Toilet Paper Funnies and Rants

Let's have a little conversation about a reality that you may not know and should if you intend to relocate or visit Ecuador. Or for that matter most Latin American countries.

The bathroom. Ah-hem… Toilet paper here is NEVER flushed.

Heather and I had discovered this fact via the internet and knew it was the reality of living here. But mamma? Oh no… she had no clue. When we told her she thought we were joking. Fortunately the hotel has a sign in English and Spanish posted above the potty.

After a day Heather, told me of her desire for her own bin in the bathroom. She cited romanticism and how it seemed wrong to share a pail for tissues. SIGH.

Then momma turned the pail lid (open shell design) so she didn't have to look into the pail. Being a guy this is pretty funny stuff. It's just a different way of life and I didn't think it was a big deal.

Just a heads up warning to all who might come here. Regardless of the buildings plumbing you still never flush paper products as the sewers are very old and are ill equipped to cope with it.

Another note of caution, public bathrooms most often do not have toilet paper. You need to being your own roll. There is even a brand of paper here that comes with a small roll in the center for travel rather than a cardboard tube. Its pretty cool...

On that note, it is obvious that there are very limited building codes here. Everywhere I look I can see things that are deemed unsafe in the US. Bare wires, wires coming in and out of walls, splices with tape. Multiple extension cords being used in a permanent situation. Its also obvious looking at the roofing that there are no vents. So plumbing in not vented and It looks like the roofs are not vented to breathe either. Maybe its done in a fashion I am not used to seeing. I am not griping, merely observing the differences. In the apartment we are renting we don't have any fire alarms, not sure if this is the normal. Even if it looks like it's the same in the US, don't be deceived. Its not at all.

We came here expecting things to be different. And we do spend some time comparing how things are vs back in the US. It does not mean we think it needs to be the same. We embrace the changes. I am only mentioning it so if you decide to come here you can better understand what it's really like. Heather and I promise to tell the truth about what WE see. We will talk about the good and the bad. We have had some flack about being negative in our blogging. My only reaction was wow. If we lied about something and painted everything with rose colored glasses to make things seem more pleasant What does that really do besides mislead folks? I welcome any detractors to travel to the places we review. Try the food or the service we talk about. THEN I think you can criticize our blog if you disagree.

Even better read other blogs about some of the same things we blog about. If you take the time to read those as well you will see a pattern. We are not complaining. We are giving accurate detailed posts about what we encounter. We will continue to do so.

We didn't create this blog for it to be for the world, if people around the world enjoy it that is wonderful. It's more of a scrapbook in the cloud for Heather and something my daughters can read in the following years. My ex-wife won't let me talk to them and that’s on her. One day they will grow up, get curious and come to ask me where I was. I will point to the cards, the gifts, the letters that Heather and I have and will continue to collect for them. I will direct them to this blog and let them see that I thought of them constantly. That I wanted to be a daddy to them. I won't need to blame my ex-wife. Danielle and Emma can make up their own minds. I have court documents, photos and statements from others to back up everything my ex-wife put me through. I know she lies to them and messes with their heads. In the end, she will have to answer for her selfish poor decisions. I will always be their daddy. I will always love my daughters. Maria will never be able to take that away from the girls or me..

Sorry about that tangent but I felt it needed to be said. Anyone involved in my life should understand the past years of hell I endured. It's amazing how different my second marriage is compared to my first. Heather is the only woman I should have ever married. Sure we have our off days but we work at our marriage. We both are in love with each other and we want the same things. We work together and when that happens it's an awesome thing to witness. Heather is selfless. She is creative, she like me likes to think and plan and prepare. She tries just like I do to put our partner before ourselves. Love is so much more than just a word for both of us. We understand we have differences and I think we are learning to celebrate them. This is what a union between and man and woman is supposed to be like. And it's a complete blast to wake every day and have Heather next to me. This qualifies as the best and only modern marvel remaining that so many people quest for and never find. I feel like I hit the lottery in a much better way. I would trade millions of dollars for this woman without batting an eye.