OH MY GOSH

Just heard today from "My Man" in Ecuador.HE HAS NOT SUBMITTED MY PAPERS AFTER ALL. THEY WILL BE SUBMITTED, HOWEVER, BY THE END OF THIS WEEK. What a blow for my mental state. This is amounting to an 8 week delay from when I originally sent all my documents to him. I should be on the verge of receiving my visa. Instead I am looking at another 4-8 weeks before we will be able to leave. And I had thought I had made this wonderful plan allowing plenty of time to get our visa's and be on our way.LOL  
                           PATIENCE--PATIENCE-PATIENCE.
So I must now follow up my landlord letter with a call advising him that our move will be delayed, perhaps for even another month. Perhaps until November 1. Not so bad for him. He now has a heads up on what we are doing.  So that part is OK.More time to work out refund plans with him.And of course more time to pack and store. Perhaps we need the time after all. OMG

We are Committed

Yes we are now committed. We have forwarded our 30 notice to our landlord today-------We rented our LARGE storage unit today. I did get a big discount because I am a very old man. Off course we are not sure what we are committed to Ecuador does have the inside track so far.
We have looked at a home in Cuenca that is just our style. It is just beautiful ( We think) It is located in the countryside about 24 minutes from the main city of Cuenca. It is located on a bus line. In fact the last stop is at the end of the driveway. Looking at a Google map, there is a small village called Valle within walking distance for groceries. What else might be there is yet to be discovered. The house is part of a 1 hectare lot (21/2  acres).
The rent is $350 and we are told utilities-TV-Internet-Gas-Water-Electricity-Phone total no more than $100. So we could live here. Pets are OK ( Silk and China are relieved)
So our adventure moves along. We are now hoping to be able to leave the end of September. We must now go someplace now that we have notified our landlord.As long as I hear from my "Professional Person" in Cuenca that our papers are in order I can travel there and be issued my visa in Ecuador. I was only staying here to be sure that all was in order. I do not want to have to return because some of my required papers have not been prepared correctly. So I MUST clarify that information if I can before I make the BIG move.

                                                   Inside balcony

                                                      Livingroom

                                      Dinningroom ( Is that a hand sink?)

                                           They will leave the fridge

                                                 Beautiful countertop

                                               Lots of counter space

                                           Small sink shown in island

See the dual sink under window

We would love to live here. The owner has not said yes yet. She will be showing it this week-end and make a determination perhaps sometime afterwards.We wait to hear from her.
Stay tuned------

First Glitch

It has been said that moving to a new culture will require a LOT of patience---new way of doing things--pace is much slower--language barrier---understanding how things work  such as a new appliance, if it does not work--you bought it, you own it. I was hoping I would be able to arrive in Cuenca before I experienced any serious problems. Well I was sooooooo wrong!
Yesterday, I sent a e-mail to my man in Cuenca, whom I hired to help me through the maze of acquiring our resident visa's. I was simply asking for an up date on the progress of our application. He responded that as soon as I forward all my papers he will submit them. I was flabbergasted.He has had all my papers for over 4 weeks. After advising him of that fact he advised me  that for what ever reason and what ever circumstance,he  had gotten me confused with another client with the same first name. He in fact did have the documents and would begin the process immediately.Well , this was a real setback. Here after I am thinking I was almost ready to get my visa, I am back to square one. This from a person who said that there would be no mistakes if I hired him to help. I wonder if I can regain any trust in the future in what he has to offer. He did tell me that he has been hearing that the process takes only 4-6 weeks now,not 6-8 weeks  as previously expected. If true, this keeps us on track to leave as planned first week of October. We  shall see!!!!

Easier said than done!!!!!

