Today, we drove to Puerta Cayo to check out the town and the pharmacies. Here are the stats on this village:
Puerto Cayo, Manabí, Ecuador
Area of Puerto Cayo, Manabí, Ecuador 175.2 km²
Population: 3,642
Male Population: 1,923 (52.8%)
Female Population: 1,719 (47.2%)
Population change from 1975 to 2015: +110.2%
Population change from 2000 to 2015: +22.3%
Median Age: 24.1 years
Male Median Age: 24.9 years
Female Median Age 23.3 years
Two days…two power outages…We don’t know why this is happening and can’t ask anyone to find out the details.
I am writing this post offline on my phone without a WiFi signal since there’s no connection during power outages. Since I started this post, Igor informed us there will be power outages in the next 3 or 4 days for 2 to 3 hours per day. Great.
So it goes in Mirador San Jose, one surprise after another, but we strive to adapt and find ways to enjoy ourselves. Neither of us is distraught. We are adapting and holding our own.
The Afib stopped yesterday afternoon. I am hoping to continue taking the meds to ensure it doesn’t return. I am adjusting to the side effects and almost feel like my old self again. Unfortunately, I will run out of the pills in about 35 days. Thus, this prompted today’s visit to Puerto Cayo, the closest town with pharmacies.
When the power returned around 11:00 (it went out at 7:30 am), that was when we jumped in the little car and drove to Puerto Cayo, where three pharmacies were located. I brought the package of medication with me to show the pharmacists. We stopped at all three pharmacies, and none had heard of the medication.
On Monday, I’ll start calling pharmacies in Manta to see if they have it. If not, I will have to figure out an alternative plan. I am trying to figure out a way to get the medication sent to me from afar. Otherwise, I will have to come up with Plan B, perhaps taking them only as needed during Afib events, which is a common practice called “pill in the pocket.”
Tonight, we will attempt to go out to dinner at a little restaurant, Kokomo, here in the gated community. Supposedly, they are open on Wednesday and Saturday only, but we don’t know what time they open. We’ll head over there around 5:00 pm and check it out.
All we know about the restaurant is that they close at 8:00 pm. There’s no menu online, although there were a couple of photos online showing deep-fried meals. I can always order a cheeseburger without a bun and some cooked vegetables. That always works in those cases.
Last night, we enjoyed a tasty batch of chicken salad using the second chicken we’d purchased in Manta. Tom had his dinner with rice. I didn’t have a side without appropriate vegetables. My avos are yet to ripen.
We are hoping to meet some locals and start some social life while here. We shall see how that goes. There are a lot of English-speaking residents here, and we have already met a few: the shop owner, Gilles, and a customer, Luke, both from Quebec, Canada.
We are okay. The challenges we experienced on Tuesday and Wednesday have mostly been resolved. We have hot water, and I took my first hot shower this morning. Of course, we are wondering if these power outages will be a regular thing.
Be well.
Photo from ten years ago today, October 28, 2013:
