Our morning begins with coffee and a little food as we read the news on our phones. Then it’s time to get moving. We go down the 115 steps to the path by the Tomebamba River to begin our walk downstream. Coming back up the stairs was a good test of our acclimatization to the altitude (8,399 ft). Going on the same path every day doesn’t really bother us. In a way it’s nice to see some of the same people and figure out the traffic pattern where we have to cross the street. A couple of times, for a variation, we cross over to the Yanuncay River and visit Paraiso Park and eventually the new Botanic Park. Usually though it’s the same 5 or 6 mile walk. We see the shop dogs in the section with the oil change/car wash shops, the Jehovah’s Witnesses and the parking attendant at the state office. Sometimes we stop at the exercise station to do some body weight work.
After getting cleaned up and finishing the coffee we would sightsee or go shopping or both. The SuperMaxi is very much like a supermarket in the United States. Notable differences are that the eggs are on the shelves and you have to leave your cart before you go through the check out lane. Getting a shopper’s discount card was an ordeal. After two tries I gave up (long story) and Jerry was able to get one. Up the street from the apartment was a traditional market where we bought most of our fruits and vegetables. The prices were unbelievably low and the different kinds of fruits were amazing. I went to the same seller every time and asked her what the fruit was and whether it was for eating or making juice (we didn’t have a blender). She was great about trying to explain how each was consumed. Long story short: many mangoes and avocados were eaten. Next to the mercado was a panaderia where Jerry would buy these rolls (for 17 cents each) that we called cheesy bread but, I think are really called Christ’s knees.
Every street seemed to have a different set of shops. There was one for eyeglasses, another for home goods, and another for party supplies. Clothing seemed to be more spread out. One of the smaller squares hosted the flower market. Ecuador is the third largest producer of cut flowers in the world. You could get a huge bouquet for $5.
We didn’t need to do any calculations to figure out the price of things. Ecuador has used the US dollar as their currency since 2000. We did get change in centavos which are made in Ecuador.
Cuenca has many places serving Almuerzo (a set lunch). This typically means a soup, an entrée with one or two starches and either a fresh fruit juice or a dessert. The least expensive of these we had was $2.50 per person. We both had a bowl (not a small cup) of delicious lentil soup and a glass of juice. Jerry had chicken and I had corvina (fish). We also got a bowl of popcorn and a small dish of ahi (a condiment that is house made and sometimes spicy). Typically, just the bowl of lentil soup would have been enough for me at lunch. I don’t think I made dinner that night. The most expensive almuerzo we had was $6.50. It was still a bargain. We were served cream of asparagus soup to start and then I had a salad with nicely poached shrimp and Jerry had chicken parmesan. We finished with a lovely chocolate mousse cake.
In the afternoon we would sit out on the balcony and work on our Spanish lessons. We would also wait for the afternoon flight to come in. When we flew in there was some excitement as the landing attempt was aborted and we had to circle around for 30 minutes and approach from the opposite direction. I guess landing at 8,400 feet takes some skill. Thanks to fast WiFi and streaming services we were able to watch US national news and sports. We did attend a couple of traditional Christmas activities such as looking at the lights but, mostly we stayed in. 4
We felt very safe in Cuenca. The apartment complex we stayed in was gated and we saw plenty of law enforcement out and about (in cars, motorcycles, horseback and on mountain bikes). We saw very few homeless people and no one that appeared altered by drugs or alcohol. The only real danger was tripping over the bollards on the sidewalks or cobblestones streets.
Oh, crossing the road was also ‘exciting’ since drivers in Ecuador are not obliged to stop for pedestrians, even at intersections.
Omg the food looks great
Looks like lots of steps and exercise
The food was really good. Even if it was simply prepared we, it was still delicious. We averaged just about 6 miles a day (Jerry keeps track).
Look like you’re adapting just fine to this new adventures and well done on the blog , the pictures are beautiful.
The eggs not being kept in the fridge is also done in Switzerland and other European countries so this looks familiar to me .
We’re in Jacksonville right but are going back to ATL at the end of the month, Gus has more problems with his knee so we have a appointment with the orthopedic surgeon, I am guessing that he needs T.P.L.O we already when tru this with Kala it’s a great surgery but It will take three months before he is back to normal so we are staying very flexible with our future plans.
Have fun and safe travels
Caroline
Poor Gus, extra treats from us. My sister had a brace for one of her dogs.