The Visa Black Hole - pt. 2

***So just the other day, I posted about our original plan regarding visas. Due to some delay on my part, the post didn't go live until just the other day, but that was our plan back in the beginning of January. There have been several changes in Ecuadorian immigration policy since then, so we've had to change a couple of things around.***

                                                      

                                         In which, we Change Our Minds

So here's the dealio - we've been working with Sara Chacas at Ecuador Visas in regards to any and all things visa related. She's a lawyer based in Cuenca and she has been invaluable to us. Seriously, she answers all of my questions in a very timely manner, and she's been very upfront about timelines, costs and the expected 'hassle' factor of things. She also gives me several options for every choice, which I really, really like. Options make me happy.

Sara sent me an email at the end of January with some interesting info that had just been handed down from the Immigration Ministry, which basically said that effective immediately, the Ministry was eliminating one of the tourist visas, the 12-X visa. This was the 90-day visa we were planning on applying for to finish out a full year in Ecuador. 

After much hurly-burly and hullabaloo, the Ministry actually rescinded that ban on the 12-X visa the very next day. However, the restrictions have been tightened immensely, which effectively still keeps it out of reach for us.

This caused some concern on our part - how were we going to ensure we could stay for a full year? There was always the option of just staying after our last visa ran out, and then, upon leaving the country, taking whatever consequence was handed out (typically a ban on travelling back to Ecuador for a certain period of time). That was do-able, but we want to go by the book as much as possible. Plus, we wanted to keep our options (see?) open if we decide we want to stay longer or return after our initial 1 year adventure.

Enter a 3rd option (remember how I said how I love options?) and that is the 12-V visa, aka, the Student visa. 

This visa actually has several benefits. 1) It's cheaper. BY FAR. And, we only have to pay the full visa cost for 1 person (John) and I can come in as his dependent. 2) It would actually allow us to stay in the country for up to 2 years if we wanted, which takes a lot of the short-term visa hassle out of the equation. 3) It means John actually has to take Spanish courses, which is what he was planning on doing anyway, so it's like killing 2 birds with 1 stone. 

I'm not entirely sure why we didn't consider this option before, but sometimes you have to be hit over the head with the obvious before it become...well, obvious. At least, that's the case for me. 

So now the plan is to enter on our T-3 visa (the one everyone gets for free whenever you come to the country) and then find an approved school we can take courses at, apply, and then complete the visa process within the balance of our allotted time on the T-3 (roughly 10 weeks). Fingers crossed it turns out well. I've already asked several of our friends in Ambato if they can recommend a particular program or course of study to us, so hopefully that will be the easiest part of what seems to be a relatively easy process. I'm kind of waiting for life to turn around and punch me in the teeth and then kick me on the ground and I'll realize that it was NOT an easy process. 

Here's hoping I can manage to keep my teeth cause I don't feel like dealing with dental issues in a foreign country.

Cleaning Up and Getting Gone

In which, we make a Final Decision

So, I have a confession to make - I actually had the Visa post written in January, but I forgot about it and just 'found' it again when I came to write this post so...you get a couple posts in succession! Also, due to some recent changes on the Ecuadorian  side, we've changed our minds (again) on how we're going to be handling that situation, so I'll be writing another post on visas in the very near future.

Anyway, onto the more important and INFINITELY more exciting news - we bought our tickets to Ecuador!!

We will officially be leaving Wednesday, March 25 from Atlanta at 5:50pm. We are so excited, especially me. It feels real now, you know? Like, it's not as if we weren't going to go, but having the tickets in hand (or at least, in electronic format) just takes it to that next level of reality. It's really on the books. It's really happening. I really have to make a concerted effort to get my house cleaned up and cleared out. Oy vey.

As I'm sure some of you will be curious about, we also got Jethro booked on our flight! Needless to say, I am so completely relieved to have that worry off my back. We ended up taking him to Petsmart to do an absolute, final double check on the crate-sizing issue. Wonder of wonders, he ended up fitting appropriately into the 2nd largest crate, which made him eligible to be shipped as baggage, rather than cargo. I might have done a crazy-happy dance in the middle of the store that had both Jethro and my husband acting like they didn't know me...

Ahem.

Jethro 'enjoying' his new crate

Anyway. We will be flying with Delta again, on a direct flight from Atlanta to Quito. When I called to ask them about shipping Jethro, they allayed all of my fears. Yes, we can book him now and guarantee him a spot. Yes, the plane can accommodate his crate size as checked baggage. No, he will not get bumped if the plane gets too full; basically, if we fly, he flies. Yes, we can pay the $200 crate-based shipping fee rather than the $2500 cargo rate. That last one especially made me ecstatic.

