AHHH CUENCA!!

The Churches of Ecuador

2012-02-22T14:38:00.001-05:00

This is a shortie. Little text and lots of photos. YEA!!   I love architecture. I grew up in the Pacific Northwest where homes were different shapes, sizes, colors, and styles. At 18, I moved to San Diego (14 years) and Los Angeles (3 years).   I loved the older Spanish-styled homes, but developers increasingly abused the style in lieu of the almighty buck by flattening hills and filling in gullys then constructing hundreds of homes that all looked alike...stucco with red-tiled roofs. The gamut of colors ranged between white to off-white to cream to beige. Every 3rd house was the same architectural style and floor plan as the 3rd one before it. UGH.

When I (twice) travelled throughout Europe, the architecture is what I sought out.   I loved the castles, cathedrals, and hundred+ year-old buildings because...back then....builders were not typically thinking of squeezing dollars. They had visions of character and making a statement that would last a lonnnng time into the future.   The products they created contributed to the identity of the town. Think of what San Francisco, New Orleans, London, Paris, Bareclona, or Amsterdam would be like if it weren't for the builders of yesteryear and what they created and perpetuated.

I am always in awe when I walk into a church/cathedral that was built long before technology, trucks, cranes, hydraulics, etc. HOW did they do it? Such INTENSE MANUAL labor that, in many cases, took years to build.   And, the knowledge that was necessary for the sheer engineering of it all!! In some cases, I ask 'why?'...such as a HUGE cathedral in the middle of a little hamlet that probably could never possibly fill it to full occupancy.

The good thing is, we still have many of those structures with us to enjoy every day. I think it's pretty cool that a person can say 'I built that' and generations to come will see the work that person did to contribute to the character of the community. That's one of the reasons I chose to live in Cuenca...because of the Spanish Colonial architecture, much of it dating from the 18th century, and the preservation of many of the buildings by being designated a UNESCO World Heritage site.

With that in mind, enjoy the photos I took of various churches and cathedrals in my travels exploring Ecuador.

Dano

Across from the San Francisco market square in Cuenca.

Cuenca

Alausi

Ambato...a more modern version.

Inside the Ambato cathedral.

Azogues

Also in Azogues, located in the town square.

In a rural area outside Azogues.

Banos

Inside the Banos cathedral.

Outside of Cuenca in a neighborhood called 'Banos'...not the same as the town of Banos in northern Ecuador.

A large cathedral desperately needing restoration in a very small town called Cajabamba.

Chunchi

Chordeleg

Gualaceo

Known as the 'new cathedral' in Cuenca (though hardly NEW!!!)

Cuenca

Giron

Guayaquil

Hmmm...the Coneheads headquarters??? (SigSig)

San Bartoloma

Malacatos

Quito Basilica

Quito

SigSig

Vilcabamba

Dunno

Happy Anniversary To Me!!

2012-02-15T07:00:00.007-05:00

On February 15, 2011....one year ago....I started my new adventure in Cuenca, Ecuador after leaving the Seattle, Washington area. Just 11 days later, I wrote my very first entry in this blog. Boy, it went FAST!!

So, what have I done in the past year since I moved here? What are my accomplishments? What have I seen? Where have I been? What are my goals? Ugh...let's skip that one. Reminds me too much of the annual performance reviews in my former corporate world. BLECH!!

My Accomplishments (in no particular order):

I moved here
I brought my kids down (Gracie, Bozo, Chip)
I bought a house
I remodeled the house
Obtained my residency Visa
Bought a car
Sold the car
Bought another car
Took Spanish classes
Visited the US for my Mom's 80th birthday
Wrote 83 blog entries in 2011 and 7 more thus far in 2012

Over 27,000 views!!!!!

Where I Have Been/Visited:

Loja
Vilcabamba
Biblian
Azogues
Banos (Cuenca)
Banos (Ecuador)
Giron
Guayaquil
Salinas
Montanita
Puerto Lopez
Gualaceo
Chordeleg
SigSig
Quito
Riobamba
Malacatos
Ambato
Cajas National Park
Paute

What I've Seen:

Dozens and dozens of Churches/Cathedrals
Dozens of waterfalls
Dozens of rivers
Mercado after Mercado after Mercado
Museums
A Doctor
A Dentist
A Dermatologist
A Tarantula on my patio
Cemeteries
Artesa pottery manufacturing
Flower market

What I've Experienced:

Zip (Canopy) Lines
Diarrhea (8 days)
Met dozens of people from other countries who've moved here (known as Ex-Pats)
Cuenca Symphony
Festivals

Carnival
Christmas in Cuenca
Corpus Christi
Cuenca Independence Days

30+ restaurants (yes, I track them!!)
Bars/Discos (one inside an airplane!)
Entertained visitors from Seattle USA, Antigua Guatemala, and Cali Columbia
Been in a short film
Rose farm tour
Various spas of thermal pools, turkish steam rooms, and mud baths

Geez....I guess I should get off my ass and DO something!! After all, I'm in ECUADOR for cripes sake!! hehehehehe. Putting together this list makes me wonder what the heck I'm going to do for my 2nd year!!!

So, here I am at the end where I normally insert photos. Hmmm. Got it. I'll insert ones I've had sitting around not knowing where they fit, thinking someday I'll have a subject where I can use them. Now is a good time!!

Dano

Challuabamba...an area outside Cuenca...a favorite of Expats to reside.

A LIVE critter saundering into my kitchen from outside!!! See the prongs on his back end? UGH!!!
Don't know what it is, don't care, don't like it.

My baby boy (one of). Bozo. "Hola Grandma!!"

Gracie with her favorite toy 'Squeaker'

Chippy....the little sneak.

We're all pooped out.

A HUGE banana palm on the grounds of the Museum of Modern Art. I can stand under the lowest leaves!

Adobe building on the grounds of the Museum of Modern Art

San Sebas cafe, located across from the Museum of Modern Art. The owners, from the Portland area, did a great job remodeling the space and serve good food at a low price!

Looking up at the ceiling of the San Sebas Cafe.

One of my $3 lunches...at the awesome vegetarian restaurant 'Good Affinity'.

The photo I purchased from the back of a car, at waterfalls outside of Banos, Ecuador. That's myself, Elaina, George, and Raul in the hurling basket, along with the boy and his dog that rode the zip-line next to us.

Trip - Banos Ecuador - Part 3

2012-02-10T22:17:00.001-05:00

Now for the last segment of my stay in Banos, Ecuador. Shots around town.

I don't know what it is, but there are water slides winding down the outside of it.

In-town waterfall with the main thermal baths/pools facility below it.

Public laundry facility. I'm not kidding. Water from the falls, flow into them. The slanted spots are to scrub the clothes then rinse them in the fresh water tubs next to them.

Volcanic thermal pools.

Town of Banos

Yet ANOTHER (ho hum) waterfall on the way up to a hosteria (hotel).

Hosteria

I drove to the hills on the other side of town. Looking back at where I had just been in the prior 2 photos. The falls you see in the middle of the photo is the same falls as in 2 photos back.

Main river headed to the dam.

The road I travelled, in the hills on the other side of town, was only slightly wider than my car, yet it has a CENTER LINE???? C'mon!!! Each lane couldn't have been more than 4 ft wide!! And, when i was going up, I met a BUS coming down!!!

The main river squished through a narrow stone passage then, widens out afterwards.

This kooky vehicle tows other carriages around town full of party people.

In a popular club....a sign informing you where the bathroom is.

Trip - Banos Ecuador - Part 2

2012-02-10T22:17:00.000-05:00

More photos of my Banos, Ecuador experience. These are from Day 2 when we took the $5, three and a half hour tour.

The disco tour bus. Notice the immense amount of detailed work in laying down the road.

First stop....the dam and waterfall just outside Banos

2nd stop....we rode (actually more like hurled across) in that basket. We screamed like a bunch of little girls!!

The basket took us over there.

Shots taken from the hurling basket.

Shot taken from the basket

On a zip-line parallel to us in the basket, this kid and his DOG!!! The dog looked like he was bored out of hid mind.

Afterwards, you can purchase photos of your crossing taken by these guys. What a setup...a computer, screen, and printer in the back of the car. LOL $2 for each photo.

3rd stop. Zip-lining. Raul (shown), George, and 66 yo Elaina all did it. The longest line to choose from at 1 km, approx 3,000 feet long!!!

Recognize this guy? Yep. JC

George, Elaina, and Raul hiking back up a ravine after the end of their zip-line ride. Hefty hike!!

Proud of their accomplishment!!! First time for all 3.

4th stop....to the 'sisters' waterfall. We rode in another basket down that cable you see. Then walked across a suspension bridge at the bottom.

Again, screaming like little girls, the basket blew out of the station at break neck speed. When we returned we thought we were going to crash into the station because it didn't slow down until the LAST SECOND!!!

Yours truly yukking it up.

Look closely. See the cable line slicing thru the middle of the photo? That's the line the basket travelled. Then, look against the rock cliff at the left....that red line is a LADDER we would have to climb back up if the basket system failed. EEEEK!!

Exposed cliff next to the waterfall. Fascinating formations.

Me, soaking wet when I got too close to the waterfall. We were told we could walk BEHIND the waterfalls, but we couldn't see where to enter and, when trying, the waterfalls blasted us. Again, more screaming like little girls. Later, we found out it was the NEXT stop that we could walk behind the falls. DOH!!!!!

That's a spa resort down there. Notice the pedestrian bridge linking it.

Trip - Banos Ecuador - Part I

2012-02-10T22:16:00.001-05:00

Last week, I was supposed to go to Loja to visit a friend for several days. I rented a car for a week (2010 Grand Vitara, 4x4, manual trans, 150 kms allowance per day, taxes and insurance included...$45 per day), so when my trip was cancelled at the last minute I needed to decide what to do so I didn't waste the valuable rental (no, I could not return it). I hadn't been to Banos, Ecuador before so I opted for that.

Now, you may THINK I've been there, but the Banos I've written about in the past is Banos Cuenca...essentially, a suburb of Cuenca that has thermal spas, too.   However, THIS Banos is over 300 kms (180 miles) north of Cuenca, 200 kms south of Quito. Typically, we would translate that to roughly 3 hours drive, but it's actually 6 hours due to the winding, 2-lane roads, chuck full of slow trucks and big busses to pass. Much of my travel included rain and fog, too.

Anyhoo, my friends George (from Guatemala) and Raul (from Columbia) were spending a month in Banos after staying here in Cuenca for a month. They were the ones who were going to housesit while I was away on my USA trip-that-never- happened. George owns a travel/tour business in Antigua, Guatemala (see his site at http://www.georges-travelclub.com/).   There, George....you got your plug...HAPPY??   I gave them a quick call to see if I could come up and after their 'YEAH!' I threw my bags in the car and headed North, instead of South to Loja. Oh, and I left 4+ days of food for Gracie, Bozo, and Chip and explicitly told them not to eat it all at once, it needs to last them 3.5 days, and don't yell at me that you're hungry when I come home if you ate it all too early.   They nodded in agreement.

The drive was uneventful until.....dum-d-dum-DUM!!! Drama.   It's common knowledge you can't rely on Ecuadorian maps all that much. What LOOKS like 5 inches of travel, therefore 100 miles based on the scale of miles, really is 200 miles because of all the winding roads. You might drive an hour and cover 40 miles but you've only gone 1/2 inch on the map!! Also, even though two roads may be marked with the same thick line, one can be a nice primary highway, the other a skinny, rough, rural road. Looking at the map, when one arrives in the large city of Riobamba, you can take a direct route to Banos off to the right. Or, you can travel further north to another large city, Ambato, then backtrack by driving South into Banos. Why would I want to do that? Both routes looked the same on the map, one was direct, one was longer and indirect.   dum-d-dum-DUM!!! (I remember hearing TV Soap Opera music...but didn't know what it meant).

The primary highway dumped me onto the surface streets of Riobamba. Ecuador is not known for it's well-signed roads (I'm NOT bashing Ecuador!!!). It took me more than half an hour to navigate through the maze of streets to finally find my way onto the road to Banos. Twice, I didn't believe the directions strangers gave me because I kept ending up on a pothole-riddled street (I felt like I was driving in a whack-a-mole game!) that quickly ended in a blocked detour.   I finally routed myself around it and onto the 'highway'...all the while questioning if this was for real. After a bit, the road became pretty decent and wound through pretty valleys and farms, following alongside a river.   Signs confirmed Banos lay ahead.

After awhile, I hit a patch of rough, non-paved road...then paved...then back to the rough stuff...and it kept getting worse. Soon, I was only travelling over dirt...and the road got narrower. THIS is the way to Banos? At points, it was only 1 lane wide. Then it got ridiculous.   I found myself driving over what I can only describe as a logging road. THIS is the way to Banos?   It reminded me of the bizarre experience Kathleen and I had, driving back from Loja back in July, which I wrote about in the blog that month. There were mudslides everywhere. The only signs that existed were emergency volcano eruption routes...yeah, RIGHT!!!   Then I came upon the first (of many) washouts where streams poured across the road. I was now in 4x4 mode, crossing rivers!!! One looked so deep, I got out and threw a rock in where I intended to cross, to see how deep it was. I took a big gulp and made it across.    At this point, I wasn't ABOUT to turn around as I would be backtracking a lot of miles and time. PRESS ON!!!

Finally, I encountered other humans in vehicles coming from the other direction. I flagged them down. Is THIS the way to Banos? Yes! 'How much further?' '10 minutes (actually 20)'.    Well, if they made it, I can make it.   So, 10 miles through mud, potholes, crossing riverbeds, rickety 1-lane bridges, skimming areas where the road collapsed and washed away, I finally made it to Banos. LAWDY LAWDY!!!

Later, I found out the area I travelled through had been semi-devastated in a volcano eruption which caused all the slides, washouts, and collapsation (is that a word?).

George and Raul rented a newly remodelled apartment for $275 that also included a separate bunkbed with a queen on the bottom and a single on the top. First time I've seen that! Their place was smack dab in the middle of the small, walkable town of Banos.

Banos is known for many things and draws people from all over the world. It is situated at the base of Tungurahua (toon-goo-ruh-hoo-uh), also known as "The Black Giant," which is the largest volcano in Ecuador and it is ACTIVE!! Standing at nearly 16,500 feet, it's last eruption was 2011.

Here's what you can do in Banos and the surrounding area:

Thermal baths/pools
Hiking
Zip (Canopy) lines
Waterfalls galore
Nearby Jungle tours
Bike
Quad/ATV rentals
Horseback riding
Rock climbing and Rappelling
Whitewater Rafting
Kayaking
Parasail
Spa treatments, massage, facials
Clubs/Restaurants

You should be banished if you went to Banos and didn't visit the Hotel Luna Runtun http://www.lunaruntun.com/english/banos_hotel.htm. 3 letters. OMG. The day I arrived, George/Raul met lovely 66 year old (which she proudly announces) Elaina, from the Bay area (of USA). She invited us to come up for dinner at the Luna Runtun. LR is located 6 kms up a steep winding road and was built on what seems to be nothing more than a side of a cliff. Check out the swim pools in the photos on their website. AMAZING. Sitting at my table next to the floor to ceiling windows of the Cafe Cielo (Sky Cafe), I could look straight down the hillside to Banos, approximately 2,000 feet below.

The next day, Elaina, Raul, George and I headed for one of the many tour agencies in the village. We hopped on an open-air 'bus' with no doors, no seat belts, the driver promptly turned on loud disco music and colorful dancing lights whirled, signaling we were on a party bus!! 6 of us were underway to an amazing adventure.

I'm always amazed at the incredible amount of manual, intricate work Ecuadorians employ in their construction. Miles and miles of roads around Banos were built by laying ribbons of brick and rock, not to mention the rock walls that lined the road as barriers between you and the steep ravines. We travelled through lonnnng tunnels along a windy road following a deep gorge. There were several stops along our trek...to visit stunning waterfalls, ride in steel baskets across a river gorge with roaring rapids, fly on a zip line, hike, and even have the opportunity to bungee jump (we all opted out). The 3.5 hour tour cost only $5. We paid more if we chose to participate in activities at each of the stops. For example, a 3,000 ft long zip-line ride was $15, the steel basket ride across the river gorge (and back) was $1.50. I took 90 photos on just this one day!!

I could write about all of this, but the pictures below tell the story so much better than words. Anyone visiting Ecuador should make Banos a 'must' on their list of things to see and do. It is a relatively small area packed with so much beauty and adventure!!

Because there are so many photos, I've broken this post into 3 segments. It's gonna be hard to choose which ones to display and which ones to forego!!!

Oh....by the way...I took the Ambato route home!!!

Enjoy!!

Dano

THIS is the road to Banos?

The road to Banos

The road to Banos....one of the less rickety bridges.

Looking down upon Banos from my table at Luna Runtun's Cafe Cielo restaurant.

The river gorge alongside Banos

Looking down from the bridge that crosses the gorge from the town of Banos. You can walk across that pedestrian bridge. I opted not to. ;-)

Elaina the fearless.

We travelled 4 miles up a huge hill adorned with antennas to see what we could see. We could see Canada!!! Ok, not really. Banos down below.

Farms flank the volcano

George, Elaina, and Raul gaze down at life below.

The Travelocity gnome?

Greenhouses were everywhere and many of them are built on steep slopes like this. STRANGE!!

Absolutely amazing!

Did I say this was amazing, or what?

Speaking of Dinero

2012-02-05T07:03:00.002-05:00

I know many of my readers are actually NOT in Ecuador. They are reading from abroad and, in most cases, considering relocation at some point in time.

There are a lot of resources on the internets (GW Bush). Some of them tend to be puffed up pieces where they overstate the glory and understate the reality. There's usually money lurking behind the scenes which obscures the real truth people are seeking.

