What happened after we cancelled our Galapagos tour in Ecuador due to civil unrest?

It is now 4 months since we made a hasty return from Mexico rather than continue our plans to travel from Oaxaca Mexico to Quito Ecuador and on to the Galapagos Islands. You may remember that 2 days before our flight to Quito Ecuador an Ecuadorian drug lord escaped from prison and all hell broke loose in Ecuador. The president declared a state of emergency and cities were locked down. Lance and I were in total agreement that Ecuador was not the place for us to be traveling to at that time and we immediately went into action. We contacted the US and NZ consolates to get more information and also our travel agent and travel insurance on their emergency number. Our travel agent contacted Intrepid Tours to find out what was going on and to cancel our tour. Of course, they have a cancellation policy, and we were only 2 days out from starting the $13,000 6-day boat tour of the Galapagos Islands. They made it very clear that they would not be refunding any money and assured us that it was completely safe to land in Ecuador. The news report advised us otherwise, with armed soldiers and tanks patrolling the streets, people working from home and schools closed. The problem was that the government advised: Exercise increased caution in Ecuador due to civil unrest, crime, and kidnapping. Some areas have increased risk. Please note that this warning is still in place! Because it was level 2 it meant that people could cross the border, therefore our tour would still be going ahead. But without us! Lance and I were in complete agreement that we would not risk traveling to Ecuador at that time. Our wonderful travel agent Samara from Flight Centre Eastridge took charge and gave us some options to travel home. We paid for another night's accommodation in Oaxaca Mexico, which was no hardship as it is a fabulous place. Then our cheapest option was to fly home via Mexico City and into Houston for 4 nights and then home to Auckland New Zealand. We paid the extra money and took this option. You can read about the fun we had (not) in Houston in my previous posts. Then we began the game of recovering some of our costs. Intrepid Travel was not interested, they offered us a 10% discount on another tour. Which was an insult as they were advertising a 20% discount at the time. They would not talk to us and we had a couple of pretty ordinary emails. However ... Southern Cross Travel, who we had our insurance with, was fantastic. Initially, they said that we may not qualify for any refund but they may consider a claim. We were treated with respect and the person who managed our case was empathetic and we felt listened to. Consequently, we were refunded all of our 'out-of-pocket' costs. A total of $16,901! How amazing is that! To conclude, we will never use Intrepid Travel again, we have traveled with them in the past but, I repeat, we will never use them again. And, we will only use Southern Cross Travel Insurence and will sing their praises wherever we land!

Lamb Shanks in a Hearty Red Wine Gravy

 

Lamb Shanks to warm the cockles of your heart!

Interesting info about why we say 'warm the cockles of your heart'

The word cockles is derived from the Latin cochleae cordis, which refers to the chambers of the heart. 

Lamb Shanks

Ingredients 

4 lamb shanks 2 large onions 3 or 4 cloves of garlic 1 tablespoon of tomato paste 300 mls (approx) of red wine 750 mls (approx) good beef stock 1 tablespoon or so of cooking oil A couple of bay leaves Salt and ground pepper Lemon zest (optional)

Roux: 1 or 2 tablespoons of flour 1 or 2 tablespoons of soft butter

Heat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius.

Add the oil to the pot and brown each lamb shank on all sides then remove.

Slice the onions and in a large heavy pot slowly fry them in the oil, keep the heat low and slow to reduce the acidity and draw out the sugars.

When the onions are clear and very soft, add the garlic either finely chopped or crushed and slowly saute with the onions.

Add the tomato paste and mix through the onions until it has warmed through.

Add pepper to taste.

Turn up the heat and stir the red wine into the onion mix. Cook fast until the alcohol smell has disappeared from the steam.

Add the bay leaves, lemon zest, and stock, and bring to a boil.

Add the shanks. Try and position the shanks so that they are covered as much as possible by the stock mixture.

Make sure the pot is boiling, if you put it in the oven if it is too cool it will add to the cooking time. Pop a lid on and place it in the oven.

Check regularly and after approximately 2 hours, or when the meat is falling off the bone remove it from the oven and salt to taste.

Remove the shanks, be careful because they should be falling apart!

If there is a layer of fat on top it is a good idea to skim it now. You can save this to roast some potatoes, mmmm mmmmm.

Make a roux with equal parts flour and butter mixed, and add gradually to the boiling stock mix stirring well until it reaches the desired consistency. I like mine to be nice and thick.

