mortgagenomad1

Rik the Mortgage Nomad

DOUBLE-POSTED BY MISTAKE...COMPLETE ROOKIE MOVE.  PLEASE DON'T UPVOTE🙏

Ecuador.  The Land That Forgot Time


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## For A Country That Sells So Many Watches...
I'[www.themortgagenomad.ca](https://themortgagenomad.ca)ve been traveling all over Ecuador for over 7 months now.  To some, this will sound like a long time, and for others that have been here for a while, it'll come off as "cute".  I have been here a couple other times in my life, with the longest being 3 weeks, which was by no means anywhere long enough to observe the lack of time appreciation this country experiences. In this post, I'll share some of my experiences, obviously with a North American perspective and a bit of Canadian levity and humour.  

## Planes, trains, and automobiles
Okay, we'll replace trains with busses, but hey, a catchy title is just a important, right?   Things move differently here.  *Very differently*.  
**Planes:** Although these are encountered a lot less, there are still some interesting aspects of flying in to Ecuador.  This is when having at least a slight bit of Spanish comes in handy.  Ecuadorian airports are bustling and unlike what we may experience in many other countries - you're on your own.  This is not so much of a time issue at all, but rather an observation that things happen very fast in the airport, so making that connecting flight may be an issue if you don't pay acute attention.
**Buses:**  Buses are everywhere down here, and it really is amazing how many people travel this way, not only municipally, but nationally.  It's the beating pulse of transportation, and one of the most popular due to the low cost and convenient routes.  Here, timing is very important, as a matter of 10 minutes being late could get you a 5 hour stay in the terminal.  It's a great idea to call ahead and check departure times if you absolutely need to be somewhere at a certain time.  Now, this isn't always the solution of course, because traveling by bus is also very unreliable at times.  What we see back home as a 300 km trip taking 3 hours is completely thrown out the window down here.  That 300 km's here?  It could have a few delays, right from leaving on time, to road conditions, picking up more riders at every stop, or in some cases, adding an extra half-hour just because the driver decides he needs to eat lunch or take a whizz.  
**Cars:** Cars are probably the best ways to travel, and if you have your own, GREAT!  If you're heading somewhere and need to hire a car, count on it being a lot more expensive than a bus, but you also have a better chance of arriving closer to your estimated time. This added cost can also be offset by group travel in a van or similar vehicle.  You'll be a lot more certian to arrive on time this way.

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Of course, in Ecuador, there'sa pile of variables that can delay (and never speed up) a trip, no matter what you're traveling in.  Weather in this country can change in a moment.  A flash rainstorm can cause washouts, making passage impossible, and as I write this, there's a big strike across most parts of the Country due to the Naboa government taking away diesel subsidies.  This can not only delay travel with roadblocks, but can also turn violent, also delaying or completely ending your trip.  Best practice is to stay up on the news to see what's going on.  
## Hope for the best but expect the worst...the stoic traveler 
We all have hopes of getting to where we need to be when we need to be there.  In Noth America, and most places across the globe, we actually *expect* it.  This Country is a geographic anomaly it seems, and can take a whole day to get anywhere.  For example, when I traveled from Cotacachi to Quito in August to pick up my VISA and Cedula. Now, this distance is 103 kilometers, or 60 miles for all y'alls.  Google says the time for this is two hours (both in metric and imperial), which is still twice as long as we expect back home. Based on this four-hour round trip, I left at 730 am and counted on a short day.  The trip involved a 10 minute cab to Otavalo, a couple hours in a bus, and another 20 minutes to get to the part of Quito I had my appointment in, so I figured I'd be back by noon.  Nope.  Ended up taking over 3 hours to get to my appointment that I was now an hour late for, then waited in the registry office for a couple more hours, and then a few hours back (after hitting the Starbucks across the street to just decompress, of course).  What I would generally consider a three hour trip ended up taking 11 hours.  It seems to take 11 hours to anywhere for some reason.  When I left Cotacachi for Tena a week ago, a 270km (170 miles) journey...a 3 hour drive back home, including rest stops, took 11.5 hours.  That was a cab to Otavalo, bus to Quito North, another bus through Quito, including a police stop, and then another bus to Tena.  Total?  11.5 hours. Aye aye aye!!  
## That time I showed up on time.  
I stayed in this little town called Libertador Bolivar, about 15 minutes South on Montanita this Summer.  It was a super tranquilo little town, with the only thing going for it was it's proximity to Montanita...lol.  Seriously though, it has about 15 kilometers of beach to walk, including all the way to Montanita tp the North and Valdivia to the South,  Behind me was a small dental office called REDH Dental, owned by the sister of the AirBnB owner where I was staying. I took full advantage of this, with teeth cleaning and a couple of teeth to be taken care of.  I made the appointment for 2pm, and showed up at exactly that time.  Rita, the young dentist was shocked.  As opposed to us having to be on time in North America lest we lose our spot, she said that people can show up an hour, two, or maybe even the next day kinda late.  To me, this is crazy, and to her, it's just what she calls "Tuesday".  
## Ecuador is it's own time zone.
> We may not be able to control what happens, but we can control how we choose to feel about it 
~ paraphrased from a fella named Epictetus a bunch of centuries ago.

