Blog Archives - WANDERING WITH WILLIAM

Training for NZ - Cuenca Helps

11/29/2016

When we booked our trip to Ecuador we did so with the idea of getting a little more physically fit for our upcoming trip to New Zealand.  It seems to have worked.

We weighed-in prior to leaving home for four days in New Orleans and then on to Ecuador for 30 days.  William lost 8 1/2 lbs and I lost 1 1/2. As you can tell from the blog, we were not dieting. We ate well and our beer and wine consumption went up during the five weeks.

What gives?

We've identified four potential contributors in our Ecuador lifestyle.  1) Real food.  There isn't as much commercial food processing in Ecuador.  The Mercado's are brimming with fresh fruit and vegetables.  When we eat out (which we did every day) most likely the restaurant bought most of their ingredients fresh within the past 4-24 hours and then prepped them themselves.  They are not pulling the ingredients from large containers prepared and preserved by Sysco days ago.  2) Cuenca is 8,300 feet in elevation and just breathing seems to require more energy (at least in the first week).  3) We walked to almost everything, usually logging 8,000 to 10,000 steps a day - not in one sprint like on a treadmill, but spread throughout the day.  A huge delta from our sedentary "drive to everything" suburban US lifestyle.  4) Timing.  Similar to our experiences in Spain, Portugal and Italy we ate our major meal in the early afternoon- usually starting around 1:30 pm.  Most evenings we had a light snack or we split a meal.

We also found it easier to complete walks and climb the 88 stairs into El Centro after we built up stamina the first week of so.

Now the challenge - how to make it past Thanksgiving and then emulate / adapt some of our Cuenca lifestyle to suburbia.

Ecuador to the US via Panama

11/29/2016

Angel picks us up at noon on Tuesday to start our journey home. The sun is shining and the drive is pleasant as we climb up through the Cajas Mountains. We smile and enjoy the ride. As we start the descent the clouds and fog roll in. Angel drives carefully - at times we can barely see 20 feet in front of us. Two hours after we left Gran Columbia Suites we pull into a gas station/quick mart to stretch our legs and grab a quick snack. The weather conditions are improving and we know we are about to start the warm, sea-level portion of the drive. By 3:15 pm Angel has safely delivered us to Guayaquil's International Airport. We have 2 1/2 hours until our flight starts boarding.

We have booked a very discounted fare on Copa Airlines but it includes a 21 hour layover, so we will spend one night in Panama.  Even with the cost of the night in Panama, the flight was a deal.  This is an advantage of not having to rush back to a job.   :-)

Our flight to Panama City is slightly delayed.  By the time we go through passport control, collect our bags, and clear customs it is almost 9 pm.  We grab the Riande Aeropuerto Hotel shuttle and are checked in by 9:15pm.  Wednesday we enjoy a leisurely breakfast buffet then explore the hotel in the daylight.  The pool looks nice, but neither of us are interested.  We walk over to the casino only to find out that it doesn't open until 3 pm - too bad (but then, perhaps it saved us some money).

The flight from Panama City to Chicago on Wednesday evening is also slightly delayed, but the pilots make up the time on the scheduled 6 hour flight and we arrive as scheduled.  We arrive at our home at 1 am Thursday.  Thank you Lois, for leaving a midnight snack in the refrigerator!

A House Concert

11/13/2016

Colibrí Conciertos puts on house concerts throughout Cuenca. It's an interesting idea, bringing together quality local musicians with an audience in small settings, usually a home or a small hotel. Attendance is by invitation only, and upcoming concerts are announced and attendance confirmed through e-mail. There is no set fee. Attendees are asked to donate to the musicians, contribute something for each beverage they pour and bring some finger-foods to share after the concert. Luckily for us, Evelyn is made aware of a concert on Saturday, November 12 and has confirmed seats for four.

