Fresh baked bread!

First of all, Ruth thanks you all for your well wishes. Her arm/wrist is feeling better, although that could be because of the medication. 

She even felt well enough to make some fresh baked gluten free bread!

Off to the doctor...

On Thursday, we did the 15 minute walk into nearby El Arco to pick up a few things. 

On the way back, the sidewalk is very uneven and Ruth was wearing shoes with very little traction. There was one sloping area and it was a bit sandy and that's where Ruth slipped and fell.

What does it cost to fly around the world?

Obviously there are a lot of variables, so I can only tell you what it is costing us!

Our first flight takes off May 17th... a direct flight from Mexico City to Madrid, Spain.

More progress

We went into town yesterday and did some grocery shopping. On the way back, we stopped into a "ferreteria"... a hardware store.

It's just a small storefront, but in the back they have everything! We went there looking for a couple of catches and hinges for Igor's cupboard doors. 

Around the world in two months!

I've just finished booking a few more flights for our around the world trip. It turns out we'll be on seven different airplanes over the two month time frame.

It's actually slightly over two months. We leave May 17th and return July 23rd.

Igor's floor is finished!

We don't have a big mosquito problem here even though we're beside the lake. But one of the little buggers got into our bedroom and has harassed us the last two nights!

And as soon as you turn the light on, it goes invisible... it simply disappears. But then it comes back to haunt you five minutes after you turn the light off again.

Flights within Canada are ridiculously expensive!

I bought some more flight tickets yesterday... but only for me!

My annual guys weekend away is taking place in St. John's, Newfoundland this year... September 1-5.

The price of water

Most people know that you don't drink the tap water here in Mexico. Even the locals buy bottled water. Normally, you buy a 20 liter (5.3 gallons) jug full of purified water. The jug is called a garrafon.

Once you have made the initial purchase and have drank all the water, you can exchange your empty garrafon for a full one.

The joys of working on a 33 year old vehicle!

So we're redoing the floor in our motorhome Igor, and of course nothing is as simple as it should be. I had to remove the kitchen cabinet to access the rotten subfloor, and in the process found out that our kitchen countertop was also rotten. 

Ah, the joys of working on a 33 year old vehicle!

We think we're going to China!

On May 17th we fly from Mexico City to Madrid. Then on the 19th from Madrid to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

On May 20th, we pick up a Russian built 4 wheel drive campervan and spend a month exploring the mountains of Kyrgyzstan. When we finish that June 19th, we are planning to go to China!

More progress on our house

We received the rest of the wall art we had ordered, so now it was time to figure out where to place it.

When family was here last month, Ruth had son in law Justin install some shelves in the kitchen. And there had been some other "art" on the walls that needed to go.

It's that time of year

Our lake (Lago Avandaro) here at Valle de Bravo is actually a man made reservoir. The dam was built in the 1940's and a piping system runs all the way to Mexico City. In fact it's one of three reservoirs that supplies Mexico City with some of its water.

Rainy season runs June through September, although there can be some early rain in May, and last year we even had some rain into December, but that is rare.

What made us choose Valle de Bravo?

One of our facebook fans asked the other day why we chose Valle de Bravo as our home base.

We've been to all 32 states of Mexico. And we've been to all of the tourist hotspots... our first year in mainland Mexico back in 2008 we hit all of the popular beach spots like Puerto Vallarta, Cancun, Puerto Escondido, Mazatlan... even Acapulco.

I don't know how we can stand it...

I spent another few hours working on Igor's floor yesterday. 

I took our ATV up to a nearby maderaria (lumberyard) and the guy there gave me enough scraps for 100 pesos ($7.60 CAD, $5.60 USD) to be able to do the job.

No, it did not survive!

I was working on the countertop cabinet when I flipped it over to reinforce some of the corner braces to make it a little stronger.

One of the end panels is covered with a sort of a mactac woodgrain and it was already partially peeling, so I peeled off the loose stuff and saw this...

Things are coming along

For anybody who hasn't been following along, I'm in the middle of a big job replacing the floor on our 1993 Airstream B190 motorhome.

The subfloor had become rotten due to an unrepaired water leak many years ago, and in order to repair it, the kitchen countertop cabinet had to be removed.

It's a big job...

I was hoping I would be able to "cheat"... and support the cabinets with new flooring by being able to lift them and slide the new flooring underneath. But it wasn't possible, and really, it wasn't the right way to do it.

So I resigned myself to the fact that this is going to be a big job... and I set out to get it done.

About what I expected

So yesterday I got into tearing out Igor's floor. It's been replaced once before already... well before we have owned him.

There had been a water leak from the line running from the fresh water tank under the kitchen countertop cabinet. I repaired it when we bought Igor, but the underlying water damage was still there.