SO, now I'm getting how time works in the place with no time.  I work in Canadian Mountain time, which can be the same as Ecuador, or an hour behind.  Appointments still matter to me, and although I am becoming one with my circadian rhythms, I still have to be aware of the time.  As for all things Ecuadorian, however, and although I have not changed my level of punctuality, I have certainly lessened my expectations of reciprocity. If  a business says it's open until 4pm on a Wednesday, and I go there and it's not, I freak out far less these days.  Once we expect the worst, anything better is simply better. When I worked in India, they had Indian Time,sometimes waiting until 8pm for a 10am meeting. Back home, we all laughed at our own "Indian" time, which sometimes includes your clients not even being in town for the meeting (after driving 8 hours for it -- true story Woodland Cree...lol).  We now laugh with each other at the idiosycrasies of this thing called "Ecuadorian Time", and it is now just a reason for a chuckle. 

**Hakuna friggin' matada, amiright?**

Do you have your own funny stories about how time works, or helpful tips for timely traveling or other alliterations?  Let me know in the comments!!  Like this post?  I have a series at [www.themortgagenomad.ca](https://themortgagenomad.ca) that talks about evertyhing from staying safe to eating well and best travel tech while on the road. 

![Epictetus.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/mortgagenomad1/23xARTGYdLTgSNc19D42gdKLLHFhfsq3FMr4RAoMFmLxzijexiHpPtfpnXVJiahrro5FM.png)



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Hey everyone, A new friend of mine (@beelzael) I met in Cotacachi, Ecuador introduced me to this platform.  His passion for writing and meeting new people from around the world was evident, so I simply needed to know more about it.  Now...I'm not old, but also not a spring chicken, so it took me a bit to catch on.  Let me tell you a little bit about myself. 

> Because in the end, you won’t remember the time you spent working in the office or mowing your lawn. Climb that goddamn mountain“

~ Jack Kerouac  

My name is Rik, and I write and operate under the "nom de plume" as The Mortgage Nomad.  As you may have guessed, I work remotely in the Mortgage space, working with Canadians to get them their mortgages.  This is one of my jobs, with the other being a Business Development Associate for a capital corp that builds backend machine learning and artificial intelligence modelling for the Canadian Scientific Research and Experimental Development grants.  Now that we have all the boring mechanical capitalism stuff out of the way, here's the "me" behind the Nomad part.


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## My background before I started Nomadin'

In order not to go back to conception, let's start at the end of high school.  The year was 1986, and Canada was just coming out of a horrible recession. Jobs were tough to get, and if you didn't know anyone, you were screwed.  At this time, when my pals were heading off to university, I took a bit of a different route and followed my dad's footseps, enlisting in the Navy. By 1988, I was finished basic training and became a full-fledged sailor.  In hindsight, this was probably the catalyst for my eventual wanderlust, and in 1989 my ship sailed to central and South America making a stop in Guayaquil.  I stayed in the Navy for 4 years after I realized that my interests were more into business and doing my own thing.  

I spent the next decade both self-employed and working for the man. I ended up in the oilfield, where I worked all over Canada, the US, and finished off working in India for a year....again, all contributing to my love of the road. Fast forward 27 years.  in this time I got married, had two wonderful daughters, became a Realtor, co-created an oilfield services company, got divorced, lost it all, co-founded a solar company with my brother, and lost it all again while on my largest ever contract during COVID.  