We meet Burt and Evelyn at Parque Calderon and the four of us pile into a taxi for the 15 minute ride. We're greeted at the door by our hosts, Greg and Charlean. The large condo they rent has been rearranged to accommodate a performance area and approximately 35 seats for attendees. We mingle prior to the start of the concert talking with people originally from Omaha, San Antonio, Portland and other cities. I am impressed with the woman who moved to Cuenca with her husband and four children (ages 2 to 9) to give the children a multi-cultural experience and opportunity to immerse in the Spanish language. I attempt buena noches and a smile with the clusters of people speaking Spanish.

Click to Listen!

The concert begins with Adrian Ortiz playing songs on the charango, a small stringed instrument of the lute family. His hands fly over the strings. Daniel Brito joins him playing the piano. Estefania Ortiz sings a few songs accompanied by her father on guitar and Daniel on piano. In all, there are 17 delightful songs.

After the concert I have a chance to speak with Daniel. He was awarded a full scholarship to the University of Denver, where he received a bachelor's degree in classical piano and a master's in music composition. I comment to him that I sat near his wife during the concert and she is clearly proud of him - I could see it in her face as he played. He responded that he's very proud of her - she's a surgeon. William and Greg get into a discussion on the beers available in Cuenca and the growing craft beer scene. I also talk with Mara, the founder of Colibrí Concertos. It turns out that we both went to Northwestern University for our master's degrees (although different programs). It is a small world.

The evening turns out to be one of the highlights of our trip to Cuenca!

A Musical Comedy Revue

11/13/2016

As you've already surmised from my posts there is a thriving expat community in Cuenca, made up significantly of people from Canada and the US, but also with representatives from Europe and other Latin American countries.

It's Friday evening and we are attending a community theater offering of the original review "Expats - A Musical Comedy Review".  Proceeds go to the charity Hearts of Gold, and our friend Evelyn has arranged for tickets.

We arrive a few minutes before the doors open.  If it wasn't for the line of expats William and I would have walked right past the Fishbon del Sur "theater".  It turns out to be a large house in El Centro rented by an expat couple. The covered interior courtyard has been converter into the theater with a stage and approximately 50 chairs.

This is an original production - both the dialogue and the majority of the songs.  It follows the path of Frank and Maureen, a newly retired couple from Ohio as they create their new life in Cuenca.  The audience of expats laughs loudly at the first song "Expats, We Are Expats" because we see so much truth in it (and are able to laugh at ourselves).

Most of the cast is over age 65, but that doesn't preclude active dance numbers nor the humorous burlesque-inspired routine. The revue is a fun evening, and we are very happy we could attend.

Nobody Leaves this Place Without Singing the Blues

11/12/2016

During the Cuenca Independence Festival we tried out a new Cajun restaurant, Broken Bridge Louisiana Pub.  In one of the expat newsletters I see that the pub is offering a Blues night with a band and encouraging musicians and singers to come down for a jam session.

On a rainy Thursday evening we don raincoats and grab an umbrella and set off.  The sidewalks of Cuenca are often uneven, but this evening we realize that those stretches of reasonably level, tiled sidewalks which we like turn into a risk is the rain - they can be very slippery!  We take our time, watching our step and enjoying the shimmer the light rain puts on the city.

When we arrive at Louisiana Pub the first set has just started..  The band sounds pretty good, and as advertised they are playing Blues songs (at least most of the time).  After eight or nine songs the band asks if there's anyone that would like to join them.  A woman from the next table is encouraged by her friends and soon she us up singing, and she's doing very well.  Singing is not one of my skills, and I'm always envious of people with the talent.  I'm glad that they don't have the same rule as the Blues Club in the movie "Adventures in Babysitting" where no one can leave without singing the Blues. It would be awful if I had to sing.

Between songs we talk with one of the owners, learning about his 20+ years in Colorado and his "retirement" to Cuenca.  He asks for input and suggestions on the Pub.  I look around.  This is one of the first nights the Pub is open and see a lot of expats, but also a smattering of Ecuadorian couples.   If the owners can build a clientele of both and serve Cajun food they will do very well.

Street Art

11/10/2016

There's a fair amount of street art around El Centro. It's fun to be walking around and suddenly be presented at a grand scale with an artist's imagination or interpretation. Below are some of our favorites.

