San Lorenzo

El Gatito Carlito

There are warnings posted around the base admonishing us not to pet, feed, or otherwise encourage stray cats--they may have ringworm.

Carlito wandered up to the guard shack one night as a kitty, skinny and starved. The security guard on duty threw caution to the wind, took pity on Carlito, and fed him. Now they have an official base cat. He gets shots and everything.

He's a bit of an attention slut. When he first saw me, he made a beeline for me and rubbed up against my legs. He's also a food slut. He follows people with styrofoam food cartons shamelessly.

The head security forces guy hated Carlito. I hope in his next life the Captain comes back as a mouse.

Lonely Cart

Playa Murcielago

This is the beach in Manta where all the restaurants are located. I've gotten on a sepia toning jag lately.

Quito Marketplace

I got the opportunity visit Quito for a day for a conference on women in the military. We had some time to kill, so we visited the market. It was all just a big tease. We weren't allowed to go back again.

Come On In!

Ecuador has some really cool doorways.

Stampa Spa

While I was deployed to Ecuador, a co-worker and I visited the local spa on a regular basis. I was able to get a manicure, pedicure, haircut and style, and an hour-long full-body massage for about $55. Needless to say, we were valued customers and the nice lady that owned the spa was very sad to see us leave. We probably paid her rent for three months. I was also very sad to see us leave. I can't afford to do all that in OKC once a week.