A week has passed; sunny Sun. morning, rainy afternoon

I got home just before the rain started this afternoon.  I am sitting here now listening to the thunder and rain--so relaxing.  I walked to the flower market this sunny Sunday morning and bought my flower bouquet for the week and also bought some "trees" for the manger scene that I am creating.  I bought the manager structure and the figurines for the manger scene at the Rotary Market, which has mostly Ecuadorian crafts.  I just couldn't buy the "made in China" stuff that is so prevalent in most of the stores. 

Thanksgiving was a lot of fun and I learned a lot also.  The sunny morning started with a Turkey Trot organized by expats as a fundraiser for a school program, Fundacion "El Arenal", a non-profit organization which provides "an alternative education for working children and adolescents".  El Arenal is the largest indigenous market in Cuenca (I have never walked through it, but have seen it from the bus). The program began in 1994 with the help of volunteers from Ecuador and Germany.  Germany continues to send young people to serve in the organization and there were two young people from Germany helping on Thanksgiving (one was the translator, translating Spanish to English).  Ecuador has a challenge with keeping children in school because they are shining shoes, selling newspapers or working in the markets selling produce, etc., working 5 to 15 hours a day.  The peasant families have left their land with the objective of finding a better income for their family and that means everybody works.  In attendance were some of the Ecuadorian women who work at the organization:

When all the expats gathered, I would guess there were about 35 of us.  We each donated $3 to the Fund, most of us walked along the Tomebama River (a few ran) and then met at the Kookaburra Cafe (owned by Australians) where we had a Turkey Trot Treat of a sweet roll (or I had banana bread) and coffee for $2. 

And each participate was given a turkey!

The afternoon brought rain and I had a ticket to the Thanksgiving Dinner at Villa San Carlos.  It is always somewhat difficult to get a taxi when it is raining so I looked at the bus schedule, found out how to get close to the address and was ready for another adventure--and it worked out well.  The announcement said entertainment would start at 3:30 (I guessed it would be Ecuadorian music, but it was a pianist who played from memory for hours) and when I arrived at 4, there was already a long line of people to be checked in.  I had been told it was a very large banquet room and that a huge buffet would be served.  Both were true!  I really stuffed myself.

Now Thanksgiving (for N. Americans) is over, the Ecuadorian December holiday season is already in full swing.  The stores are packed with artificial trees, decorations, candy, cookies, and toys for the children -- to the extreme.  I asked my friends who have lived in Ecuador about the traditional thing to do; they said create a manger scene.  So that's what I've done:

It was difficult to find Ecuadorian people in a manger scene, but I succeeded.  I love these figurines. 

Quiet, beautiful, busy Sunday (Nov 20, 2011)

Sundays, as a general rule, are quiet in Cuenca.  Ecuadorian families set aside Sundays for going to mass and being with their families.  The traffic on the streets is less, the buses run less frequently and many of the small stores are closed.  My neighborhood is quiet most of the time even during the week, but the city is more quiet on Sundays.  

I live near an elementary school and a government office; I hear announcements being made from the school in the mornings from loud speakers and I see a line of people Mon-Sat for the government office.  I am told the people are in line to renew their cedulas -- part of the registration process for all Ecuadorians and expats.  Today was especially quiet and I slept late -- almost until 7:30 -- can't seem to get out of the habit of waking up early.  After eating breakfast, I walked to one of the large grocery stores, SuperMaxi, because I was hungry for peanut butter and that's the only place I knew that I could buy it.  And I did find it . . . $3.61 for a small jar.  Almost everything is available -- for a price. 


I love fresh flowers and since I have a huge floral market a few blocks from my apartment, I am treating myself to fresh bouquets for the apartment.  I thought I would make this my (every) Sunday treat; some weeks the flowers last more than a week, but today I wanted fresh flowers so that was my second errand.  Here are a couple of examples of the last two purchases of flowers:

Roses = $1; small bouquet (in container) = $2

These two bouquets purchased today = $2.00

My adventures include learning to cook Ecuadorian-style food.  Since I had completed my errands by mid-afternoon, I decided to cook Cebiche de Camaron (Shrimp Ceviche).  I bought a cookbook, La Cocina Ecuatoriana, with traditional vegetarian and seafood recipes and I have been trying the recipes - all of which have turned out well.  I had purchased all the ingredients and knew that the fresh shrimp needed to be peeled and cleaned (time-consuming), then marinated in freshly-squeezed lime juice for an hour.  As I read the instructions, I learned the red onion needed to be cured with lime juice and salt.  O.K., that's a new concept (it mellows the flavor of the raw onion). I'll admit, my kitchen isn't equipped with all the measuring devices, so a lot of the amounts of ingredients were guess work.  By dinner time, I had a beautiful dish of ceviche and the cookbook suggests "plaintain chips (I like, but didn't have), popcorn (Ecuadorians serve popcorn with many meals), lime and an ice cold beer are authentic accompaniments" -- so I enjoyed a Pilsener with it!

I purchased the cookbook in Vilcabamba which reminds me I want to share the pictures of that southern village and the Hosteria Izhcayluma, called "casual but refined" by Lonely Planet.

