Snippets from El Salvador

Tequila in the Pacific Ocean

Lunch in Suchitoto 

Las Orchideas

La Fonda El Mirador

Observations of El Salvador

It was like a second honeymoon with an incredibly sad, tearful (& I do mean tearful) ending. I cannot even begin to describe how wonderful it was to see my husband, Douglas and how heartrenching it was to leave him there.  I cried on the way down in the plane in anticipation and excitement and cried on the way back.  The darn flight attendant remembered me and just had to inquire about my visit - well, that was all I needed to burst into tears! Delays with the kids' paperwork continued, so I headed down by myself.  Ironically, their paperwork arrived on the second day I was in El Salvador.  We will be going down again in February, so now things are organized for them to fly.

I was prepared for a Latin American developing country and perhaps was a little surprised at how much I enjoyed it. We stayed primarily at his house in San Benito but did venture out to a few other places and stayed in beautiful resorts.

Some observations:

1.  I could never drive in this city. I could not get over how disrespectful and lawless the drivers were (& yet, the people are so friendly) - anything goes.  I don't know how it is possible that my husband has not had tons of accidents.  The brave vendors walking in between the cars selling fruits etc. was interesting!  The plumes of BLACK smoke from the busses was disgusting - environmentalism is not even on the radar down here.  I did enjoy not having those canvas grocery bags & .05cent plastic grocery bags forced down my throat at every supermarket though. No seat belt laws seem to exist as I saw so many families pile into the back of the truck beds! Many potholes - the only roads that seem to be looked after are the ones going to the Coast.  Almost killed ourselves on the way to Suchitoto - all of a sudden the highway seemed to turn into a two lane hwy - in looking at the video tape I still don't understand what happened.  We didn't see any signs, just all of a sudden a car was barrelling it's way towards us!  We also barely missed driving into concrete blocks that were set up on the hwy.  - again no signs anywhere - just happened to be following another car in front of us in the dark and all of a sudden we are driving on the other side of the highway!  Maybe someone could explain that to us - I feel we are missing something. Douglas has a great ride, but not for El Salvador.  The rims and tires are very expensive and has had five blow outs in 8 months - at $140.00 a tire - time to get a jeep.  Now, he is looking around for one.  It was an adventure driving up the Volcanoe in his sedan!

2.  The poverty intertwined with the wealthy and the poverty in the outlying villages was very sad to see. The glue sniffers on the street disturbing.  Of course, there is no social safety net to help these people. Toronto has it's share of homeless, windshield washers and addicts on the street even with shelters and social programs aplenty, but what was disturbing was seeing the children.  I kept thinking - "these kids should be in school getting an education, and here they are with no shoes trying to sell us a pen, gum or windshield wash!"  Even with the free education that has been introduced last month with the new President, the financially challenged families still need the income that their children can bring in.

A young girl, probably about 11 yrs. of age, approached us one day in the MetroCentro Mall and handed my husband a slip of paper that said she was "deaf and mute" looking for money. She then turned to me, stared at me, and then turned to my husband and asked him "are her eyes real?"  Ha Ha.  Yes, it was quite funny. I did not see many blue eyes down there nor blondes - I don't know where all the "gringos" were hiding!

3.  It is not a pet culture.  I saw one other person with a dog on a leash and I saw many running about. I saw two cats the entire time I was there. This is the newest member of our family - everywhere Douglas goes, this doggie goes - everyone would point and say "I, chee waa waa" - Yes, just like that! It was hilarious! He carries him in a little bag and he just sits in there all day.  His name is Tequila!  A cross between a rat, a bat and a gremlin I think. He is such a cutie petutie!!

4.  No tourist infrastructure and severly lacking in cultural activities.  There is not much else to do in the city other than going to the Malls, but they are fabulous Malls - equivelant to a high end Mall in any other big city.La Gran Via was a great place (Mall and restaurants with outdoor patios - something like a Yorkville in Toronto.)

5.  Amazing meals (I had many different fish dinners) at amazing prices.  We had meals equivalent to a "Keg Steakhouse" meal for just under $50.00 - (I should note: we don't drink alcohol.)

6.  Electronics very pricey.  I would say 50% more than what I would pay in Canada.

7.  Salvadoran people very friendly and polite, very sweet people!

8.  Ocean was of course fantastic - again not Americanized - very raw and quaint. The below pics are from the resort we stayed at in Playa El Tunco - Rocha Sunzal - it was a bargain at $65.00 per night (breakfasts included).

9.  Loved the "cheezy" cemetaries!  (Looks like "The Dollar Store" vomited all over them.)

10.  Homegirl, Mary, was everywhere! Love it! (Even at the Gas Station!)

11.  Came across a Christmas Parade in Escalon.  It was better than any Canadian parade I have attended. I loved the costumes, dancing and the interactiveness of it all.

