And Still, Nothing's Perfect

We’ve probably given the impression that our transition from living in North Carolina to Ecuador has been exceptionally smooth, no hitches; however, we have encountered some problems and glitches. Most have been resolved, of course, some are yet unresolved. This is an update of the bumps in the road that we’ve experienced.

Unable to find an adequate device to house hanging baskets, we sought the assistance of a blacksmith. Las Herrerias has a number of these shops, one of them being Tallleres Jose Jimenez. We explained what we wanted and he began drawing. Our order included a stand for hanging baskets and a hanger for our hummingbird feeder. He was quite talented. When we picked them up, the hanger for the feeder was too short and the base of the stand was too narrow to substantiate our somewhat high winds. The items were returned to be reworked. Jose made the adjustments without a problem.The bar stools that we had made by Renee at Dormizarioto were much too tall. His workers picked them up and reworked the bottoms and they are now perfect for the bar.

These are the barstools after the modifications.

We had curtains made at Artex which was a disaster. The green striped drapes for the office ended up being a hideous gold. When we went back to show them the fabric we were suppose to have, we were told immediately that it was unavailable. We concluded that they took it upon themselves to substitute the fabric.

Since what we wanted was unavailable, we went with a textured green. We're happy with these. The curtains were remade at no charge.

Our appliances were delivered and installed prior to our arrival, with the exception of ......the dryer. The dryer had a scratch and was not accepted by Carlos. Another one was delivered and installed the day of our arrival, August 26. The LG technician, Wilson, did the installation and wanted to vent the dryer into a bucket, which is common in most apartments here. This was not acceptable, considering that there was an outside duct. To his dismay, he vented it outside. The dryer was great.About 2 weeks ago, it began taking longer and longer to dry clothes. Longer means hours longer. It was arranged for the technician to make a service call. He immediately began looking for excuses, I was using the wrong program, not cleaning the lent filter, the duct was clogged; he did nothing. The problem continued, worsening.

Wilson returned on Friday. He speculated that I was probably closing the door to the laundry and their was not enough oxygen in the room to support combustion. What a story! I insisted that he do SOMETHING to the dryer. He removed the pipe from the back, and directed the vent toward the hallway blowing lent everywhere. The dryer was fine. If so, why was it now taking 7 hours to dry a load of towels? He was going to leave again. I ranted and rave in English and Spanish, Henry translated. Mick didn’t want to participate. It was not a pretty scene. Wilson finally removed the bottom and vacuumed out the excess lent. He said that he needed the bucket to vent it. We informed him that HE had the set up. Of course, he insisted that he left it here and that the building engineer probably took it. The last time we saw the set up was as it was going out the door in Wilson’s hand on August 26. He took my mop bucket and wired the pipe to it. Once again, I went nuts. He said that if it continued not to work that we could go to Chordeleg and tell them to give us a new one. Also, he said that he would not come back.Mick and Henry went to Kywy and bought a bucket assembly. A small load of towels were dried in a normal amount of time; however, since two variables were tampered with, I don’t know which was the remedy. The bucket assembly cost an additional $20.

This is the Wilson engineered version.
Below is after Mick bought the bucket.
After the dryer incident, we were mentally exhausted and went out on the terrace to regroup. There were new blooms on the hibiscus. The view was breathtaking, as usual. Nothing is perfect, but the terrace certainly makes it easier to deal with.

There was one more thing to deal with. Mick informed me that he was tired of drying dishes, that he had not done that since he was in his teens. We decided to get a dishwasher. The apartment was already plumbed and wired for the machine. Although installation is simple and Mick has installed several in the past at our house in Charlotte; like everything else, it had to be done by a technician. The technician came around 4PM for an inspection and said that he would be back at 8PM. It did not happen. We stayed home, he didn't show up, even turned his phone off.

On Saturday morning, the service center was called and two pleasant and very competent fellows came to install the machine.Here's the new dishwasher after installation. In the afternoon we went in search of Cascade. Coral Center does not carry it; however, Supermaxi does for a premium price. It works great!
There are still a couple of things that require attention. The oven has been a problem from the beginning. Technicians have been out twice to repair it. It is difficult to light and goes out at will.

I've gotten, once again, the issue of combustion. I was told to keep the door under the oven open while baking. Even with the door open, the flame goes out. I was then told that this oven, which happens to be the low end Mabe, has very specialized and sensitive technology that causes the flame to extinguish when it reaches temperature and then will reignite as it cools. Nice thought. We looked at ovens this afternoon. The slot has to be measured before we buy later in the week.
Another source of contention has been our shower. As you can see, we have basically a half enclosure which includes a door. It has leaked from the beginning. A repairman has been out twice and it is still inadequate. It leaks at the hinge. Even the building engineer said that it is a poor design. We're looking for a different type of enclosure. The leak has already gone through to the apartment below us. When we use the shower, towels are placed all around to catch the water. That has been a problem in itself with the previously mentioned dryer situation.

Our cedulas were suppose to be picked up last Wednesday. Mick sent the power of attorney and our passports to Gabriella. We heard nothing. On Friday, I called and she said they weren't ready. Were they not ready or had her assistant simply not gone to get them? The first sounds better. This afternoon we had heard nothing, I called and she said that they had been picked up and shipped and they would arrive in Cuenca at 5PM. About 4:45 we left for the airport; before we got there, Gabriella called and said they didn't make the flight. We could pick them up tomorrow.

The adage that I always use is that everything works out for the best. Sometimes it's difficult to deal with all the little things that need to be fixed or taken care off; however, our patience is increasing. Even though nothing is perfect, we're so happy to be here.

Until next time,

Mick and Kathy