Painting the Condo

Painting the Condo

Today is Saturday, March 28, 2015.  The painters finished up yesterday – on time and on budget!  They started on Wednesday with relocating the telephone, cable TV, and one electrical outlet.  I should note that the construction down here is all cement and brick – there is no drywall in the condo.   Everything required drilling into the concrete walls; therefore, we left that to the professionals. 

We couldn't be more pleased with the quality of the work.  The guys on the crew stopped only to eat lunch – no breaks, no slowing down, etc.  Talk about hard workers!  Truly as good as or better than painters we've hired in the States.

Our condo is about 1,600+ square feet.  The total cost of the work was $450 labor + $50 parts + $210 paint + $40 tip.   $750 total – an unbelievable deal, especially when considering the quality of the work.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, we bought Sherwin Williams paint.  There is a lot of paint made here in Ecuador and South America; however, our painter strongly suggested Sherwin Williams.  Apparently, the locally made paints aren't the high quality that Gringos are used to.  We bought a total of 9 gallons – 6 for the wall color, and 3 for the accent color.

We weren’t able to bring home samples from the paint shop; therefore, we did our best to pick colors from the color wheel that we thought would go with the new sofa and chairs, as well as the existing bedroom furniture and bed linens.  Back home, this step always took us a lot of time!  

The existing paint was a pink-ish white with darker brown accent walls.  We opted for a much more contemporary, clean, masculine palate.

We picked “Aesthetic White” for the majority of the walls. Basically, it is a soft white.  For the accent walls, we chose “Tony Taupe.”   The colors are “current” SW paint colors that are still on the SW webpage.  I was thinking that the color wheel we saw was quite old!

 

Remember when I mentioned that the walls are cement and block?  Well, that means that the stucco finish over the cement may not be 100% perfect.  As such, we went with a flat finish.  It helps to hide most imperfections in the stucco.

The contractor is returning on Tuesday to hang some of the artwork (he has to drill into the concrete walls) and the new window treatments will be installed on Wednesday. 

Today, we took the bus into El Centro (downtown) to look for a plant stand.  We found one we liked at many of the furniture stores downtown; however, it was part of a 3-piece set.  We only wanted the largest (tallest) stand, and had no need for the two other smaller pieces.  We went into one shop that sold “Disney” and “Garfield” themed kids bedroom furniture.  I use quotes because I’m sure neither of those companies knew/approved of the furniture bearing their images!  Anyway, the guys there agreed to break up the set and sell us the largest one.  Tom likes the curved legs, and it has hand applied inlay on the top.  Looks good in the dining room! 

I’ll post pictures of the “before and after” as soon as the artwork is back up on the walls.

We’re still waiting on the two chairs to be made for the den.  We expect those to be delivered in mid-April.  Until then, we are using the sofa that was here when we moved it.  The neighbors bought it, and have agreed to let us use it until the new chairs arrive. 

All About the Furniture

All About the Furniture!

A little background about furniture:  Tom and I love furniture.  North Carolina is the center of the American furniture industry, and we had some absolutely amazing furniture stores.  We built a very traditional, Southern-style house and furnished it with antiques and traditional furniture.  When we sold the house and downsized to a condo, we switched to a more contemporary furniture palate.  Again, we love furniture!

I am typing this on Saturday, March 7, 2015.  We’ve been in our apartment for just over a week now.
 

At about 1:20 this morning, our entire area lost power.  It was restored at about 10:30 this morning. 

Since we had no electricity this morning, we decided to take the bus into “El Centro” (downtown) to order our new furniture.  (We first stopped at a popular coffee shop for cups of cappuccino and mocha, of course!)  We then walked to Colineal furniture store – a very expensive store that sells furniture more in-tune with our tastes.  We’ve walked through their stores many, many times.  We only noticed very wealthy Ecuadorians and other ex-pats shopping there.   Our transaction was very much like doing so in the US: we walked around the giant showroom, measured, discussed fabric options, product availability, delivery timelines, etc. – ALL IN SPANISH!   We used our credit card (after calling the bank to make sure they wouldn’t reject a very large charge in a foreign country!) to earn a few thousand miles!

