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Thursday 25 August 2011

Ecuador fishing in Playa Prieta portoviejo



Ecuador fishing in Playa Prieta Portoviejo
 Fishing in the Pond 
Everyone has a fear of something, mine being sharks, but where I went this day puts a whole new spin on fear: snake territory, anacondas!! 
After a cracking day with the Loors at the ranch , we planned to go fishing. Not your normal fishing trip that you are used to at home, using rods etc! 
But this I found interesting: we had 4 poles with a net attached to them, stuck into the middle of the pond, then 1 guy with a small net in his hand and 4 others swimming around in the water.

fishing in ecuador catching shrimp snake territory






It took me 30 minutes to get the balls to jump in the water, as this area was renowned for snakes, not to mention the walk to the pond, which involved walking through reeds and trenching through dirt up to my waist in some areas. 
Any how! I was shown how to catch a fish with my bare hands by digging deep under the water! I caught one, but was no match for the experts. It took them just under an hour to catch 25 fish. UNBELIEVABLE! 
I heard a scream from the corner of the water! My heart was in my mouth! Was it a snake grabbing the lad?
No, it was a shrimp! Ha ha! I think the lads are flipping crazy, digging their hands into the bank side. Anything could bite or grab you, but the scream was a shrimp nipping the lad with its claws.
 It is a normal process to catch them, so they said. Two minutes later, another yelp. What a whopper. This shrimp must have grabbed him right on the chest. 
5 shrimp with the 25 fish,not bad for an hour's effort! 
We then packed up and trenched back through the reeds and back to the Loors, where we then had a fish supper! Rico! delicious! That was what it tasted like, but everything tastes great when it is free! wouldn't you agree? 
So to conclude this post, I didn't see any snakes, I learned something new, and what an experience to save in the memory bank. Ecuador fishing in Playa Prieta portoviejo

Ecuador Manabi Day at the Ranch!

I went to my friend's ranch the other day, just outside of Portoviejo. What a place. It was about the size of Newcastle, a large city back home in the UK. The place is covered with trees, plants, and eye-catching beauty spots. This truly was paradise. 
The journey began by visiting my friend's family house, where they have the luxury of coconut trees, mango trees, and other fruits right on their doorstep! Who needs to go to the supermarket when you have all of this? 
After drinking the water from a coconut, by the way, It was time to head up the mountain in my truck with the Loor family.!

ecuador exotic fruits orange coffee and sugar cain  
The roads were very steep and narrow, overlooking the cliff edge! Great views all the way to the top! 
When we got there, we said hello to the locals, who were very warm people. Before we ventured into the back of beyond, I had the opportunity to hold a few wild birds. 
I was amazed by the ranch as soon as we began walking through the forest. Senor Loor explained and guided me through the ranch, showing me what produce he has, what has been used and what is growing now! 

First I was shown the orange trees and banana trees, which we gathered a few bags of and tasted! Then I was shown the coffee plants at early stages and blooming stages, very interesting as I had never seen this before. Chocolate plants were then shown to me and a demonstration entailed sucking the outter pips, thus providing us with the beans. For the chocolate process to begin, pips must be dried out in the sun,as do the coffee beans. Pictures illustrate this.

COFFEE PLANT!



 Cacao plant!



It was quite hot up there and I was parched like everyone else was, so we headed further into the forest to find a pool of water which ran from under the ground. It was the best mineral water I had tasted and very cold!, rehydrating and feeling fresh. We headed for the sugar cane plants, ripped the bark off with a machete, then sucked the sugar from the plant. There was so much more to see ,but doing all of the above had been time consuming!
It was the best experience of my life to be able to do this mini adventure, which brought me as close to the Amazon rainforest as I will ever get! 

We loaded up the truck with the fruit we had picked and back down the mountain we went! 
If ever you come to Portoviejo and are interested in having the same experience as I had, we can arrange this for you. Even if you are not in it for the information on products, at least you will get some spectacular photos, and really appreciate where you are at that time!. My next entry will be another trip fishing in a pond SNAKE TERITORY!

Wednesday 10 August 2011

Ecuador visa guide and requirements for Resident and Non resident Visas!!


Ecuador visa!

There are two general categories of visas:

1-Non-Resident

2-Resident (immigrant).

 

Any person from any country can enter Ecuador with a 12-X visa (which is a tourist visa) for a period of 90 days. I did this by having my current passport, which was valid for at least 6 months, along with my return ticket and a simple form you fill out on the plane! The process is easy upon arrival; once your passport gets stamped at the airport, a few questions may be asked as to where you are thinking of going, just general security measures. It happens to everyone, so don't worry.!

Resident visas!
Ok this process can be obtained in many ways, so i will try to keep this simple!
Real estate!
Real estate and securities investors who are willing to invest in Ecuador a minimum of 25,000, usd plus  500 usd for each family dependent. now for example you buy a house for 25000 dollars and thats it right? wrong! before you buy a house or business, you must get it valued as you may pay 25,000 dollars but it is only valued at 20,000 in the province that you are in! meaning you are 5k short.
so my advice is before committing, ask a lawyer or even speak to the correct department, for a value of the property you are thinking about buying!
If all works out well value being 25k +, Then Congratulations life is allot easier for you now, for a list of properties that will guarantee you residence check out my buyers guide
If you have the cash another option is having 25k put in an Ecuadorian bank, and leave it for a year . this can give you residence also.
There are many lawyers around Ecuador,that prepare you for your required visa! but not all speak English. which can be your main problem. But there are English speaking lawyers i know, which are located in Quito, Ecuadors capital and also Manabi, which is where i am now!
I shall go into more depth with the visa scenario for other applications, but in the meantime here is the contact info of a lawyer in Manabi we know! Very friendly and happy to go through the process with you!
Abogada
Carmen Garcia Alava
Direct emails
 

Sunday 7 August 2011

Ecuador beaches Day out in san clemente and bahia on the quad

Ecuador beaches 
I always take the quad on the back of the truck when going to the beach. It's quiet during the week, so San Clemente is the place to go! park outside of Manfred's bar, a German lad who came out here 10 years ago and set up shop! Have a couple of beers and order some food. The fish is great! Then hit the beach and have a bit of fun!


http://youtu.be/fjUDl8w3MNg

Next video is my mate`s first time out on the quad, in San Clemente, then I went to Bahia another beach next to the party zone known as CANOA
http://youtu.be/_vCsRwK-hF8