On another side of the scale, you have real people stating they have no problem living on $199.99 (my exageration) per month...for TWO!!!   Yeah, well, they don't own a car...they either walk or take the bus, grow their own food, clean their own house, hand-wash their clothes and hang them out to dry, never go to a movie, don't eat out, don't have internet, don't have a TV, make their own clothes, forego haircuts, trade used books, and barter moonshine fer Grandpa Walton to come mend the fence.   Ok, ok.....so I went a tad overboard.

Swing the pendulum to the other side of the scale and you'll find those that claim it costs $2,000 a month to live here for two.   However, they live in a 3 bedroom, 3 bath apartment on the 12th floor of a modern highrise, with security guard, and pay $1,000 for rent.   They have a housecleaner come once a week. They also have a dishwasher, flat screen TV in the living room AND bedroom, high-speed internet, cable TV with premium channels, eat out regularly, go to social gatherings and spend a nice chunk on cocktails (nothing less than Absolut), have their clothes laundered, buy only at the supermarkets (not the open-air markets), own a car (or use taxi's frequently), order clothes online and have them shipped and/or have them custom-made locally, blah, blah, blah you get the idea.

I think I'm somewhere in-between. I'm the average Joe who prefers more than bare bones but doesn't need premium labels or the best-of-the-best either. After all, my wardrobe is a la Costco.   I have internet, I have one nice TV, I do own a dishwasher, washer, and dryer (I will NOT do without those!!!), own a car (gives me freedom to explore the countryside and go where I want, when I want), buy at the open-air markets and supplement things from the supermarkets, go to free concerts, eat cheap $3 four-course lunch specials and dine out for dinner once in awhile, attend social gatherings a few times a month and enjoy a few (ahem) cocktails (Bahbushka is fine), have nice dishes I bought at 70% off (blems) from a local artesan, clean my own house, do my own laundry, and fix what I can myself.

Where in the heck am I going with this?   Sometimes I forget why I launched into a story in the first place. I call it 'Oldsheimers'. With all that in mind, here's some expenditures and experiences I've had with the costs of living here. It is NOT complete. It is random. If you're trying to figure out what it costs to live here, gleen what you will and adjust to your prefered lifestyle.

Utilities

Now that I've been here almost one year, I have a pretty good average on what I pay for these recurring expenses. Remember, I'm one person living in a good-sized house.

Gas (cooking, hot water, dryer) $2 per month (I know, ridiculous huh?)
Water $9 per month
Electric $40 per month
Internet $34 per month
DirectTV $33 per month

I just eliminated this cost by purchasing a satellite system for $250 (one-time cost) and no monthly fees. This gives me hundreds of channels including HBO, Cinemax, CNN, Bloomberg, Playboy (ahem). So far, I have found 40 channels in English.
In addition, I connect to http://www.ustvnow.com/ on my laptop then connect it to my TV and I can watch NBC, ABC, CBS, PBS, FOX for free. FREE!!

Cell phone $10-$20 per month depending on how much I blab. I do not have a 'plan'. I buy minutes as I need them at any one of a zillion stores around town.
Other phone for long distance calls to/from the USA. I use MagicJack which has an initial purchase cost plus approximately $20 a year for the subscription. No costs beyond that for either the caller or the callee.

Medical

Hot topic for a lot of retirees.   So far, I've been to a regular doctor, a dentist, and a dermatologist. In each case, no one had a receptionist. They each had basic offices. You arrive at your appointed time and pick a seat from a row of chairs outside their office. When he's ready, he opens his door and waves you in. Each of them did their own data-entry of your basic information into their computer, they collected their own fees, and wrote their own receipts and booked your future appointments themselves. When an assistant was needed (ie; two sets of hands), one was there. They also answer their own phones and usually, you get their home phone, too. Oh, and so far, I have not had to fill out any forms or sign disclosures and waivers of liability, etc.

I had a root canal done on Thanksgiving.   Dentists are specialists here...meaning the same person usually doesn't do more than one thing.   There's a root canal dentist, a cleaning/filling dentist, a crown dentist, etc. The crown dentist charged me $10 for an x-ray where he determined I likely needed a root canal. I went to the RC dentist and that same day he performed the root canal and gave me a temporary filler. The next week, I returned to get the permanent filler. Total cost $280.

Later, I had a follow-up appointment with the crown dentist.   He installed a post and a protective cap and took an x-ray, all of which took 45 minutes. Cost $55

I went to a Dermatologist. Same routine as the others. I've had a history of bumps on my face caused by cerbaceous glands that get clogged (or something like that). I had 20 of them treated....$50.   A few weeks later, I returned and had 40 more done...$90.    I also had out-patient surgery in his office to remove a quarter-sized benign tumor from my back....$100 including follow-ups to check on healing and later, to remove the stitches. At the same time, he excised a nickel-sized mole....$50. A friend of mine asked me to inquire of the cost for Botox. $250 for 50 units.

Medical Insurance

I belong to Coopera. I pay $2.83 a month for medical and dental coverage. I started this program AFTER the expenses above.   They have their own dentist to go to. Cleaning costs $2.   You get 80% off prescriptions. You can see specialists if their own internal resources don't suffice.

Household stuff

I hired an electrician (well, someone who knows how to do electrical work) because I had several lights and switches that weren't operating properly and I couldn't figure them out myself even though I tried everything in the book. He spent 7 hours and they're all working fine now. $60

I had a water leak that was making an outside wall wet. I hired my handyman to fix it. He had to chip away at the concrete wall to expose the pipes, replace two sections of pipe, and patch the wall. Several hours work. $50

I had a sheet mirror cut for my master bath vanity. It is about 2.5 ft by 5 ft.   The glass itself, cut, delivered, and installed...$20.

Groceries

Take a look back in my 2011 blog archives and you'll find a couple where I've listed several grocery items.   There are some things that are cheap here, but others that are just as much as back home. Cheap here....$1.30 lb chicken, $4.50 lb large prawns, fruits and vegetables ridiculously inexpensive.   Just the same as back home...$2 loaf of bread, liquid laundry soap, shampoo, toothpaste, deodorant, cheese, milk, pet food.

Entertainment

$1.50 videos (purchase, not rent)
$4 movie theater
Free symphony
Many free theatrical experiences

Dining

$3 lunch specials include juice, soup, main course of meat, vegetable, and rice, plus dessert.
Many good restaurants with very good entrees priced from $5 - $8. I've had plates with gigantic hamburgers and fries for $5 and recently a dinner with a dozen or more shrimp, rice and veggies for $6.
Beer $2 regular - $3 grande

Auto Expenses

Insurance: Approximately $500 a year for full-coverage, $250 deductible, on a $10,000 value car. It is solely based on the value of the car, not based on past driving record, occupation, income, credit score, etc.
Repairs: I've established a relationship with a mechanic down the street. He gave me his home address and home phone #. He tells me when I DON'T need something. He spent the course of 5 days to find and resolve a noise in my steering wheel, did an alignment and balanced my tires. $31. The shop rate at the local Chevy and Peugeot dealers is $25 an hour.
Gas: $1.48 for regular (called 'Extra' here) which is a government-fixed price...doesn't fluctuate...the same everywhere. $2.10 - $2.20 for Super...which DOES fluctuate based on demand and competition. Approximately $1.00 a gallon for diesel.

Miscellaneous (always gotta have one of these)

Taxis - $2 is usually the minimum, up to $4 for longer travels
Parking - .50 cents an hour on the streets, lesser in parking lots, free in many areas
Post Office Box - $30 a year
Bus - .25 cents

Sales Tax - 12% (but it's almost always included in the price you see, not added on top of)

Property Tax - $100 to $150 per year average
National Flights - Cuenca to Quito roundtrip $60 to $80 depending on when booked/availability

Well, I hope this sheds some light for someone out there. Sorry, no photos this time!!

Dano

Pumapungo, Car Update, Moan/Groan

2012-01-31T18:16:00.001-05:00

To my new readers, WELCOME!. To my faithful flock (oh brother...laying it on thick eh?) and the onesie-twosie readers, HELLO AGAIN!! Those who know me, are well aware I can have strong opinions, therefore you might not always find just pretty words about purty places here. As with life, there is the good, bad, and ugly. This blog is not one-sided. That said, in this particular entry, you will find a little of all of it, the good, bad, and ugly.

Pumapungo Archaeological Park

For the past 80-some days, Cuenca has been the host of Bienal (bee en all) XI art exhibition in many venues around the city. I and a friend of mine from Quito (Alexis) raced around some of the venues this past weekend. One, in particular, closed at 2pm on Sunday. We arrived.....at 2pm. The guard graciously invited us to walk thru the Pumapungo Archaeological Park located behind the museum. Though not part of the Bienal XI exhibition, it is a permanent park made up of archaeological ruins on land owned by the Banco Central (Central Bank) of Ecuador.

I drive by PAP all the time and haven't been all that impressed with what I could see, as most of the ruins are no more than rock walls 2-3' high, presumably foundationss of former buildings. Nothing all that exciting, at least not to ME. But, to give due credit, they are of the city of Tomebamba, in the late 15th century for cripes sake, so it's not like you can expect them to be in their full former glory!!

However, what I DID enjoy was the 'arboretum' of plants, flowers, water, and bird sanctuary in the lower area. Well worth the time to saunder along the pathways and take in the awesome varieties of cactus and other eye-catching plants and read the information plaques (albeit only in Spanish). My favorite was the bird sanctuary filled with large colorful parrots, hawks, and other species. Some even spoke!! Ever talk to a parrot in Spanish? "HOLA!!"

Enjoy the photos below.

Update on the Car Robbery

Two blog entries ago, I told you about my car being robbed, on Christmas Eve, of the computer 'brain' that operates many functions of the car, most importantly....the engine!! A new computer costs over $2,000 and the electrical wire harness which had been cut, over $1,000. The Chevy dealer had not been able to find a replacement part in all of Ecuador, primarily because my car is an automatic transmission and 98% of Grand Vitaras in EC are manual. However, it appears they have located a replacment part in the US.

I did some searching of my own to possibly find a used one.   Friends of mine here in Cuenca read my blog and happened to mention to friends of theirs (native Cuencanans) of my situation. Same thing had happened to them. They (the Cuencanos) are a well-known family in the area and had contacts...they would see if they could find me one.    Word came back that a used one was found, believed to be the correct part for my car specs, and would cost $500. Well, that's a HECK of a lot better than over $2,000! I jokingly said to my friend...'What? Is this family the Mafia for used parts in Cuenca?'. He jokingly replied that I'm probably buying back my OWN part!!! Well, it ended up the part was already spoken for. Oh well, we tried.

With that, I authorized the Chevy dealer to go ahead with fixing my car with new parts that they found in the USA. Or, I thought I did.

I sent the email the day I left for my USA trip-that-never-happened. A week later, I asked for an update. They said they never received my email. UGH!!   I checked and double-checked my email and saw nothing wrong. Finally....ooops....I realized I omitted one letter.   Dang it....just lost 7 days for nothing. So, I re-sent it and re-started my waiting and, as of today January 31, no word (though I've asked for an update 3 times). I've been going through car-withdrawal ever since December 25th.   Back to taxi's.

Response to a Readers' Comment

I have received a lot of wonderful compliments from people all over the planet. They enjoy the humor, they appreciate the information ahead of their own travels to EC, they feel the pain of the UGHS.   Once in awhile I get not-so-great comments...the ones that tell you to 'go back where you came from' or bash me for something I said.    I'd like to respond to one in particular.

In the last blog entry, a person posted the following (excerpts of) comment:   "DANO DONT SET UP YOUR SELF AGAIN FIRST YOU PARK YOUR CAR OUTSIDE OF THE SAFETY OF YOUR HOME AND THEY VANDALIZE YOUR CAR TOOK A VERY EXPENSIVE PART I AM NOT SURPRISE" "....KNOWING ECUADOR I WOULD NEVER LEAVE THE COUNTRY WITHOUT THE REQUIRE DOCS YOU SHOULD BE ASK INMIGRATION FIRST..." "...YOU ARE A VICTIM OF YOUR OWN SELF..." "STOP PUTTING ECUADORIANS DOWN" "IT IS YOUR FAULT THINK THINK THINK BEFORE"

Hmmmm....where do I start?

Yes, I should have parked my car inside my gate, and I regret that I didn't. But:

what about the thousands of people who don't HAVE a garage or inside parking and have to park on the street? Are they all at fault too should their car be (or has been) robbed?
what if the space inside my walls was taken...with another car of visitors or roomate...or debris from construction/remodelling underway?
why is the victim getting blamed? I was blamed by police for not parking my car at home when my car was broken into in Quito. My home is CUENCA!!! I was blamed by the hotel for not parking my car in FRONT of the hotel where a bloodshot-eyed guard could keep tabs on it. I parked it 75 feet away on the corner in full view because there was NO space in front of the hotel. 75 ft made THAT much difference?????
What about holding CRIMINALS ACCOUNTABLE and STOPPING CRIME instead of putting all the blame on the victim??? Bassackwards if you ask me.

Excusethehelloutame, but:

I have travelled to/from at least 16 countries in my life and never once have I ever needed anything other than a valid Passport.
I clearly stated that I consulted with my attorney as to what was needed for me to travel outside EC AND be able to return. My attorney, who SPECIALIZES in EC immigration documentation, reassured me many times, that all I needed for legal travel was the proper EC residency Visa stamp in my passport, which I got in late December. I SPECIFICALLY waited 9 months for this validation BEFORE making any plans to travel and only once I received it, did I go ahead and make plans to go to the USA. So, why should I doubt my attorney who SPECIALIZES in this? As far as I was concerned, I did my due diligence and didn't go willy-nilly into planning this trip.
Why should I go to immigrations and ask the same question...especially when there is typically so many bureacratic inconsistencies in EC???

case in point the EC Consulate in San Francisco has different policies/procedures than the EC Consulate in Washington DC...but they are both representing requirements of the SAME country!!!.

I am NOT putting Ecuadorians down. I don't know where you're getting that. I may be critiquing the way some things are done here. I also applaud many of the things they do here. So what? They are simply MY observations, MY experiences which is what this blog is all about. Just like my profile says "I'll be recapping some of my day-to-day experiences (and mishaps) to highlight what it's like to live here." I take issue with a lot of things in the US, too, but I'm not writing about my experiences in the USA am I? It is human nature to observe the different ways of doing things and living life, whether it be in Russia, New Zealand, Wyoming, Britain, Abu Dabi, or Cucamonga. If I make note of something I (emphasis on 'I') believe could be done better (ie; ordering important government supplies BEFORE they run out versus WHEN they run out) I am noting something that is HUMAN-related, not ethnic or nationality-related.
You don't know me. Hmmm...WAAAAIT....maybe you do!!!! MOM!!! Did you write that comment!!!??? Well, just in case it wasn't my Mom, let me tell you about me. I'm a Capricorn. If that doesn't say it all, my profession in the past 30+ years was as a Business Analyst. Anyone who knows me, knows I analyze everything to death. I research, analyze, create spreadsheets, dot my i's, cross my t's, weigh the pro's and con's, consult, and examine what-if's before I decide which bathroom I'm going to use to take a shit!!! (shouldn't it really be GIVE a shit?). And, you know what? After all that, sometimes 'shit happens'.

Dano

Yours truly. Hmmm....looks like I need a Just for Men color touchup on the beard!!!

Alexis at one of the art exhibits. He is 5ft 6". Look at how tall the geraniums get here!!!

An Eagle....but not the American kind. Eagle Hawk.

This dude turned his back on me just as I snapped the shot. GRRRR

A house on the arboretum grounds....but who's?

Friday the 13th

2012-01-19T19:49:00.000-05:00

Well, last we chatted, things weren't going so well.   Not much has changed.   I'm not necessarily a superstitious person, but as I grow older (and older) there is a longer span of time of which to observe patterns, or consistent behaviors, right?   For example, when it's a full moon, I really should hunker down in a corner, lights out, doors locked, not see nor speak to anyone.   I usually don't realize it's a full moon until weird things start happening around me (drivers driving insanely, people being ruder than usual, can't find parking, and things don't happen like they should). It's then that I wonder....'Is it a full moon, or what?'...and 8 out of 10 times it is.

What the heck are you talking about Dano?   Keep reading.

In my last blog entry, I made note that I had travel plans to the Seattle area.   I was able to salvage my itinerary because one of my best friends, Brian, put it on his charge card.   This was because my new charge card (generated because of fraudulent activity on my old account) had not arrived in Cuenca in time to make the 7-day-hold deadline AA imposed.    Chase ASSURED me it would be sent to my Cuenca address, not to the mailing address on the account...which is my Mom's place. It wasn't a big deal, no different than if I was on vacation and holed up in a hotel in London and needed a new card sent to me ASAP. Two days AFTER the airfair deadline, Mom sent me an email stating my new card had arrived...at HER HOUSE IN WASHINGTON!!!!    GRRRRRRR

Ok, fine. I'll get it from her when I see her in a few days (hint....ain't gonna happen).

Friends test-driving Cuenca were apartment hunting but not coming up with anything, so I asked them if they would house-sit for me for 2 1/2 weeks while in the USA, take care of my kids (pets) and plants. SURE!!   That would buy them more time to apartment-hunt.

Thursday, the 12th, I flew to Quito and stayed overnight for my 6am departure in the morning of the 13th....Friday the 13th (play scary musical notes....dum d' Dum DUM!!!!!).     I got up at 4am (on said Friday the 13th), and the taxi whisked me thru traffic-less streets to the airport. Checked in at American Airlines after waiting in a long, slow line, checked my bag, got my boarding pass.    Filled out the immigration form and passed the checkpoint where having ticket and passport were validated and I was allowed upstairs to proceed on through immigrations.

