Hotel Room without a window? No way - that's not a thing!
Milagro - 166 Km north of Machala - not much going for it, but that's as far as we get before the light starts to fade - seems at the Equator days are always 12 hours long, and nights too - the sun rises at 6:00am and sets at 6:00pm all year round. Just three Hotels here and two of them well shabby. Hotel Milagro Inn looks good with its modern mirrored frontage and marbled Recepcion. "Habitacion?' "Si!" "Cama Matrimonial?" "Si!" "Parking?" "Si!" "Desayuno?" "Si!" - all going well. "Can I see the room?" "Si!" Top Floor - Bueno - no noise from above! Room 17 - in I go - looks great - modern furniture - big bed - flat screen TV - en-suite Banos with shower and hot water!! Hang on though - something's missing - there's NO WINDOW! Suddenly feels like a kidnap cell without escape and four stark walls closing in on me!!! "Any rooms available with a window?" "No!" "Solo Tres y Todo Occupado!" (24 rooms in the Hotel and only 3 have a window!!)
No other options in Milagro and it's dusk outside (I think!). So I get back to the car and break the news to Amanda. We check in - and immediately have to go out - claustrophobic in Room 17! No worries - let's take a stroll round town and find somewhere for Dinner. The place was a hive of activity an hour ago, but now everything's closed - shutters down! Except a huge Toy Shop - brightly lit and full of excited parents Christmas shopping!! I nearly bought a Remote Controlled Drone - only $99 - but Amanda said "No!"
Ecuador doesn't have it's own currency! It was the Sucre, until March 2000, when following a currency crash the President pegged the Sucre at 25,000 to the US$ and adopted the US$ as Ecuador's local currency. Since then the Sucre has been phased out and everything is priced and paid in US$! Unusual!!
After two circuits of the main Plaza (lovely Christmas Lights!) we realise every restaurant and cafe in Milagro has shut for the day - it's only 7:30pm! So we stop for a shop at Tia - 2 Wine Cartons (1 White/1 Red) some roast Corn Kernels, box of Ritz Crackers(!), Cream Cheese, an Avocado & a large Tomato - & head back to our 4th floor Cell for Dinner and a Show (Peaky Blinders Series 4 Episode 1 - thanks Pirate Bay!).
