Songs, Storms and New Friends and New Roofs

On Friday night, Feb. 26 Bill made his performing debut in S. America.  He was joined by a five other talented musicians and they played or sang literally from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.  Bill sang 60's folk songs badly, but no one cared because they remembered them all from their youth.  He was joined by a Flamingo classical guitar player who is an America, very young and very accomplished.  A young very handsome latin tenor dressed in a tux made a big impression on the full house at the Sankt Florian Restaurant/Bar.  Roland who is a keyboardist extraordinaire was another welcome performer as well as a guitarist who sang several Johnny Cash numbers.  I attempted to take photos but the venue was very dark and I have only managed one of Bill, which is acceptable.  I hate that you can't see the latin tenor, a feast for the eyes. Young enought to be my son. 

Yesterday, Saturday Feb. 27, we entertained calls and emails from friends and family in the States who were worried that we were perhaps feeling tremors as a result of the Chilean Quake.  We did not, however we had a thunder storm of major proportions where first it rained torrents then it hailed so much that it accumulalted on roof tops and did not melt for some hours.  Here is a pic that Bill took out the front door of our building at the height of the storm.

We have several commercial stores on the ground level of our building, they were badly flooded and Bill helped the Kalido shop, which is an Interior Design Studio with putting bolts of fabric on higher ground since the water was rushing in the back door through the entire shop and exiting at the front door, like a small water fall.  Bill said the water was 2 inches deep in the floor of the shop. He was not taking photos at that point. 

Guess what this is a photo of ?

 It is a pile of hail that accumulated at an edge of a sidewalk.  Of course, after everything had settled down, lots of Ecuadorian families emerged to play in the hail and make "hail balls".

To close up the storm story this is a photo of our normal tranquil Tomebamba River at the height of the storm.

This morning, Sunday we started early with a group of new friends to walk to town and have breakfast.  Along the way we spotted a crew of men removing a tile roof from a building and carefully recycling the tiles.  These are beautifully aged tiles that should be loved and cared for.  I am so delighted that they are reusing them to make another beautiful tile roof.  

We also are featuring some local residents near the site of the new roof.........

 as well as the sidewalk display from a local florist which was nearby

The next picture is too much fun.  On the left is Nancy W., on the right is Nancy of Nancy and Rich, soon to be our next door neighbors. And I am on the right.

Here is a street vendor just outside a very nice public market where we shopped on our way back home.

So now we are at the Kookaberra Cafe, which is run by an charming Aussie couple named Chris and Jenny.  The food was a wonderful variety and we all enjoyed a leisurely breakfast as we continued to meet new friends who arrived and departed the Cafe.  I think it might become one of my favorite cafes, so far.  Food good, atmosphere good and the renovation of the building is top notch.  The proprietors live on premises, in the upper stories of the building.  So as we left we headed to Calderon Parque, to meet Shelly and Brian who make a habit of doing this downtown outing every Sunday morning, they have a cute dog named Freddie, however she is a female.  We all look like a bunch of old gringos in this photo.  We have picked up another couple Rhonda and her husband, again I am without name.  But, they are lovely too, so we hung out in the parque for awhile along with lots of the locals. 

From there we split and Bill and I went with Shelly and Brian, because they were going back to the market to get fresh roasted pork and I was interested to see it and see what $3.00 would buy.

 

 

In addition, to the meat I picked up 10 tomatoes, 12 red onions, 10 avocadoes and a pineapple along with the meat and only spent $6.00. 

So after we returned home we rested a little and then went to a neighbors house, who we had met on Friday night.  Sandee is going to look up lyrics on the internet and print them for Bill's next gig.  

So you can see we are having too much fun and meeting lots of wonderful expats. 

All for now,  Dean and Bill

A $100.00 Evening for less than $25.00.

