One of the surprising things about travelling is how quickly time passes. We’ve been on the road nine months now and it really has flown by. We’ve also been terrible at keeping the blog updated but are now committed to catching up. No, really!
We spent October and November of 2017 in San Alejo, Ecuador doing our second Workaway. As we explained in our last post, this program has you volunteering part-time in exchange for room and board. We loved spending our days helping out at The Cottages by the Sea in this tiny community that runs for less than a mile long along the coast.
San Alejo is sandwiched between the equally small towns of San Jacinto and San Clemente. The closest bigger town (with airport) is Manta, which is famous for being the yellowfin tuna capital of the world.
The Cottages by the Sea is a boutique-style hotel that was designed and built a few years ago by Canadian-American ex-pat Kimberly James. It consists of eight rooms – most of them suites with kitchens and multiple bedrooms – centered around a lush, landscaped garden and swimming pool. The Cottages are literally across the street from the ocean. Fishing and tourism are the economic mainstays of the area. Fisherman use huge nets that are dropped off-shore from small boats and then hauled in by a dozen or more men. It’s an arduous process that takes hours. James’s pictures offer a better explanation than words can.
Along with another couple, Sonia and Moreno from Italy, our job was to keep the hotel neat, tidy and ready for guests. Work included the Sisyphean task of wiping sand off the tables, chairs, and bar, and sweeping it off the pool deck. We also manned the bar/reception desk and welcomed guests. After guests left, we helped clean the cabins and do laundry.
We were aided in our labors by a trio of dogs: Mama, Pulga, and Toro. All were local dogs that had adopted Kimberly and her boyfriend Tintin. Mama the one-eyed Beagle/Basenji/Other mix currently holds the prestigious title “Leigh and James’s Favorite Dog of All Time”. There were also two cats – Hawthorne and Patty – who made the journey from the States with Kimberly when she moved to Ecuador.
Many hours were spent in the outdoor “lobby” hanging out with the lovely community of ex-pats that visited frequently, as well as getting to know some of the local residents. We ate most meals at home. A truck selling local fruit and vegetables stopped by at least twice a week as well as a fish seller. For other groceries we walked a mile along the coast to San Jacinto to the tiny grocery store, or took a half-hour bus or taxi ride to the closest larger supermarket in Bahía.
The highlight of our time in San Alejo was serving as production staff for an episode of “House Hunters International” for which Kimberly was the local producer and fixer. This episode (Season 121; Episode 12) was about an American couple who want to buy a home in San Clemente. It was truly eye-opening to learn that the on-the-ground crew for the filming of the show consisted primarily of two people who did everything including directing, filming, and sound. One additional crew member was a contractor brought in from Cuenca who shot all the drone footage. As anyone who has ever worked on a television or movie shoot has learned, there is an awful lot of sitting around “back stage”. Still as HHI is one of Leigh’s favorite shows, sitting around was still pretty darned exciting.
We were very sad to say goodbye to all our animal and human friends in San Alejo and we are grateful to them for so quickly accepting us into their warm and sunny community.
