Excursion to Parque Nacional Cajas

The name Cajas comes from the Quichua "cassa" meaning "gateway to the snowy mountains" that refers to the mountain pass traditionally used by ancient travelers, even though the mountains were cold & windy.  The total area of the park is 28,544 hectors. 


And it was cold at 13,000 ft!  It was windy & rainy also.  AND very beautiful.  The guide & the professor who went us spoke only Spanish, so I missed a lot of the information, but it was a very interesting 4-hr. hike--& I was the last one to finish because I was so winded.  The majority of the people at the school (& on the hike) are from Switzerland, so they are accustomed to the altitude.

Panoramic view taken by Pablo, friend in Quito

There were many beautiful lakes along the hike.

Unusual trees

Quinua "paper tree" forest

Rivers with small waterfalls

llamas!

And me, I just keep smiling.

First cooking class

Ecuador has many fascinating fruits & vegetables.  Many that I haven't begun to taste/explore.  Breakfast & dinner are light meals; lunch is the main meal.  Every meal I have eaten has been all fresh food--no frozen, no canned, no microwaved lunches!  The traditional lunch includes soup (yesterday was cream of spinich, today was vegetable beef & yucca), a meat, rice (& sometimes potatoes) + bread (fresh each day from the local bakery--sometimes cooked in a wooden stove).  In the small restaurants, this meal can be purchased for as little as $1.50; if you add fruit & dessert, it may cost as much as $3.00.  The fruit is plentiful & delicious.  The papaya is to die for.  

Today the Spanish School provided a cooking class.  About a dozen of us went to a local home where the woman of the house cooked el verde bananas.  The green bananas are large, cut into pieces & boiled.  She had cooked those before we arrived.  The following picture is one of the students mashing the green bananas:  

After the bananas were mashed, butter was added. 

The additional ingredient was fresh cheese which was mashed.  

The banana/butter mixture was rolled into a ball with a small amount of cheese in the middle.

Walaa!  Bola El Verde Banana right out of the oven, served with a fresh tomato sauce.

Our bolas were served with fresh ingredients for a green salad, home-made salad dressing and fresh payaya juice.  A healthy, tasty, light, inexpensive dinner. 

Expats & Estudio Sampere, Cuenca

Cuenca is such a friendly city, both the locals & expats most often have a smile on their face & take the time to stop and talk to others on the street.  The first day that my friends & I walked out of the hostel on the way to the Wunderbar Cafe (recommended by the hostal owner, Esperanza), we smiled at people who seemed to be expats.  They stopped to talk -- they are from Switzerland, retired 10 yrs ago, & have lived outside of Cuenca since retirement & were in the city for the day.  On the second day when we went for a walk, we saw John.  He stopped to talk & invited us to his party on the following Sunday.   He said later, "only in Cuenca would I invite people that I had just met to my apartment".  The invitees to the party were all expats (mostly from the U.S.) who shared their experiences with me about obtaining the residency visas.  Everyone chuckles & says every experience is different, some difficult, some more easily obtained--depending on the day, & the person in the government office that assists you.  I met great people who I am sure will become long-term friends.  John is the one in the middle talking to other expats.  Below is the view from his 4th floor apartment.  It was raining!  And it has been raining almost every day.

The second day at Spanish School & I'm impressed with professors & programs.  And there have been many changes -- it's Ecuador!  We were told the name was Amerispan; it is Estudio Sampere--I think Amerispan is a American division that belongs to Estudio Sampere.  We were told one address--it is different address (farther away from home stay which means walking briskly 20 minutes--my favorite part is walking along the river--& includes walking up most of the stairs in the picture featured previously).  Good exercise!  We signed up for morning classes--we have afternoon classes.  We were told there would be 4 classes, 45 min. ea.  We have 2 classes of 1 1/2 hr. ea. -- one grammar, one conversational Spanish.  We told there would be daily cultural classes; there was not a cultural class yesterday and the one today was canceled.  Oh, well, I still love it.  Here's the front of the building:

This is one of the historical buildings in Cuenca that has been recently restored.   

Even though there are bars on the windows, everyone says that Cuenca is a very safe city.  It's a precaution that businesses (& homes) take against thieves.  

I'm healthy & happy.  My friend, Robin, has been sick, so I am grateful for my "strong constitution".  I am doing what I want to do & I'm satisfied with the decisions that I have made for my retirement.  To be continued . . .

Cuenca: new home, beautiful new home

Second day in Cuenca . . . after a very noisy night on Calle Larga.  The young people really like to party on Friday night!  My friends (George & Robin) & I are staying at the Hostal Del Mundo overlooking the river.

We had a whirlwind 3 days in Quito with great sightseeing & a frustrating time for me trying to get my visa registered.  After getting some documents certified by the Ecuadorian Consulate in L.A., notarized in O.C., certified by the County & apostillized by the State, I thought I had enough documentation, but there's a new rule that states I have to register my visa in Quito within the first month of arrival.  There's lots of conflicting information (& lack of info) concerning the residency processes, so I've ask a tour guide in Quito to help me.  And I may have to hire a lawyer which I was hoping to avoid.

Here are more scenes from a river walk that we enjoyed today (sorry, I couldn't get them to place where I wanted them--I'm new at this).  At the right are the numerous stairs that descend from Calle Larga to the river.

A beautiful Sushi Restaurant

Example of the street art

Blue Monday Restaurant where we had lunch (& where I ordered 2 lunch items because of my lack of knowledge of the Spanish language!)

 

Quito

I think this is one of the most beautiful views of Quito.  The city spreads up the mountains in all directions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nancy's Retirement from Chapman University Sept 2, 2011           See my smile!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                        

First Trip to Ecuador Feb. 2011

First trip to Ecuador, Feb. 2011

This trip convinced me that I wanted to make 
my retirement home in Ecuador.