We picked out a sofa, two chairs for watching TV, and a sideboard.  The sofa and sideboard were in-stock; therefore, they will be delivered late next week.  Well, “scheduled” to be delivered!   The chairs are being made, and they are due in about 40-days.

We bought just the sideboard to this "Kraven" collection (in clear glass)

We bought this "Vissia" sectional in a linen pattern rather than leather

We bought two of the "Tessin" chairs on the right (in a brown ultrasuade)

Earlier this week, we bought a small bench for outside our front door (to sit on while putting on shoes) and two mahogany armchairs for the living room. We also replaced the two balcony bistro chairs. 

The Shoe Bench

Close up of the Shoe Bench

We are also replacing the curtains at the kitchen window and the balcony doors with day/night shades to match the rest of the condo’s window treatments.  Window treatments are a fraction of the cost in the US!  In true Ecuadorian fashion, the shop owner failed to show up for the scheduled measuring (two appointments he’s missed.) We then contacted a different shop…….and viola – we have the coverings ordered.   She spoke perfect English (lived in Washington state) and even showed up early for the appointment……………….EARLY……….IN ECUADOR!!

Now…….in Ecuador………   Furniture stores and shops are everywhere – we even have a little shop at the end of our street.  It was from this little shop that we bought the bench and mahogany chairs. 

Much of the Ecuadorian furniture is made right here in Cuenca.  There are two distinct styles here:  modern, clean-lined furniture, and the more traditional Ecuadorian-style furniture.   To our American eyes, the Ecuadorian style of furniture is way too over-stuffed, way too orange/brown, and way too “flamboyant” for our taste.  It seems the style is saying, “Bigger and over-stuffed is better, and I can afford the biggest and the brightest!” There doesn’t seem to be a whole lot of middle ground in the furniture here.   Furniture here (in styles that we like) is comparable to US prices. 

As you recall, we bought our place fully furnished.  We sold the existing living room furniture pieces to friends here in Cuenca.  It was good stuff, and very comfortable – just not our style.  We love all of the existing bedroom and office pieces; therefore, we will be keeping all of it.   Eventually, we’ll switch the master bed to a king-sized bed.  We’ll then move the master queen bed to the guest suite, and move the queen guest suite to the 3^rd bedroom/office……maybe.

Another item that we were searching for is a small end table lamp for the guest room.  It seems most Ecuadorian homes are lit with only overhead lighting – not much in the way of table lamps.  The lamps we saw in the shops were very expensive ($150+)  We found a small lamp at a lamp store near the condo for $47.  Nothing fancy at all – would have cost about $15 in the US.  Most small lamps seem to be designed for children’s rooms, so we were happy with this simple design.

Who would have thought finding such a simple, little lamp would be difficult!

Eventually, we want to switch out the existing living room lamps with something more of our style.  It appears that we will have to buy them while back in the US!

UPDATE:  Colineal delivered the furniture about an hour early - very un-Ecuadorian!  As they unwrapped the sofa, I noticed that they brought the correct sofa – but in the wrong color!  Back to the truck it went, with assurances that the correct sofa would be delivered later that day. They called me to tell me that sofa would be delivered at 3:45 the next day. 

I informed the security guards at our front desk of the delivery time. All is good.  ……and then the guards called me later to tell me (in Spanish) that the elevator was going to be down for maintenance and inspection from 3-5PM.  Looks like the delivery guys would have to carry the sofa up 8 flights to our condo!  The building’s day porter followed them up the stairs to make sure nothing was damaged – he keeps the building looking like new, and is very proud of his work!

Fortunately, the sofa arrived about an hour earlier than scheduled; therefore, they were able to use the elevator for the smaller piece of the sofa.  The larger, heavier piece had to be carried up the stairs.   A few $2 bills as tips made the delivery guys extremely happy!  The supervisor practically squealed with excitement when he saw the crisp $2 bills!

The condo is being painted as we speak.  I'll soon be posting photos of the "after" product.

