador—inhabited since the 1st century AD but not given status as a city until the early 20th century. The town has a population of around 20,000 and survives on agriculture and shrimp farming, with cattle ranching and fishing accounting for a smaller portion of the economy. The climate is pleasant year-round—daytime high year-round average: 28° C (83° F) and 22° C average nights (72° F) with a typical humidity of around 70%. But, being so close to the equator the UV is extremely high, pretty much always at 10 on the UV scale.
Read MoreCanoa, Ecuador
December 3, 2022
Canoa, Ecuador, is well known for it surf conditions, beaches, and paraglyding opportunities. I don't surf, but what I've heard is that the 10-mile long beach has a perfect break (whatever that means) for beginners and great surf swells (again, I have no idea what this is about), all year round. Canoa is a tiny town of maybe 7000 residents. There is no supermarket and no ATM, for those you have to drive/bus/taxi south about 15 kilometers to San Vicente. I noticed that while getting fresh fruit was no problem, as there is much grown in that region of Ecuador, getting good, fresh vegies in Canoa was not so easy.
Read MorePedernales, Ecuador
November 30, 2022
Pedernales, Ecuador, a beach town with a population of around 22,000. Back in April 2016 much of the town was leveled by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake. Much of the town has been rebuilt. Though there was the sidewalk I walked on, alongside the old cemetary, that appeared to be still in its earthquake condition, as did the cemetary (see the photo in the photo gallery). That earthquake killed at least 233 people and injured another 580. There were more than 135 aftershocks, some of which registered as high as 5.6. There were reports of it being felt all the way into Colombia.
Read More
I used to teach English as a foreign language in Barranquilla, Colombia. Now I'm retired and traveling throughout South America.
I'm from Kennewick, Washington, USA. In my previous life, as I call it, I was an IT guy, systems administrator, computer tech, as well as a shipping/receiving guy and also worked as a merchandising guy in a RV/Camping store.