Place the shanks back into the pot and the oven for around 20 minutes or boil the mixture on the stovetop to cook the flour and then add the shanks. Caution, a thick mixture may catch on the pot bottom when on the stovetop.

Cooking time can vary, I try for 2 hours, or until the meat is falling off the bone.

This recipe can be used in a pressure cooker. Cook for 20 to 30 minutes, again, the meat should be falling off the bone.

Serve with creamy mashed potatoes and greens.

Four days stuck in Houston Texas

Leaving Oaxaca was hard. We had really come to love this vibrant and friendly city and we don’t know if we will ever be back as there is much more world for us to discover.

On our last night on our way to dinner we happened across this. 

Our journey to Houston was via Mexico City, but only for a two hour layover. Flying into Mexico City we could see what a sprawling metropolis it is. The airport was big and we quickly made our way to our departure gate to avoid any problems. I wandered off to find us some lunch and found a sandwich place. Oh I wish I had taken a photo of our lunch! When I ordered a ham sando and a hot cheese sando she told me it would be a 9 minute wait. Great I thought, they will be freshly made. No sad end to this story, they were delivered to me in long boxes similar to a cling wrap box, but the sandwiches were snuggled into a sliding drawer that when opened revealed something awesome. A family with two young girls were sitting by us, and even their eyes got big when I slid open the boxes. The Hot cheese sando was actually four ham, cheese and some sort of relish toasted sandwich. The ham sandwich was four tidy little sandwiches with ham, cheese, cucumber and dressing with their crusts sliced off. We couldn’t eat them all so Lance offered the feast to the little girls and they gobbled them up.

We had an easy flight to Houston with Lance chatting to the man next to him. He lives in Houston but works in Mexico and his wife is a Kiwi training to be a doctor! 

On Arriving in Houston the airport looked pretty deserted, that is until we turned the corner to customs. We had an hour wait to get through but passed the time people watching and would you believe dog watching! Not the sniffer dogs from customs, but little pooches in handbags! 

We finally arrived at our hotel at around 11pm. Back at the Embassy Suites for four days seemed a logical choice as we knew our way around, it was close to the mall and eateries and a reasonable price for our unplanned end to our trip. The same girl was at the desk and she was once again very welcoming, until she gave us the bad news . . . The elevators were broken and we were on the fifth floor! There are no fancy bell boys at this hotel so Lance made a start carrying our two large suitcases up the stairs. When I went to follow him with the smaller cases I wasn’t sure where the stair well was, so stood, feeling like a wally with the rest of our bags. A lovely young man came up to me and asked if I was Erynn and took the bags for me! He was just a guy who came across Lance expiring in the stair well and helped him with the bags, then asked if there was anything else and Lance sent him down to me. How nice is that, just another example of how nice people are.

Our room is better than last time we were here and we were  happy to have a lounge and two big TVs because we didn’t have much planned.

The weather was looking bleak with Tuesday expected to have a low of 1 degree celsius and on our drive from the airport a sign was flashing ’Arctic Blast coming, prepare your pets plants and pipes’. As I sit here writing this two days later we have had snow on the weather app but not out the window. I’m a bit annoyed that it must be close but not where we are, it is freezing cold any way so why not a little snow to keep it interesting. 

Fortunately we had packed for the high altitude in Quito, Ecuador so winter woollies were on hand.

Today is Martin Luther King Junior Day with a big parade downtown. There is a a load of young men staying at our hotel and yesterday they were carrying wooden rifles with shiny bayonets. And later when we were waiting for our Uber they went marching past us, practicing for the parade. This morning there were swords at breakfast as well. And the lifts are still broken.

Also that morning there were several emergency dashes to the bathroom, something we had eaten, or maybe the water, had made enemies in our bowels. It was so extreme we thought we would have to postpone our trip to the outlet mall. But I took some drugs and Lance came right and we made it out to the mall. 

The mall was deserted and freezing. It is an outdoor mall so when Lance sat outside waiting for me, he had to sit with the shopping bag under his bottom because the aluminium seat was so cold. When we got home, the lifts were still broken. They had been working when we left, temporarily working that is.

We made a few purchases, Lance did better than me, but there wasn’t a lot there to buy. Even yesterday when I braved the actual snow flurry to go to the mall next door to us there was not much to buy.  Yes! A snow flurry, sounds like something you would by at Mac Donalds doesn’t it? There were no people around so I could take the time to stand and watch tiny little flakes billow around me. They melted on impact so it was a not the fairy tale look of proper snow, but still! A snow flurry! 