12.  The high crime rate keeps you sequestered in the gated communities and away from downtown and other areas, keeps you indoors at night.  I didn't have the freedom to just go for a walk without thinking first of my safety and where I was heading.  Also, it was so darned hot, I wouldn't want to walk more than a block or two!  There is no lake or nice vista to really go for a walk to - just really the Malls.  You really have to get out of the city to see the beautiful volcanoes and other spots, but you absolutely cannot live without a car.  I would never ride the bus there - too dangerous and too packed! It seemed that just the poor would use the bus system.  I had my jewellery on and felt safe with my "bling bling" - but again, we stayed in the upscale areas  - if I stuck the camcorder out the window, Douglas would be quick to tell me to get my arm back in the vehicle.  I wanted to see the downtown - particularly the mercado - but he has only ventured down there a couple of times and is leary about going down there.  There is a lot of crime and being "foreigners", we are a target for petty theft/muggings.  Maybe next time I can convince him!

On the day of my departure (Monday), Immigration phoned Douglas to advise him of a package he needed to pick up at the Embassy. Inside it contained his "B" number (Permanent Canadian Resident Number) - so YAY - one step closer to him returning back home to us! I fear though, it will be another 8-12 months from this point on - their online stats show anywhere from 8 months to 22 months from point of receiving application in Guatemala City to point of completion of application.

I'm now back in the balmy temperatures of -3, while Douglas slugs it out in 31 degree weather! We will unfortunately be apart for Christmas this year thanks to Canadian Immigration red tape. :(

Fingers Crossed!

Douglas' 23 year old file has finally been shipped and ARRIVED in GUATEMALA CITY (love you Guatemala!  yay!  Go Guatemala!! Best looking Immigration officers around!) late last week for the bulk of processing.  This is a huge step in our Sponsorship application. If the timeline tables on the Canadian Citizenship & Immigration website are correct - from this point it could take as little as 8 months or as long as 22 months. I am hoping that his file will be in the 30% of files that were processed in 8 months.  For some reason Mexico processes them at a rapid speed of 4 months! 

We have been waiting for the replacement birth certificates for the girls to arrive in order to facilitate them having passports.  They were sent in months ago and for one reason or another are still not processed - the latest was that they were returned to me after sitting on someone's desk for weeks on end, asking me to fill out the forms again and have them notarized yet again (at a cost of $60.00) due to the fact that I wrote the middle names above the place, instead of below the place where they were supposed to go. 

We've decided that we cannot wait much longer for the certificates - I am flying out in a couple of weeks to be with Douglas for a bit as the separation on everyone, but most of all Douglas, who is all alone, is very daunting at this point.  As soon as the girls' certificates arrive I can get their passports processed in about a week - so they will fly down then to join him as well.

Road Trip!

The girls and I decided to go on an adventure.  We piled into the mini-van and off we went to the cobblestoned, french speaking, gorgeous Ville de Quebec (Quebec City) for almost a week. In my opinion, this is one of the best cities in Canada. It is steeped in history.  It was founded by Samuel de Champlain in 1608.  We spent hours discovering the city and the historical buildings. We were fortunate to stay at the Chateau Frontenac (opened in 1893 - sister hotel of Banff Springs Hotel where many moons ago, right out of University, Douglas and I worked).  I would thoroughly recommend a stay in this gorgeous hotel - the pool, spa and customer service was exceptional!

It was a twelve hour drive there (stopped for 1 hr shopping & 45 mins lunch) & then an 11 hr drive back (quick pull throughs to get gas and check on the tire that kept going flat!)  The drive was gorgeous, didn't even feel like a long drive - all I can say is thank goddess I purchased them each a  DVD movie player before we set off! 

The view from our window of the courtyard below.

We took a ferry ride to Levis - the city across the St. Lawrence. View of the lower city & Chateau Frontenac sitting atop the hill. The girls have been in French Immersion since Junior Kindergarten - so they were able to order the meals in french and translate for me since it is not bilingual in Quebec City like every other province - it is completely french only.  There are some people who speak English a bit, but it was rare to find and all the signs, menus, etc. are in french.

On our first day we had a gorgeous 45 minute horse & buggy ride throughout the city. Well worth $100.00.  When I went to Quebec City as a teen - this was the only real solid memory I had of it. We went up to the Plains of Abraham - where the battle between French and English took place in 1759.

I love the lower city!  We went on a 90 minute Lantern Guided Ghost Tour throughout the entire lower and upper city.  Wow, was that ever a workout!  We were up and down hills and stairs and the girls' little legs kept going!  It ended with a monologue in a darkened Holy Trinity Church with one lone candle to guide all 20 people - apparently the most haunted building in Canada.  We took dozens of pics trying to capture a ghost!  There is one pic that Trinity and Avalon are sure shows a ghost hovering next to Trinity's shoulder.

 

Quite a few murals on buildings in the city - very intricate and gorgeous.

We couldn't leave without seeing Montmorency Falls.  With trepidation, we took a cable car up and walked over the falls on the suspension bridge.  Quebec was quite a bit colder than Ontario, as you can see from the pic!  It was very unfortunate that Douglas couldn't be with us, but we speak daily so he got an earful of our travels and the girls and I have such wonderful memories from our trip!

