Red Tape Knows No Boundaries

Well, do we have a doozie of a post for you this time! As promised last time, we did grocery shop, and Chelsea did get her computer back (pimped out and juiced up by our friendly web pirate Manuel who sounds like he’s from the Midwest when he speaks English), and we had an awesome banana split at Tutto Freddo complete with passion fruit, blackberry, and coffee ice creams. We tried to open a bank account, at 3 different banks, but they all swatted us aside. The 2nd time we went to Banco Pichincha, we arrived just after 4 PM and were informed that they weren’t working anymore that day. So we went back for a 3rd time on Friday, waited in line for 30 minutes, and then the lady told us that the system was down but we could try back later. So we went back for a 4th time that afternoon and just strolled right on into the private banking side (I figured, “Why the h*** not? It could work”). The nice lady at the front desk told us just to walk into the boss man’s office, which would have been great had he not been on vacation. So another nice lady asked if she could help and told us to take a seat. We did as asked, and then 5 minutes later the Executive of Business accounts lady talked to us, asked us how much money we wanted to put into the account, and then told us that the private bankers only deal with $50,000 and up. She kindly referred us to the public banking people, but their line was really long because everybody was just waiting all day long for the system to start working again.

So, having failed miserably with these attempts, we decided to walk ourselves to the Mall and pick out the things we need to buy for our house. After enjoying a bit of shopping without spending money, we saw a mini Banco Pichincha and decided to try them. The lady there was very nice, but she told us that we had to have resident visas and an Ecuadorian ID in order to open an account with them. She did add, however, that the boss man sometimes can make the rules go away, so maybe we should ask him when he gets back from vacation. Visits to Banco de Guayaquil and Banco del Austro resulted in firm but polite no’s.

In any case, you may be wondering about the state of our house. The view is beautiful, but the house leaves something to be desired—mainly, heat. It’s COLD up here! We spent the first night in the attic because we needed to do some serious cleaning of our bedroom. We were pleasantly surprised when we arrived at the house and there were actual mattresses. We have two pushed together, with some really ugly tiger blankets to keep us warm. The interior decorator in me is going absolutely crazy as I look at these two poor mattresses on a concrete floor. However, function before form. Today we taped a big piece of plastic over the window (Dad, thanks for the duct tape!). Maybe tomorrow we’ll get a space heater hooked up. And some sheets for the bed. And a carpet for the floor. We really don’t ask for much, do we? Eventually we hope to have some shelves for our books and our clothes, and a hot shower. Then I can begin to decorate.

Today, we boiled a huge pot of water and took it into the shower (after we cleaned the bathroom). Brad had the technique down of mixing the hot with a little cold and pouring it over his head. I wasn’t so ready to be completely soaked, and I had a sponge bath. I quickly wrapped myself in my towel, and then began the task of washing my hair. It was a long, cold, tedious process but it feels good to be clean.

Field work also commenced today. We spent a couple of hours walking along the trail here at Mazan, and Brad found one frog. It wasn’t exactly the species we were looking for, but we do know that they are quite elusive. The frog we found is one of the species (Gastrotheca pseustes) I intend to study here, but it isn’t the critically endangered species that I am really interested in (it’s just plain-old endangered, ho-hum).

The great quest for the car continues, but we have a few people working on this for us. Of course, we really need a bank account to buy a car. We’re also not really sure if we’re legally allowed to buy a car and the required medical insurance plan without being residents. Hopefully we’ll be able to trade the hike up the mountain for a bumpy drive by the end of the week! We may just have to tell anyone who asks that we’re borrowing our new ride from our Ecuadorian “brother-in-law.” Meanwhile, we’re really getting our mountain legs in shape!

So to end, some things we are thankful for. Our iPod, the beautiful view, fleece clothing, a working stove, full bellies (and peanut butter), our Kindles, headlamps, good health, each other, and of course all of you!

Addendum: We were finally able to open a bank account with Banco Pichincha this morning!