Torn apart music room

In other news, we have started clearing out the house, but it's been in fits and bursts. Our bonus room is pretty much done and I've started tearing apart our music room as well. Mainly it's just a matter of organizing what's in there, then relegating everything to its appropriate pile - store, donate/sell, throw away.

As you can see, it's a bit of a mess right now, but it's nothing a couple of hours and a few trash bags can't fix. My  mom graciously (!!) left me a ginormous box full of odds and ends encompassing my entire life as well as portions of my sisters'. Some of it has been really fun to go through and see, while other stuff is headed straight for the donate/trash bin. Sorry, Mom! I'll keep the important stuff, like these.

Sweet baby Nikes. circa 1987

The plan is to have our house available to rent for the beginning of April. We'll be putting it on the market in just a few weeks, so if you know of a couple or small family looking for a low-maintenance house for a year, send them our way. I'll be sure to post a link to the listing once it gets put up.

That box was FULL o' baby stuff

So there you have it. March 25th is the drop-dead date. Several people have asked if we're having a going-away party. We are not officially planning anything, but we'd love to see all of you guys! If you want to hang out, hit us up! The last week before take-off is sure to be a cluster, but we'll be happy to squeeze any and all available fun out of the time before we leave.

That being said...the sooner the better, y'all. Hop to it!

The Black Hole that is...Visas

Visas. Never have there been so many questions about any topic than how to get into a country (legally), how to stay in said country (also legally), and what the rules and regulations are governing your movements in and around the country once you obtain the ability to stay (hopefully legally).

I don't have all the answers. In fact, I have very few answers so please don't look to me for advice. All I'm going to be doing here is telling you what our plan is and how we came to make that our plan. This is subject to change, of course, and we will definitely keep you appraised of the process as we go along. So let's get to it.

First off - you don't need to apply for a visa prior to entering Ecuador. The country has a lovely 'open door' policy for pretty much everyone, save a few countries (I'm looking at you, Pakistan).

When coming through Immigration you will receive what's called a T-3 visa that's good for 90 days in a chronological year. You don't pay or do anything except fill out the paperwork they hand you on the plane, then hand it to the lovely people in Immigration while they ask you if you've been to Ecuador before and how long you plan to stay. After inputting the information into their computers, they smile at you and say, 'Bienvenido a Ecuador!' and you go on through. You now have 90 days (3 months) in the country.

There are two other visas that we're planning on applying for to ensure a full year's stay. A 12-9 visa is good for 6 months and a 12-10 visa is good for another 90 days.

All three of these visas are considered 'non-immigrant' visas. If we wanted to stay permanently in the country, we'd have to apply for an immigrant visa on the grounds of retirement, professional ability or investment. We had considered going the professional visa route, but Ecuador places some restrictions on travel after receiving an immigrant visa and we ultimately decided that we only want to commit ourselves for a year at this point.

So right now, I'm thinking that we will apply for the 12-9 visa to start off our sojourn. Apparently you can do all the paperwork and legwork before ever leaving the States and simply arrive in the country with the visa in hand, therefore bypassing the need for the T-3 at the get-go.

Originally we were considering doing the T-3, then the 12-9, then the 12-10. Then, one of John's best friends got engaged over the holidays (congrats, Will and Amanda!!) and it's looking like their wedding will be in October of 2015. Since we're planning to arrive at the end of March/beginning of April, that puts the wedding roughly six months out from our arrival in Ecuador. Since the 12-9 is good for 6 months, it seems like it would be easier to start with that, then take a trip out of the country once it expires, then return on either the T-3 or 12-10.

This is all subject to change, but that's my thought process so far. If you have any questions or advice, I'd love to hear it!

Gone to the Dogs

Current Day

So now that everyone is up to speed on most of the happenings of our 2 week trip, here's what's happening now : I'm having to figure out the best and least stressful way to ship Jethro to Ecuador. I cannot stress the 'least stressful' part enough. 

Some of you may be asking, "Who's Jethro?" Allow me to introduce you to the most spoiled bit of obnoxiousness you will ever meet:

Hi guys...

Jethro came into our lives on New Years Day in 2012. He was 6 or 7 months old when he found us, and, after a tense couple of months in the beginning (a whole OTHER post all in itself), he's settled in and become part of the family...mostly.