Unbelievable

Ruth just mentioned to me that it was ten years ago that we completed our first trial RV Caravan tour of Mexico. Ten years! Unbelievable.

We had a lot of fun showing other RV'ers why Mexico is such a great place to RV. It just has so much to offer.

February Expense Report - 2 expensive months in a row

January and February were both expensive... but they were worth it because we had our daughter and her family come and visit. And, it didn't really feel that expensive because we bought and paid for their flights several months ago.

And, of course last month we also took a two week "vacation" to Ecuador.

So, what's next?

That kind of depends on my paragliding training. I'm going to have two instructors working with me for the one week course, and I'm waiting to hear back from them as to the timing, but it is should happen during the month of March. 

And we will spend that one week training course camping with Igor at the paragliding site at El Penon. That's the place we visited at the end of January on the way back from our last RV trip. It's about an hour from here.

Ecuador was interesting...

We had been wanting to visit Ecuador for a long time. We tried to go in November of 2019, but there was an uprising in Quito and we had to cancel a day before the trip. We ended up going to Peru instead.

But this time, we made it! Ecuador was country #74 for us. So, what did we think?

What did our two week trip to Ecuador cost?

It was actually slightly longer than two weeks. We left on Tuesday February 10th, and returned on Thursday February 26th. So 15 nights.

Obviously airfare was the number one expense for us, plus we ended up taking two other flights in country that we hadn't originally budgeted for.

Well that was a whirlwind 24 hours!

We are back at our casita overlooking the lake near Valle de Bravo, Mexico.

But after three taxis, three airplanes, two subways, and a bus ride, all in 24 hours...we are exhausted!

Exploring Quito, Ecuador

We had breakfast included in the price of the Baltico Hotel in Quito. For $31.50 USD, ($43 CAD) per night including breakfast, right in the central area, we thought that was a pretty good deal! Really friendly people working there too.

We set off to explore downtown. First stop was a return to the basilica since there was decent visibility despite the clouds.

Cuenca to Quito... a very cool view!

Mike and Louise got up with us at 6:15am yesterday morning and Mike took us to the airport. It was only a fifteen minute drive from their place. Thanks again for having us, and you know you're welcome to visit us in Valle de Bravo any time!

The Cuenca airport is very small, and we were soon through security and waiting in the departure lounge for our 7:45am flight.

Thanks for your concern

We had quite a few messages from people worried about all the news events in Mexico on Sunday. Fortunately, Mexico City wasn't affected, and there was only a couple of blocked roads and vehicle fires 20 kms from our town of Valle de Bravo.

In fact, the local government put out a notice on Sunday and another on Monday saying that you might notice more security vehicles around town, but that otherwise things were operating normally.

Hybrid travelers!

We had made plans to meet up for lunch with Warren and Julie. This is the couple who operate a popular youtube channel for expats at Warren & Julie Travel - Slow Travel Nomad Expats.

But before we went for lunch, we recorded a video with them that should be available at some point over the next week or two.

That was a tough hike, but with great views overlooking Cuenca!

There are a lot of hiking opportunities around Cuenca, but we wanted one that gave us a view of the city. So Ruth found a trailhead that began about 7 kms away and we took a taxi there. Taxis are cheap in Cuenca and it cost $3.50 USD ($4.80 CAD).

We may have bitten off more than we chew.

Well that was a busy day!

And we have the photos to prove it! 

So, lots of photos in today's post. Louise took us downtown again, and we visited the central market, the hat museum, went to the cathedral, went for lunch, then the Pumapungo Inca Museum.

Cuenca downtown

Cuenca is popular with the expat population, and we can definitely understand the attraction to the Cuenca area. 

The city center is nice to wander around and very walkable. The surrounding area is scenic with a lot of outdoor activities. The cost of living is relatively low. And it's a fairly safe area, compared to the other parts of Ecuador.

Wandering around Cuenca

No, we haven't made it to "el centro" yet. Yesterday was the last day of Carnival, and you could tell that there weren't as many people playing with the water and foam, although I did get sprayed with a shot of  foam that came from a passing car while we were walking on the sidewalk.

So we walked directly from the house to the Cuenca Botanical Gardens, and then to an art display at the old train station.

Out exploring - Sigsig and Chordeleg

Yesterday's blog was posted late, so if you missed it you can read it here...

https://www.travelwithkevinandruth.com/2026/02/change-of-plans.html

Michel and Louise have been living here about three years now, so it's hard to find something new for them that they haven't done already! Anyhow, they took us for a drive east of Cuenca to the towns of Sigsig and Chordeleg.

Change of plans...

On Sunday, we did a day trip to the Giron Waterfall.