I know you were not expecting to hear from me again so soon.  But, we have just returned for an amazing evening out.  We wanted to share some of our excitement with you.  We were lured downtown tonite for a International Latin Fusion concert sponsored by the City of Cuenca, Ecuador.  So we decided to make a big evening out and have dinner before the concert.  We had attempted to buy the $2.00 tickets yesterday, but when we arrived at the ticket despensing office they announced they would not go on sale until Friday  9 a.m.  Much too early for a couple of recently retired folks who no longer set an alarm.  So we whiled away the day doing other stuff and decided we would go down at about 6-6:30 p.m. and pick up tickets and then go to dinner.  When we arrived the ticket place was closed, the concert was to be across the street.  So being laid back Cuencan's we went to a leisurely dinner within walking distance of where the concert was supposed to be.  After dinner we walked back to the concert, where we found lots of people in lines, most with tickets, but a separate line for those of us without tickets.  So we struck up a conversation with two European young women who were visiting Cuenca from Quito for the weekend.  As the lines moved forward I was almost in front of the line when one of the men who was taking tickets thrust a ticket in my hand.  When my husband asked why, my response was because he recognized a beautiful women.  Anyway it was no time before I was ushered inside the gate and toward the door of the auditorium.  At the same time the gate was closed on Bill, who still had not paid for a ticket.  When I said "Oh, I can't go, he is my husband" the gate keeper said:  "que pasa" and let him in.  So we have entered the auditorium without buying any tickets.  The auditorium seated about 500 people and it was full.  

The  quartet was two guitars, trumpet, drummer and vocalist.  With usually only four musicians playing at one time.  My musical ear gave the following revue:  Group was very tight, always on pitch, played a fascinating array of Latin music.  Crowd was very appreciative, as demonstrated by the 6 year old child who was with his parents, two rows in front of us.  He danced and clapped to just about every number, oh the energy.  We throughly enjoyed it.  

We walked to a dessert restaurant for coffee and goodies and a bano.  There we enjoyed a brownie with ice cream and a capppucino and a black berry tart with cappucino.  Then we hailed and taxi for a very exciting ride home.  Normally during the day in Cuenca, the taxi cannot go very fast, due to the traffic.  However, at night there is none.  So Mr. Taxi was doing 45-50mph on the narrow cobble stone streets as he honked at every intersection to keep us from getting broadsided, this experience  can only be compared to Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. We arrived home very pleased with ourselves, after a lovely evening which cost us less than $25.00 including taxis both ways. 

Trip To Panderia, Calderon Park and Food Coop

We are out almost daily to do some type of activity.  So this report is on a visit to the bakery, Panaderia, to Calderon Park, which is the center of Cuenca, in the Historic Center and finally the food coop where we buy wonderful fresh vegetables.  

To the right is a photo of me going into the panaderia, which is two blocks down the street from where we live. 

Mr. Bill must have been dancing when he took this display case of goodies.  But we went a little deeper into the shop to find all kinds 

 

of tempting treats, you can see here.  Most of these little bakeries serve a neighborhood.  It is often cooked in a bakery in the back and then sold in a room at the front or on the street where people like me have easy access.

We bought six rolls, a small loaf of bread, like you see on the lower right hand corner of the table, and six cookies.  The bill was $1.25. 

Here is a picture of the young Ecuadorian boy who came out of the back to check us out.  You can see the baker working in the back room. 

Now we jump in a taxi and head for City Centre, where the beautiful Calderon Parque is located.  Lots of great people watching here.  More activity on the weekdays than on the weekends.  The center of the city

is the business center and thus lots of lawyers, judges, cpa, banker, airlines employees, etc.

  

  

  

Bill took this photo at my request.  I thought it was so dear.  A latino father holding his little girl while she sleeps.   This is also in Calderon Parque.

  

  

  

  

This is the new Cathedral, a very imposing edifice.  There are beautiful blue and white tile dooms at the rear, but you cannot see them from this angle.  The old Cathedral is across the Parque and makes the east side of the Plaza. 

  

  

Now we head back to our neighborhood for a visit to the Cooperia, which is a coop where farmers bring in their fruits and vegetable and sell them to the public.   

Lots of beautifully fresh produce

which you will be amazed at the prices

when I get to that.  So here goes:

  

 

Pineapple, Pino are $1.00 each.

Banannas are a $1.00 for a bushel!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  

At the right is a photo of what we bought, it includes 2 pkgs of bacon, white grapes, leaf lettuce, 8 avocado, 3 tomatoes, 2 peppers, 3 carrots, 2 cucumers, mango perserves, onions, parsley, cauliflower, 8 big limes, and two different kinds of cheese.  The avocado were .25/each.  The total for all of it ran $23.00, this will last a week. 