The immigration officer (I'll call him IO) examined my passport and recognized that I in fact am now a Resident of Ecuador due to my newly stamped 9-month-waited-for Visa. He then asked me for my Censo (an Ecuadorian ID card required of foreigners but not of citizens).   I told him I didn't have it because the entire (expletive) government RAN OUT of the materials (plastic cards) to make them with. SIDE COMMENT: Do you THINK someone/anyone would foresee they were going to run out BEFORE running out and re-order the supplies BEFORE running out? Noooo....thinking ahead is not of the mindset. END SIDE COMMENT.   I also informed the IO that my attorney, who specializes in this matter, said once I got my residency Visa I could freely travel...that I do NOT need to have my Censo. I showed the IO copies of the orders for the Censo and Cedula my attorney provided me in case they did ask.    Nothing doing.   He kept saying "no puede viajar" (you cannot travel). I kept challenging him. He went elsewhere to consult with others (probably about when they were going to lunch) and came back with the same answer.   I kept asking for someone who spoke English as this was too important to leave to the possibility of language misunderstandings.   Finally, an American Airlines representative came upstairs, but the end result was the same.

The flight was about to leave in 30 minutes. She needed to get my bag off the plane.   The IO said I could go to an immigrations office near a mall in Quito and, when they open at 8am, get some sort of certificate which would validate (?) me and they would honor it and allow me to travel. I don't know what needed validation since, after all, I have my passport.   The AA rep said she could re-book me on the 10:50am flight to Miami.   That meant I would have 2 hours and 50 minutes to get through the certificate validation process, get back to the airport, and go through all the lines again and make my flight.

I decided not to do that because my connections in Miami and Los Angeles would be missed and I would have further problems making it to Seattle.   Also, because of typical Ecuadorian processes, I did not know what I would encounter once I got to the immigrations offices….long lines, a dispute (typing error, mis-spelling, lacking information, someone in a bad mood, etc etc), language barriers, etc that might cause a delay, a requirement to go somewhere and have copies made, a requirement to find a notary, etc etc.   There would be no guarantee that I would leave with a valid certificate AND still make it back to the airport in time to check in, go through immigrations, then security, etc etc and make my flight.   Again, due to inconsistencies in processes between one department and another, I run the risk of having problems when I attempt to RETURN to Ecuador via Miami later this month. Who knows whether they would accept that certificate in lieu of the Censo….even though Quito will supposedly honor it leaving the country. If they didn't, I'd be stuck in the USA.

Soooooo….I told American Airlines to cancel my flight and issue me a refund.   I will re-book a trip home to the USA only when I have the REAL Censo and Cedula in-hand.   American agreed to issue a refund, but I must pay a penalty…but they wouldn't tell me how much the penalty was. I had to take a taxi to an agency in a mall and find out how much I have to pay once I get there….then hope they issue a refund since my airfare was almost $1,100!!

After sitting on the floor and waiting 45 minutes, they finally gave me my bag. I checked my bags at a storage kiosk as I didn't want to continue to drag them around all over town. I took a taxi to the American Airlines office. It was 8am, they opened at 9am.    Luckily, it was located next to Carolina Park, a very large beautiful park full of jogging paths, playgrounds, soccer fields, tennis courts, large spances of lawns, paddle boat lagoon, basketball courts, bicycle-trick areas, etc etc.   I noticed on the ride over, a beautiful display of large hummingbird statues all painted in various designs. I walked over there and took several snaps you'll see below.   I also spotted an old airplane over yonder (I love old planes) and took photos of that, too.

After the nice walk, the AA office was open. It basically boiled down to either cancelling the ticket or keeping the ticket to use against a later itinerary, but either way I was going to have to forfeit $200 as a 'penalty' and $75 for a change fee.    GEEZ LAWEEZE!!!

Back in a taxi.  Back to the airport.   I needed to find a flight home to Cuenca.   Nothin doin.   There are only 3 airlines that fly to CUE and at most, 2 flights a day. They were all booked.   The most I could do was physically stand in a line (no standby list) for the 1:45pm flight. I stood for 3 hours. A few people got on, but 5 people in front of me and everyone behind me were toast.

Back in a taxi. Back to my hotel from the night before. Miguel, the owner, was super kind and got me a tiny room for $15. I immediately got online to look for flights the next day.   All the first flights out were booked, but the evening flight (6pm) had seats. But, I couldn't reserve them online without a credit card.   AAAAGGGHHH!!!!    I called George who was house-sitting my place and he obliged to use his card and I paid him back when I returned.    With that done, I headed out to Plaza Foch, a well-known party district and enjoyed a nice big burger and 4 glasses of wine (2 fer 1).

The next day, Saturday, I had to kill time between hotel check-out time and the flight at 6pm. I did a lot of waiting on this trip to nowhere!!! No more drama after this. I flew home and in short time I was back in my house as if I had never gone anywhere.   Poor guys who were planning on house-sitting for 2 1/2 weeks!!

Taxi to Cuenca airport $5
Airfare to Quito $66
Taxi to hotel in Quito $6
Hotel in Quito $25
Dinner in Quito $12
Taxi to airport in the morning $10 (but it was $6 last night!!!!)
Taxi to American Airline agency to pay penalty $5
Baggage storage fee $6
Penalty for canceling flight $275
Taxi back to Quito airport $5
Unable to return to Cuenca today
Taxi back to original hotel $5
Hotel 2^nd night $15
Dinner $25
Lunch 2^nd day $13
Taxi to Quito airport $5
Airfare back to Cuenca $77
Taxi back home $4

$559 wasted on a roundtrip to NOWHERE!!!
Enjoy the photos.
Dano

There are approximately 70 of these statues in the park. Including the platform on which they were mounted, they're about 8 feet tall.

Ummm....is this supposed to mean the hummingbird is pregnant???

Gee, Mom & Dad never bought ME a plane to make a slide in my playground!! Hrrrmmmpph!!!

An angry flying Poodle?

Starting the New Year 2012

2012-01-06T19:20:00.000-05:00

I was really hoping to write some nifty stories about Christmas and New Years in Cuenca, but it fizzled out. After having my car robbed on Christmas Eve and having it towed away to Chrevrolet, I wasn't in much of a mood for partying.   Come New Years Eve, I went to bed at 8pm.   How's THAT for sad!!!???

I've been hit with pretty much a wham, bam, thankyou Dan in the past 10 days. And, it hasn't been good. Let me tell you about it....

First the robbery.   It has been 11 days since my car was hauled away. In that time, Chevy has not been able to find the primary part it needs...the computer 'brain' that controls the engine.   Even though there's a gazillion Grand Vitaras crawling all over Ecuador, mine just so happens to be an oddity (but of course) because it's an automatic and 99.999% of the cars in Ecuador are manual transmissions. Worried about their inability to find the part and my car becoming a very nice ship anchor, I went to see the Service Manager at Chevy.   He showed me the sheet that itemizes all the parts needed to get my car back up and running.   There was a VERY audible gasp in his office when I saw the number next to the computer....it was over $2,000!!!!   Yes...I did not type an extra 0!!! And, to make the brick of shit (can I say that in blogspot?) that I was passing even BIGGER, they also needed the wiring harness which costs over $1,000!!! OMFG!!!!   I asked why the thieves took the air filter box and ducting...what did that have to do with the computer? He said it contained a sensor that works together with the computer.   GEEEEEZ!!!!

I was in a state of shock, looking at a $5,000 repair bill.   There are just no words.

Next. For the past 10 days I have had lousy internet connectivity.   I've had to restart my modem 10-20 times a day.   No connectivity, slow speed, fast speed, disconnect, hours without, back up again, down again, nothing in the morning, and on and on it went.   Whenever I called ETAPA it would happen to be zippy at the moment and they said it was fine!!   So, I started keeping a log to prove my case.   They finally came to my house today and it APPEARS it has been fixed. We'll see. Thus, my ability to write my blog today.

NEXT. In this same period of time, I ran out of hot water while showering. Can't happen while washing dishes....nooooo.   Murphy's law applies the same here just like anything with a cord...it WILL, it MUST get tangled in something.  Hot water MUST run out in the middle of ones shower. I digress.

The gas tank had run empty which baffled me because it didn't seem to last very long.   Then, my hot water heater (Calefone) came on. It shouldnt't have because no water was being called.    A few days passed and I monitored it. It kept coming on every 2-3 minutes then turned itself off after about 15 seconds. I analyzed and analyzed and it just didn't make sense. It is only supposed to turn on when water moves, and no water was being called...so why was there water moving and where the hell was the water going? I looked for leaks all throughout the house...none.

I called Patricio, my all-around guy who's done a lot of work in my house. He believed a pipe broke under my brick patio.   Of course, we had no clue what path the pipe took, so he had to chip out holes in the patio floor...nope, not there....nope, not there....nope, not there.   Finally found it. The pipe indeed sprung a leak and the water was going straight down into the ground.   Fixed it, patched up all the holes.

Next. Last Monday, I woke up to NO water. I figured the city must be doing something so I waited a few hours. Finally, I decided to ask my neighbors if they were without water, too.   Yes. Good, I'm not alone. Deciphering their Spanish, there was a large issue on a street quite a ways from us, so it affected a large area.   They said the water may not be on until 2pm or after.   While we were talking, many neighbors were coming and going to the neighborhood store and filling up on water in various cannisters.   GREAT.   I had a dinner party to go to that evening and I was scrungy.   So, I packed my knapsack, grabbed a taxi, and went to a hot springs resort in Banos so I could bathe.   $4 taxi ride (each way), $4 entry, enjoyed the turkish steam room, showered, and had a plate of fries and a large beer $3 and I was good to go.

NEXT!! One good thing did happen. I got my residency Visa after 9 months of waiting!!  Without it, I would not be allowed back into the country if I left for any reason.   Now that I can, I booked a trip back home to the Seattle area. It took me 3 days to get the airfare booked because every frickin time I would almost get through the process, my internet connection would drop. Finally, last Sunday I was making headway on getting all the way through. I decided to forego a New Years Day party so I could be sure I could get my itinerary booked.

I booked my airfare on American and got it ticketed, so I presumed everything was AOK.  Then, the next day, I got an email from AA stating the charge was declined by Chase. I called Chase. I found out a slew of fraudulent charges have been hitting my account since New Year.    Chase called AA for me to approve the charge, but AA said they won’t take it because I have a foreign mailing address on the US-issued credit card.  (enter cuss word) I asked them WHY then did the online system allow me to book the airfare and change the status to TICKETED!!!   No good answer. AA told me I need to go pay for it in person. There's no AA office in Cuenca!!!

Chase is expressing a new card to me.    I have to have it before I leave…..7 days from now.    I have to pay for my $1086 airfare before this Sunday or I lose it. Meanwhile, I've changed my mailing address to my Mom's address, so hopefully I will have the card in time here in Cuenca, before I lose my airfare and (expletive) AA will accept the card charge because I now have a US mailing address!!!

To be continued....

I'm losing my sanity. I'm a good person. Why is all this happening to ME???

Please pray to the Chevy Gods for me.

A smattering of photos follows.

Dano

Oh where, Oh where could that little water leak be? Just start drilling anywhere.
GRACIE....get out of the picture!!!

Nope, not there.

Ah HA!! There it is!!

Had to put in a new line via a new route.

HUH?? This is part of the New Years celebration. People buy these clothed, stuffed (with paper I think) human-like figures, then buy face masks (that might represent someone) and even go so far as putting wigs and other paraphanalia on them......then....they BURN THEM in the streets!!!!

Many resemble political figures, or the devil, or maybe the ex-husband!! By burning them, it is hoped all the evil associated with them will go away in the new year.

You can even burn effigies of Homer Simpson, Shrek, or Don-kay!!

Sorry for the blurred photos...I was riding in a Taxi...since I DON'T HAVE A CAR!!!!!

Merry Christmas...you've been robbed

2011-12-25T17:28:00.002-05:00

Depending on how far back you've been reading my blog, some of you know I purchased a Peugeot not long after moving here so I could have a car to bop about exploring, but also to help me with all the logistics of remodelling my house.

Not long after, I decided I would rather have a 4x4 SUV so I could haul industrial stuff, toss my dog in the back to go for a ride, or simply venture off onto alluring pothole-riddled roads that wind way up into the hills.

I really like my 1994 Jeep Grand Cherokee that I still own back in the States. So, why not stick with what you know, right?   In the States, that Jeep is worth maybe $2,500. But here in EC, they still command $10,000 even with 200,000 kms on them!!! YIPES!!

There seemed to be far more Jeeps available up in Quito than here in Cuenca.   So, I did a lot of research online and narrowed down the list of vehicles I wanted to examine more closely, printed the info sheets along with photos, address, and contact info.   I contacted a driver in Quito who was recommended by others and made arrangements with him to drive me around Quito for $10 an hour. This was far more efficient since he knew his way around and I wouldn't have to hail a taxi after each stop. In mid-September, I flew to Quito with the intent of staying for 3-4 days, examining a dozen to 20 vehicles, test drives, then ultimately buying a Jeep and driving it back to Cuenca.

We looked at a lot of Jeep Grand Cherokees but, for my budget, they were high in miles, needed work or some functions didn't work properly (ie; A/C), and many of them were V-8's which was a bit overkill and gas guzzlers.

I amended my focus to Chevy Grand Vitaras since 1 out 3 (exagerating...but not by much) cars on the road in EC are GV's.   I had actually found one in Cuenca before the trip that I liked, but it needed a few things done to it. I tried to negotiate with the salesperson to offset the costs of what clearly needed to be repaired. Nothing doing.   He wouldn't budge an inch on price. He would only replace 1 speark plug.   So, I was outa there and ultimately wrote a letter to the owner about the sales persons' arrogance and why they lost my business.

Back to Quito.   After looking at, and driving several....my driver and I narrowed it down to the finalist, a 2003 Grand Vitara, V-6, Automatic. It was over my budget and it, too, needed some repairs.    In Ecuador, it is very common for people to roll back the odometer, even the digital ones.   In the province of Pichincha (where Quito is located) there is a government website you can use to enter the license plate # and see the mileage that was recorded the last few times the car was registered.   The current odometer reading was 102,000 kms.   Funny....over a year ago when the car was last registered, it was recorded at 130,000 kms!!!    We pointed this out to the sales manager and he responded 'not my problem'.   YES, it is.   The price was based on 102,000 kms when in reality the car probably had 140,000 - 150,000 kms.   He didn't care.   And, there were the needed repairs. He didn't care.   He would only come down $500. That's it.

I was tired, I didn't want to return to Cuenca empty-handed, it wasn't TOO far over my budget, and I liked it....so, I bought it.    I hated satisfying that bastard.

The very first night, the GV was broken into!!!   The passenger window was smashed out with a brick which also marred up some of my interior plastic. They took my new camera which I completely forgot I had left in the glove compartment. They also took the faceplate from my stereo which was JUST replaced by the dealer earlier that day because the previous one didn't work!   ARRGHHH!!!

The (effing) police said I should not have parked there....I should park AT HOME!!   I said my home is in CUENCA!!!   Apparently, the area I was in was considered rather dangerous late at night. The hotel I stayed in had told me to park immediately in front of the hotel, but when I had returned at 10:30 that night there was no space, so I parked on the corner across the street....a mere 75-100 feet away!!!   It was as if the police and the hotel were blaming me for the break-in...it was all my fault because I didn't park in Cuenca or directly in front of the hotel.   GEEEEZ!!!!! I was pissed off.

When I should've been enjoying my drive home to Cuenca, I instead went to a glass repair place. Luckily, it only cost me $40 to replace the glass.

BUT....on my way home to Cuenca, I noticed the window was having a tough time going all the way up. Sometimes it would just stop.   Back in Cuenca, I went to a glass shop where they informed me the shop in Quito installed the wrong glass for my car.   It was more straight, whereas my window frame had more curvature...thus, the cause of the window binding and slowing down/stopping.   Another $40 for another window.   Then, $30 for a 'new' (used...probably previously stolen) stereo faceplate so my stereo would work.

That other repair that I knew was needed ended up costing me almost $600. It was more complicated than I had originally perceived.

Fast Forward....Christmas Day...of all days.

Last night, when I came home, I didn't park the GV in my garage. I left it on the alley-like street directly in front of my house....which I've done before.

Today, I went to the car to go pick up friends visiting from Guatemala, to drive out to the countryside and show them around.   I gasped as I saw the drivers door ajar. Did I not fully close my door last night? Then, I saw it was unlocked. HUH?    I opened the door and everything seemed normal. I looked around for broken glass. None.   Everything was there.   Things that could've been easily stolen, weren't. Then I noticed the engine hood was popped.   I opened it up and discovered a big empty space where the air filter box would normally be. It had been removed. Bolts lay in the engine compartment and on the ground.   Everything else seemed to be intact...even the battery was there. It seems as though someone wanted THAT specific part and nothing else.

I examined the interior again.   Underneath the glove compartment a cover had been pulled down and several large bundles of wires had been severed.   Even though other electrical functions still worked, the car wouldn't start.    I guess it's tow-truck time in la manana. (Update: Mon 12/26....the dealer informed me it was the GV's computer that was severed and taken from underneath the dash!!!   I can just see the $$$$ signs now.)

Weird thing is, because of all the celebration noise last night, I moved to the guest bedroom in the back of the house where it was quieter. Had I remained in my rooom, my dog would've surely heard them and growled like she always does whenever someone is in the alley. Butttttt.......

BAH HUMBUG!!!

Dano

Christmas in Cuenca

2011-12-25T14:59:00.002-05:00

Well, I'm writing this on Christmas Day. Happy Holidays everyone!! Hey...wait a minute...I'm not in the USA anymore, I can be as UN PC as I want to be!!! Sooooo....

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!