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## You have to lose it all to realize you've won everything.

This was a pivotal time.  I was a local business leader, and my company went broke. I was both devestated and ashamed; afterall, I helped people with their businesses, and I couldn't even help myself. It was at a little table in a Quesada Mexican restaurant that a great friend of mine Dean, 16 years my junior, yet full of insight said to me "Rik. You've been talking about moving abroad since I've known you. You are now closer to that goal than you've ever been".  The script flipped. An indelible thought coursed through my brain.
 

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## The plan turned into the action

I started selling everything, which was no small feat.  I collected stuff.  ALL KINDS OF IT.  I collected vintage Japanese guitars, graphic novels, mid-century furniture, dinner jackets, antiques, shoes, hats...you name it.  Oddly enough, within this purge, I realized that I was mostly collecting these things so nobody else would have them.  I was awakened, and this realization pushed me forward with resolve.  In this time, I met a wonderful woman, sold my house to a friend, and moved to her place in Calgary Alberta. She was a student of Stoicism and quickly pulled me into the world of Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, Epictetus, and so many more of histories greatest philosophers. I read, learned, and solidified my resolve to do better...to BE better. Sadly, the relationship suddenly ended, and I was left with a gaping hole where my heart used to be, but instead of getting angry or wishing things were different, I moved on. 


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## It didn't kill me, so I must be stronger, right?  

The home I sold to my friend ended up being unrented, so I moved back into my old, familiar place.  It was super cheap, and because I sold everything, it was pretty sparse.  In preparation to realizing my vision, I consciously lived with less.  I wasted less.  If I ever needed anything, I'd thrift it.  If I couldn't thrift it, I waited until I could. I fixed my worn out clothes instead of buying more. I looked for a job, but felt guilty about taking one from someone that needed it more.  I bought and sold some things, and did a few off jobs to top up my funds that I received from the sale of my home. I took a year off basically, using the time to dote on my 5 grandkids, spend time with my mom, and hang out with my adult daughters, probaly more than they liked.  As I knew I needed some income while on the road, I levereaged my former real estate experience, and studied for my Brokers course in mortgages.  A career that I could pack in my backpack was priority #1.  I passed the course and started honing my craft in order to be confident while in another country. I had been on Duolingo for over 700 days by the time I was ready to leave.


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## It ain't real until you buy a one-way ticket

When I finally got all my paperwork in check, I booked my flight.  Shit simply got real at this point, and I can tell you that tying off loose ends is a lot harder than you think, however, knowing the day you'll be flying out makes it both urgent and easier.  Things like car insurance, the internet, memberships...all cancelled for the "day".  Lots of last visits, last this, last that....and as much time with family and friends as possible.  One night, I get a knock on my back door.  It was my daughters, and in tow a big bag of snacks, a giant foamy mattress, and sleeping bags.  Good thing they did too, as I had one plate, one fork, one spoon, one coffee cup. I have to say that even while writing this it makes my eyes well up.  We haven't lived in the same home since they moved out on their own 8 years prior.  We hung out, watched movies, and laughed.  I can't even remember the movie, but I remember the time, and will continue to until the day I die.  

## Thunderbirds are go

February 10, 2025....a day that will live in infamy (for me). All the goodbyes are done...with some tears, of course, the house is cleaned for my friend.  Everything I own is packed into a backpack, a small suitcase, and a duffel bag.  If I don't absolutely need it, I don't have it.  Every extra pound counts. My good friends Dennis and Lisa, young German bakers, pick me up in their vehicle, and we pick up my daughters to accompany me to the airport. It's a weird feeling, a bit abandonment, a bit of excitement, and a bit of nervous trepidation.  The airport is full of hugs and tears, and my daughters are handling it like champs.  It's time to head to the gate, necks craning until the last moment we don't see each other. It's a flood of emotions. It's a new life.  It's uncertainty.  It's the fear of the unknown...but it's also the human resolve, of new things, of exploration, of knowing just what's over that next hill.   



Rik the Mortgage Nomad (57)

Ecuador. The Land That Forgot Time

Ecuador. The Land That Forgot Time

Who the hell is The Mortgage Nomad?