You will notice that there are not any unknown fruits or vegetables.

I have stopped buying them, because when I get home I do not know what to do with them.  Many of them have numerous seed inside, so they must just be used for juice,  my juiceer in packed in the household goods, which are to be shipped.  I have thrown away a couple of things that did not smell good to me when I cut them open.  So it is all part of the adventure.

  

  Bill is in love with this plant, plans to have one in a pot when we get settled.  It blooms two different flowers, as you can see.  This photo was taken just outside of where we live, there are planted flower boxes where we wait to hail a taxi.

I promise I am not picking my nose, but it sure looks like it.  We had just eaten lunch in this little joint.  Great pizza, but Bill had a lasagna casserole that was delicious and cost $4.40.

Ciao for now, Dean and Bill

 

A Melange of Experiences in Cuenca Ecuador

We are getting very comfortable with venturing out, to take a taxi to anywhere, buy bread at the panaderia, explore the city on foot and then buy what we need along the way and return via a taxi, bus, or on foot. 

  

 Yesterday we ventured out to find the English bookstore.  CAROLINA, turns out it is run by a couple Carolina and Lee, former teachers.  We traded in some books that I had read and bought some others with our credit.  Also found a wonderful pound of coffee at the bookstore that is grown here in the mountains of Ecuador.  The package of coffee was $4.00/lb.  

A bargain, which you coffee drinkers will recognize.  Ecuador is supposed to produce wonderful coffee so we will report when we have had some of it. 

The second item on our agenda yesterday was to visit an art sale of local artists that was being held at a restaurant downtown.  On the way between Carolina's Bookstore and the restaurant where the art exhibit was we encountered a lovely little Panaderia.

Because they put no preservative/additives in the baked goods, you only buy for a day or two at a time.  So I went in to purchase rolls.  In addition, I found these lovely little round chocolate delights that seemed to be a cross between a cake and a trifle covered in chocolate and decorated with whipped cream.  I bought one for each of us.  It was very good, but way too sweet for me.

  

 But, Bill thought they were so wonderful that he needed a stock.  So he returned to buy 10 of them which she packed in a turtle top styrofoam box, and he ate like a little pig for the rest of the day. 

Following the chocolate connection we headed for the restaurant where the art exhibit was.  We were ready for lunch by then and as you can see by the photos attached we had lunch.  In addition, 3 university students asked us in English if we would take their survey, it was about tourists in Cuenca, which of course we are not, but they seemed to get a kick out of us anyway.  

 

 

The day before yesterday we took photos of our supermarket, the SUPERMAXI, yes I said the supermaxi.

We love the name.  It is within walking distance of our apartment and just a few doors from the video store where you can buy any movie title on earth for $1.50.  We bought $9.00 worth and headed home for a movie marathon.  This vendor is so good, if it will not work in your DVD machine he will give you your money back.  Or try to burn it again for you.  

Today is Valentine's Day, but also the first day of Carnival which runs through Tuesday,  since Wednesday is Ash Wednesday, the start of lent.  We had lots of wonderful music from a local band we could hear in our apartment last night.  Lots of children on the streets throwing water balloons at passersby.  The taxi drivers yesterday were very careful to tell us to roll up the windows or we were going to get WET!!  We have been watching the 4 siblings we can see out our rear window throwing balloons at passersby for about a week now.  I think they started early.  

We have had a glitch with the Ecudorian Counsulate in LA who gave us some bad information related to our official documentation process, so we are regrouping with lawyers, Ecuadorina friends with connections, friends in the states who are trying to help us and maybe by Wednesday the American Embassy in Guayaquil.  So we will keep you updated as the saga unfolds.  Everyone needs a challenge in life, so this is ours at the moment.  We also think we have found an apartment to rent for a long term period of time, but because everything in the city has come to a halt for CARNIVAL, that will have to wait until Wednesday, too.  All for now,  

CIAO  

Dean and Bill

PS Here are a few pics of Calderon Park. the main park in the center of the historic district.