Returning to the US

Returning to the US

I am typing this on Tuesday, March 10, 2015.   At six this morning, Tom caught a cab to the Cuenca airport (CUE) for a 7:20 flight to Guayaquil (GYE)  He will spend the night in GYE, and then catch an early morning flight from GYE to Miami tomorrow.   Oddly, the flight schedules within Ecuador rarely make it convenient to catch international flights.  Most likely, you will have to spend the night in either GYE or Quito (UIO)  From Miami, he flies to Charlotte, North Carolina.  

He is meeting up with his siblings to wrap up his late mother’s estate.  He is scheduled to return to GYE on the 18^th.  He will spend the night in GYE again, then he has hired a drive to bring him over the mountains into Cuenca – the exact same plan we used when we moved here.

We had four more footlockers full of stuff at his mother’s house.  Those lockers contain my KitchenAid stand mixer, Miele vacuum cleaner, high end cookware, photos and other items that weren’t immediately needed here in Ecuador. The idea was that we would bring these lockers back to Ecuador on a future trip.  We just didn’t plan on the “future trip” to be so close to our arrival in Ecuador.  Since we’ve arrived in Ecuador, we’ve been compiling a list of things for Tom to bring back to Cuenca.  Not a whole lot – we’ll go over that list later.

Way back when – when we bought our tickets to move to Ecuador – we had to buy roundtrip tickets.  Unless you are a resident, Ecuador wants to see a return ticket or just a ticket OUT of Ecuador.  The return portion of our tickets is for early June – the latest we could book.  We knew we weren’t going to return home in June; therefore, we’ll pay the $200@ change fee, and go back to the US at another time.  We’ve just started thinking about a return trip to use the tickets.  Of course, we’ll have to buy one way tickets back to Ecuador.  We may go back for the holidays.  We’ll have to start planning that return trip soon.

OK, so what is on Tom’s list of items to bring back from the first trip home?  Mostly small items: more snacks for Sonny Bunny, Spot Shot (stain remover), rechargeable flashlights, good extension cords (with flat plug heads) some toiletry items, and duty-free alcohol and cologne.

AN UPDATE:  Tom's trip went well, despite having to handle 4 footlockers, 1 large luggage piece, and his carry-ons all by himself.  Everything made it to GYE with no problems.   Like the first trip, TSA went through each of the footlockers.  He scooted through GYE Customs and Immigration with no questions.  Jorge Lopez drove him to Cuenca the next day.

Sonny Bunny's Adjustment

Sonny Bunny’s Adjustment

This is how he deals with workers being in the house!

You already know that I’m a crazy cat dad, so bear that in mind as you read this.  This is for those who may be thinking about bringing their cat to Ecuador OR for those who want to know how Sonny is adjusting.

As you recall, we jumped through a lot of hoops in the US to get Sonny to Ecuador.  Turned out that 99.99% of those hoops were not used by Ecuador when we arrived in-country.  Better safe than sorry, and still complete all those requirements JUST IN CASE you are the one they decide to challenge.

After flying with Sonny Bunny, I have a whole new respect for those of you who fly with kids.  I worried about him eating, drinking, going to the bathroom, throwing up, getting cold, etc.  I flew with extra bedding, hand wipes, wash cloths, food in plastic containers, etc.

We sedated him for the flight.  He did great!  The sedation started to wear off about 1 ½ hours prior to landing in Guayaquil.  That gave him time to eat his dinner as we flew over Panama.  He stayed very calm and quiet as we made our way through the Guayaquil airport and in the van to the hotel.  He did very well at the hotel – I think he was just glad to be out of the SleepyPod!  I had placed a disposable cat litter box in my carry-on.  Good thing I did, because our checked baggage didn’t arrive until the next morning.

We sedated him again the next morning as we drove the nearly 4 hours over the mountains into Cuenca. The 4 hours went by very quickly, but there were several hairpin turns.  Without the sedation, I’m sure Sonny would have become car sick – he did sometimes as we drove through the mountains back home in North Carolina.

