Free Home Delivery – Ecuador Style
San Clemente, Ecuador, May 2018
When we arrived at our latest house sit assignment, in this tiny fishing village, we were prepared to be adaptable. After all, we were 2 blocks off a dead end road and 45 minutes from any type of super market. Being remote is not new to us; it is where peaceful exists.
What happened next was truly amazing. We loved being immersed in the relentless sound of the surf from our front porch, but what is that beeping coming down the road? A stranger was stopping at our gate on a motor scooter. It was the local bakery guy with a variety of sweet breads for sale.
Well that was a nice treat but wait, the neighbourhood fruit and veggie truck is due around 1 PM.
Pretty much on shedule, the bi-weekly fruit truck came gliding down the lane. Now buying off the truck is somewhat hit and miss, except that if you tell him on Tuesday that you want cantaloupe, he will gladly find you a ripe one for Thursday. The prices are so ridiculously cheap and for just a few bucks you are loaded up:
Next up was the water delivery man who with a smile and a nod will bring you a fresh bottle for the price of a $1.00.
In typical Ecuadorian fashion, he doesn’t just drop it at the curb, but joyfully brings it into the home and sets it up for you.
The most colourful of all these roaming vendors is empenada man, with his bright yellow and blue umbrella, orange shirt and his big smile. From his 3 wheeled cart he dishes up an assortment of tasty local snacks that we can not even pronounce.
We later learned, that once you are really connected in the community, you can have imported wines, cheeses, whole grain breads, fancy deserts and even smoked trout brought to your door.
It is a perfect example of “demand/supply economy”; if you want it, someone will deliver.
200% Satisfaction Guaranteed: One time a watermelon was much inferior to the standard of excellence, not only did the vendor replace it without hesitation, but he put an extra one in the basket just to make certain we were happy.
In Ecuador as in life, it is wise to have a front porch and a gate that swings open!
joyful travellers