As you may have noticed, Jethro is a bluetick coonhound. Smart dog, really, but very stubborn and, did I mention, loud? Oh yes, he's very loud. He loves to yell when he gets excited but he'll also let us know if he's unhappy or anxious. And Jethro has been known to be very, very anxious. You see where I'm going with this?!

Anyway. Shipping him is probably going to turn into more of a nightmare for me than for anyone else. I'm going to be terrified the entire time that he's going to make such a nuisance of himself that they won't put him on the plane. Or worse, he'll make it through one leg of the flight (if we don't get a direct flight) and they'll kick him off at the halfway point because he's being too disruptive!

Speaking of halfway points and legs. I'd love to get a direct flight. However, my darn dog is also dictating this minor detail. As you can imagine, airlines can be veeeeeery picky about shipping animals and they have LOTS of rules that vary slightly by airline. The main rule involves crate size. Some airlines aren't super specific about the size, they just have to visually confirm that the animal has plenty of room to stand, sit and turn around (ie, not squeezed into a too small crate). Other airlines literally have measurement guides that dictate the crate size your dog must have. 

Jethro, darn his coonie self, is considered a medium/large size dog per his weight. He's somewhere between 55-60 pounds, which isn't very big. However, he's lanky and long. According to his measurements via the airline requirements, he'll need a crate big enough for a Great Dane. 

Why the furor about his crate size? Again, it will determine HOW he gets flown down to Ecuador. If we can get him in the smaller (but still big enough) crate, we can ship him as checked baggage (so no dealing with Customs) AND we can get a direct flight. If he's only able to fit in the larger crate size, he'll have to go as cargo, and I'm unaware of any airline we would use to ship him as cargo that has a direct flight from Atlanta to Quito. Most seem to be routed through Houston or Miami. 

And this is all  just the beginning. Thankfully, Ecuador doesn't have a quarantine requirement, and there really aren't a lot of requirements for bringing in pet dogs other than a vet checkup and booster shots. The only seriously obnoxious requirement they have is that he has to go to a certified vet for a physical exam, then the certification form has to go to Columbia to be signed off by the state veterinarian, THEN it has to go down to the Ecuadorian consulate in Atlanta to be endorsed. The kicker? It has to all be done - from exam to every signature and apostille - WITHIN 10 DAYS OF DEPARTURE. 

Let's be honest...who can resist that FACE?!

Sigh. I complain now, and it's definitely a lot to get done in a short period of time, but I don't mind all that much. I mean, leaving him isn't really an option, so we'll just do whatever we've got to to make sure he gets to Ecuador in (mostly) one piece. The biggest question though, is this - will airlines have a maximum noise limit by the time they get through with him?!

In other news, we've commenced clearing out our house. We started with our guest bedroom, which was actually pretty easy. Most of the stuff went into the trash and the rest is going into boxes. I meant to take before and after pictures but, A - I totally forgot and, B - that room wasn't too bad to begin with.

We're tackling the guest bathroom and the music room this weekend. That WILL warrant pictures because that room is absolutely stuffed to the gills with...stuff. As you might guess, we have a lot of musical accoutrements in the music room in addition to several larger pieces of furniture. It's also become the catch-all for gifts-in-waiting, papers to be filed, over-sized baby boxes  and random bits and pieces that don't really go anywhere else in the house.

All this to say, if you have packing boxes, I would love to get them from you. I'd love to pack as we go in addition to throwing away as we go. This way, all that's left in the rooms are necessities, furniture to be sold/stored and boxes to be stored. Huzzah for organization!

Journey's End : Cuenca, the Cajas and Guayaquil

Here there be Gringos

Let me just preface this entire post by saying that I truly enjoyed Cuenca. I loved the atmosphere, I loved the history, the people were kind, and overall, it was a 100% enjoyable experience.

However. After being in Ambato for almost a week, and not seeing a SINGLE tourist (or at least, a white one) in that entire time, it was really jarring to see them EVERYWHERE in Cuenca. And we were there in the 'off' season. Yikes.

Do I hate tourists? No. Clearly, I was/am one. But when I'm looking for places to live, maybe it's just me, but I tend to steer clear of the touristy spots. I love visiting Charleston and NYC. Would I want to live in either of those places? Probably not. That's pretty much how I feel about Cuenca.

So, in case you don't know, Cuenca has everything Ambato doesn't. It's absolutely steeped in history and culture and, as such, it was named a UNESCO World Heritage site 15 years ago. It's got practically as many churches as Greenville, SC. You can't hardly walk around a corner without seeing a church. There are museums left and right, beautiful squares every few blocks or so, oh, and did I mention - a river runs through the middle of the entire city, so it's got a very 'green' feel.