My spirits aren't so great at this moment. I just discovered a few minutes ago my car was robbed. UGH. Happy thoughts didn't last long, did it? More about that in the post to follow. I'll try to step back in time a few days and put on a brighter hat.

I wondered how an Ecuadorian Christmas was going to be compared to what I've been used to the past @#%#$* years (the number has been hidden to protect the innocent). I got hit with a dose of 'uh oh' as far back as September when I saw Xmas merchandise hitting the store. I thought....c'mon not HERE, too!!! I mean, what happened to AFTER Thanksgiving? Or AFTER Halloween? Now, it's starts 1/3 of a year beforehand!!! Soon, we'll be shopping for Xmas stuff before back-to-school stuff!!!

Here's some of the things I observed leading up to Christmas:

I spotted only a few houses trimmed in lights.
Only a few blocks surrounding the main square downtown had lights strung overhead
Since we primarily only have eucalyptus trees here, with some pines, there are no Xmas tree lots. If anyone puts up a tree in their home, it's a fake one. But, even that seemed pretty rare.
However, the malls did a lot of decorations with giant fake trees adorned with huge bows and ornaments and various scenes tucked around the base.
Stores had large areas set aside to sell candy out of giant barrels...almost as if it were Halloween.
Lots and lots of fireworks. Some of it was aerial sprays of colors and shapes. But, much of it is 'cohetes' which are nothing more than loud BOOMS!!! The kind that rattle your nerves...at all hours of the day and night. I can do without those, thanks.
One store, PYCCA, normally sells a wide variety of items from plastics, housewares, artwork, small appliances, etc in their 2-level store. I dropped in one day to find almost all their 'normal' products squished into a small corner upstairs and the rest of the store was taken over by things for kids (toys, games, stuffed animals, etc).
Christmas here is all about the kids. On Christmas Eve morning, starting at 8am, they had a huge parade downtown called 'El Pase del Niño Viajero' (roughly translated 'Passing of the Child Traveler'). Thouuuuuuusands of people attended as well as were IN the parade. Lots of children on decorated horses, or in religious scenes built on the back of a flatbed or pickup truck. The viewers crowded the narrow street so much, it was a blur who was watching and who was moving (albeit VERY slowly) along the parade route. The paraders had maybe the width of 1 lane to travel. Supposedly, the parade went on til late in the afternoon.
I really wasn't in tune to what was going on, where, and when. But, luckily, I heard about the symphony putting on two concerts on the same night, in two separate churches near one another. One concert was wind instruments, the other was strings. I attended the wind instruments (horns, flutes, clarinets, basoons, etc) in the 'Old Cathedral'. It filled up very quickly in the last 5 minutes before 'showtime'. I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the performance and the acoustics in such an old structure. They started off with a montage of holiday standards that WE, as ExPats, are familiar with but I don't know if it's really a staple of the Latin countries or not. Songs such as Sleigh Ride, Jingle Bells, Winter Wonderland, etc. After all, if you translate the English words into Spanish words, they aren't likely to fit the musical rhythm, right? Then they performed music I wasn't familiar with and several numbers included a very nice sounding male Tenor soloist. After 50 minutes or so, it was over. It was free. It was good.

A gentleman approached me as people were leaving and asked me if I was the guy who writes the blog!!! I'd been recognized!! Actually, this was the 3rd time someone has recognized me solely by my face-only picture at the bottom of my blog...and passed along compliments. What a nice treat!!

From what I've read, one big tradition at Christmas is turkey. Since Thanksgiving is really an American thing (Pilgrims didn't land in EC), about the only time you'll see turkey in stores is around Christmas time. Down the block from my house is a BBQ stand of sorts that fronts the owners home. They usually roast pigs, chicken, etc on certain nights of the week. The other day, I noticed some young people stationed at a walkup opening in the place, as if they were taking orders. Then, yesterday, a steady stream of customers were dropping by, standing in line, to pick up their pre-ordered cooked turkey. This went on late into last night and again this morning.
Ecuadorian families get together for a big dinner. It is traditional to eat stuffed turkey or chicken with various sauces, fruits, salads and rice with cheese or corn and, of course, drink wine. Gifts for children usually are placed at the foot of the bed to to open then they wake up on Christmas day. An Ecuadorian friend told me that it is not common for adults to exchange gifts. Everything is geared towards children, the baby Jesus, praying, helping/giving to the poor, and family, family, family.

OK...on to the photos!!!

Dano

Looking up at the ceiling of the Old Cathedral just before the symphony concert.

The Old Cathedrals' pipe organ. Notice the figurines at the bottom.

Little kids on decorated horses. The umbrellas were protection against the intense sun.

Colorful dancers

Folks watching the parade from their balcony.

The parade route along a narrow street. Where do the onlookers end and the parade participants begin?

Typical float

Adorable children everywhere.

LOVED THIS!! Instead of getting your photo taken with Santa, get it taken with a REAL Saint Bernard dog dressed in Santa garb!!! This dog was amazingly patient!

Stuffed ponies in the park where kids can have their photos taken.

The ever-present hawker of junk.

Her younger brother was the center of attention, getting his photo taken off to the side, but I took a picture of her.

Llama and Pony (both real).

This horse was adorned with candy...see the boxes of Chiclets and Cloret breath mints? At the back of the horse, see the pigs head with Ecuadorian flags stuck in it? Lovely.

Horse adorned with hundreds of pieces of candy lined up in rows.

This horse was adorned with fruit, candy, ornaments, and even a bottle of Zhumir (booze). Where's the horse? His head is on the left side.

Inside the crates were live chickens.

Day Trip - El Chorro Waterfalls

2011-12-18T07:23:00.000-05:00

About a half hour drive outside of Cuenca is the town of Giron (Gee-rohn), located in the Yunguilla (Yoon-gee-yuh) valley. I had driven to Giron before, but wasn't all that impressed.   When I mentioned that to a local friend, he was shocked because he thought it was gorgeous!!    Well, he was talking about the El Chorro Waterfalls just outside Giron, which I didn't even know existed.

Even though we are in the dryer/warmer months right now, we've had a series of thunder/lightning/rain storms the past several days, so it seemed like a good time to go to a waterfall!!!

Shortly after taking the turnoff in the middle of Giron, you must pay .30 cents to continue on the road (as well as when you return). After 6 kms, I arrived at the parking lot for the waterfalls.   I was greeted by a nice lady who informed me it cost $2.00 to park and hike to the falls. Though one river, the waterfalls cascade in 3 huge steps.   She said the first level takes about 10 minutes to get to, the 2nd is a 3-hour roundtrip hike, the 3rd an 8-hour roundtrip hike. I took the 10 minute.

Much work went into building the trail as it incorporated a lot of wooden handrails and steps. The trail is shaded by a lush canopy of trees.   If you didn't look up, you'd miss out on a real treat. Many of the trees had tons of Bromeliads growing in them!!!

Within minutes, I arrived at the base of the first waterfall. An arched footbridge crosses over the water as it continues down a ravine and, depending on how full the basin is, you can walk onto a 'beach' area and gaze straight up the falls. Some people stripped off some clothes, climbed boulders to access the falling water and drenched themselves. A posted sign stated the pool below was 5 meters deep (approx 15 ft).

After enjoying the scene for awhile, I decided to head back to the car and explore the area a bit more. I noticed while at the falls, a dirt road across the valley that climbed and climbed and climbed a really cool looking mountain.   So, I headed for that.  I found the road in very good condition sans huge potholes, slides, or other challenges, so up, Up, UP I went.   It wasn't until I was near the top, that I finally encountered a few homes of farmers.   Geez, what we would have to pay to have view homesites like these back in the US of A , but here it's just the norm....no biggie. No one here is muscling in to squeeze another home onto a view site, and pay a hefty price tag, because it's just no big deal here and there's plenty of it.

So there you have it...another afternoon excursion.   Back home in time for my nap.   Enjoy the photos.

Dano

A church alongside the road on the way to the waterfalls from Giron.

The 3 levels of the waterfalls. The first and 2nd fall are above and to the left of the powerlines. The 3rd and lowest waterfall is below the powerline, almost in the mildde of this photo.

Trail to the waterfalls.

Bromeliads in the trees!

Look closely....see the red things in the trees? Bromeliads.

The base of the waterfalls.

Look at the top of the rock outcrop. A couple, with an umbrella, had it all to themselves.

Looking to the other side of the valley from the waterfalls...to where I'm about to go.

Looking back to the lower waterfalls where I was earlier.

Looking back to the falls (lower left).

The road from whence I came (see the falls in upper right corner).

Looking down into Yunguilla valley where the town of Giron is located.

Big rock formation on the other side of the valley from the waterfalls.

Day Trip - Biblian

2011-12-11T07:18:00.000-05:00

Having driven past Azogues several times, I have seen this castle-like structure perched high on a hillside and wondered what the heck it was.    Only one way to find out...hop in the car and go...which is what I did one recent afternoon.

The small town of Biblian is just past Azogues as you're heading towards Canar from Cuenca. I didn't see any signs pointing the way to this place, or even promoting it, but hey....it's high on a hill, so I just pointed the car in that direction and drove up, up, up and soon I was there.

I even found it difficult to find much information on the place via Google, aside from plenty of photos. But, what is the story behind it? What are the facts?   In a nutshell, this is what I was able to dig up:

It is called the Santuario de la Virgen del Rocio Biblian. The area had severe droughts in the late 1800's, killing animials and crops. The people of the village carried an image of the Virgin to the top of the hill in hopes she would intervene. Rains showed up. They built the sanctuary on that site, which was finished in 1908. That's it in a nutshell, end of history lesson for today.

As with any large cathedral, it never ceases to amaze me the feats that were accomplished in building such a structure. In this case, it was constructed into the side of a very steep hill.   The structure is wide, but not very deep.   As you'll see in the photos below, the side of the hill can actually be seen inside the sanctuary, behind the altar.

There are 6 difinitive levels:

Level 1 - Foundation
Level 2 - Mausoleum
Level 3 - Mausoleum
Level 4 - Sanctuary
Level 5 - Dome
Level 6 - Pyramidal cap on top of the dome

The mausoleums are very shallow with only a few layers of crypts. I don't know if there's any rule to determine who gets to be entombed here (ie; public vs church parishoners vs church elders, etc), but there were some relatively recent burials based on the dates. Space is limited.

Outside, cobblestone stairways flank both sides of the cathedral where you can ascend to the level of the dome and peer down into the sanctuary. I got to enjoy traversing from one side to the other via narrow (2 - 3 ft wide) catwalks where the huge lights were mounted to illuminate the cathedral at night, overlooking the town below. I say "got to enjoy" because there was nothing to restrict my access, much like I found when I travelled in Europe. Walk along the top of a hundreds-of-years old rock walls enclosing a city without handrails or other protective devices? No problem!! No fears of lawsuits, prohibitive insurance premiums, no liability waivers, etc etc that typically cause these kinds of accesses to be shut down in America. It's your decision, and you take the responsibility for YOUR decision!!!

Enjoy the pics!!

Dano

On the way up.

From the parking area.

Looking down on the town of Biblian from the stairway heading up to the sanctuary.

Mausoleum below the sanctuary.

A few spaces remain available, but ACT NOW, as they won't last!!!!

Figurine at a water basin (note faucet at the bottom).

The 'cat walk' (as I call it) along the front of the cathedral.

Looking down from the cat walk to my car below.

The doors were closed but there a couple of missing panes of glass, so I stuck my camera through and took these interior shots. Good thing I didn't drop the camera or I would've been toast. Notice at the front of the sanctuary, the exposed hillside in which the support pillars are ensconced.

Tilting my camera up (through the hole in the door) to see the dome above the sanctuary and further up into the pyramidal cap over the dome.

More cat walk.

Sure seems older than 1908. (nice touch Dano...adding the blue trash can!!).

The external side of the dome and pyramidal cap.

Looking up the outside of the dome.

Feria Libre

2011-12-04T06:15:00.003-05:00

Feria Libre (Feh- ree-uh Lee-bray) (don't forget to roll your r's a smidge) is the largest 'Free Fair' (as it is translated) or 'Free Market' in the Cuenca area.   There are at least 6 in Cuenca and they usually entail a mix of indoor (under a roof) and open-air vendors. They all sell a myriad of fruits and vegetables, along with seafood, beef, pork, and chicken.   On top of that are usually spices, grains, eggs, clothes, household needs (ie; cooking oil, TP, utensils, etc), entertainment (ie; music cd's, movie dvd's), and even personal items (ie; perfumes, deodorants, shampoo).

Feria Libre is the largest of all of them, just think MORE of all that stuff plus live chickens, guinea pigs, kittens, puppies, turkeys, ducks, geese, bras, panties (I know, I know, I broke the chain of thought), roasted pigs, flowers, curtains, cookware, plasticware, and on and on and on.

I don't know, technically, how much acreage the Feria Libre covers, but just think of what 'The Donald' Trump says...it's "HUH YUGE"!!! Wednesdays are THE day. The entire parking lot is taken over by outdoor vendor stalls, primarily of clothes, shoes, cortinas (curtains)...that kinda stuff.   Busses from outlying towns and villages bring residents in to do their weekly shopping.   Most everyone have their own shopping bags to load up and haul back home.    Flatbed carts (a la Costco) are available near the exit point, along with men to push them, to load up and take the goods to the cars or busses for a tip.

It's a zoo, putting it mildly. It's a maze (no, not maize), putting it mildly. If you're tall (that is, over 5' 9") watch your head and/or neck as you might get strung up by the myriad of ropes routed overhead to support tarps should the rains swoop in....and THEY DO.

It's just mind-boggling when you see the inventory there. You have to wonder...how do they sell ALL THIS? Tons (literally) of sacks of potatoes stacked everywhere.   Juice oranges in piles that look like a dump truck pulled up and emptied out.   More giant sacks of garlic cloves than you EVER will need to see again. Mountains of bananas, hundreds of 50 lb (or more) sacks of grains, etc etc...how do they ever sell what's at the BOTTOM??   My analytical mind is being stretched.   Tons and tons of apples, mangos, carrots, corn, peas, tomatoes, and things I have no clue what they are. Thousands of fish of all different kinds I've never heard of, small shrimp, medium shrimp, large shrimp, peeled, with the heads. Geez!!   Clothing, shoes, cookware, sunglasses, dvd's....I get it...they don't spoil.   But.....BUT.....ARRRRGHHHH....GET ME OUTA HERE!!!!

Here's some photos to help you 'get the picture'....

Dano

I haven't a clue. But, they are 2-3 ft in length, and 6-8 inches wide. The look like Land of the Giants pea or bean pods.

Duckies....oh, wait....Chickies in there, too.

Puppies (waaaay too many if you ask me) SPAY!! NEUTER!!!

Chickens

Gooses and Gooslings...wait a minute...what is a rooster doing in there?

Mountains of juice oranges (typically 20 for a buck)

Just one part of the 'indoor' area.

Stalls after stalls like this. What I want to know is....how do they keep those fishies staying where they are? If I tried that, they'd be slippin off and all over the floor!!!!

Sacks of garlic cloves.

You can buy apples by the case, or by the piece, or pre-packaged.

Sacks of cereals.

Plasticware, utensils, cookware.

General household basics.

Beef, anyone?

Clothes up the wazoo. You can even get a haircut at the Feria Libre!!

4 sizes of eggs here. In the basket are 'regular' eggs, then larger ones I don't know where they come from, and then the ones that really must hurt coming out!!! Notice, to the left are small eggs in a plastic carton...about the size of a malt-ball.

Cortinas (curtains)

Socks

Zapatos (shoes)

This is where I get all my bras and panties....NOT!!!

Where I get a lot of my plants and roses.....TRUE!!!!

Observations - 3rd Edition

2011-11-26T15:52:00.004-05:00

It's a never-ending, process of human nature ...that of observing the differences between places you've lived and/or visited and wherever you are right now. The habits, the personalities, the structures, the processes, the topography, the attitude, the law, the clothes, the food, the weather....the list goes on and on.

So, here's s'more of the things I've taken mental note of:

Though drywall can be obtained here, it's rarely incoporated in construction. But, just the other day I saw a truckload of it being delivered to a new construction site. 'Bout broke my neck.
Police don't have souped up cars here. In fact, they drive the same thing we drive. Typically, they are four-wheel drive pickups or Chevy Grand Vitaras like I have. They are practically on-par with the public when it comes to the power under their hoods. Even their motorcycles are rarely any larger than what everyone else has.
Speaking of Police, I have yet to see ONE chase scene in the 9 months I've lived here. Darn nearly daily back in Seattle!!
Windows are single-paned with aluminum framing. For some reason, the sealed double-paned standard we're used to back home hasn't taken on here. Sure would be nice to deaden the noise!
There seems to be no requirement for licensing, or vaccinating, pets here (or if there are, they are not enforced). It's rare for a person to spay or neuter their pet (sorry Bob Barker) for two reasons....cost and most people like leaving things to nature. No collars, no identity/address tags, and leashes??? HA!!
Once you're outside the city, there's little to no names on roads, whether paved or not. Makes you wonder how emergency vehicles would find them?
Many, many, many homes are dual purpose. They have a tienda (store) in the front/first level. It seems every 5th house has a tienda. They may simply sell candies, basics like milk and eggs, or maybe a mini-ferreteria (hardware) outlet for light bulbs, nuts and bolts, plastic piping, and general electrical stuff. Many have a re-bar cage-like front so the public can't enter. This way, the occupants can continue doing their house chores but when a customer walks up and announces 'HOLA!!' they come to the front and serve their customer. Money is handed thru the bars and the goods passed back the same way. It's a method of working from home! No commute!
If you find a Petro Commercial gas station, it is owned by the government, and you'll find the Super gas at least .10 cents cheaper than the privately-owned competitor.
Umbrellas are dual-purpose here. The obvious, is for rain. But, just as many people use them to shield their heads from the intense sun on a clear day.
9.999 cars out of 10 have a cover over their steering wheel.

