I'd just about finished my Ontario travelling having visited friends and family in Oakville, Toronto and Ottawa and I decided it was time to start my travels proper.On the 8th May I am booked to fly to Quito, the capital of Ecuador and from there to Baños in the mountains where I am taking 4 weeks of Spanish lessons at 4 hours a day. I have been learning a lot about Ecuador and would like to explore it as a place to live but need to give it an extended visit first to see if it takes.
My plan was to spend two months in Baños which is in the Andes and looks very beautiful. It is called the Adventure Capital of Ecuador as it has all sorts of outdoor activities from white-water rafting to zip-lining, mineral baths heated from the adjacent volcano to a 60 km downhill mountain bike ride where a bus can bring you and your bike back to town.
But then I answered an advertisement on an online forum for expats in Ecuador which was looking for a pet-sitter in San Jacinto on the Pacific Coast. After a couple of emails back and forth and a phone call I was selected to look after three dogs and three cats in a beautiful home right on the beach for a Swedish lady and her Ecuadorian husband who would be in Sweden for a month and a half. Those who know me are aware how much of an animal lover I am and so, while others are excited for me being on the beach, I am much more looking forward to being surrounded by animals for 6 weeks !
So the plan had changed before it had even started but that is OK because that is actually the whole point of this exercise - to do what I want, when I want and simply to take advantage of any opportunities and experiences that came my way. Anyway, back to the present and it was time to head to the US.
I drove down to Niagara Falls and got a room on the Canadian side before crossing over the next morning. Having made the effort to replace my lost Nexus card I was pleased to see multiple signs encouraging drivers to 'Save Time at the Border. Get a Nexus Card'. Sadly the Nexus lane was closed ! I joined one of the regular lines and, as is my curse, it immediately ground to a halt and the US Border Agent decided to discuss something with the car that was at his booth. It didn't seem to go too well for the driver who was directed over to the secondary inspection area and eventually it was my turn. Apparently I'd studied for the test that day as my answers were met with the necessary approval. I started to pull away and the Agent shouted, "Nice sticker, man. Keep Calm and Chive On," having just noticed my KCCO decal on my rear fender.
It was then time for a quick stop at the American Falls, a fill up at the gas station and a trip to the ATM for some US dollars - the $2 ATM fee being much more palatable than the 16% charged by the $US ATM on the Canadian side of the bridge - and then I set my GPS for Bath in New York State which I'd decided would be my first overnight stop. I also set the GPS to avoid motorways as I figured that I'd get a much better look at the US than sitting on the main arteries. The trip took me through some lovely towns and I have done pictures that I will add tomorrow. I'm new at this blogging thing and so getting the formatting done and the text wrapping around the pictures is taking me much longer than it will in a few days. I'm also tied to wifi right now as I'm in the middle of a struggle with AT&T trying to get a data plan on my iPad so that I can do these updates sitting amongst trees as opposed to in a hotel room.
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