We spent the better part of an entire morning exploring both the Old and New Cathedrals. The Old Cathedral has a TON of history as well as some very interesting chapels and paintings to recommend it. It was also very well marked with lots of information blurbs on just about everything in there, so it was nice to get a sense of the history. Beware though, you have to be able to read Spanish.

From the front looking out

Front of the church

Private capilla (chapel)

Side of the Catedral Viejo

The New Cathedral was absolutely stunning. Very Notre Dame-esque which is interesting because you really don't expect to see that style of architecture in Ecuador, of all places. John and I paid a dollar to go up to the parapet and see the view of the city. We got some really great shots up there.

Facade of the Catedral Nuevo

Stained glass inside Catedral Nuevo

The blue cupolas of the Catedral Nuevo

Cuenca

At the top of Catedral Nuevo

 Markets are a dime a dozen, as well as various and sundry little tiendas selling specific wares - we saw a lot of stores geared specifically towards fabric and fancy detailing. There was a beautiful flower market every day right next to the New Cathedral. Vendors selling roses and other flowers as well as arrangements, all freshly picked.

Flower market

Street mercado

The weather when we were in Cuenca was absolutely gorgeous. The mornings were cool, but by 10 am or so, it was sunny and warm enough to warrant sunscreen to prevent sunburn! We were there for a grand total of 3 whole days - Sunday afternoon through Wednesday morning - and this held true for Monday and Tuesday.

The day we left, Wednesday, we took a bus through Cajas National Park to get to Guayaquil for our flight to Quito (I'll come back to talk about this later). It rained pretty steadily for the entire 3 hour ride, but it made the Cajas that much more beautiful. It's the most stunning park I've ever seen, and it certainly blew my mind as far expectations. Ecuador was constantly surprising me with its views and vistas. The Cajas looked more like the Scottish Highlands than a national park in South American Ecuador - big, craggy mountains that dropped terrifyingly into valleys covered with low-growing paper trees. The vegetation looked like brown lichen, with patches of green grass growing around the myriad of small ponds and streams. With the rain and the harsh grey skies, it had a stern, austere feel to it, but it also felt wild. We saw llamas peeking around rocks and horses chasing each other on the valley floor.

John woke me up to take this picture...

Sadly, we didn't get a chance to actually get out and hike. We had planned to spend a day in the park, but due to some last minute bad preparation, we had to settle for the bus ride through it. Needless to say, it is at the TOP of my list of things to do when we get back in March.

So, to go back to why we had fly from Guayaquil and not Cuenca itself. Basically, we dilly-dallied too long on buying the flights so, in the end, our options were : take a 3 hour bus ride to Guayaquil for a 45 minute flight to Quito, or take the 10 hour bus ride, overnight, through the mountains, from Cuenca back to Quito. As enjoyable as the 7 hour bus ride from Ambato to Cuenca was, we had no desire to try a 10 hour overnight ride. Plus, I at least wanted to see the Cajas, and if a bus ride to Guayaquil was the only way to do that, then so be it.

Down to the Terminal we went and hopped on a bus for Guayaquil. Neither of us had had any interest in seeing the coast or jungle during our brief trip, but we were both kind of intrigued, now that we were going to be there, however briefly, to at least see what it was all about. So up we went into the Cajas, and then, very quickly, down we came to the coast. It was crazy how fast the descent was. You think about how high Cuenca is above sea-level, about 8200 feet, and the fact that Guayaquil is a port city, so literally, on the water, and the fact that we descended from 8200 feet to about 0 in roughly 3 hours...holy popping ears, Batman!

The change was amazing. We had been used to seeing these glorious mountains and adorable mountain villages for 2 weeks. The coastal areas that we drove through were, for lack of a better term, dirty. In the 45 minutes to an hour that we actually had that coastal feel and landscape, we saw more impoverished looking people and towns than we had in the entire time we'd been in the mountains.

Pulling into Guayaquil was actually sort of terrifying. It's huge, like, Quito-scale huge. But it was somewhat reassuring as well, because the small piece that I saw right on the harbor actually reminded me a little bit of Miami. Not sure why, but that's the impression I got.

So we pulled into the Terminal and the airport is literally a mile away. We could've walked, but there was no direct route that didn't involve crossing major roadways and the guidebook suggested we cacth a ride. Since we had experienced the adrenaline-inducing sport of being a pedestrian versus an Ecuadorian driver, we decided to take a taxi. A very nice policeman inside the terminal directed us to where the taxis where and said that we should pay absolutely no more than $2 to get to the airport.

