It has been raining off and on the past few days here in Cotacachi. I did manage to get out for pickleball yesterday morning after a steady rain all night. It cleared up a bit in the morning, then more thunderstorms hit in the afternoon with showers all evening. This is a good thing for Ecuador, as the rainy season we are supposed to be in hasn’t been near as wet as normal. So much so that the government has instituted a series of rolling power outages throughout the country over the last month or two because of the extreme low level of water in its power generating reservoirs.
I have been getting more involved with the local pickleball group lately. They have moved into another new location, this time indoors. I helped out with the laying out of the courts last week. Here are a few pics I took over the last few days of the original outdoor courts and the newer indoor courts. A huge improvement!
My typical day starts here around 6:00AM. That’s when the church bells start ringing across the park from my apartment. They seem to go off about every 15-20 minutes until about 7:30, reminding everyone it is time to come and pray. I put on a cup of smooth local coffee (Rio Intag) and have a nice breakfast made up of fresh fruits, and a cup of yogurt.
After breakfast, it is time for a walk if the weather looks good. Up until yesterday, the morning weather was great. I usually meet up with Chuck and Susan Bussey, local expat friends that Giselle and I met a couple of years ago, around 7:30. We have a couple of circuits that we take heading just out of town either east or west, about 2-3 kms.
Depending on the day of the week (Mon, Wed, Fri) I then head over to play pickleball around 9:00AM. There are generally around 15-20 people that come out regularly to play. A mix of expats from around the world, local Ecuadorians and even some younger kids. We play casually as there is a mix of people playing from beginner to expert. We keep the play less competitive and rotate through so everybody gets a chance to play. It is a good workout and lots of fun. For those that want a more competitive play, we can book a time on Tuesday or Thursday mornings.
After pickleball, I usually head over to Doc’s Place for a cool beer and maybe some lunch. Dewey’s Grill is just behind Doc’s. It is run by a friendly Canadian expat couple. They produce great breakfasts, but their copy of the big mac from McDonalds is a local favourite. Sometimes I will check out a local Almuerzo or lunch spot. I can get a basic lunch consisting of a bowl of soup, rice with chicken, fish or pork, vegetables, and a fruit smoothie for under $3.00.
After lunch, I usually head back to my apartment for a nap. I’m retired and can do what I want! Sometimes I get on the web and update websites and of course, add to this blog. Internet speeds here are fantastic! I did the speed test when arriving here and here are the results:
Around 4:00PM I head out for another walk, sometimes to the market or local grocery store, sometimes to Doc’s for a beer. Whatever I feel like at the time. Afterwards, I will either head home to cook up a bite to eat or go to a local restaurant. Cotacachi is a foodie’s dream. I blogged about it last spring (Cotacachi – A Foodie’s Dream…) but will say a few more things here. I have my favourite spots – Aliani’s Pizza, La Vaca Gorda, El Coyote, Subs Station, and Coo Coo’s Nest just to name a few. There are so many choices and the selection is growing all the time. I’m done for the day – time for a beer!