The mall was pretty deserted and after an hour or so I thought it would be prudent to make my way home. This was after a few shops started shutting because of the weather and when a young shop attendant warned me to “take care not to slip on the way home Ma’am.” And I didn’t want to end up like one of those funny videos that we all watch of people slipping and a sliding.

By now the ‘snow flurry’ had turned into ‘sleet’ and was cold and stingy as it hit my face. But I warmed up quickly getting up the 96 stairs to our floor.

We ventured out for dinner at minus 3 degrees celsius to a burger joint across the road, oh and keep the word ‘joint’ in your in your head, because there is more about that later. Burger Palace was pretty empty and there was one guy serving, he was about our age and just said to take a table as we entered. He actually could have been out of a Seinfeld episode. “Whaddya want” came instead of “Are you ready to order”. But he wasn’t unpleasant. Just . . .odd. But the burgers were really great!

Back at the hotel we stopped at the bar for a drink and EUREKA! The lifts were working!

For the last 3 days we had been getting wafts of cannabis in our room. Not just a little suspicious sniff, these were waves that were quite strong. Then last night as we walked to our room it was really thick coming from the room next door. We hadn’t seen anyone going in or out the whole four days. 

After some TV we retired for our last night. . . then at 2am the fire alarm went off! Oh, and it was minus 7 outside!. Quickly layering up we emerged from our room like the Michelin man with layers of clothes and jackets, and me with my new beanie. And we were the only ones up! The hotel rooms are positioned around a large atrium for 6 floors up so all doors are visible. Wondering what to do and the alarm still squealing in our room we noticed two women coming up in the elevator. IN THE EVENT OF AN EMERGENCY PLEASE USE THE STAIRS. I know that every one of you have seen those signs and possibly have even had to obey one or two. The women were staff, one of which was staying in the room next to ours (not the weedy room) and was in her pyjamas. Apparently only her room and ours had the smoke alarms going off. Dope head next door on the other side could not be raised when she knocked on his door. After about 45 minutes the maintenance man arrived, fortunately not in his pyjamas, and took the battery out of our smoke alarms and sent us back to bed. Amazing! 

This morning the temperature has got up to -3 and we are sitting around until it is time to go tot the airport and hoping that the freeway is not closed because of ice. When we went down for breakfast at 9:15 the usual busy hub was deserted, just the remnants of fruit and some toast were available. The one lady who was starting to clean up could not speak English but got us some butter for our toast.

We are now packed and waiting for a pickup in a couple of hours. Despite all of the inconvenience at this hotel they are very accomodating and for the second time have allowed us a late checkout with no extra fee.

Here’s hoping that this is my last blog post for this holiday and we make it home without any delays. As you read this please cross your fingers, rub your rabbit foot and look for four leaf clovers. We may need all the luck we can get!

Thanks for joining us!

Last two oops no three days in Oaxaca Mexico

Our last couple of days went a bit like this:

Late breakfast at Pan.am which is delicious, and because the hotel buffet has not appeared again after we discovered it.

Lance mucks around in the hotel room and I go for a wander.

Back for some relaxation, a swim and a beer. And maybe lunch beforehand if we can fit it in.

Rest again then out for dinner, then an early night.

The reason the title of this post has been altered is because two days before we were due to fly to Quito Ecuador Sarid messaged us to see if we had heard about the conflict happening in Quito and another city. Apparently a drug lord had escaped from prison and some of his men had charged into the television studio and taking the journalists hostage on live TV. They held guns to their heads and put explosives in their face and in their pockets. Chaos broke out and the president declared an internal armed conflict and a 60 day civil emergency. Schools are working virtually and workers have been asked to stay home. BUT… the travel safe sites have said use caution if travelling there and airports are open. We have been in contact with the NZ consulate in Bogotá Columbia, which represents Ecuador and they said that they can’t advise us and we need to make our own decision, but the quotes they gave us help us make our decision:

On 8 January 2024, the President declared a 60-day State of Emergency following the escape of a major criminal from prison and subsequent prison riots, which has led to an increase in criminal activity nationwide. There have been reports of a series of explosions, shootings, vehicles set on fire and the abduction of police officials and prison security guards.

 

A daily curfew is in place nationwide from 2300-0500 hours. If you’re travelling to/from the airport, you will need to show your passport or ID and relevant boarding pass or flight itinerary. New Zealanders are advised to be extra vigilant, avoid public and crowded areas, monitor local media for developments and comply with any instructions and restrictions issued by the local authorities.