Upon arrival at the taxi line, we were immediately charged $5. When I explained to the driver what the policeman said, he immediately started arguing with me about how the policeman didn't know what he was talking about, and the standard fare (for what was a 5 minute drive) was $5. Now, my Spanish is passable, but not good enough to argue over fare, so we merely started pulling our bags out of the trunk of his taxi. At which point, he immediately said he would take us for $3. I figured that, whether or not that was the actual price or not, it was a fair enough gringo rate, so we accepted and finally made it to the airport.

Once we made it into the airport, it was like a small step back into our old lives. There were amenities and cleanliness and people who spoke English all over the place. It was kind of a relief, but at the same time it was kind of sad to know that we were officially in the process of leaving. I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Ecuador. Yes, I was happy to get back home to the things I'm used to, but I'm confident that, with a little time, I can make Ecuador my new normal and be totally happy doing it. 

Taking it back to Ambato

Ambato and Marco and Elena

So, I want to take some time and talk about our hosts in Ambato - Marco and Elena. They were absolutely wonderful. I honestly can't say enough about them. I'm sure we didn't make the greatest first impression rolling into town late, but they were wonderfully gracious and kind to us once we finally made an appearance.

Elena had been an exchange student to Illinois when she was in high school, so her English was excellent. Marco understands English but does not speak it very well (kind of like me with my Spanish). They are an older couple and Marco is retired - he was a professor at one of the universities in Ambato and I believe he also worked in the IT sector for many years. Elena works for the same university as a librarian and is semi-retired.

Marco and Elena in Quisapincha

We made an amazing discovery about Marco and Elena on the first day we spent with them - they are Christians! So not only were we comforted by being able to communicate, but it was an even greater blessing to have that relationship as brothers and sister in Christ in common! The Lord truly took care of us in a way that reflected his kindness and generosity.

They have 4 mostly grown children - 3 daughters and 1 son. We met 2 of their daughters, Anita and Fernanda, as well as their son, Danilo. Danilo and Fernanda are both married with families of their own. Fernanda lives about an hour away in the Oriente in a town called Puyo. We met her and her family one evening as we were on our way back to our casita, and we promised them that we would go out to Puyo to visit them and see the area when we return.

Drinking morada colada in Achota

Danilo and his wife and baby girl live in Ambato, about 15 minutes away from Marco and Elena. Danilo is a software engineer for accounting firms and he and his wife run their own business together. They both understand and spoke some English, so it was yet another chance to communicate with them, and they were very helpful when we were asking about neighborhoods to look for a house in.

Marco and Elena's youngest daughter is Anita. She still lives at home and is currently going to school for graphic design. Their oldest daughter just recently got married and moved to Chattanooga with her husband! Talk about odds. Chattanooga is roughly 4 hours from us, so it's amazing to think that we went all the way to Ecuador, met Elena and Marco, and their daughter lives literally less than half-a-day's drive away. CRAZY.

Seeing the countryside around Ambato

Anyway. Marco and Elena were nothing but kind to us. They told us repeatedly that they were just wanting to serve us and that they were so pleased to be able to help in any way. I was truly humbled by their serving and giving spirits. They clearly have their own (busy!) lives, especially with a new grandbaby! But they reached out to us constantly and consistently, inviting us into their home and freely giving their time to drive us around and show us their country. There aren't enough words to say how thankful I am for them and how excited I am to be going back and seeing them! 

Pupe!

On Our Way Back

Home Feels Foreign

Well, we stayed in Ecuador for 2 weeks and we are still alive. Visiting a 3rd world country is very different from the normal life of a North American. Now having the experience I know what areas I need to work on before returning. The biggest problem for me is the language barrier. I have a lot of work ahead of me, but my goal is attainable. 

Right now we are in Quito waiting for our flight back at an outback. The original plan was to take a flight from Cuenca to Quito but that didn't quite work out. We waited too late to book the flight and the planes from Cuenca were completely booked up. So our next option was to take a four hour bus ride from Cuenca to Guayaquil and then fly from there to Quito, then from Quito to ATL. Like I said we are in Quito now waiting for our red eye flight back to the States. 

Since we've been here for 2 weeks and stayed in 3 different areas it already in a way feels homey to us. Going back almost feels like we are going to another different country. It's very hard to explain the feeling. But I miss my family, friends, and church so it is a good thing we are coming back for now. There are a few things we need to accomplish somewhat quickly and I believe we might have another longer trip out there in store for us in the relatively near future. But as the Lord wills we will follow.

Look forward to catching up with everyone. May God Bless!