Yes, we made the decision to move after we experienced Ecuador for one full month, travelling around via plane and bus. We came home all excited. And then came to the realization that we had a really full house of stuff. Paring that all down has become the most difficult so far. Some things are really hard to part with. All those memories, all those "things" collected on our travels, special gifts from friends and family. We know we must make some hard decisions, but that does not make it any easier and then of course, we each have a MUCH different idea about what to do with each item in question. We know we can not take it all and less is better.
I think of useful items especially hand tools, kitchen items such as toaster, smoothie maker, coffee bean chopper and maker. All the small appliances we MUST have and will be so much more expensive in Ecuador. Clothes, lots, as our sizes will not be readily available. Shoes, hiking boots all will cost more in . Will it be worth the extra cost to take them?. OMG!!! where do we start--- where do we end???. Storage will have to be considered. What to do--- for how long--- how much will it cost to store those special things? WE will come back and we will need some things that we already have, so keep or sell and purchase when we return. OMG!!! not so easy after all.
Our visa will be ready in 6-8 weeks so we do have some time to make all these decisions, but we do need to do a little each day.
Our cats ( Yes they will go too. We can not bear to leave them) need certain documents and shots and notarized papers from the vet. Then there are the airline rules about taking them on the plane and how to make that all happen. How long are we willing to have them be cooped up in their required cages in the cargo hold? Perhaps making the trip in two legs,a stopover in Miami and continue the next day.This will double the cost of our luggage as we must pay twice instead once with a through connection directly to Cuenca. OMG!!!Will our move be worth all this anxiety?? MOST ASSUREDLY--- YES!!!
What kind of place do you expect to live in you might ask?
We where very fortunate to have met a nice couple in Cuenca who invited us to visit so we could see their apartment. They pay $300/month plus no more than another $70 for electricity, gas,water,cable TV. Then add internet and phone service. So up to $425. total.

                                                 Modern Kitchen

                                                  Master Bedroom

                                              Nicely Decorated Patio

                                              Living room/Dining Room

                                                     Reverse View

                                                Second Bedroom
If you rent an unfurnished house or apartment, you must provide a stove, refrigerator, water heater, and washer/dryer if you want them. Sometimes even the light bulbs. So this move will be a real adventure.

                      We most assuredly will not starve. Lots of fresh fruits and                                                vegetables every day and very inexpensive

                              Fresh flowers all around the house every day
                                              $2. for 2 dozen roses.

Then of course there are friends and family. Very hard to think about all the fun and events that we will miss. We have just recently branched out and have met several other families with whom we enjoy socializing. Then we plan to move. What is that all about.
 Our family is growing up so we do not live close to most of them anyway. Ecuador is not that far away, maybe they will all visit and/or we plan to make return visits. With all the different electronic equipment around today, we can Skype, text, e-mail, Facebook, and blog.We hope to be able to make that adjustment as well. We shall see. We can always come back.
Stay tuned for more as we move along. Come back again---

First Step DONE

Our plans continue to move forward on a positive note. All our required papers have been submitted. As we moved along with our plans to relocate, I felt overwhelmed when I began to investigate what was required to be able to secure a resident visa. I checked the internet, spoke to several expats living in Cotacachi, and had spent an afternoon with a friendly couple in Cuenca.I was convinced that trying to accomplish this task was not going to be easy without experienced help. I was told that the rules changed mid stream. I was told that paperwork had to be prepared correctly without errors or it might be rejected.  I was given advice on what was needed and what was required, however none of the advice was the same creating more anxiety. A background check had to be prepared by the state in which you lived. No, it must be prepared by the FBI. You will need a marriage certificate. No, that will not be required. You will need everything "apostilled" What was apostilled? I had never heard of that term before. It really, just simply put, means that all notarized documents need to be notarized again by the Secretary of State for the state where the original documents were prepared and notarized.I had zero confidence that I was going to be able to move to Ecuador with what documents I was told were required and secure a visa without having to make several return trips to the states to for corrected and/or any additional documents.
I researched several web pages of local people offering to assist with securing documents. The cost varied considerably from reasonable to outrages. I chose an American expat who has lived in Cuenca for several years and had an Ecuadorian wife who had some experience and who could assist with translating ALL documents as required by Ecuadorian Immigration.He was able to detail, with confidence, all the papers I would need: where and how to get them. He gave me a step by step list to follow. He has been very helpful in making suggestions and has been able to offer help with even how and what will be required to have our precious pet cats accompany us on our adventure. So with his assistance all our papers have been correctly prepared and have been submitted to the Ecuadorian Department of Immigration. I have been advised that this will be a 6-8 week wait for a visa. So we are now packing up. What we take, what we store, what we sell is the next installment------