Ditto with carpets covering their dashes

7.875 cars out of 10 have at least one light out...usually a tailight.
There's no such thing as license tabs here. If you're pulled over, you have to show your Matricula (registration) which shows if you are paid up or not.
City taxi's MUST be yellow and carry orange license plates, otherwise they are not a legitimate taxi.
Instead of a 'Merge' sign at the on-ramps to the Auto Pista (freeway), we have 'Pare' (Stop) signs. What? Start from a dead stop to enter a freeway? No one pays attention to them....they drive right through them, accelerating to match the speeds of the others already on the Auto Pista....as it should be!!!
Stopllights can be a mystery. Sometimes they're overhead, other times to the side of you, or across the street on the corner, sometimes they work, sometimes they don't. I'm used to pulling all the way up, but oftentime find myself under the light or the light is now behind me, leaving me with nothing to look at to know when it switches. So, I just watch the other direction to start moving or wait for the inevitable horn behind me. There is also the mixed-message light. Solid green, switches to green with yellow flashing, switches to leaving only green, then suddenly red.
I'd guestimate more than 50% of the homes in Cuenca (higher if rural) do not have a dryer. They hang their clothes out to dry. For those who don't have drying lines, they drape them over bushes, plants, whatever will expose them to the sun. Countless times I've seen many still out during a thunderstorm. I don't know if they WERE drying, or maybe they were left out to be in natural 'wash cycle'. Whatever, the next day the sun will come out and they will dry...that is...unless it needs a second rinse which means just wait til the afternoon.
On sunny days, you will likely see people washing their clothes and/or blankets and such in the rivers. The large smooth rocks make it excellent for scrubbing. Then, they lay everything out flat on the lawns that line the rivers and take a nap while they dry.
Vacuum cleaners are luxury items here. They are EXPENSIVE!!! I have never seen a vac with a beater bar/brush motorhead. I've only seen suction-only models. Of course, carpet is not widely used here, so maybe it's not such a big deal. But, here a commonly known brand (from back home) asking price is usually over $700!!! The 'cheap' ones are very small, compact, wimpy canisters for $200.
Don't DARE go near the major grocery stores or the Mall on a Sunday afternoon unless you feel most comfortable waiting in long lines for parking, as well as the checkout, and lots and lots of screaming kids. Sunday is the day for families to go to the Mall and spend time hanging out and shopping. The parking lots are full with backups spilling into the access streets.
General aviation is minute here. Back home, it was common to see small airplanes and helicopters buzzing about every day. Here, it's so rare, that you take notice when they do fly overhead as the oddity of their existence makes you look up.
Believe you/me, there is NO separation of Church and State here. There are photos or paintings or statues of Mary, Jesus, and other religious personas everywhere. Behind the Customer Service counter at the supermarket, in banks and government buildings, doctors offices, in oil paintings sold on the streets, in taxi's, in schools and universities, in public parks....EV....VRY.....WHERE. Houses have small crosses on their roof and darn near one is hung on the wall of every room inside. Crosses dangle from rearview mirrors. If there's an undeveloped hill, look closely and there will probably be a cross at the top, or maybe a Saint or an Angel keeping a vigil over the city below. Me, I cross my legs and arms a lot....maybe that counts. A super-dooper ex-pat couple I know, found a great rental house and gave notice on their old place. Some time later they were in a conversation with the landlady who asked them if they were Christian. No, she considered themselves Budhists. Confused, the landlady asked them if they had a Bible. Again, No. The landlady informed them she would no longer agree to rent to them. OI VEY.
We don't have parking meters here. You have to buy a slip of paper from a local merchant ($1 for 4-30 minute slots here in CUE). When you park, you write the date and time in one of the empty slots of the paper and lay it on your dash. Uniformed agents roam the streets examining the slips of paper. If you don't have one, or it has expired, they take a photo of your car with a digital camera, then write a ticket on a 5 x 8 pad, peel off the backing, and slap it on your window so it sticks. No blowing off in the wind here. It's on there GOOD. I know, I got one. $10 Side note: Quito's parking slips are ridiculous. You have to buy one long slip for each block of time you are going to park. Check out the photo below where I had to prepay for late afternoon thru early evening parking. The agents can also have your car towed if you are parking where you shouldn't be. I see them pass up all kinds of violators. They may be avoiding confrontation, I dunno. LOTS of people park in no-parking zones and simply flip on their flashers as if that gives them validation and go on about their business. Meanwhile, they are impairing the movement of traffic by shutting down one lane. People will even sit in cars with their flashers on (ie; outside a bank) instead of driving around the block until their other person is done with their task. There's a lot of loopholes in this semi-honor system.
You don't need anything bigger than a $20 bill here in EC. Buying $2,000 in furniture? Get out 100 twenty dollar bills. Anything bigger than a $20 is presumed to be bad and a high-risk...98.157% will not take it. Even small stores have a tough time having enough change to break a $20. Oftentimes, the clerk will run next door, then next door to the next door until he/she finds someone with change to bring back to you.
~~You can buy USED tires here. Yes, you read right!~~ Scratch this one. I was always under the impression (when I lived in the USA) selling used tires was illegal. Ooopsie. As Gilda Radner once said "Never Mind!!".

Dano

Short Subjects

2011-11-20T15:39:00.003-05:00

No, this entry isn't about the height of most Ecuadorians. (RIM SHOT SMITTY!!).

Just some miscellaneous tidbits combined together in one post....kinda like a grab bag at a garage sale.

RADIATOR REPAIR

The top of my radiator cracked.   It's was made of plastic....thank you Chevrolet. But, the good news was that it could be removed and replaced without having to get a whole new radiator. My mechanic refered me to a radiator shop about the size of a dining room.   They work on cars in the parking strip on the street.   I took it in about 10:30am and he said it would be done by doce y media (12:30). So, I walked home and killed time until 1pm then took a taxi back. He was just starting on it.   Apparently, I misunderstood him as he said 'dos y media' which is 2:30.    Not wanting to go back home again, I stood around, went and bought an ice cream, stood around some more, then finally sat in the car and got a bit of shuteye.

I thought they were going to install a new part, but they had a used metal one that would fit. They did some cutting and soldering and grinding and crimping, etc etc and even had to cut a hole in the top to solder on a throat piece which the radiator caps twists onto!! STRANGE    He sent me on an errand to buy a new radiator cap about 5 blocks away. Around 3:30, the car was done.   Price? $45.

THE 'G' CURSE

Sometimes I wonder how things that seem so apparent, so on the ridiculous side, end up bypassing the part of every humans' capacity to apply the 'common sense test', then decide to keep it, throw it out, or challenge it. It's inevitable anyone who's moved here from another country ends up observing how things are done differently here vs there...it's just human nature.   There are lots of things that have had ex-pats wondering 'HUH?', most of the time resulting in an 'oh well' shrug. But, there are times it's just too whacky, you just gotta say something. Case in point:

The first letter on a vehicles' license plate indicates the province the car was licensed in when initially purchased the FIRST time. It doesn't change during the life of the car, even if the car moves to another province.    I live in Cuenca, which is in the Azuay province. If I bought a new car here, the plates would start with 'A' even though I might choose to live in Quito which is in the Pichincha province. Get it?

Guayas is the province where Ecuadors' largest city, Guayaquil, resides. Try selling a car with plates starting with 'G'. You'd think the car had cooties. First question out of peoples' mouths....'What's the first letter?'.   If it starts with a 'G', forget it....it's a bad car. They don't want to touch it.    WHAT??!!!   It's not bad because it was manufactured there (it's not) and the plant is known for bad workmanship...noooooo....it's bad because Guayaquil is bad (no mention of all the other towns in Guayas province). Everyone drives badly there. It's humid there. They don't take care of their cars there. Or, so the naysayers say when they see 'G' plates.

WHAT!!!???    I could buy a car brand spanking new and be assigned 'G' plates and move the next day to Timbuktu, never spending more than 1 day in the 'G' province, and my car is doomed for all time? You mean ALLLLLLL the over-million people in the 'G' province are bad drivers? And, NONE of them take care of their cars?

UMMM....didja ever think maybe you could EXAMINE the car and look at all the indicators as to whether it was taken care of or not? Upholstery clean, no rips, dents/scratches, tires worn properly, no rust, functional stuff still works, examine maintenance records/receipts???????     Nope.   Brain does not compute that logic.   Press Control/Alt/Delete.

I was talking to a person in his mid-20's and he said he can remember this 'rule of thumb' existing back when he was a kid. Aye Caramba!!!

Luckily, I sold my 2009 Peugeot to an American couple who moved here from NW Washington State and engaged their brain and saw past the 'G' curse.

GROCERY SHOPPING AT THE MERCADOS

Mercados are the big open-air markets where farmers and indigenous folk sell their fruits, vegetables, meats, animals, seafood, etc etc and vendors have booths selling just about everything else from spices, to eggs, to shoes, to sunglasses, to DVD's.   Those who can't afford the supermarket chains, generally do all their buying at the mercados as it is far cheaper.

Examples of one of my recent sprees:

10 lbs potatoes $5
16 bananas $1
11 lbs chicken $13
1 lb shucked peas $1
1 mango (free…negotiated with potatoe price)
1 lb grapes $1
3 huge avocados $1
5 rose plants $10
sunglasses $3
DVD $1.50
2 lbs of large strawberries $2
5 apples $1
20 juice oranges $1

....they were fresh out of partridges in a pear tree. (RIM SHOT SMITTY!!)

Total $40

Back home in the US of A, just the 5 rose plants would've cost me $40.

SELLING A CAR IN ECUADOR

Let's go back to the car subject for a smidge...which also correlates to the common sense reference I made earlier.

When people sell their car themselves, they stick a sign in the window of their car saying 'Se Vende' (For Sale) and their phone number(s). What's wrong with this picture? Or, more appropriately, what is MISSING from this picture? How about:

Price?
Year?
# of miles/kms?
Transmission type?
Features?

Nooooo.   I have seen hundreds and hundreds of cars for sale, all marketed the exact same way.   I've asked many people why they don't provide more information?   Their response:   'people can call me and ask me'.

WHY would I want to waste my time calling a bunch of people, often playing phone tag, to ask questions that, many times, will result in a 'no thanks' from me? For example, I may want a car with less than 100,000 kms on it, but theirs has 200,000 kms.   Or my budget is less than $10K but they're asking $15K. Or, I want an Automatic, but theirs is a Manual transmission. Wasted my time. Wasted their time. Wasted cell phone minutes.

Out of millions of people in Ecuador, no one has thought outside the box enough to think they might sell their car faster and not be bugged with useless calls if they provided more information upfront? REALLY??

Dano

PS.    It seems I've irked someone with this post. If you're interested in 'why', see the Comments section.    As always, please feel free to post a comment following any of my posts.

Loja, Malacatos, Vilcabamba

2011-11-13T18:02:00.004-05:00

As I mentioned in my previous blog entry, I travelled to Loja/Malacatos to get my Chevy Grand Vitara registered and title (Matricula) in my name.

Loja (Loh-hah), population approx 285,000, is about 200 kms (120 miles) from Cuenca. Though we might typically calculate that to be a 2-hour drive, it's more like 3+ because of all the twist and turns and ups and downs of the highway that takes you there. Loja holds a rich tradition in the arts, and for this reason is known as the Music and Cultural Capital of Ecuador. The city is home to two major universities. It is situated 2100 meters (6890 ft) above sea level, about 1,500 feet lower than Cuenca. It has a mild Andean climate. At nearly 500 years, it is one of the oldest cities in Ecuador.

Malacatos (Mah-lah-cah-tohs) is a small town of only a few thousand located about 40 kms (25 miles) outside of Loja and before Vilcabamba. Like almost every town in EC, it has the traditonal central square anchored by a lovely cathedral. My friend Roberto, relocated here from Lima, Peru and built a cottage high above Malacatos with a commanding 180+ degree view. I stayed with him the few days I was in the area.   He has a sweet new 2-month old Weimaraner puppy named Kleina and several guinea pigs. At this point, the road leading up to his place and several other homes, is very rough, full of potholes, muddy, and you must drive thru 2 streams. No sense washing your car...EVER. Every time we drove up/down that road, I felt as if the GV was going to disintegrate into a pile of broken pieces. As yet, there is no electricity to the area, so his house runs off a generator.   No gas for the generator, no electricity. Roberto doesn't own a car. He relies on pickup-truck taxi's. Malacatos is surrounded by fields of palm, papaya, banana trees, and sugar cane.

Vilcabamba is a favorite relocation area for Ex-Pats because of it's warm, comfortable climate (about 5,000 ft), topographical beauty, and healthy living. It, too, is a very quiet small town of only a few thousand, located 9 kms outside Malacatos. There is nothing special about the typical village other than a few shops and restaurants obviously created and run by foreigners (obvious because of their trendy looks). There is no major grocery store or real amenities here, just small tiendas. For anything substantial such as theater, large markets, clothing stores, shopping, medical facilities, and/or large hardware stores one would probably rely on Loja which is a 45 minute drive away. The valley is overlooked by a mountain called Mandango, the Sleeping Inca, whose presence is said to protect the area from earthquakes and other natural disasters. It is often called the 'Valley of Longevity' because there are so many people who have lived to be over 100 years old there. Organic is very big here.   Some people say Vilcabamba is very hippy-ish.

We went to one of a handful of nice resorts in the area, Izhcayluma, owned by a couple of German guys who relocated to the area over a decade ago and built this phenomenally beautiful sanctuary on a hill looking back, and down, to the village of Vilcabamba. The setting is stunning with rock walkways that wind through beautiful flowers, shrubs, trees, and lawns....through the pool area, outdoor bar, and life-size chess game patio, and various cottages for the guests.    It also has an outdoor dining area with mesmerizing views of the hills and town below. They have a couple of large lab dogs who hang out and greet visitors.

The next day, we came back to Vilcabamba to have lunch at Jardin Escondido, another wonderful escape with guest rooms, outdoor courtyard dining amongst orange trees, great food (cheap!) and the customary white and orange kitties that come up to greet you and beg for a petting.

After that, it was time for Gracie and I to head home....with Matricula in hand!!!!

Dano

In Loja...don't know what it is, but you can drive through it!

Loja

A church in one of Loja's squares.

The cathedral that anchors Malacatos central square.

The view from Robertos' hammock...down to the town of Malacatos (see the cathedral?)

A roadside stand selling sugar cane drinks.

The church that anchors Vilcabambas' central square.

Mandango

Entrance to Izhcayluma resort.

Pathway leading down to the outdoor restaurant.

View of the town of Vilcabamba from the dining area of Izhcayluma.

Izhcaylumas' restaurant.

Outdoor bar, game area, hammocks.

A game of Chess, anyone?

Beautiful pool of Izhcayluma, surrounded by lush gardens and waterfalls.

Jardin Escondido in Vilcabamba, where we had lunch.

Their bathrooms.

Roberto and Kleina at Jardin Escondido. I love how Kleina is just dangling without a care.

One of the dogs of Izhcayluma saying 'hi' to Roberto and Kleina.

On the drive home, a small town deeeeep in a valley. Up and to the right of the church is (in white) a cemetary clinging to the side of the steep hill. Notice how the hill soars upward behind the town.

Part of the highway slid down a steeeeep ravine.

I walked onto the portion of the highway taped off (see prior photo) and took this shot looking straight down the slide. The road below is at least 1,000 feet down. SCARRRRRRY!!!!!

Process, Process, PROCESS!!!!!!

2011-11-13T16:34:00.003-05:00

I needed to get the paperwork on my 'new' 2003 Chevy Grand Vitara 4 x4 legalized and the title changed over to my name.   Yeah, I decided to switch to a 4x4 so I can go places the Peugeot is not really designed for, haul construction junk, and toss my dog in the back.   Anyway, experiencing the nightmare, stress, and lonnnng process it took when registering my Peugeot in Guayaquil, I cringed at the thought of doing it again with the GV, but in Cuenca.   Now, you'd THINK the process would be the same regardless of what province you're in.   But, as many people keep reminding me...don't THINK when in Ecuador.

I was also concerned about my limited Spanish capabilities when it comes to dealing with bureaucracy and non-English speaking processors.   But, a Peruvian friend of mine who lives near Loja (about 3 hours drive south of CUE) said he would be happy to shepherd me through the process as he knows where to go, has contacts, and speaks English. YEA!!!   Off Gracie and I went on a 3-day jaunt out of town.

Roberto lives high in the hills above Malacatos, about 40 km outside of Loja, towards Vilcabamba...a well-known retirement area for Ex-Pats.   Vilcabamba, nestled in a beautiful valley surrounded by tall hills, is also known for the fact there are more people who live to be 100 or over there, than anywhere else in EC. Both Malacatos (about 9 km from Vilcabamba) are small villages with no more than a couple thousand people, spread out over a broad area.   It was wonderful to sit outside above the town and hear no more than crickets chirping. No car alarms, no dogs barking, no house alarms, no horns honking.

We drove into Loja the next day, arriving about 11am to start the 'ugh' process.

