Change in address for blog

Hi Everyone,

I'm trying a new blog address; all will be published on wordpress.  Check it out on

nancysretirementadventures.wordpress.com

Hope to hear from you on wordpress. 

Nancy

Friday and Sunday Adventures

First, today's (Sunday) adventure:  Expats reported that having a burrito at California Burrito in the Mall Del Rio food court was worthwhile, so I decided I'd go there for lunch.  The whole city of Cuenca seems to be currently under construction -- which is a good thing because the sidewalks and streets are being improved, but that also means the bus routes are more complicated to understand.  I had a couple of options, checked the first one (not good); then, found the bus going the correct direction, boarded and paid my whopping 25 cents for the 20 minute ride to the Mall.  I arrived at the Mall ~12 noon and found no lines in the food court (most Ecuadorians eat later) and ordered my (customized) burrito.  All the choices are displayed and for $5.95, a customer can have two kinds of meat + all the trimmings (everything you can think of) + a small drink.  Not too bad.  I loved the illustrations on the brochure:  "paz, amor, burritos".  
     After eating, I walked around the Mall, shopped at Coral (a large department store (includes groceries) and ~3pm, I started home.  The thunder clouds were gathering so I thought perhaps I could make it home before the afternoon rain.  Shortly after getting on the bus, the rain began and about the time I disembarked, it poured rain and hailed!  It was not cold, but as I understand it, when the upper atmosphere is cold, hail is produced and falls -- and indeed it did along with a deluge of rain.  End result (even with an umbrella):  I was soaking wet from the knees down by the time I got home. It's been raining off and on since then . . . glad to be home and cozy in my apartment.  
     Friday's visit to the hacienda:  Ten expats + a young German girl (who is studying international tourism) + 2 tour guides left Cuenca at 8:30am and traveled to a hacienda 30 minutes southeast of the city.  As I have traveled south of Cuenca, I have learned that this area of beautiful rolling hills is dairy country.  This area provides milk for all of Ecuador.  The hacienda we visited is a working hacienda that welcomes tourists so we can learn about the activities on haciendas.  Arrival:

Introduction by tour guide (who is part of the family who owns the hacienda) of indigenous woman and her little helper who showed us how Ecuadorian fresh cheese is made.  This cheese is not aged (and--to me--doesn't have much taste); we ate this cheese for lunch.  

Next, she showed us the process of shearing sheep with scissors.  When she went to bring the sheep to us--the sheep was really reluctant--I think the sheep thought he was going to be for lunch!

Update and Saraguro (Part 2)

Yesterday, St. Patty's Day, I celebrated with traditional Irish food (which was just so-so) in a lavish restaurant where expats and Ecuadorians enjoyed lots of camaraderie and good conversation.  My friend and I started walking while the sun was shining at ~ 4:00 (Happy Hour started at 5:00), but we got caught in a rain storm before we arrived at the restaurant.  It's about 4:00 on Sunday afternoon and it's raining again; Cuenca tends to have rain sometime every day during rainy season and it's hard to determine when the cloud burst will be.  We always carry an umbrella!
     Saraguro (part 2):  On the Sunday morning when we were in Saraguro, we hiked to an ancient Incan site for a traditional shamanic ceremony. The shaman was a young man; I had expected an "old, wise one", but he explained that when the Spanish introduced Catholicism, most Ecuadorians converted and the shamanic traditions were forgotten.  He had studied (on his own) and was able to recreate the traditional ceremony and asked the women (mother and daughter) to assist. 

The ceremony brought back memories for me when I participated in Native American ceremonies in New Mexico. The things that were similar were the prayers to the 4 directions, burning of sage, cedar, etc for cleansing, the use of feathers, and the shaman playing the flute and drum. The Ecuadorian ceremony incorporates the use of many flowers, and two kinds of drinks--one herbal tea, the other a slightly alcoholic drink (both we sipped).  The female assistant also puts some of the alcoholic drink in her mouth and then sprays the back of participates to cleanse the body.  I am grateful they were willing to share the ceremony with us.

