Big Ralph’s is a hostal with a British theme. www.BigRalphHostal.com Juan drove us over there from the condominium disaster and we were able to get a room for two nights. The cost for a couple, two nights was $98, which seemed a bit on the high side for the off-season. The room was a typical Ecuadorian smallish room with a full bed and a set of bunk beds. Not much room for all of our luggage we had brought to move into a condo! The price does include breakfast if you’re up and about by 9 a.m. Eggs, bacon, croissant, coffee and juice does taste good in the morning. Many expats in the area rave about Ralph’s for his Fish n Chips and braised beef which he serves on Friday or Saturday nights.

We were able to catch a taxi back to our condo during the day ($1 for a ride). Things were getting cleaned up and there was an electrician working on the panel so electricity was restored before long. The building administrator, Julio, met us at our representative’s office. He had a letter to give to our representative, Amy, but she refused to accept it. It seems he is expecting “us” to pay for all the costs of clean-up and repair, about $1000 so far. We took him $500 later for our HOA fees and electric bills since November. He seemed pleased with this, and we will wait and see what happens next.

Today was spent measuring rooms/spaces and drawing plans for what we would like to do with the condo. We tried FloorPlanner which is available online for free. It isn’t too difficult to learn basics, you can add furniture, and view the plans in 3D. However, we didn’t have internet at the condo, so it was simplest to use graph paper for now.

We have also moved to a different hotel: Hostal Aqui, aka Will’s, aka Score Bar, aka The Gringo Bar. www.HostalAqui.com Will and Wendy are great people, great cooks, and great hosts. They won a Trip Planner award for 2013. We are staying in the Matrimonial room which has a full size bed, two wardrobes and a nightstand. The really nice part is there is a safe inside each wardrobe and the nightstand locks also. Only $40 per night for the two of us. They are famous for their steaks and tuna, as well as a great place to meet other gringos.

We took an American Airlines flight from Miami, FL to Guayaquil, Ecuador. You can bet that any flight to Ecuador will be crowded with people and luggage, as well as delayed.

Juan from Salinas met us at the airport in Guayaquil and provided a ride to our new condo. Juan was nice, knowledgeable, and reliable. He also holds dual citizenship in the U.S. and Ecuador.

We arrived at our condo about 11 p.m. to our worst nightmare. The building was completely dark. The guard met us at the curb and informed us (through Juan's interpreting) that a water pipe had burst and flooded the building which meant no water and no electricity. Even worse, the pipe had burst on our floor and he told us we would be liable for all damage to the entire building.

Confronted with that news, now what do we do?

And the Adventure begins…

Our amazing son and his wife drove us to KCI to catch a Southwest Airlines flight to Fort Lauderdale, FL. This was a great flight, very reasonably priced, and even though you can’t reserve a seat, the space was more accommodating to our 6 foot frames. One tip: check in online 24 hours ahead to get a better boarding assignment. Also, you can lock your checked luggage if you use a TSA approved padlock.

We stayed at a Comfort Inn in Hollywood, FL, which had a free 10-minute ride from the Fort Lauderdale Airport. They also had a transportation company that provided a ride to Miami International Airport for $65 for two people, which was less than any other shuttle service in the area.