  

and finally......

a comfy cat

A Whirlwind Week

We have been in Cuenca, Ecuador one week this last Friday.  We have explored the market, met lovely young neighbors, been to the SuperMaxi and watched the young teenagers of the city begin to celebrate Carnival because Easter is early this year, and lent is just around the corner.

Our drive from Guayaquil to Cuenca through the Caja Mountains was very beautiful, we were driven by a van driver who obviously knew the road and was not afraid of the foggy narrow roads or the big trucks he had to duel with, in order to move with speed and grace.  I counted three different ecosystems that we traveled through.  I have confirmed that, sense arriving in Cuenca.  We will go back when we can stop and do more photographing.  Although Bill got some good shots as the driving sped past various items of interest.

We are on the 7th floor of a 7 floor building in a lovely apartment, 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, nice kitchen with laundry room off kitchen.  Dining Room and Guest bedroom have sliding doors to a long narrow terrace that affords us a view of the four brothers and sisters, of a Doctor and his family who live in a 4 story house across the street.  The children dropped water balloons on passing cars and buses yesterday afternoon.  That is part of the Carnival Celebration.  This family is great to observe, since the family dog has just recently produced five little puppies, the pups and Momma are housed on the spacious terrace, a birdseye view from my terrance.    Daddy scoops poop at about 10 a.m. every morning before he leaves in his suit with his briefcase, we think he is a lawyer (abogado) or maybe a doctor.  Mama is also a professional and a housekeeper cleans and washes clothes during the day.

The very first day we met a lovely young couple with a 1 1/2 year old little boy.  Robert, Fernanda and little Robert have become new friends.  She is a native of Cuenca and is studying for a PHD in law.  Robert (Dad) is a very interesting man, who is Canadian originally.  He has a job as a diamond driller, he is called to work by his Canadian Company all over the world.  He drills looking for minerals.  Just two nights ago we were honored to meet her parents.  Her mother is a teacher of elementary students, her father runs a family business that he has run for 40 years.  They are lovely, speak very little English, but we communicated fine.  They are looking for a house to rent for us.  More on that later. We have been doing lots of fun stuff with them and exploring the city at the same time.

The first Saturday we were here we went to find the centro of the city, where the old churches are and the seat of the government and the most beautiful park I have ever seen, Calderon Park.  It is beautifully planted with great variety of blooming flowers and trees, lovely benches tucked in so you can sit and "people watch", one of my favorite pastimes at  parks, airports, train stations, etc. Just off the park about 1/2 block we found a textiles market.  We felt the apartment needed some color.  The man that owns the apartment is American, but lives in Japan, the whole place is done in browns and beige. Those of you who know me, know I do not do much beige.  So we invested in a beautifully woven table cloth in turquoise, reds, yellow, greens, blues.  It is perfect and I bargained down from $25.00 to $21.00.  Just around the corner from the textile market is the flower market.  At the moment the plaza where the indigenous women usually sell is being redone, so they are a little to the side and a bite crowded.  But, the flowers are spectacular to see and very fresh and very inexpensive.  I bought two bunches, one for the dining room table and one for the bedroom. They were each $2.00 each.  They would have been $15.00+ in the U.S.

On Monday, Robert and Fernanda wanted to take us to a market that is quiet and not crazy busy.  So we drove across town in their car and visited one of the many open air markets that exist in this City. It was clean, well organized, no flies and very fresh.  Women were shelling peas, some were peeling garlics, (I bought some of both items)  The best bargain was 4 avocado (aquacante) for the grand sum of .32.  Yes, you read that right, .08 each.  I made a wonderful guacamole on Wednesday after they has sat on my window sill and softened up a little.   I also purchased spices:  cumin, cloves, oregano and one more I am forgetting.  Each little sack was .25.  I told Bill the next trip we were going to splurge and get the .50 size.

I know in a earlier blog I said that Bill was going to post some pics.  But, he has been very busy getting all his
electronic gadgets up and working.  You know he is not complete unless all the gadgets work.  So we'll see maybe my getting ahead of him will motivate him somewhat. Two quick final things.  I have a cleaning lady coming tomorrow, Monday.  We have been told by Fernanda to pay her $12.25, the .25 is for her bus ride home.  She will clean from about 8-1 p.m. the whole apartment.  The Supermaxi is the grocery store, very expensive, but carries what the markets do not.   All for now.  CIAO, Dean and Bill

PS Here are some pics at this link

http://www.flickr.com/photos/47316820@N06/sets/72157623371632296/

We Have Arrived in Cuenca

Hola!  What can I say?  The adventure has begun and it is wonderful.  We have so much to share, we plan to break it up into sections, so we are not overwhelmed and you will not be either.  Bill has taken lots of photos that we are planning on posting , for you to see.