Again, this is Carnival in Ecuador, and so we're avoiding the central area of Cuenca. We're quickly learning that people here go a little crazy with the water and spray foam during this holiday long weekend that lasts until Wednesday. 

Arrived in Cuenca

We took the free hotel shuttle from central Guayaquil to the airport. We weren't flying anywhere, but the big Guayaquil bus station is only a fifteen minute walk from the airport.

As we were walking between the two, there was a coach bus loading outside of a tourist office and they were calling out "Cuenca!".

Guayaquil was better than expected

Despite being a "rough" city, if you stay in the main central area, Guayaquil actually has some interesting things to see. We still don't think it's worth much more than a day or two to visit, and we certainly don't see the attraction of living here. But we're glad we came to see it for ourselves.

We set out around 10:00am to do some exploring...

Guayaquil is a bit of a sketchy city

Nice to have the included breakfast at our hotel in Manta. We went out after breakfast and bought a few snacks for the bus ride to Guayaquil, then took an Uber taxi from the hotel to the Manta bus terminal.

The ride was about 7 kms (4.5 miles) and cost $3.13 USD ($4.25 CAD). 

First impressions of Ecuador - not the best

Keeping in mind that this quick Ecuador trip is mainly to reset our Mexican tourist visa, the only reason we arrived in Manta is because the flights were relatively cheap. I had done the research in advance and knew that Manta was not a place we would have planned to visit otherwise.

Welcome to Ecuador... country #74

Writing this from our hotel room in Manta, Ecuador.

So lets get you caught up on the last couple of days! We were busy with Lindsey and family on Monday, and then a travel day to Ecuador on Tuesday.

This Valentine's Day, Find the Everyday Expression of "Love" at Walmart

Valentine's Day doesn't always need grand vows. Sometimes, it's the thoughtful gestures woven into the fabric of daily life that truly touch the heart. At Walmart, you can find gifts that are both considerate and practical—using simple acts of "remembering" and "understanding" to show you care.

We are off to Mexico City... and then Ecuador

Sunday was our last full day with Lindsey and family in Valle de Brave. We still have one more day with them in Mexico City today, then Tuesday morning they head north to Canada, and we head south to Ecuador.

We had a pretty full day yesterday!

Old Navy’s Limited-Time Event: Comfortable Activewear for the Whole Family

Some Clothes Aren’t Made to Look Good in Photos—They’re Made to Take You Further

At dawn, the campsite is still wrapped in cool air. Coffee simmers quietly on the stove, steam curling upward as children spill out of the tent, already running free across the open ground. As you bend to pack your gear and stretch your body awake, one truth becomes unmistakably clear:Comfort matters more than appearance.

Well that was a good day!

Our friends Pepe and Maricruz have a house here at the marina, and they knew that we would be here with Lindsey and family. Pepe's sister has two daughters about the same age as Sadie, and they are learning English, so we all figured it was a good idea to get together.

Coincidentally, it was also my birthday.

The Salto de Chihuahua Waterfall, and millions of daddy long legs!

We relaxed around the house for the morning, and Cameron did some more fishing... very successfully! In fact, he caught dinner for all of us!

And after lunch, we drove about an hour north west of here to a beautiful waterfall. 

January Expenses

We've been busy, so I never got to this at the beginning of the month. But we all decided yesterday was a day of rest, so we just hung around here for the day, although Lindsey and family did walk into El Arco.

Anyhow, January was a fairly expensive month, but we expected it to be. We spent $4,525 CAD, ($3,314 USD).

An unexpectedly great day!

We set off around 10:30am and drove over to the big parking lot at the Chedraui grocery store where we planned on leaving Igor while we hiked up to the paragliding liftoff point in Monte Alto State Park.

Back to the butterflies

The weather hasn't been the best for the monarch butterfly viewing. We were really lucky when we went with my sister Alison in December, but this week has been cooler and more cloudy in the afternoon.

But we don't have any control over the weather, and yesterday looked like it was going to be the best day. So we set off up to the Piedra Herrada Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary.

Cameron is quite the fisherman!

Cameron has been out fishing a lot. The one time with our friends Paco and Oti in their boat, but otherwise just off the dock in front of our house.

There are often some locals who come down and fish off the same dock, and Cameron isn't shy about getting along with other people, even when there are language challenges.

Market day!

We set off just after 10:00am to head into Valle de Bravo for the weekly Sunday market.

Hike up to La Peña

We made a plan to take Lindsey and family on a short hike up to La Peña. That's the nearby hill that we see directly across from  the balcony view at our house. We've been up there several times, and it's always worth it for the beautiful views.

We all hopped in Igor just because it's more convenient. It's not always easy to find parking in town for Igor, but otherwise we'd have to get two collectivos that don't already have any passengers.