Halloween & Dia de Los Muertos

I'm so glad I took the time to take some pics of the fall foilage at the RBG last week.  This morning I drove by this same tree (in the rain), to see that probably 90% of it's beautiful leaves have fallen off and it is now  almost bare.

                                        

On Devils' night we went to the 8th Annual "Screamfest" located at White Rock Ostrich Farm, about 20 mins north of us.  It was very much a scream fest!  Live actors inside the creepiest haunted house and then "Jason" from the movie "Halloween" was waiting for us outside - he then chased us in the mud! Ya, it was so scary and fun that Avalon wanted to go in again.  Trinity chickend out - oops -  I mean, sat by the bonfire while we went through the house.

                                                

Waiting in line for our turn to get scared - old time horror movies played in the tent while we waited.

                                      

I loved this creepy guy in a cobweb!

                                                   

This is a great idea when the kids don't behave.

                                                  

I especially love this one!!

                                                  

Avalon was a "Punk Pirate" & Trinity a "Red Tassled Cowgirl" for Halloween.

                                      

The houses around here are totally into the Halloween spirit - loudspeakers playing creepy music and all!  Awesome spirit!!

                                           

                                          

With Trinity being a "Halloween Baby", we always seem to have a "Dia de Los Muertos" Party for her and this year was no exception!  Fun times!

Cutie Petutie

Douglas has been in El Salvador for over 6 months now without us and it has, of course, been emotionally draining.  The poor guy needed a companion - so he decided to buy an adorable teacup Chihauhau - better than getting himself a girlfriend!  He named him "Tequila". 

I can just see it at the airport now - when Douglas comes to meet us, the girls are going to ignore him & make a big fuss about this little cutie petutie!

Building Art

I just love these transformations. On the way to my office, I pass by these works of art. I absolutely love them! This Architectural firm's building was painted with irridescent paint and it just glistens in the sun.

I also love this wall - love the colours!

Thanksgiving

While Douglas is dealing with torrential downpours in the heat (and no Thanksgiving dinner) - we guiltily enjoyed a day at the farm and then a wonderful dinner with cousins and other extended family.

Avalon & I on the wagon ride - it was a chilly day!
A pony ride through the farm for Anitcka.
Freya loved all the barn animals - and they loved her and the food she offered!
A trek or two or three through the "Haunted Maze".
Thumbelina wondering when dinner would be served.

Avalon made it through the long day, but was not her usual "Dennis the Menace" self. The reason for that? Unbeknownst to us she had come down with H1N1 (Swine Flu). She was so generous, that she gave it to her sister also. So, the week that unfolded was filled with two sick littled kidlets home from school for the entire week! I think I heard "Mummy!" every 10 minutes for the last week.

Acceptance Speech

Excellent acceptance speech by President Obama, who never asked for this award. I think he found it difficult to accept the Nobel Prize, realizing that after only 8 months in office, he is just getting his "feet wet"; he was very humble and gracious. (Perhaps Europes' slap in the face to George W. Bush?)

Nobel Peace Prize: Canadians Should Be Insulted

We all heard/read the news today - the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to President Barack Obama. I do not dislike the President. He is an eloquent speaker and has delivered excellent speeches around the world.

Also, in The Huffington Post today there are two articles entitled: "Obama to Accept Taliban in Afghanistan's Future" & "U.S. Considers Establishing Political Party for Taliban in Afghanistan". The articles outline how the President Obama is prepared to accept the Taliban to have some rule in Afghanistan.

With all due respect to President Obama, as a Canadian I am insulted that the Nobel Peace Prize would be awarded to him. Let me explain.

Canadian soldiers have been embedded in Afghanistan since 2001. The cost of this offensive military operation, until 2011, is expected to be $18.5 billion. More importantly 131 young Canadian soldiers have been killed and brought back to be driven in a hearse down our "Highway of Heros" as Canadians stand on the overpass bridges waving their Canadian flags.

A very interesting read that outlines the Canadian soldiers' liberation of the Afghani women from the Taliban and rebuilding of Afghanistan, is Christie Blatchford's "Fifteen Days", awarded the Governor General's award.

If you are familiar with the atrosities of the Taliban (especially against Women) and the hard work of the Canadian Solidiers who have carried the weight of Afghanistan on their shoulders since they were removed from power in 2001, you should be insulted.

The ideologies of the Taliban should never be allowed to have a voice or place in any society on this earth.

"Those who cannot learn from History are doomed to repeat it." (George Santayana)

Renos - The Ongoing Project...

Below are the photos of the living room and dining room prior to the Renos. (Wide angled lens would have come in handy here, but you can get the idea.) It is very obvious that Douglas and I are addicted to the store "Home Sense". Note to self: look into Minimalism theories. The floors previous were black and had lost their shine and gleam over the last couple of years.

AFTER: Clean and bright with cherry hardwood floors installed on Monday. I'm very happy with them. They are also in the entry way as well.

Currently underway - the kitchen, bathrooms and entire upstairs. Should be done soon. In the interim, the housing market is making a slow recovery here - hopefully it continues to trend upwards!