We arrived on Friday afternoon about 2:30 p.m.  Our time here is eastern time, so I am the same time as my mother who is in Knoxville, TN.  She is thrilled, I am not sure why, I think she thinks that makes me closer, but it is a mental illusion.  Our three days on the road to get here was a mini adventure unto itself,  lots of interesting observations comparing the American service with the S American services in the hotels and restaurants.

Our first day on the road was from Tucson to Miami, with a plane change in Dallas.  We did not have a lot of time between the flights, but due to divine intervention and my cane we were swooped up and placed on a disabled/crip mobile and were whisked off down a concourse, for about 20 miles, or so it seemed to the next plane that was to take us to Miami.  Those of you who have seen me walk lately, know I do not need the cane, but when it came time to pack it, the answer became carry it on.  So it turned out to be very fortuitous.

When we arrived in Miami we took a cab, a large cab, we had 10 pieces of luggage, 2 of which were cat kennels, housing Clive and Reginald.  The services of the cabbies and the hotel were less than stellar, since as you know service in America has vanished with the "Howdy Dowdy Show".  I will compare this when we reach S. America, service is alive and well in S. America.  The small Art Deco Hotel located in Southbeach did not have any bellmen or anyone even willing to hold the door.  No one spoke English, but no one spoke Spanish, it was a mix of French, Portugese and Italians staying their.  I love these off beat out of the way places.  But, I was determined to see the Art Deco architecture in the Southbeach area, and I did!

In south beach we explored a wonderful pedestrian mall and kept our eyes out for Nathan Lane and Robin Williams, we did not bump into them, but did see several of their neighbors.  In addition we saw wonderful art deco architecture, which is one of my favorite American architecture periods.  Our plane to Guayaquil, Ecuador was to leave at 6 p.m.  So we got ourselves to the airport and established in the waiting area for our plane, to discover a wonderful gathering of lots of interesting people, all going to Guayaquil.  Of course, we all started talking, very much a party atmosphere.  We have bonded with some other expats who do not live here yet, but have a house in Olon, on the Pacific Coast.  Also met an Ecuadorian, MD woman who lives in the states and was coming home for her mother's 91st birthday, finally a lovely young french woman who lives in Cuenca and works for the International Red Cross, so you can see the adventure has already been rich and rewarding. However, the plane was delayed, then we were boarded, again, we got to go on first due to EL CANE!  I will never go anywhere again without it.   As we taxied out to take off, suddenly the plane stopped and the Captain came on to tell us we had a leaky toilet on board and we were going to turn around so maintenance could look at it.  At this point Bill read a review of the hotel we had booked to stay in Guayaquil.  It was a rather scary review about how they had stolen a guests credit card numbers and racked up $6,000 worth of airline tickets.  So we decided we had to move to plan B.  OH!  the wonderful world of electrics.  By this time we could no longer access the net.  So we called our friend Lorna in the states, who is very worldly and has traveled lots.  She got on the phone for us and created all kinds of alternatives and booked a new hotel.  So when we arrived at customs, again we got escorted to the shorter line for the elderly and pregnant mommas.  Cleared customs without opening a thing, with cats and all.  When we exited the terminal there was the Howard Johnson Hotel man with our name on a sign.  I have always wanted to be met at an airport like that.  Thanks to Lorna we had a restful first night in Ecuador.  This has already been too long. But, I must add that the service in S. America was immediately noticeable for its excellence as compared to North America.  The bell staff were wonderful, the dining staff was very welcoming and we have found the Ecuadorian people to be very gracious and accommodating.  More on all of this later  in the next few days: we will be adding other blogs that will include our ride over from Guayaquil to Cuenca, meeting some lovely new neighbors and some shopping trips for fruits, vegetables and flowers.
Ciao for now,  Dean and Bill