 
After we left the ceremony, we took the bus back into the village of Saraguro to experience the indigenous activities on Sunday.  In all villages/towns/cities that I have visited, there is always a central plaza and a Catholic church where people gather to worship, visit with family and friends and sell their wares.  The tour guides told us the older people are very reluctant to have their pictures taken and ask us to only take pictures at a distance of them and always ask others if taking their picture was o.k. I took the women's picture from the bus and asked the little girl; she said "yes" and then became very serious. 

Notice the women's skirts:  they are a set of 2 (always black), top one is made of material with very small pleats, the underskirt is embroidered on the bottom with various colors.  In the past, blouses and shawls were always black--the younger women are beginning to wear colored blouses.  The shawls are worn diagonally with a special pin that holds it in place.  I talked about the special white and black hats previously, but many of the people can't afford those, thus, the simple black hats.

The above picture shows the beaded necklaces created and worn by the women (also a closer picture of the traditional pin that holds the shawl).

These pictures taken in the square and outside the church.  Men wear the knee-length shorts with poncho and hat.  And we saw young indigenous girls and boys in western attire also (oh, those rebellious youth!)  This is such a fascinating society and I learned so much and I respect that they are trying to keep their unique traditions.  
 
While we were visiting the plaza, a wonderful parade of riders and prancing horses passed by.  I was able to get only one good picture, but there were many and very impressive.  I've recently read that Ecuador riders/horses participate in horse shows around the world. 
     I'll leave you today with a picture of one of the most beautiful rainbows I have ever seen and another view of the mountains.  One of the traditional stories about the rainbow is that in the spot where the rainbow ends, the young women will become pregnant.  'Guess there will be many babies in this village in 9 months!

     Friday I will visit my first hacienda which is about 30 minutes from Cuenca.  There are many activities planned for everyone, especially families;  I plan to take it easy!  
     Till next time . . . Chao

Fascinating 2-Day Tour to Saraguro Village (part 1) + others (part 2)

Quick update on this weekend:  I had a couple from Riobamba, a city north of Cuenca, who visited me this weekend.  We had a great weekend with a couple of fun experiences:  we went to an exhibit of ~ 50 Obama posters.  Many different artists had created these posters and 98% of them we had never seen.  It was an outstanding exhibit co-sponsored by a gallery and the American Embassy.  The second event was "A Tribute to the Beatles".  We didn't know what was on the agenda, but it was a film that used the Beatles music and depicted some of the activities in the U.S. when the Beatles became popular.  There were 7 of us who attended, 6 of us liked it, the other one hated it because she felt it was not accurate.  I expected the audience to be mostly expats, but there were only a few of us and many young Ecuadorians.  I always exclaim, "I can see these events in Ecuador!"  Amazing.
     Now the first installment re the southern villages:  On Sat., Mar. 3rd @ 7:30 am, eleven expats left Cuenca for a tour where we visited indigenous villages/an ancient Incan site south of Cuenca.  We had an excellent guide who told us a lot of the history of these villages.  We traveled in a nice van to Saraguro and after ~ 3.5 hrs of travel, we checked into the hostel.  We had a full schedule with many unique experiences:  we visited the weavers, hat factory and went to a shaman ceremony.

Arrival at the hostel (it's chilly!); indigenous guide, Juanita, in traditional dress; dining room at hostel

First, the village where the weavers reside:

Hostess in the village (one couple stayed in this village with this woman), serenaded by flute players, master weaver and wife

Weavers in action:

The shop with a multitude of looms, the master weaver (age 71), and the younger man weaving table cloths (I bought one).  Notice that the hands are busy making the design-the pattern is memorized, not stamped, and the feet also have a variety of pedals that must be pressed with speed and accuracy--impressive coordination!

Carnaval Cuenca Style

As I mentioned in previous blog, Carnaval in Cuenca is a "mild" event as compared to other So. American countries.  I'm sure there were parties with music, dancing, banquets of food etc. for the people who party; also leisure time for the employed and school children (they all had at least Mon. and Tues. off), but I don't think there were extravagant costumes and parades.  I missed the opening night festivities because of rain, so that will be on the schedule for next year.  

