Safe and Sound

Hi, buddy. All is well. After waiting at the government building from 5AM to 9, we were allowed to go upstairs and wait. That is where we first saw the news about the quake and heard about the tsunami warnings.  We got back rather late yesterday, really happy to be away from the craziness of Guayaquil: racing in taxis through terrible traffic, pushing through continuous crowds, waiting in lines for hours, standing on hot, crowded buses, wishing I could really speak the language. We left with 30 day extended visas in hand, carrying our new little Acer computer, exhausted, hot and sweaty in well-worn clothes, lucky to have a ticket in hand for the bus to Salinas. It took us about 2 hours to get back to the cool breezes of the ocean and the sanity of Puerto Lucia Yacht Club and Sidewinder. I was thankful to see both Elysion and Spirit still anchored in the bay and we did have a chance to bid farewell to Jerrold and Ans, who leave for the Galapagos this morning. Steve and Josie have to wait a few more days for official check-out, which they were told would happen on Friday. 

So much of life here, for most people, is waiting in lines, for hours and then being told to come back tomorrow   I am always looking for logical reasons behind the inefficiency of the system and, of course, poverty, lack of education and development, all due to much of the colonial history I know so well, play a huge role. This experience seems to be so much  about the Ego and the need for power. Those in control of the government, those who work for the ones in power, the members of the military who run the show with arms and uniforms, all have a vested interest in keeping life as it is. I think of our own modern history of trying to find justice and rights for all people, and I do realize how that struggle continues on. Our "efficient" society certainly still does not function equally for all US citizens who need help!  Luckily we are a bit ahead of Ecuador and many more of our people receive the benefits of modern technology and conveniences of efficient systems. Who knows, if those with power will ever give in to making important changes necessary. Like in the US, those who have their rights many times do not feel the need to campaign for those who don't have them. Mario and Gallo, the directors of this exclusive "Club" do not believe change will ever come to Ecuador, but, of course, they are certainly not working to make it happen! Luckily, we did meet many wonderful Ecuadorian people over these  last few days, who took the time to help us finally get our visa extension, find a computer at a reasonable price, and discover nice inexpensive places to stay and some good restaurants with tasty food. That definitely helped us survive with hope!

I have been writing this with the new little computer and it will certainly take time to get use to it! It is super sensitive  and it takes away sentences when i. YIKES!!  t wants to! See what it just did?  HEL)P!    -Suzi