Restaurante Izhcayluma where breakfast & dinner are served

Grounds of the retreat

Overlooking the valley -- called the Valley of Longevity & Vilcabamba

Cabins -- very quiet and spacious

Sun on the mountains at sunset

Art in all forms: Here are some that I have seen in Cuenca

Paintings:  Archeological Museum -- I really loved this one

Colorful!

Wood sculptures by a father and son from New Zealand.  They recycle wood that would have been thrown away and make these wonderful pieces.  The son spoke English and spent a lot of time telling me the stories of each of the pieces of sculpture.  He and his father are on the way to Peru to work in a hotel that will use recycle wood for the beams. 

Turtle was carved from one piece of wood.

My favorite:  the butterfly 

Music:  The wonderful group that played at the celebration of expats at the Cuenca Chamber of Commerce. 

Note the man in the middle playing the largest pan flute that I have ever seen.  

Dance:  Exuberant dancers (university students) at the expat celebration.

Dancers in the Independence Day Parade

I have lots more pictures to share, but blogspot drives me crazy trying to arrange them.  The people, places and things of Cuenca are outstanding in their color and variety.  The artistry is amazing.   

living room

living room

soon-to-be art studio

I’ve got internet in my apartment!  I’ll update everyone, even though some of you have most of the info from Facebook.  Let’s see, in October, I completed 4 weeks of Spanish language school (learned some of the basics—will continue at a later date).  Those 4 weeks included 2 weeks of home stay (expensive and a good experience) and 2 weeks of staying in a hostel (less expensive and conditions were somewhat challenging). The hostel was near the Spanish school, but as I was completing the classes, I began to look for an apartment.  I saw a listing by another expat for an unfurnished 2-bedroom near the downtown area.  I looked at it—really liked the idea that it had an area that I can use as an art studio—so signed the lease for a year on Oct 15.  My friends (who were visiting from Calif) and I moved in a couple of days later.  With the help of the other expat, I began the search for furnishings.  Quite a challenge!  But fun because I got to choose what I wanted (if the price was right).  And sometimes I settled for a second choice because of price.  I now have kitchen appliances, including an amazing LG washing machine which has “Fuzzy Logic”.  That means I put clothes in the tub, it weighs them and dispenses the correct amount of water (cold water only)!  No dryer – that’s the job for the sun.  I also have living room and dining room furniture, custom-made drapes and beds with warm Peruvian alpaca blankets (guest bedroom is awaiting guests).

   The weather is difficult to figure out and changes frequently and dramatically.  There are two seasons:  rainy and dry.  Some sources say the rainy season is October thru early May.  Another source says June, July and August.  Upon arrival in September, it rained every day and people said that was unusual.  Then in October/early Nov, it was mostly sunny.  Now, in mid-Nov, there are sunny mornings and rain in the afternoon.  It is mostly cool (between 55 to 72 degrees); the houses have no heat, so I’m wearing sweaters, etc in my apartment.  (I hope to get a space heater soon).  You may be thinking “equator”; that should be warm.  The altitude makes the difference--Cuenca is 8,300 feet.  I noticed shortness of breath when I arrived, but have no problems now. 

   The postal service/mail delivery is a challenge in Ecuador.  I don’t think I will ever to able to get delivery at my apartment because I live on the second floor behind three locked doors (I feel very secure).  The construction/design of apartments is quite different and varied.  The place where I am has the garage (with a locked door) on the street level.  I go through that entrance to another locked door that goes to my apartment and the third floor apartment (only 3 levels and with two additional apartments in the rear).  Then I have a locked front door to my apartment.  As far as I know, no one has postal boxes for houses or apartments.  I am told mail is sometimes delivered on a motor bike but I have never seen delivery on my street.  Therefore, if I want mail delivery, I will need to pay for a box at the main post office—which is not too far from me.  I may get a box around the holidays so I can get greetings from all of you!  The cost of stamps here is very high; it has been $2 for post cards and I understand that price is being increased.  So expect electronic mail from me. 

   Everything I need is within easy walking distance for me. Walking/carrying groceries, etc. just limits the amount that I can buy at one time. The internet office where I ordered my DSL (and will pay the monthly fee) is a probably a 45-minute walk, so I chose to take a taxi.  All taxi rides within the city are $1.50 during the day; $2.00 at night.  The biggest mall in Cuenca is also farther away and is accessible via the city buses; they cost .25 cents for all destinations.

   My friends and I traveled via public bus to the smaller cities of Vilcabamba and Loja in the southern part of Ecuador ($7.50 for 5-hr. trip).  We stayed at the Hosteria Izhcayluma outside of Vilcabamba a couple of days; that was a special treat (pix later).  We also took a short trip to the banos (hot springs) near Cuenca with friends. 

   There are more things going on in Cuenca than I can participate in.  For example, the Cuenca Chamber of Commerce is having an expat meeting tonight at 7pm.  Then the Cuenca Symphony is performing at 8pm—I don’t think I can take advantage of both.  I’ll go to the CoC – will report on that meeting later.  One of the weekly events is the English book exchange held at the Windhorse (soon-to-be) Café.  We will also be able to exchange dvds in the near future.  The music, art, and museums are outstanding.  

   I'll close for now because this is a test to see if I can publish this . . . till later