So we pulled the plug, rang Southern Cross Insurance and our travel agent Samara Liyanage from Flight Centre.

Intrepid Travel told us that because the boat tour to the Galapagos was still going ahead, and that they have had people land and get to the tour safely they will not be cancelling the tour. So no refund. Southern Cross also said that because Ecuador has classed the emergency at a level 2 and not a 3 or 4 then we are not covered. I guess a level 2 in Ecuador is very different to how it would be classed in our own country, New Zealand. However Southern Cross has said that a claim may be considered if we more or less plead our case. So a hefty loss for us for the Galapagos Tour and 4 days in Quito, and $5000 extra to change our plans.  It was cheaper to stay in Houston for four days than it was to fly home straight away. So we will finish in a different style but will make the most of it. Any suggestions of cheap things to do in Houston would be appreciated. We have been there before and done NASA. A positive is that it doesn’t look too cold there . . . until the morning we fly which has a low of -7 and a high of 1 degree Celsius. May be a room service breakfast!

We have been in ‘civil unrest’ before. Regularly when we lived in Papua New Guinea and once when staying in Athens. And even though they were a bit scary. we weren’t dealing with gang lords and Narcos types of gangsters. We feel that we have made the right decision and those of you who know Lance well will know his famous quote ‘It’s only money’. 

Enough of the drama and let’s focus on Central Oaxaca. It is the most beautiful place, and we arrived at the right time. I had assumed that the beautiful bunting and hanging piñata were here all year round, but this morning I walked outside and it was gone! Along with most of the markets close to where we are.

All of this bunting has now disappeared

The people are so nice and service and hospitality in the hotel, restaurants, cafes, shops, markets in fact everywhere you go is genuine and very good. There are lots of Mexican people visiting from other parts of the country and many of the tourists are American. I keep spotting elderly woman in dresses comfortable shoes, an apron that fits over their shoulders and braids or a scarf wound round like a turban. Most are quite tiny but wirey in stature. They are probably only my age! I have wanted to take a photo but it seemed bad manners, so sorry, no pic.

The language: many people have English or at least some and if not my Duolingo Espanol has been working. In fact a couple of times I have started with a request in Spanish and then they start talking to me in Spanish. They quickly realise that I don’t have much! Lance is doing okay and says hello and thank you and now a few more words. He is very good at mime and also works out what is being said from the situation. Although several times he has called me in to help.

Shopping: the tourist markets which have now disappeared are still pretty cheap, but you may pay a bit less at Mercado 20 de Novembre which is a quick walk from our hotel and this is where the local people shop as well as some touristy things. I have noted that there are very few flies or smells. There are also high end shops close to where we are staying where a beautiful dress is the equivalent of 700 or 800 New Zealand dollars.

The pet stall had bunnies, mice and iguana. I was worried that they may be for dinner but they also sold cages. Maybe to hold them and fatten them up?

Mezcal

Fancy chicken for dinner?

A butcher stall

Tripe, trotters and hooves

Grasshoppers, nuts and other tasty treats.

The weather is fabulous, most days have a high of around 28 degrees Celsius and a low of 11 or 12. Today was 30 and hot but not oppressive, as the humidity is nothing like we have in Auckland. We have had blue skies every day, and this is their winter! 

The buildings all around an old and full of character, even those that are in disrepair . Apparently they are not allowed to build new and must keep with the character of the the surroundings. Further out of Central Oaxaca there are new buildings, shopping centre and Mac Donald’s! Today I passed Domino’s Pizza on my way to the market, why, why, why when there is so much delicious food that is so cheap! I got a doughnut for Lance that was full of custard today and it was equivalent to $1.50 NZ.

Roof top bars are everywhere and we have tried a few. Again the food is great, but more expensive but nowhere near what we would pay at home. Lance has been drinking Heineken at most places or Corona. I have found a few Mexican red wines that are really lovely, I will be looking out for some in New Zealand.

The art: is everywhere, beautiful graffiti that rivals Banksy, handmade items in shops and clay work. 

There are a few people begging on the street, some elderly woman and some mothers with their children. When we leave tomorrow we will drop some pesos in the bowl of a young woman we pass most days, sometimes with her children and sometimes not.

This evening we will return to a lovely rooftop bar restaurant for dinner and drink to the lovely Oaxaca holiday that we have enjoyed.