     It's Sunday afternoon at 5pm and I just returned home from an excursion with a friend to the largest (and spectacular) shopping mall in Cuenca, Mall del Rio.  It was a beautiful, sunny morning and we decided to walk ~ an hour to get to the mall.  One reason for the decision to walk:  the bus that we intended to take was re-routed because the street where the bus stop was located was closed.  Closing streets to motorized traffic is a common occurrence on Sundays because there are many joggers and bicyclists who participate in races on Sunday.  It's great to see joggers, walkers, children on bicycles -- all enjoying a safe environment where there are no cars, buses, motorcycles.  We walked the mall, window-shopped for awhile, then enjoyed a wonderful lunch at the Creta Restaurant.  I had a very tasty trout with almonds entree -- yummy and very generous serving.  After a late lunch, we got on the bus toward our apartments just before a terrific rain storm started.  We had chosen to sit at the back of the bus near the exit; unfortunately the window in the bus was leaking and we began to get wet.  We teased each other as my friend put on her raincoat and I opened my umbrella -- a time to remember, we used rain gear in the bus!

     Anyway, back to Carnaval.  I went to a few activities for the days that I thought the mischief-makers would be throwing water balloons and spraying the "white stuff" (still don't know what it is).  I went out for groceries; visited my friends in Yellow River on Sunday; went to a rock band performance at a nearby restaurant, The Coffee Tree, on Monday night; and most importantly was invited to my landlady's mother's home for Tuesday (end of Carnaval celebration).  During those times when walking, I only got slightly splashed with water twice;  the kids were very kind to me. 
     My landlady, Rebeca's, immediate family consists of six brothers and sisters.  Rebeca is pictured on the left, her mom on the right; below is one of the brothers toasting with beer.

The family gathering at her mom's house in the suburbs of Cuenca included 20+ people and I lost track of the connections.  Among the family group, there were grandchildren, a 6-mo old great-grandson, teenagers and a 92-yr old uncle (uncle is top left in hat).  Man pictured in bottom left picture is brother who currently lives in Connecticut and was visiting family.

The front yard was quite large, so the younger generation had a ping-pong table (also used for the dining table) and a volleyball net for playing games.  The after-lunch games also included the young people playing "keep away" and throwing water at each other--all in great fun with lots of giggles from the young women.  Here "Mom" takes a break from cooking and watches the grandchildren/great grandson.

A table was set up for playing card games and I was included in playing many hands of rummy.  And of course, lots of food and drink (sugar cane liquor) were included in the day.  Lunch was yuca soup, salad and pork grilled over hot (wood) charcoal.  Dinner was cuy (the traditional grilled guinea pig) -- my first taste of cuy and it was great to be introduced to another aspect of Cuencan cuisine.  One of the brothers preparing the wood charcoal for grilling the cuy. 

The day was very special for me.  It was the first time I was included in a family celebration.  There was so much fun and joy among the family -- great interactions among everyone -- lots of conversation (no t.v.!!!!!) I'm hoping I'll become "part of the family".
     Busy week coming up.  I'll continue with "street Spanish" lessons, an art tour on Wed. and I'll be going on a 2-day tour on Sat. and Sun. to an indigenous village, Saraguro.  The village is south of Cuenca and Lonely Planet says, "surrounded by golden -green hills that have been sown with hearty tubers and grains for perhaps thousands of years. In both the chilly mountains and humid lowlands, the Saraguro dress in traditional woolens."  Sounds like it will be chilly!  I'm looking forward to learning more.  
Chao . . .
 

