One does not need to live vicariously.
In 2003/2004 the original plan was to reclocate from souless Camberley, Surrey, England to Quito, Ecuador, South America. I had friends there who had been a part of my life for a few years. There was even a home, a flat below the mother's house which my friend had bought as an investment. The desire to live in a different country had been squatting in my head for a number of years. What good was mere desire? I had always liked learning new languages so anywhere I could go to improve those languages would be a possible destination to have as a home base. Having visited Germany many times, to see a good friend of mine, I had been learning the language. Although I liked being in Germany I felt like it was not a great fit for my personality, it was too rigid, one even needs to keep to the right hand side of the aisle in the supermarket. Rules for the sake of rules are so last century.
I had lived abroad when I was in my twenties, in two different countries, so I was well aware that utopia resides only in the recesses of the imagination. Those who believe that relocating to a different country, even another town/city, is all sunshine and roses would have a painful slap in the face if they were to gather enough courage take a step into a world where the only doors which are open to you are the ones which are stacked high with hurdles you need overcome before you can even begin to unpack your belongings and relax. I had recently visited South America and had been exposed to its stunning beauty in unpredictable chaos. Despite the obvious dangers, it was one of the best holidays I had ever experienced. I was well taken care of by my friends' family, who made me feel like I had known them all my life.
The landscape is as beautiful as it is diverse. The people are really hospitable, with impeccable manners. We had ordered lunch at a restaurant. While we were waiting for our food to arrive, I had gone outside to take some photos. Three street boys were sat on the ground, leaning against the wall eating their lunch. Either they were not allowed to eat in the restaurant or they preferred the freedom and fresh air of the outdoors. I could not resist snapping a few shots of them. They approached me, extremely politely, "Por favor, Señora, Hay la posibilidad de ver las fotos?" "Please, Madam, Is there any way we can have a look at the photos". Wow, I thought, and those lads live on the street and the are gorgeously polite. I have to confess it was tough to see such young children living like that, as young as 7 years old.
Setting out from our home base in Quito in a car which I had hired, for a small fortune, the insurance was almost the same value as the car hire, we bagan to head towards the beach in Atacames. Ecuador has three distinct climates, sea level/beach, mountains and inland. In order to reach the coast, we needed to cross the Andes. I did not find driving in the mountains daunting until I realised that the sign posts for the speed bumps were right next to the bump, which didn't allow me to time ajust the speed accordingly, throwing my 5 passengers up in the air, bashing their heads on the top of the car, making me driver of the month, not. As I was the only named driver on the hire car policy, they had no choice but to tolerate the uncomfortable and unpredictable mountain crossing.
Destination Súa
Súa beach is a fishing village surrounded by hills and cliffs, located 21.7 miles (35 km) from Esmeraldas city and 3.7 miles (6 km) south of Atacames, Ecuador.
To be continued.