Casa Ezula

Our new home has been an adventure. Spencer has been working really hard to make it the best that it can be. After a good clean, a fresh coat of paint, and some furniture it has started to feel like a home.

 We had a few hiccups when we first moved in, electricity trouble, water trouble, oven trouble (which I was happy about cause I was enjoying eating all our meals out). Those of you who know me well know that I'm NOT a great cook...

Unfortunately I'm even worse here. My first meal was so bad that the neighbourhood dogs wouldn't even eat it when we invited them in to clean up the floor!

Thank you to Spencer and Max who swallowed it down without complaints. 

We are still tackling a few problems... Bug proofing our home and the Bullet Ant turf-war that's taking place on our front step. 

There are lots of other creepy crawlies hanging around outside, but I'm trying to approach them with a sense curiousity and wonder... I still let out shrieks and shudders on a daily basis, but I'm getting better. 

Max enjoys visiting with the two tarantulas that live along one side of our house. I never imagined I would say the words, "I'll meet you over by the tarantulas" to my toddler. They stay in their nests and just peek in and out so they seem to be the least of my worries. It's the poisonous caterpillars and Ezula's (bullet ants) that really scare me. 

I'm putting Max through bug assassin boot camp.

 Now that we covered the nasty stuff here are some photos of what we do around the house. 

Our house is a short moto-taxi ride from the town square. We live halfway up a steep hill so we walk down to the dirt road below to catch a ride everyday. Often it's very quiet...

However, on Friday and Saturday nights, this sleepy little town seems to be the party central. One of the homes doubles as a make-shift nightclub, blasting music that travels directly up to our bedroom. Max sleeps soundly through it, Spencer and I have not been so lucky. One night they randomly put on the Macarena at 2am! Noise regulations don't exist in the jungle.

 After the music stops the roosters and chickens start, they don't even wait for the sunrise... I didn't understand how people could kill and cook their own birds... Until now. I think it might be time for a good ol' poultry feast. 

I will leave it on a positive note... Aside from the minor issues the house is perfect. It has everything we need and more than expected (hot water, Internet, and a washing machine!). 

The air is fresh, the plants are beautiful, and it provides us with a good workout climbing the hill several times a day! 

Last week of Luxury... Goodbye A/C and Cable

I'm sorry for the delay, we have been sorting out our new home for the last week. We spent the first two week staying at Sol de Selva which was very comfortable with A/C, cable, and super friendly and amazing staff. 

We found some awesome patio furniture made of rebar and skipping rope, not so glamorous sounding, but oh so comfortable. So far we have moved these, a stove, and a fridge... Making moto-taxis even better than über. 

Each of us got our own... Max's was made custom. 

Spencer is enjoying his new job. It's very close to the house so we have gone to visit a few times. Max now answers the question "Where does Dada work?"..."Taki-wasi". 

Max and I have been very busy everyday. We have explored a lot of the city a found some great spots. 

We found a playground out by the airport that has questionable safety regulations... Sure glad we got our tetanus shots. Here is Max in what I call "The Spinning Sphere of Doom". 

 We live close to an animal refuge called Urku. Max and I took a tour and met some interesting jungle creatures. This is the Tapir.

One of Max's favourite places in the city is the town square. During the day he discovered a little plot of dirt that he thinks is the beach. The locals are always keen on striking a conversation up with us while we play here. I've learned to say, "My Spanish is very bad" and "I don't understand a lot", but people just keep on talking away to us, so mostly I smile and nod. 

At night the square comes alive with buskers, toy vendors, people socializing and children playing. This is Max's crazy time where he runs around like a lunatic chasing bubbles that the vendors blow to lure children. Thanks to them we haven't had to buy a container of bubbles here yet. "Why buy the cow when you get tthe milk for free?!" 😜

Our new home is located just outside the city halfway up a steep hill that some moto-taxi drivers won't even drive down. We have a large property that is covered in plants and trees with our house perched right at the top. Now matter where you go, there are hills to climb... Going to have buns of steel when we get back to Canada. It's very peaceful and fresh during the day. At night however, the jungle seems to come alive with pounding music, dogs, and Spencer's favourite... Roosters!  

Stay tuned for the house tour in my next post. 

Sneak preview... 

This is our driveway.