Cuenca is at about 8,400 feet above sea level.  That altitude affects humans and animals.  For the first week or so we were in Cuenca, Sonny took a lot of naps.  I’m sure his body was adjusting.  (I can tell my own body is still adjusting!)  Of late, Sonny is getting back into his normal routine:  napping from 10:30 AM to 4:30 PM. I made sure he had his familiar bowls, food, bedding, toys, snacks, etc. to help make the transition smoother for him.

We tried two different kinds of cat litter here. Litter and food is quite expensive – and good quality of both is hard to find.  We’re using a clumping cat litter, “Klin Kat”  So far, it does a good job of clumping and odor control. 

A couple of weeks ago, I walked over to a veterinary office with Sonny.  The purpose was to get Sonny established as a patient.  The doctor spoke about as much English as I do Spanish, but we communicated just fine.  He’s a young doctor that many fellow ex-pats use.  We can see his office from our condo – talk about convenient!

Sonny turns 16 in July.  This has been a very big change for an old cat! I hope that all of my planning has made it easier for him to adjust.

Connecting to the Grid

Connecting to the Grid

One of the first things we did upon arrival in Ecuador was to get our cell phones switched over to Claro (the biggest service provider throughout Central and South America.)  It was easy:  they took out the Verizon chip from my iPhone 5S and put in a Claro chip.  While still in the US, we bought Tom a BLU (Bold Like Us) brand phone that can handle two chips: one for use in the US, and one for Claro here in Ecuador.  Now that we have Ecuadorian cell phones, it makes day-to-day transactions much easier!  When we return to the US, we’ll have Tom’s US cell phone number.

On Friday, March 6, our temporary internet was shut off (planned – it belonged to the family subletting the apartment from us.)  Our permanent internet was scheduled to be installed on Wednesday, March 11.   I say “scheduled” because one never knows for sure when ETAPA will actually do the installation.   ETAPA is the city-run utility department (provides cable TV, internet, water, etc.)  Our building uses ETAPA for internet - we have no option.

We have DirecTV installed (only 1 day past the “scheduled” installation date!)  In their defense, Cuenca had a major downpour on the scheduled day.  Many homes and businesses were flooded.  The jury is still out on whether or not TV is worth paying for – not a very good programming selection, and not a whole lot of HDTV channels. 

TV and internet are the only two utilities that we must deal with ourselves.  Everything else (water, gas, electricity) is provided by the building, and we pay the building owner via meters.

As I mentioned, our internet was scheduled to be connected on Wednesday, March 11.  We have been using the retail shop’s internet, as well as free wi-fi at restaurants.  We have a lot depending upon getting internet installed!

First & foremost is my need to have internet to do my independent contractor consulting work.  I’m actually in the mood to work; therefore, I have to strike while the iron is hot!  My home office is completely set up now.  Tom even has a small built-in work station in the office. Sonny Bunny’s “nest” is right beside my desk, and he’s napping away in it right now!

We will also be using our internet connection to hook up our Ooma internet-based telephone system.  You may recall that we switched our home phone service in the US to Ooma last year. We love it.  We have the Ooma apps on our cell phones that permit us to call the US for free (as long as we have a wi-fi connection.)  You may also continue to call our US home phone number FREE OF CHARGE.  It will ring at the condo here in Cuenca.  How cool is that?!    We highly recommend Ooma – even if you have no intention of moving abroad!

Our internet connection will also be used to stream TV and movies via our Roku box.  There are so many channels available on the Roku; therefore, we may drop DirecTV and use only the Roku box.

To get Pandora (internet radio), Roku, Netflix, a lot of websites, etc. to work in Ecuador, we have to “trick” the internet into thinking that we are still in the US.  Otherwise, we get messages such as “Sorry, but Pandora is not available in your country.”  To accomplish this, we bought a router from Sabai, a company in South Carolina.  The router is programmed to have a US-based IP address regardless of where in the world it is being used.  Some people use internet programs such as “Hide My Ass” and “Hola” to access US websites from abroad.  We’re going the router route because we heard it is the better, faster option.

An update:  We finally got our ETAPA internet installed – on March 23.  The speed is slow, and it makes streaming videos frustrating.  We will upgrade to a faster package soon!