Retire to Ecuador? Why not!

We keep adding things to our packing list but we also know some of these things will come off the list when we start to actually pack our bags. Our initial plan was to use the High Sierra bags we bought for our month long exploratory trip.   The  High Sierra AT3 rolling backpack s will be our carry-on and the High Sierra AT3 32" Rolling Duffle  will be our first checked bag. We planned on two more checked bags each for the rest of our clothes and kitchen/bath items. We almost forgot Stu's bag with all his scuba gear so we will be over by one bag. Our tickets are Business Class on American Airlines so we get three free checked bags each, up to 70#. We originally planned to use Sterilite Footlockers and purchased four of them from Wal-Mart. Then we discovered that they are over by .5" - we also learned that Delta and American are clamping down on oversize/overweight bags. The last thing we want to happen is to have to pay $200 each for four bags or worst than that,

My first ever children's book is now available on Amazon. It's a rhyming picture book, What Do I Count , and is suitable up to age five. Good bedtime or anytime reading, teaches numbers. Great as a gift to/from parents and grandparents! {Please share the link with your family and friends.} Kara Jaynes did an amazing job on the illustrations, making my silly words come to life. Thank you, Kara. Hoping to have a paperback print copy with additional teaching pages available soon. UPDATE: Paperback book is now available on Amazon with the added bonus of additional pages to help reinforce learning basic numbers. NOTE: All profits go the the charity Hearts of Gold Foundation to benefit needy families and children in Cuenca, Ecuador (our home for the next five years).

My delicate little hummingbird we bought while out on a walk in El Centro one day. Handmade out of copper, I wanted the mobile displaying several hummingbirds but ended up with just one.

Over the last month we've gotten  two birth certificates, four marriage licenses, two divorce certificates, one death certificate, two social security income letters, eight passport photos, and three background checks (by name). Now we've filled out all the necessary paperwork, signed all the forms and completed our initial wire transfer deposits to Ecuador Movers and put the whole package in the mail. Phew!!!! We only hope everything was filled out properly, getting any replacements while we are off on our two month motorcycle trip will be a bit of a pain in the neck. Keeping our fingers crossed!

I guess some are born with Salsa in their genes!

Guess what I got in the mail today? My birth certificate with a date that can be read! WOOT!! Now we have everything we need to get our Visa application process started. Thank you to Maite Duran from Ecuador Movers for going above and beyond in working with me as I asked a ton of questions. Many do this on their own, once they arrive in Ecuador. I wanted to remove the stress from the process, especially since things can be very date/time sensitive once you are there. Maite and her co-workers are doing everything - notarizations, getting the papers apostiled, then translated then notarized and apostiled again. Phew! Exhausts me just thinking about it. Hopefully we won't have any issues crop up while we are riding Route 66 on our motorcycles the next two months. If all goes well, we'll get... ...and then get our passports stamped at the Ecuadorian Consulate in Atlanta. All that will be left is dealing with selling my motorcycle, utilities, insurance, mail notifications

Yes, Ecuador is considered a third world country. Yes, there are parts of it where the poverty is staggering and we know we couldn't live there. Yes, it's a country of haves/have-nots (as are most 3rd world countries). No, we won't be living uncomfortably. No, we won't be eating bugs, grass and sticks. No, we won't be raising our own animals and growing our own food (although several of our friends are). Yes, we will be walking a LOT more. No, we won't own a car (but possibly a small scooter or motorcycle). Yes, we will be learning Spanish. No, we don't think we'll be truly proficient but we will get by. Yes, we will hang with other expats/Gringos. No, we won't avoid making friends with other Ecuadorians. Yes, the weather will be cooler in Jul-Sep, but still warmer than Dec-Feb here in north central Tennessee. No, we won't come back more than once a year unless there is a real family emergency (it is expensive to run back and forth plus we are

The website timeanddate.com has a distance calculator for all major cities on Earth. The Cuenca page lists distances from there to dozens of destinations around the globe, for example: Guayaquil, Ecuador -- 77 miles Lima, Peru -- 644 miles Galapagos Islands, Ecuador -- 745 miles Caracas, Venezuela -- 1,242 miles Kingston, Jamaica -- 1444 miles Miami -- 1,973 miles New Orleans - 2372 miles Atlanta -- 2356 miles New York -- 3,017 miles Phoenix -- 3,302 miles Honolulu -- 5,580 and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia -- 12,395, almost exactly halfway around the planet Another interesting distance factoid is that Cuenca is 199 miles from the equator, so the South Pole is 6,016 miles away, while the North Pole is almost equidistant at 6,414.

I thought I'd share this video about the company we are using for our Visa paperwork processing, Ecuador Movers . 128 days and counting!

We are making progress. We've received my birth certificate, my late husband's death certificate, my two early in life marriage/divorce certificates and our Social Security statements. Yesterday we got the tracking information for Stu's New York birth certificate. Nothing from my two Virginia marriages yet.... Two whoopsies so far, one fixed, on pending. We printed the official looking online letters of benefits from the Social Security website. Sent a copy to our facilitator and she said they wouldn't work, they have to be originals (with a signature or stamp). So a couple days ago we headed to our neighboring town and stopped in the Social Security office. We got called immediately after registering and she quickly printed, signed and stamped our letters. Less than ten minutes and we were done! From there we headed to CVS where we got our prisoner looking passport photos taken. Not cheap since we needed three photos each and they come in twos, but in a small tow