Craft Villages Part 2

I didn't intend to be at home tonight, but it's raining, so I am.  It's the beginning of Carnaval and there was a celebration in the central park, Parque Calderon, but I chose not to go because of the rain.  As I understand it, Carnaval is not a big event in Cuenca, but there's an element of mischief.  The younger generation thinks it's fun to throw water balloons at people on the street, so I may get wet the next few days even if it is not raining.  My plan is to go to the gym in the morning, then to the grocery store to get food (most of the restaurants/businesses will be closed) so I won't have to go out again Sat. & Sun.
     Today was an interesting day.  The Chamber of Commerce provided a tour to the local milk distribution plant.  It was very impressive, but they wouldn't allow us to take pictures.  It is a huge plant, the two shifts of workers are there 16 hrs/day, 7 days a week, everything is immaculate (we wore smocks, head & face coverings, and took off our jewelry), and everything and everybody are so well organized -- I was truly amazed.  The equipment is from Switzerland and Columbia.  The plant manager is a young woman who was passionate about telling us about their processes; she didn't speak English, but a young man (who had his MBA) and who works there translated for us.  The milk that we buy is all packaged in .5 liter plastic sacks.  I asked why today; reason, it is a lot less expensive than cartons.  
     I hear Ecuador described as a developing country (and I think that is true in the rural areas), but in the cities, I am learning that some of their businesses/business practices are very well developed and they care about their employees --what a concept!
     Now back to the craft villages:
We visited a village that is known for their ceramics.  The ceramic shoes are probably used for flower pots, the center dishes are a ceramic somewhat like the one I bought previously (but it is a creme and green color) that can be "cured" and used in the oven (or on a fire--the ceramic on the right (being held up by bricks) has been darkened by the fire).  This was a typical place in a market where the women were cooking.  The "tortillas" being prepared are more like pancakes rather than tortillas.  

We visited Chordeleg, known for their jewelry and baskets.  

My jewelry purchase

And my basket purchases.  The basket on the left can be used in many ways. i.e. bread, etc. on the table.  The rectangular baskets are a traditional way to have the silverware and napkins on the table.  The restaurants either use them for each person or collectively for silverware and napkins for the table.

One of the most outstanding people we met was a guitar maker.  As a young man he made guitars in Ecuador, then moved to the U.S. and worked in a guitar factory.  He returned to EC, made his own equipment and now makes phenomenal guitars in very basic surroundings. 

                      

The first guitar is a one with fine inlay (approx price is $350).  The second is an acoustic guitar in progress and the third is a completed acoustic being played by our guide.


As you can see, my experiences are varied and wonderful.  I'll let you know about Carnaval next week.
  

  

Tour of Craft Villages Part 1

Last Thursday, Feb. 9, Southland Tours provided an all-day tour of five craft villages near Cuenca.  The tour leader, Carlos, was excellent -- he has been a tour guide for 18 years, and had studied in England, so his knowledge of the area and his English language were superb.  By the end of the day, I was on information/beauty overload and I feel the same way today as I try to select pictures for the blog.  My process today was also interrupted by a terrific thunder/lightning/rain storm where we lost electricity for awhile.  So I didn't complete the series of villages with all pictures, but this is a start.  First stop was the weavers.  The woman in the center is the expert in ikat weaving which includes hand-tying the threads at the ends of the shawl.  She has traveled world-wide to talk about/exhibit her weavings.  Her children help her now, but this is probably the last generation who will learn/practice this art. 

She uses all natural fibers and colors.  The pictures show how the gray color is derived from coal (which is found on her property) and the red is an insect that is captured and used for red and variations of red.  She uses things like baking soda to change the variation of colors.  When she is hand-tying, her hands move so fast, it's hard to see what she is doing.  The white shawl is a historical piece which is museum-quality and is valued at $1,200.  The cotton and silk shawls that she had for sale were $30 & $40 respectively. 

Another village was Sigsig which is known for the women's cooperative that makes Panama hats. Did you think Panama hats were made in Panama?  Think again, they are made in Ecuador (in many, many factories).  In the entrance of this coop, this hat really gets your attention--it's huge.   

This coop has a combination of many women who do a lot of manual labor--the women below are washing hats and dying the straw--and heavy equipment that forms the hats.  

These were hats and baskets/fibers that show the colors and processes of the weaving. 

These are two of the women who were weaving the hats/baskets. The woman in front is wearing a typical hat for her village.  Each village has a particular color and shape of hat that designates the village where they reside. The women's skirts also "tell" their village. 

These are just a few of the finished hats for women (and men have just as many choices).

I'm going to close part 1 with some of the scenery that I took from the bus window.  I hope you can get a sense of the beauty of the countryside.  The top two show a sample of the flower greenhouses that are so common.  Ecuador exports a huge amount of roses and other flowers. 

There is green everywhere!  And on Thursday, sunshine.

I'll be back later in the week for the continuation of the tour.