El Colgado

11/10/2016

I've been fighting off a cold for a couple of days so my enthusiasm for walking around the city has been tempered.  But it is a warm, semi-overcast Wednesday and we are getting a little bored hanging around the apartment.  It seems the perfect day to take a slow stroll along Rio Tomebama then have a late lunch.

We stop at the Pharmacy next to Gran Columbia Suites and show the clerk the empty package of Vitamin C and Zinc fizzy tablets which William used to fight his cold upon our arrival and I've now finished off.  I'm not sure if they're helping, but I'm sure they're not hurting.  I get another opportunity to use my limited Spanish vocabulary to request something similar and it works out just fine (with the prop of the empty package).  😊

Then we are off toward the river and lunch.  We walk down 88 stairs from El Centro to the walkway along the river.  The first restaurant we come to is closed, they are probably enjoying a holiday after the busy days of the festival.  We continue westward and come across El Colgado. In addition to the dining area inside and on a covered porch up a flight of stairs they have umbrella tables setup on a platform right next to the river.  We decide to grab a table by the river.

I order the cazuela pescado, which is a casserole of trout and salmon in a light cream and vegetable broth. It's very flavorful and has a little bit of diced jalapeño, which helps me with my cold. William orders sancocho cerdo, which is marinated then roasted pork served with small potatoes and a salad. Both of us thoroughly enjoy our meal.

Cuenca Churches

11/10/2016

It's reported that Cuenca has over 50 churches. For entertainment we sometimes go for a walk after dinner and photograph the churches which have lights on. The churches feel more dramatic when outlined against the night sky.

Two Accomplished Artists in One Family

11/7/2016

A week ago we attended an opening at Miguel Illescas' Gallery. Over the Cuenca holiday the lobby of Gran Columbia Suites is host to a show of Hernãn Illescas' latest paintings, called Symbols of Dreams. I'm told he is Miguel's brother.

We were unable to attend Hernãn's opening so we create our own private showing. We invite Evelyn and Burt to join us for appetizers and beverages at our apartment and after good conversation we go to see the exhibit. All of our neighbors are tucked into their apartments/suites, and we have the lobby and the ~25 paintings to ourselves. Great fun!

Two Parades in One Morning

11/5/2016

Our plan for Thursday (Cuenca's Independence Day) is to attend the military parade then check out more of the artesian fairs around town. The parade is advertised to start at 10 am and the route is a 15-20 minute walk from our apartment.

We leave the apartment at 9:45 am and walk down Simón Bolivar toward Parque San Blas. As we are walking along people are gathering curbside and William comments that it seems like they are preparing to watch a parade. Sure enough, a few minutes later we hear a band and notice a parade coming our way. Turns out this is the La Morlaquía Parade, with contingents from different Cuenca neighborhoods. We stop periodically to see some of the floats and people in the parade, but continue on our way to the military parade route.

The military parade is slow moving and honestly, the portion we are seeing is boring.  A highlight is the tricks of the motorcycle police. The vendors and people along the route are more interesting than the quasi-military groups who are marching.  After 30-45 minutes we decide to walk to Museo Pumapungo.  We find that there is a food fair setup around the Museo, but forego buying some treats - Waffles de Belgica and splitting a waffle is on our minds.

After our waffle we walk along to the art and crafts tents setup on the south side of the river.  The sun is hot and the crowds are pressing.  This is the official holiday and most people have off of work.  Plus,  it is estimated that 100,000 people will visit Cuenca this weekend.  Our pace slows significantly.  At the next bridge we walk across than up the 88 steps back into El Centro.  We stop in the courtyard of an old monastery which is being converted into businesses.  In addition, there are tents setup where vendors are selling their wares - everything from Ecuadorian wine to clothing.  One of the businesses is a bistro, and we stop for some cold beverages and a light lunch.

Mid-afternoon we arrive back at the apartment.  The walking app on my smartphone registers just short of 10,000 steps.