First, to the Notary (who, in EC, must be lawyers) to notarize a bunch of documents regarding the sale.
Then to a copy place to make copies for the Notary. In EC, NO ONE uses their own machines to make copies for you....you have to go somewhere else and pay to get them.
Back to the Notary. Ooops, a document is missing.
Back to the copier to find the missing document...not there
Back to the Notary. Ooops, he had it all along. Pay $20 Notary fee.
Then, to the Police to get their blessing that all is in order. They inspected the documents. Ooops, there's a name in the Notary's statement block that shouldn't be there. The Notary copied and pasted text and altered it, but forgot to delete one line.
Back to the Notary for correction.
Back to the Police to have the car inspected. The line of cars wasn't too long. We had to wait awhile for the engine to cool down because they apply scotch tape to lift off the imprinted numbers on the engine to validate all the numbers jive. While waiting, the inspector started removing the tint film off my rear window. I thought he was trying to get to a number on the glass, but he completely removed all the tint without saying a thing. Roberto asked him why. The inspector said it was illegal. Funny, you'd think (oops, there I go again) he would inform us of that and either make us take it off, or at least disclose the fact he's going to do it BEFORE doing it. The car passed inspection, which involves verifying all the lights work, wipers work, tire tread is ok, #'s match, and that I have a fire extinguisher, medical kit, and roadside reflectors stashed in the car (if not, there were plenty of lurkers willing to sell you one).
Now to the SRI (don't remember what it stands for) to register the car. We're running out of time and traffic was jammed in downtown Loja. Roberto leaps out and heads to the SRI while I slowly drive in circles around the central plaza. 8 circles later and 2 loops around another area (I got tired of the plaza), Roberto emerged. He paid about $75, but not at the SRI. You see, many agencies in EC don't handle $$. You have to go to the bank and the bank accesses their system, takes the $$, gives you a receipt, then you go BACK to the original place (in this case the SRI) and show them you paid so they can finalize their process.
BACK to the Police to get the Matricula (equivilant of a Title) in my name. The lady at the processing window inspects all the documents and informs us I cannot legalize the GV using a Passport alone. I must have my Cedula, which is the national ID card everyone has, that I've been waiting for 8 months to get but Quito doesn't have their sh_t together. We argue with her stating I already purchased the Peugeot AND a house using my passport for cripes sake, and WHY are we just now hearing this when everyone up to that point looked at my Passport and never uttered a word???? Wouldn't budge. She suggested we wait about 5 minutes and we could talk to the boss about it. We waited. I never saw her summon anyone.
No one showed up. We decided we would have to come back the next day and started to leave. But, Roberto recognized the boss arriving back at the Police station in his car.....which looked EXACTLY like mine. He was with a lady. I jokingly made a comment that he's probably just coming back from a tryst with his mistress at a local motel.
Robert nabbed him as he exited his car and told him the story. He confirmed that indeed the rules require a Cedula....apparently the rules changed recently. But, he could authorize an override with his signature.
With his signature on the documents we raced back inside to the same lady who 'helped' us before. She informed us it was too late. It was 5pm closing time!!!! Roberto pleaded and pleaded with her claiming I had a flight to catch and we had been at this process for SIX hours and we wouldn't have been late if it hadn't be for the screwups that had happened....and it would only take her 5 minutes to finish it up. This went on for awhile...no, No, NO. But, she finally gave in and processed us, though it took more like 10-15 minutes and $46.50 in fees.
I thought I would 'reward' her with a $20 bill. Roberto slipped it inside a document. When she was finished, he tried to hand it to her but she waved it off saying no, no, no. We realized there were probably cameras on everyone. My FIRST try at bribing/paying off someone failed!! LOL So, I scribbled on a large pad of paper 'Muchas Gracias' with a big heart complete with arrow going thru it and a smiley face and pressed it against the window as we turned to leave. She and the other women giggled.

The car is legal now...I have my Matricula. Even though I didn't do all the legwork, I was stressed and had not one ounce of patience left in me. It wasn't until I chug-a-lugged a big glass of red wine at a resort in Vilcabamba where we went for dinner, that I began to calm down.

Poor Roberto.....he was a saint, I was an ass.

Dano

The Car

The Saint

Cuenca Independence Day

2011-11-08T16:37:00.001-05:00

The Spanish settlement, Cuenca (full name Santa Ana de los cuatro ríos de Cuenca), was founded on April 12, 1557 by the explorer Gil Ramírez Dávalos.   Andrés Hurtado de Mendoza, then Viceroy of Peru, had commissioned the founding and ordered the city named after his home town of Cuenca, Spain. Cuenca achieved its independence from Spain on November 3, 1820.

Thus ends our history lesson for the day.

Every year, the last day of October (known in the USA as Halloween) All Souls Day...or....Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is celebrated.   This rolls right into what probably is the largest event of the year for Cuenca...Independence Day on November 3rd.   It ends up being a city-wide, week-long celebration that brings hordes of tourists from other parts of Ecuador into town to party-party-party.

In the few weeks leading up to the holidays I observed a lot of crews around the city picking up garbage, cleaning and turning on fountains, refreshing flowerbeds, and painting out graffiti.

Not being fluent in Spanish, I had a hard time determining WHAT was happening, WHERE, and WHEN.   But, it was pretty easy to stumble upon (and get stuck in) things just by venturing out.

There were concerts of every variety...even an accordion concert in one of the larger theaters! I went with a friend of mine visiting from Quito to a couple of outdoor concerts. One was in the parking lot at the Mall Del Rio near my house and scheduled to start at 6:30pm.   We left late and walked over there fearing it might be over. Well, it didn't START until 8pm!!! After we did al that waiting we were hammered with hard-rock, grungish music. UGH!!! The only thing Latin about it was the fact the words (I presume there were words) were screamed in Spanish.

We decided to bail and head for the main park in the central, Parque Calderon, where many festivities are held.   Here, there were a couple thousand people wandering about, enjoying treats and some fireworks. But, again, we were slammed with gawd-awful crappy grunge music, screaming, and wailing.    Amazingly, there were people of all ages from the elderly all the way down to babies amongst the crowd.   Side note: it's fascinating to see how many young couples have their kids and babies out late at night here.   Anyway, we partook (is that a word?) of a tradional hot beverage boiling in a sidewalk vendors' cauldron. I don't know what it is made of except that there is alcohol (of the bottom-est shelf variety) and assorted spices.   It definitely had a bite to it and even an alcoholic would find themselves sipping it slowly due to its power.

Over the days, we visited several craft markets lining the streets where you could buy handmade sweaters, scarves, belts, purses, goodies, paintings, knick-knacks, etc etc mostly from the indigenous folks who made them.

There were two carnivals in town (that I found) with typical rides, but not so typical food...that is, not to us Northerners.   I wandered through one of the carnivals and enjoyed a couple of treats such as grilled meat on a stick dribbled with mayonaise. Don't know what the meat was, don't care. It was good. One ride in particular had the attention of a large crowd, including me. It was a round gizmo with a bench seat going around the entire perimeter. There were no seat belts or other protective devices.   You sat down, you hung on to whatever you could grab. The 'thing' started spinning, then tilted up while spinning, and the passengers were hanging on (more like dangling on) for dear life.   Then the 'thing' would start bouncing and going back and forth at the same time, sorta like a washing machine agitator. This was even funnier because while the passengers were flailing about, those who were, shall we say, endowed in the upper region of their chest (women and heavier men) were clearly showing a bounce-fest through their clothes.

The other carnival was adjacent to the auto pista (freeway). Ok, sounds normal. But, the location was smack dab at a roundabout which caused a lot of traffic congestion and appeared to be located in a former gravel pit. Cars were parked on the edges of the auto pista and people walked (scrambled) up the embankment to the carnival via rudimentary dirt trails.   I didn't go.

Calle Larga is the party street in downtown Cuenca. It is lined with numerous restaurants and small clubs. A group of us dropped in on one which was charging a $10 cover to get in.   UGH!!!   They had a cool live band playing old disco which was fun. We had a drink and when the bill came, the $10 cover was added on for each person.

Throughout the city, over the course of the week, neighborhoods would have their own party. They were called Noches de Cuencanos (night of Cuencanos).   They were much like a block party where large sections of their neighborhood would be closed off and vendor stands selling crap (oops, I meant crafts), goodies, grilled meats, maybe even a roasted pig, bands would entertain, and general frolicking and visiting, then ending usually with fireworks.   There were about 3-5 neighborhoods designated in different areas of the city each night throughout the week.

Now the city is back to normal. All the ghouls are back in their graves, and most of the tourists back in their hometowns.

And I....went for relaxing therapy at nearby Banos!!!

Dano

Here's a few photos I took.

Ghastly concert at Mall Del Rio

This lovely sidewalk vendor lady was making the concoction that warmed the cockles of your heart but burned a hole in your shoes.

Just hanging out. This entertainer appears to have no mechanism to support himself, but underneath his clothes is an unseen steel structure connected to the pole he's hanging onto.

3 blocks of paintings to choose from.

Don't know what it is. But, it's two crispy discs smeared with your choice of goop inbetween then sqwooshed together. I chose a peanut-buttery substance.

Army band made the rounds of various locations and performed. A couple of kidlets enjoyed dancing to their music.

Comidas Rapidas (fast food) at the carnival.

My favorite, and they were everywhere! Strawberries or grapes dipped in milk chocolate, on a stick.

Indigenous women selling their handmade textiles.

One of 3 pools.

Gorgeous Trumpet flower tree/plant. The blooms hang straight down and they're at least 12" long by 6" wide.

Restaurant and Lobby.

Me...cookingin a box.

Remodel...Master Bathroom - Completion

2011-10-29T20:39:00.000-04:00

Putting together the finished product takes a lot of coordination. Many people are involved and many tasks have dependencies...something has to be done first before the next step can start.

I put together a 23-step plan, both in English and Spanish, identifying what needed to be done, by whom, and by when. For example, my tile installer couldn't install the new floor tiles until my plumber completed construction of the bathtub support structure...and it had dried for several days. The cabinet-makers couldn't install the new vanity until the tiler had installed the floor tiles, let the cement dry, and grouted. The countertop people couldn't cut (out of the slab) the new countertop to size until the new vanity was installed. The new glass tub/shower enclosure couldn't be built until the new tub was in place in order to get correct measurements and, likewise, the new mirror couldn't be cut to size until the countertop and backsplash was in place. Therefore, I believe the egg came before the chicken!!

The entire demolition and installation process, AFTER all the shopping, buying, designing, and ordering, took 2 weeks. If anyone (of about 10 people) missed their deadline, it would cause slippage on the whole effort.

Ok, so here's the breakdown of the costs:

Bathtub + plumbing drain kit = $105
Bathtub new supporting structure = $150
Bathtub new acrylic/aluminum surround = $220
Cabinet/vanity = $350
Countertop (marble) = $142
Countertop install = $85
Faucets = $50
Light Fixtures (2) = $80
Mirror = $50
Paint = $25
Plumbing install = $50
Plumbing move = $50
Sinks + plumbing kits = $135
Tile, Floor = $226
Tile, Walls = $183
Tile, Installation = $230
Toilet = $100 **
TOTAL = $2,231

What would that cost in the USA? A minimum of $5,500.

** As with any project, things change, primarily due to discoveries along the way. Even though my house is only 15 years old, apparently in the past they installed toilets differently than what we're used to. Instead of bolting them down, they cemented them directly to the floor. So, we had to take the good ol' standard tools of EC (hammer and chisel) and chip away the cement around the base to loosen the old toilet enough to lift it off. I was going to re-use my old toilet. But, when I found out we had to chip off all the remaining cement that covered the entire bottom of the toilet (and not break the toilet) I said 'no way...I'll buy a new one'. $100 later, I have a new toilet that uses the 'new' technology of a wax ring and bolt-downs.

If you want to refresh your memory of what the bathroom looked like before, and some of the demolition photos, just go back 2 posts and re-view the photos.

Picking up from where we left off, here's the finishing touches:

Eduardo installing the new marbled creme/beige wall tiles. Bye Bye green!!!!

Plumbing has been extended to the right, ready for the new vanity.

Tub surround, floors, and wall tiles almost finished.

New vanity cabinet in place, waiting for the marble countertop.

The new vanity WAS clean before the marble arrived. UGH...more dust everywhere (from drilling the sink and faucet holes).

My new sinks and tower-style faucets. Though the sinks look like rootbeer-colored marble, they ae in fact glass. Installed them myself!!

The finished look.

New toilet (duh). I installed this by myself, too!! So far, no leaks!
Floor tiles are rectangular (vs square wall tiles) and are a dark brown, almost charcoal color.

New towel rack.

Tub done, new plumbing and light fixture installed.

New bronze aluminum frame with rippled acrylic panels tub enclosure completed.

FINITO!!!

Well, next week is a national holiday with special focus on Cuenca's Independence Day...an all-week celebration of many fiestas, parades, runs, younameit. I'm sure it will provide a bounty of which to write about and post photos. Check back in a week or so! TAH!

Spanish - The Difference a Letter Makes

2011-10-22T12:59:00.000-04:00

I first learned Spanish when I was in the 8th grade, junior high, in the little country town of Port Angeles, WA, back in 19 (muffle, muffle). I kept questioning (which I did a lot of later in life) WHYYY am I learning Spanish when there isn't a single Spanish person around for at least a hundred miles?? Where and when would I ever use it? Likewise, other students opted for French or German.   The use of those would be even FURTHER away!!!

Years later, when I was 18, I moved to San Diego which is right on the Mexican border. I began using my Spanish, what I remembered of it, working in the hotel and restaurant industry.   But, I got off to a bad start when I pronouced a co-workers name as Jesus (Gee-zus) instead of Jesus (Hay-zus).

My Spanish in the ensuing years was pretty rudimentary.   'Mas frijoles por favor' (more beans please), 'Dos margaritas por favor' (2 margaritas please), 'Donde esta el bano?' (where is the bathroom?), and '!@#$@$' (^## (#&*(@+) (expletives I won't go into here).

Fast forward many, many more years when I purchased some Spanish lesson CD's at Costco in preparation for my trip to Panama, and later that year to Cuenca.    The CD's were tedious and I didn't have the attention span to study (my sister inherited that talent...not us brothers).    But, I was able to re-load old memory disks long collecting dust in my brain and revived some of the knowledge I learned lo' those many years ago.

Slowly but surely, I have expanded my vocabulary....a little more every day. Right after I arrived in Cuenca and took possession of my newly purchased house, I launched in to remodelling (which you would KNOW if you've been reading my prior blogs!!).   NONE of the workers spoke a word of English.   So, I was forced to use what I knew, body language, and the good ol' internet and it all worked out very well.   As I roamed about the city, I would see some of the same words or phrases repeated. I would try to remember them so when I came home I'd enter them into Google Translate to see what they mean. Also, if I was in a wi-fi area, I could connect using my cell phone and look up words on the spot, like at a restaurant if I didn't know an item on the menu.     Coupled with english-speaking Ecuadorian friends who'd help me out and my asking 'Como se dice....pointing to an item such as a bathtub?' (translation 'How do you say.....?') and the person I asked would respond 'TINA!!' very loudly thinking I'm also deaf...my Spanish-speaking skills continued to grow daily.

Finally, I decided to enroll in Spanish classes as a result of a promotional offer for free classes for the first week.   Though I know a lot of words, I don't always know how to assemble a complete sentence AND use the proper tense, etc. There were only 2 of us in the 'class' to the 1 teacher who was great. My classmate sorta annoyed me as she kinda hogged a lot of time. After a week, I decided I would enroll in a different time slot....which I have yet to do.

Now you're up to date on my Spanish capabilities and history.   Let me share with you some of the idiosyncracies of the language. There are soooooo many rules, just like there is (are?) in English. If you tried to teach English to someone, you'd probably get stumped over and over when asked 'why?'....because who remembers the rules WHY...we just know HOW.

Trying to learn all the rules in Spanish....feminine vs masculine ('a' ending vs 'o' ending), past tense vs present, modifying the base word based on pronouns (he, she, I, we, they), and those gawd-awful rules that conflict with what you were first told, is mind-boggling to say the least.

Example:   If 'Esposo' = Husband (ends in 'o'...masculine), and 'Esposa' = Wife (ends in 'a'...feminine), then when you read text referencing 'Esposos', wouldn't you think that's a gay couple of two men?   WRONG!!! EHHHHHH!!!! (bad buzzer).   It means a 'couple'. Couldn't they have come up with a word like 'Esposoas'?   Then what ARE the words for two men in a relationship, or two women in a relationship? I dunno.

To make matters more challenging is the verrrrry slightest of difference between two words, let's say just one letter, can mean a world of difference in the resulting meaning.   Be vehwy, vehwy careful!!!!

Vieja = old woman, Viaje = trip
Caro = expensive, Carro = Car
Casado = married, Cansado = tired (don't make the mistake of saying 'I'm very married')
Venga a mi casa = Come to my house, Verga = (starts with 'c' and ends with 'k'...another word for penis). (You don't want to run around town saying 'verga' 'verga' 'verga' when you meant 'venga' 'venga' 'venga'!!!)
Fuera = outside, Fuerte = strong
Pero = but, Perro = dog
Por Que? = why?, Porque = because
Cuando? = when? = Cuanto = how much?
Cuarto = room, Cuatro = 4
Ciudad = city, Cuidad = care
Jugo = juice, Juego = game
Lave = wash, Llave = key

You get the point....

Then, there's the same words that have a different meaning depending on the context (like our 'cool' (temp) and 'cool' (nifty).

Escalera = stairs, or ladder
Cafe = cafe/restaurant, or brown

And, of course, there are multiple words you can use to say the same thing. But, which one do you choose? There are RULES!!!

'El' vs 'La' (the)....based on whether it is masculine or feminine. If you want to say 'the building', you must know if it is a masculine building or a feminine building. HUH? So, if it's a pink building it's 'La Edificio' and if it's blue it's 'El Edificio'????? ARRGGHHHH!!!!
'Su' vs 'Tu' (you)...based on whether it's informal or formal (I'm not going there)
'Saber' vs 'Conocer' (to know)...based on whether it's intellectual knowledge or knowing the building is pink
'Pequeno' vs 'Poquito' (small)....based on whether it is size or quantity.

MY BRAIN HURTS!!!!

So, if you're wondering why I'm not flatulant in Spanish yet, just think about all these rules one has to know. And, ask yourself if you can answer the question 'In English, what are the rules to determine when it is proper to use 'me' and 'I'?'. HA!!! Ain't easy is it?

Remodel...Master Bathroom - Idea & Demolition Stage

2011-10-17T09:07:00.000-04:00

I THOUGHT I was done with my remodeling of the house. I had decided earlier I was only going to give each of the 3 bathrooms (well, 4 if you count the maid's bathroom) a coat of paint, new mirrors, faucets, and some artwork on the walls.   Which I've already done. BUT....

#1.   I hate the green-colored tiles in the master bathroom
#2. The grout in the white floor tiles is dirty
#3. The vanity cabinet is disgusting
#4. I don't have a bathTUB in any of the bathrooms...just showers

So, I broke my own rule and decided to spend a minimal amount of $$ by simply replacing the vanity cabinet, countertop, sinks, and faucets. The rest would remain as-is. After all, I wasn't in the mood to chisel off all the existing tiles in order to replace them.   The cost of Plan B (Plan A was the initial re-painting which was already done) would be around $600. I can live with that.

I got to thinking of my new kitchen floors and thought...'hey, they were able to install the new porcelain tiles right over the old...I wonder if they can do that in the bathroom, too?'. UH OH. Answer = Yes.

So, I explored the idea of replacing the tiles, too, since I wouldn't have to chip off all the existing tile which would be a nightmare task.    Tiles are cheap here. Labor is cheap here. UH OH.   About $400 to do the floors and walls? Not bad.

Gee, I wonder how much a bathtub would cost? I don't need anything fancy like a jetted tub as I KNOW that is out of my budget (as if I have a budget!!). Just a plain LONG tub (everything is short here) that I can soak in.   Many were pricier than I wanted to pay, but a little diligence in my search rewarded me with just what I needed for a mere $70.   And, I saved a lot of money in the sink, faucets, and countertop categories. Again, by digging around, I found the marble countertop at a huge discount because it was being liquidated. Designer sinks can be expensive, but as luck would have it, a hardware store just got in a new line of glass bowls with very interesting colors and patterns from China (natch) that cost only $39 a piece!   Likewise, faucets are grossly overpriced especially if they are anything interesting or designer-ish. There was no way I was going to pay $200 - $300 for the type of faucet I wanted.   But, I got what I wanted for only $50.

Well, since a full remodel of the master bath, versus Plan A or B, wouldn't cost THAT much....and NOTHING like it would cost in the USA, I switched to Plan C.

Plan C:

New vanity cabinet
New marble countertop
New glass sinks that sit on top of the counter
New tower faucets
Move water lines and sink drain over a couple feet to accomodate the new vanity in new position on the wall
Large slab mirror
New paint and paint color (to go over what I just painted 4 months ago)
New wall tiles
New floor tiles
Demolition of old shower tile basin and glassed enclosure/surround
New walled and tiled bathtub support structure
New bathtub
New glass tub enclosure with sliding door
New hand-held shower massager
Keep existing toilet
Keep existing tub faucets
Keep existing fixtures for toilet paper, towel rods, etc

Plan C is just Plan B tweeked a bit.    ;-)

LAUNCH!!

I ordered the cabinet from the same place I got my closets and kitchen cabinets. Ditto with the countertop, creme-colored square wall tiles, and dark cocoa-colored rectangular floor tiles.

I ripped out the ugly vanity, countertop, and faucets.   Then, chipped out the wall tiles where the new vanity will be located, and painted the walls.   No more GREEN!! My reliable crew of Patricio/Carlos/Rene returned to relocate the water pipes, rip out the old shower structure, and build a new supporting structure for the tub to sit in.

So, here's the before pictures and shots of the demolition.   Unfortunately, I had better 'before' photos but they were in my camera at the time it was stolen.

Next Post:   The 'After' (hopefully, not with 'math').

I know it doesn't look so bad. But, the tiled basin doesn't make for a comfortable tub-soaking, and the green tile.....Noooo.

ICK. And, it smelled. 15 years old. OUTA HERE!!

The new vanity will be moved to the right more to make more room entering the room and center it properly underneath the overhead skylight.

Rene using his handy-dandy hammer and chisel to carve out a channel in the brick/concrete for the plumbing. Not as simple as cutting into drywall is it?

Wall carved out and ready for the plumbing to be extended to the right.

Rene using a small sledge hammer to demolish the old shower surround structure. Didn't have to care about damaging the floor since it's being replaced. Same as when I painted...I could slop it all over...no problemo!!

Ready for the new mini-wall to be built to support the new tub. Saved part of the old shower wall to re-use.

Patricio building the new support wall.

With tub sitting in the new wall. The gaps are for pouring sand thru them to create support underneath the tub. The wall looks pretty crude and the bricks are crooked in some places. Will be interesting to see the final result!!!

Four Short Stories

2011-10-10T12:32:00.001-04:00

I have so many things to write about, but I've been saving them because the events aren't completely done yet. For example, I'm remodeling my master bathroom, but it's not done yet.   I went to Quito, my car was broken into and my camera stolen (yes, I was stupid and left it in the glove compartment), so I'm missing half of my photos.   I started taking photos of roadside shrines, but I don't have enough yet.   I started taking Spanish classes, but had to put it on hold for a bit.   Soooo....what do I write about?

Well, I guess what I'll do is sorta like what we all do in the kitchen.   Put a little of this and a little of that, plus some of those, and oh what the heck toss some of these and push MIX. Voila...a complete dish, or in this case, a published blog article containing 4 short stories.

Roof Construction

Huh? You're starting with how roofs are constructed?   Okaaaay.   I've mentioned how most houses are built here...with brick and/or concrete. And, the fact there's very little to burn should one catch on fire. But, lying underneath that peaked roofline is eeery construction.    Take a look at my photos of the insides of MY roofline.   What forests exist here are primarily Eucalyptus and Pine trees and, in the jungle, lots of bamboo.   There's very little in the way of fabricated 2 x 4's, 2 x 12's, etc.   Most 'lumber' here is rudimentary pieces of wood not having any perfected dimensions. Throughout the city, there are 'lumber' yards with criss-crossed stacks of wood planks, sometimes 20 feet high, drying out.   But, that lumber is primarily used for making furniture, not in house construction.    When you look at the photos of my roofline, you'll see raw, young tree trunks used in the spans.   Then, a rippled fiberglass-like sheeting is placed over that to provide the primary protection from rain, etc, then tiles overlayed on top of that to create the finished look and secondary level of protection from the elements.

There's virtually no such thing as insulation (as we commonly know it) here. Ceiling tiles are somehow cemented to a web of bamboo which is connected by wires to the tree trunk 'beams'. How they get it to look even is beyond my comprehension.   If you lift off a ceiling panel, you're immediately in the attic space. The ceiling tile is all there is between you and the roof. Ok, so enough already on roofs!!

The grid you see on the bottom is bamboo to which my ceiling tiles are cemented. That's all there is between my interior rooms and 'outside'.

My Martha Moment

I have been trying to find artwork to compliment bare places on my walls but don't like a lot of what I find, or it's too expensive. Then I got an idea utilizing the 2nds (failed inspection) dishes that Artesa sells (see previous posts). On Fridays, from 9am - 12pm, the 2nds room is open to the public where you can scour through HUNDREDS of dishes of all sizes, shapes, colors, and uses and buy for 70% off retail. I bought 39 items for $35. This is where Martha comes in. Even though I own a glue gun, I forgot I owned a glue gun. So, I bought some LocTite and started matching plates of different sizes and colors and created my own pieces of 'art' (though some might debate that term). Then, I set to finding the right locations to hang them on my walls. Some went in my kitchen, most ended up in my sunroom. I could easily lose control and have them all over the house, but I'm trying to retain control and use them sparingly and wisely. I like them, anyone else who doesn't can 'build a bridge and get over it' (my favorite saying).

My purchases.

I glued some smaller espresso-sized plates to larger coffee cup plates to create more colors and depth. Then, hung them above my drab kitchen window for a spash of character.

Inter-mixed plates among my wall plants in my sunroom.

Ok....laugh all you want to. I think it's kinda whimsical and it's not like I hung it in my living room. It's out in the sunroom.

I'm a Rose-Aholic

I finally admitted it to my family recently.   I need a 12-step program to treat my Rose-Aholism.

When I had my waterfront house (for sale for $659,000 on 1/3 acre...anyone interested?   ANYONE??) built in Bremerton, WA, I had this huge piece of land as a blank canvas for designing my landscaping. I swore I would not plant roses because they require so much work to care for them.   I ended up having over 30 rose bushes!!    I can't help it when I see the beautiful array of colors and the fact they produce and produce over and over versus a lot of plants that bloom once and then they're over.   I could make some reference to the similarity of an orgasm here, but I won't.

My house here in Ecuador has a very tiny front yard, divided in 2 sections...about the size of two bathrooms.   As of a few days ago, my inventory now consists of THIRTY ONE roses!!!!    I even cut out part of my lawn so I could put more in.   My resistance is even more impaired by the fact I can buy them at 3 for $5.00!!!!    ARRGGHH!!!!

So, here's some photos of a few of my posies. Not the greatest pictures because they were taken with my cell phone since I'm digital-camera-less these days.

Varmits!!!

When I did a house-swap with a couple from Salinas back in August, they emailed me one day and told me they found a SCORPION in my master bedroom closet area!!! I always thought these varmits resided in hot climates like New Mexico and Arizona, not cool high-altitude places like Cuenca!!! So, I did some Googling and discovered I was mis-informed. They DO reside in many more common locales than I thought. That didn't set well with me.

Last week, I went to pick up what I thought was a dead leaf off my sun room floor and retracted my hand just in time because that 'leaf' was a TARANTULA!!! I've heard they can jump so I wasn't about to get near it. I stomped on it. Turns out, it was already dead, probably due to my kitties. But, UGH!!! I told some friends about it and they were like 'oh yeah, it's common here'. UGH!!!! It was the size of a 50 cent piece. Apparently, they're not dangerous....nor are the scorpions. I DON'T CARE!!!!!

UGH!!!!!

Observations - 2nd Edition

2011-09-28T21:57:00.001-04:00

I continued to keep notes of more observations after my last post and I received a few responses from people, adding their perspective. So, I might as well stay on the same track by continuing the theme of observations I (and others) have had during my adventure here in EC.

BTW...a friend of mine, George, provided some good entries. He used to live in Florida, moved to Cuenca, got horribly sick (not related to Cuenca), spent weeks in the hospital, nearly died, got out of the hospital and journied to Houston for specialized hospital care, had a new heart valve installed, changed his air and oil filters, damn neared died AGAIN (had a 20% chance) but is now out of the hospital and getting better in his new home. Cost? Nearly ONE MILLION dollars!!! SHEESH!!! What a drama queen!!! (just kidding George).

Ok...on to the list:

Bathtubs are a rarity in homes here. Big showers, though, are not. My house has 3 showers...no tubs.
Hot-tubs are nearly non-existent
A large majority of houses do not have light fixtures. They have dangling light bulbs. Drives me nuts, even in newly constructed homes, to see a wire coming out of the ceiling with a light bulb on the end of it....that's it. UGLLLLY. And, to make matters worse, incandescent light bulbs are banned here. Therefore, the light 'fixture' is made uglier (if that is possible) with those swirly flourescent bulbs that, in addition to being ugly themselves, give off the WORST lighting.
You're lucky if you have more than one electrical outlet in a room. Two, you're doing good. More than that is a rare exception.
98% of all homes do not have any heating built in. Not even canned wall heaters or baseboard. NADA. When it gets chilly, there's almost nothing you can do aside from putting another layer of clothes on or throwing a blanket over you while watching TV. I've looked everywhere. The only heaters I can find to add to the house are small portable 1500 watt dealybobs. I bought one...an oil-filled radiator style on wheels... and it heats an area about....ohhhh....6 feet in diameter. And, those suckers drive your electricity bill up!!!
Speaking of heat, it is very stylish and common to have one or more fireplaces built into the house. BUT, they are 9.9 times out of 10, strictly for looks only. They are not functional. I have a big fireplace, a nice fire box, but stick your head in and look up and about 2 feet up is a 'ceiling' of concrete. No hole extending to the roof to let out smoke. Purely cosmetic. UGH You can see chimneys all over the city but nary a puff of smoke coming out of them.
Hot water heaters like we're used to back home....the big 50 gallon kind...are dinosaurs here. Nearly everyone uses 'tankless' hot water heaters that produce hot water instantly when called. You never run out of hot water because there's no tank to drain, and, when there's no tank, you're not burning $$ keeping a tank full of water hot all the time even when you're not using it. I don't know why these haven't caught on long ago in the US. They're pretty common in Europe, too. And, they take up a lot less space (about the size of a suitcase).
You like pork? Well, drive down any number of streets here in Cuenca and out near the sidewalk, you'll see people roasting pigs...the WHOLE HOG...head, hooves, tail and all. Walk up, place your order, and plop down and enjoy some juicy pig pickens with the entire carcass rotating in front of you.
Buses pretty much don't stop...they coast to pick you up and let you off. And, you can wave them down almost anywhere on the street along with the pre-defined marked bus stops. Cost .25 cents
The EC government passed a law a few years ago allowing gays to get married. Interesting, the country is 95% Catholic (which is the primary reason most gays are closeted here)...whereas...in the USA, which one would think is far more progressive and it's not as heavily Catholic, there is no such federal right. Odd.
Jaywalking is perfectly ok as well as crossing against the light. If there's no traffic coming, why not?
There are no RV motorhomes here
There are no travel/camping trailers here
There are no single-wide or double-wide mobile homes here
There are no manufactured homes here
If a family owns a toy, it's usually a motorcycle or ATV
Right of Way is Left of Way here...the car on your left has the Right of Way. Confused?
Roundabouts are everywhere here. They are very effective. No lights to hold up traffic....traffic keeps moving, albeit it may appear chaotic, it works.
Even in new construction, it is very standard to have defined space for a maid's bedroom and own bath. The bedroom is very small, large enough to fit a single bed and a bit of space around it. The bathroom for the maid typically does not include a hot water tap at the sink and the shower (again, no tub) typically has an electric shower head (sometimes dubbed the suicide shower) that barely warms the incoming cold water. Quite frankly, I don't want a maid living in my place, so I converted 'her' bedroom into a storage room and 'her' bathroom (which is outside the house) to the one I run to when I get out of the car and have to pee but can't wait to get the front door unlocked.
No such thing as you wheeling your own groceries to the car. Grocery carts are prevented from leaving the store. At the checkout, the goods are bagged and placed in another specialized cart by the box-boy and he/she will cart everything to your car and load your trunk...for a .25 or .50 cent tip. ZERO wayward carts strewn about the parking lots like back home.
Very few places will take a credit card. Generally, only larger stores. Otherwise, it's cash, or debit card...sometimes not even a debit card. And, forget trying to use anything larger than a $20 bill. No one will take anything larger. I paid for my furniture ($2,000) all with 20's.
Sorry, no self-serve gas here. It must be pumped by an attendant. Hey...they have a job!!
Speaking of gas stations, the air and water dispensers are FREE!!! So THERE....take THAT USA!!!
I'm taking Spanish classes. The alphabet is interesting. Yep, even that is different. WE have 30 letters in the alphabet!! 'CH', 'LL', 'RR', and 'N' (with the squiggly-do over the top) are added to the standard 26. Now, get this, 'B' is pronounced 'Bay' and 'V' is not pronounced like 'Vee'. It is pronounced like a 'B' (Bay). Soooooo....how do you differentiate between a 'B' and a 'V' when you are telling someone how to spell 'Victoria' or 'Belagosi'? Well, for 'B' you say 'bay grande'. For 'V' you say 'bay pequena'. Got it? Now, explain it to ME!!
I mentioned before that all the lawn mowing of the parks, street medians, sidewalk strips, etc are done by a crew of weedwhackers annnnnnd the cuttings are hand-raked...YESSSS....you read correctly. Can you imagine? I have NEVER seen a lawn mower, much less a riding one, used to keep the public greens manicured. There's more. Recently, I saw crews working on the weeds growing in the cracks of walkways, and those clumps that creep and overgrow their bounds. They were using simple hoes and picks to manually and laboriously conquer the weed demons. No chemicals. In fact, you can't go to a hardware store (for example) and buy from an array of weed killers like you can at Home Depot or Lowes. The only people/stores that can sell chemicals such as that are those who carry the proper license. For example, nurseries typically have chemicals for obvious reasons, but they can't (or won't) sell it to the public. Chemicals are tightly controlled here.
I've seen only a few fire stations in the entire city of Cuenca. What's going to burn? Everything is made of concrete or brick! Sure, the couch and drapes may go up in the flames, but there's little other fuel for the fire to find to bring down an entire house.

THE END

Observations - 1st Edition

2011-09-21T17:30:00.001-04:00

- Gosh, I'm very tardy with this post. Not that I have a schedule I must adhere to. Nothing is a 'must' here in EC. I've been pretty busy lately, and when I'm not, I've been lazy. No photos this time, sorry.

Being an Analyst in my former profession, I analyze everything to death. I have to be careful with my Ecuadorian friends because I tend to make a lot of comparisons between the USA and EC. What we do, what we have THERE and what we do and what we have HERE. I make it a point of reiterating I'm not saying one is better than the other, I'm just making an observation of the differences. If you've only lived in one place, there's nothing to compare to. I've lived in Washington and Califiornia, in the country sticks and the beeg ceety, and traveled all over Europe, a bit in Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean. I love to observe the culture, lifestyle, laws (or lack thereof), habits, and character of the people wherever I am.

Here's a random list of observations I've had in the 7 months I've lived here in Ecuador.

There are virtually no drive-thru fast food joints. No Jack in the Box, Carls Jr, McD's, Taco Hell, or Arby's.
It's challenging to find any coffee that resembles what we used to order up on a daily basis at Starbucks back home. Once in a blue moon, you'll find someone who serves a cafe latte, but forget about any flavors or special ordering.
Baking Soda is next-to-non-existent. Bicarbonado in a small plastic bag can be found at specialized spice tiendas (stores).
Kitchens in homes here are purely functional. Cabinets, countertops, and appliances are there for a job, not for looks. Kitchens are not designed to be a social gathering place or a status symbol. Dishwashers are extremely rare, even in new construction. Kinda like a toilet. It's there for pooping and peeing...not to ooh and ahhh (though you might find yourself uttering those sounds while pooping or peeing). But, I digress.
People seemingly don't care about noise. Constant horn-honking, incessant dog-barking, car alarms running rampid (or chirping when turned on /off) is just part of everybody's 'normal'. NOT MINE!!
Everyone is pretty kick-back. Long lines at the bank? No problemo. No one is in a hurry or stressed out.
Dogs don't have collars, or ID tags, and they wander anywhere and everywhere they damn well please. They are very adept at maneuvering through all the dangers of roaming free. They are rarely bathed or groomed. There are verrrrrry interesting combinations of mutts here....like german shepard and chihuahuha. Freaky.
You are not allowed to turn right while the light is red...even if there is no traffic coming.
Drivers regularly drive through stop signs. Frequently, even red lights.
Rarely do people just say 'hi'. 99% will address you formally "Good Morning" "Good Afternoon" "Good Evening"....but in Spanish of course. You always have to be aware of the time of day so you know which expression to use.
Burger King and KFC are the most common recognizable fast food joints in EC...typically associated with a mall. McDonalds is a rarity. (thank goodness)
There is no house-to-house mail delivery service in EC. NO JUNK MAIL!!!
I have yet to hear the sound of someone slamming on their brakes and the resulting screeching of tires.
Gyms, the few that exist, are small, not sprawling, glamorous complexes.
There are maybe 5-6 large supermarkets that serve the entire city of Cuenca....a city of over 500,000....made up of 2 or 3 companies.
Property taxes are low. Approximately $100 - $200 a YEAR (vs $5,600 I pay back home). And, they go DOWN the longer you stay in your home.
Out of gas (for hot water, cooking , etc)? Just listen for one of many small trucks loaded down with a hundred 70lb tanks driving slowly thru the neighborhood beeping his horn. Run to the front door and wave him down. Give him your old tank and he'll give you a full tank. $2. I guess if his horn stops working, he's outa business.
So far, I have not had to produce one prescription for medications I take. I walk into any pharmacy and tell them what I want, buy it, and walk out the door with product in hand.
Whether old house or new house, every single freakin door has keys. Every bedroom, office, bathroom...HAS A FREAKING KEY!!! That's one of the first things I got rid of. I swapped out all my interior doorknobs with simple privacy locks that don't require a key. I must've thrown away 20 keys!!!
There doesn't appear to be a maximum limit on how many people can be on ONE motorcycle. It's all too common I see a male driver with a young child between him and the handebars, with wife behind him, with baby in wifes arms....all without helmets.
Speaking of motorcycles, for some unknown reason, it is extremely rare to see a motorcycle larger than 250cc. Almost all the shops sell 125cc, 200cc, and 250cc. Even the cops ride 250's. To give a perspective, my 'road hog' I had back in the USA was 1,300cc !!
Chevy Grand Vitaras are probably the most common car in EC. They are assembled here in EC. Try counting all that you see on the roads while out running errands and you'll quickly be into the 3 figures.
Regular gas almost never fluctuates from the $1.48 (a gallon) price. Super generally bounces around from $2 to $2.20.
Latino men LOVE their hair. Whether they're going to be digging ditches or work in an office, their hair is PERFECT.
Professional dress is still the requirement in the office. Suits/ties for men. No such thing as 'casual day'...or, on the rare occasion there is, it's slacks and dress shirt.
In Cuenca, we surpassed our average annual rainfall of 29" by JUNE!!!! We are STILL having torrential rainfalls.
Very seldom do I see anyone simply panhandling without anything in exchange. Everyone here seems to WORK (read 'earn') the money they receive, even if it means standing in the middle of an intersection and bouncing a ball on their head, juggling swords, or twirling colorful flags....then walking between the rows of cars to receive tips (if any)...smiling and thanking their audience.
Kids play freely and without fear in the streets, yards, parks, and neighborhoods. They walk home from school with their friends, unaccompanied by an adult.
School busses are generally the size of a VW bus. They are yellow. They don't have swing-out STOP signs. You are not required to stop behind a school bus loading/unloading students.
There is no such thing as 'don't talk to strangers' here.
99% own small cars and/or small pickups. They don't own enormous gas-guzzling behemoths, but you'd think they would what with all the hills, rough dirt roads and such that screams for a 4x4 and big powerful engines. No, they keep things simple. I guess the big, domineering, ego trucks are only for those city dwellers in the USA, that never see the light of day of a rough hilly road, but need to at least fantasize of the idea. But, I digress.
It's ALLLLL about families here. BOTH parents dote on their children, young or old. Kids WANT to be with their parents...even into their 20's and 30's. Kids show a great deal of respect for their parents and grand parents. It's very common to see young adults walking arm-in-arm with their Moms. It seems as though everyone has kids-in-tow here...everywhere you go. Thank goodness, it's rare to see and hear a brat screaming and flailing about because he/she wants something the parent won't give. Kids are spoiled here..but with affection...not with materialistic things.
Speaking of...you're hard-pressed to find any home or yard scattered with debris in the form of abandoned toys. Dunno why. Maybe parents don't buy that many for them. Kids seem to be content with a stick, chalk, a soccer ball, or whatever else they find and make use of.
Soccer is KING here. Everywhere you look, kids and adults are kicking the ball around in yards, parks, wherever there is space.
Pedestrians do NOT have the right of way....cars do. It's so strange to see pedestrians purposely stop to let a car pass, whereas back home it would be the other way around...pedestrians would flip you off if you hindered their walking. Sometimes I'll stop to let a pedestrian cross and the expression on their face is HUH???...then they express a 'Thank you' and go along their way. I think it makes better sense here...it keeps traffic flowing. People take responsibility for their OWN actions.
Ice cream is a normal, everyday treat here.
Good luck getting anything done between 1pm and 3pm. Either the store is closed, or if they're open, the person you need is invariably out to lunch...come back after 3pm.
Peanut butter is not a commonly purchased product here. I have YET to find one peanut butter cookie to buy. WAAGGGHHH!!!!
Eggs and milk (in cartons) are on the dry shelves in markets...not in coolers. Markets sell very little in the way of frozen foods and next-to-none in the way of pre-packaged frozen meals.
Haircuts cost $2 to $4.
Need your car cleaned? A manual car wash, including pressure washing the engine, and underbody of the car (a guy descends into a pit below the car and manually sprays the underside), wheel wells spic-n-span, vacuumed, interior wiped down and treated, windows cleaned, exterior dried...all of which entails about 45 minutes of work. $8.50
The average shop rate at a dealer mechanic is $25 an hour...versus over $100 back home. Far less, of course, if you go to one of a zillion neighborhood mechanics shops.
Speaking of mechanics, you ARE allowed in the shop and you CAN crawl under the car (or go down into the pit) with the mechanic (with their approval, of course). No fear here!!
Doctors give you their home phone #.
There are no sprawling (or multi-level) parking lots at the airport. There is NO overnight parking, either. There's one small parking lot to pick up your family/friend. Otherwise, taxi's are used.
In Quito, you can walk right up to the Presidential Palace (equivilant of White House). The busy street out front is maybe 50 ft from the front.
Everywhere you go, there are armed guards (not pistols in holsters...but holding a rifle in front of them) posted at the front doors, whether it be a bank or a pharmacy or appliance store. It isn't because it's unsafe, it's to squash any notion of robbing the place. It's very effective. And, they actually say hello to you and welcome you.

THTHTHTHTHTHAT's ALL FOLKS!!!

Trebol Roses

2011-08-31T21:47:00.003-04:00

I'm a subscriber to a few online forums geared towards the Ex-Pat community here in Cuenca and Ecuador in general. It's a means to share information as well as be informed of events such as free symphony concerts, something for sale, tours, classes in cooking, etc etc. Recently I read a notice in one of the forums that the Chamber of Commerce was organizing a tour of a local rose-growing operation.    Well, I love roses (had 32 of them at my house in the US), so HELL YEAH!!

At 9:45am, about 25 of us boarded a modern tour bus (Greyhound sized) and set out for the country. Once we got off the highway, we were on crude roads climbing up into the hillsides. I kept thinking, why so far away from all the services of shipping, etc?   We got down to a 1-lane dirt road that seemed a bit steep of such a massive bus. At one point, we had to force a guy in a pickup to back up a few hundred feet. We did a little backing up of our own (to the gasps of women aboard fearing we would plummet off a precipice) because the bus tires were spinning out in the wet dirt. As we approached the farm/plantation, we barely cleared the trees, poles, and whatnot lining the edge of the road.   People came out of their homes along the way and gawked at this behemoth acting like a 4 x 4. Kids were in awe. What the.....??? I think even the cows and sheep were baffled. Chickens scrambled everywhere. I swear I could hear them shrieking 'the sky is falling, the sky is falling!!'.

We arrived at a beautiful finca (farm) with a hacienda-style house with walkways lined with a zillion white calla-lillies, as well as iris's, and hydrangeas.

The owners, a very handsome couple probably in their 40's, greeted us. The operation has been in the family for 3 generations. Originally, it was strictly a dairy farm, but Juan Carlos saw the opportunity to grow roses and started that part of the operation 15 years ago. As of now, the rose farm consumes approximately 30 acres.    JC (so I don't have to type Juan Carlos) and his wife are part of the Cuenca Chamber of Commerce and opened his operation to us as a way to engage Ex-Pats and, hopefully, take advantage of the knowledge and expertise we bring to Cuenca. Trebol Roses is generally not open to the public. No one could agree on whether this was a farm, or a nursery, or a plantation because it had an air of charm even though it was a million-dollar business.

So, off to the greenhouses we went. Each greenhouse housed thousands of rose bushes...all hybrid teas. Each section was a color/breed. JC detailed their day to day operations....how every day roses are cut at the right time, every day shipments in refrigerated trucks drive to Guayaquil and/or Quito and then flown to various countries, someone inspects all the rows (with a magnifying glass) for any bugs, how certain breed names are in demand more at one time of the year than another, and now some simply no longer have a demand and are pulled up and thrown away. ARRGGGGHHHHH!!!!!

As you'll see in one of the photos, some of the rose plants reach 8ft tall, or higher. They strive for LONG STEM roses as they pay more $$.   The longest is 1 meter, which is about 39" or slightly more than 3 feet long!!! They export to many countries, aside from the US, to Russia, Argentina, Germany, etc.

Everything is done manually, except for the fact that a lot of infomation is documented and tracked via the computer.   Other than that, no machinery is used to process the roses.   Read the captions on the photos and you'll see just how manual this entire process is.

At the end of our tour, we convened in the hacienda (house) which was a dreamers dream come true of warmth and charm. Lots of old memorabilia and history was seen. It was a bit chilly, so several of us gathered around an old cast-iron wood-burning stove. We were served hot drinks (dunno what it was but it was good) and the dining table was outfitted with an array of sandwiches, pastries, and cookies common to Ecuador.   The hacienda was so charming , we threatened to not leave. I asked...how many bedrooms??? The hosts thanked us for coming and presented us with a gift....

TWO DOZEN LONG-STEMMED RED ROSES!!!!!

Ok, do the math.   25 of us, 2 dozen roses. They forked over 600 roses as gifts!!!

Like....OMG!!!

Back on the bus and down the winding roads and back to Cuenca, everyone was satiated by a great trip. We were back by 3:30pm

Ok, get THIS.

Bus for an hour's drive each way, to and from
Tour (about 2 hours)
Lunch/goodies
2 dozen long-stemmed roses for each person

Cost????

$8

GET OUT!!!!!

Row after row after row of greenhouses nestled waaaay back in the hills far off the main highway.

Cut little church as we neared Trebol Roses.

This photo may not look too exciting because there aren't a lot of roses in bloom. That's what you DON'T want, because each rose must be cut before it blooms, while it is still a tight bud.

The metal structure you see above us is the mechanism used to move the buckets filled with cut roses along to the sorting and boxing area. Sort of like a manual aerial tram to move the cut roses along.

These things are TALL!!! I'm 6ft. (ps...bad hair day)

Those paper sacks are placed over buds to give them warmth and speed along their development, especially if that particular breed/color is in high demand at the moment.

After cutting, the roses are placed in a cage box to keep them upright and separated, then the cage is sunk into vats of water which contains chlorine to keep bacteria from damaging the flowers.

No automation here. Every single rose is taken from the 'cage box', stripped of its lower leaves, then held up to a placard (which she is doing here) to measure the length. Based on the length, they are manually sorted into different racks based on size. The longer the rose, the more $$ they command.

Though it looks like a dozen, there's actually another dozen enveloped in the same bundle. The top portion of the flowers are protected by cardboard wrap and dividers.

Would you believe these are THROWAWAYS!!! Because the bloom has opened too much.

In the refrigerated room, ready to be placed in cardboard boxes and loaded onto a truck, bound for who knows where.

Ok, so it's not a rose, but this sucker located at the entrance to the house was about 4ft in diameter!!

View from inside the house to the gardens in back.

The 2 dozen gifted roses on my dining table

Located far off the highway, way back in the rolling, green hills of Ecuador. A long ways from the nearest HomeDepot!!!! (there ain't any)

The Return Drive Home from Salinas

2011-08-22T19:50:00.000-04:00

The return trip from Salinas to Cuenca was a breeze (except for that time the cop pulled me over...oh, and that big-rig rollover accident). I made great time. It took about 6 hours to get to Salinas from Cuenca and that included all the downhill traveling out of the Andes. But, coming home only took me 5 hours and that included all the UPhill driving back into the Andes. I was buzzin along at 110 to 120 through all the flat areas!! Calm down Mother...that's KPH, not MPH.   Translated, 120 KPH is only 72 MPH.   I SAID CALM DOWN!!!

Travelling in the Andes is a different experience every time because of the cloud layer. Sometimes it's thick and you wonder when you'll ever climb (or descend) out of it, other times it's very thin and you're on the other side of it in no time, and yet other times (though rare) it's clear and sunny the entire way. This time, I was through the cloud layer in the lower levels, so all the upper driving was crystal clear and OHHHHHH what scenery!!   You can't help but be redundant in your reactions while driving. Turn a corner 'OMG'. Around another bend 'OMG!' And, you find yourself re-positioning your jaw from open to closed over and over.

What ticks me off is 'they' haven't developed a 3D digital camera for the average Joe/Jane yet. The pictures forthcoming just don't do it justice. What I saw and what is displayed here are waaaaay different. The impact of the scale of heights as well as the depth of valleys and ridges just don't convey. So, look deeply at the photos and look for the teeny tiny spots that are houses to give you a perspective of the true grandeur. If your software has it, use the Zoom feature (sometimes a slider down at the bottom) and scroll the photo back and forth, up and down.

Oh, almost forgot. The cop.   Wellllll....on my way TO Salinas, I got pulled over right out of a toll station because I idiotically picked up my cell phone, (following instructions of the people I was swapping houses with), to inform them I was at that junction. Woops. After checking all my paperwork, he let me go. Whew!!

That was TO Salinas.   On the way FROM Salinas, I got motioned over by a cop parked on the shoulder because I did a U-turn to get to the other side to enter a gas station. The U-turn area across from the gas station was closed off due to re-paving so I used the next one nearby...even though it had a No U-turn sign. But, geez, I would've had to travel another mile or two before I could turn around. How silly. Woops. After checking all my paperwork, he let me go, too. WHEW!!! And, I didn't even have to fork over any payola!!

On to the photo's......

Taken from about 10,000 ft at a roadside cafe perched at the edge of the world, looking down a few thousand feet. Note the white speck out there is a house.

Note the clusetr of homes down below. The green tinted glass on the left is where the dining area of the cafe is. Talk about a view of the world!!

See that dot to the right of center in this photo? A small house.

The line you see horizontally slicing through the hill is the highway I'm on.

Whoopsee. He must've been coming down too fast and oversteered in order to flip this way!

Nearing the summit at nearly 13,000 ft things get more scrub-brushy and big rock outcrops.

My Last Day at the Beach (Salinas)

2011-08-16T11:31:00.000-04:00

Waaagghh, boo-hoo, yea!!

Tomorrow I return home to Cuenca!!! A 2.5 hour drive to Guayaquil, then .5 hour traversing the city, then another 3 hours up, Up, UP into the Andes and home.

Speaking of Guayaquil (perfect segue), I dashed into GYE and back in one day on Friday. When I was coming back to Salinas in the early evening, I saw brakelights ahead and whirling police lights, so I slowed down. When I came to a stop, I was the 2nd car back from a crowd of teenagers blocking the 3 lanes of the highway going my direction. I thought there was an accident. But, it appeared to be some sort of demonstration. When someone tried to break through the mob with their car, they were quick to respond and prevent any crossing of the human line. On the other side of the highway (divided by a shallow ravine median), the traffic was moving freely. What the??? Then, the youths started dragging branches and pieces of wood onto the road to further prevent crossing. That made a few other drivers uncomfortable and they started backing up....to WHERE??? It's not like you can get the quickly accumulating crowd of cars behind you to all back up simultaneously!!! That maneuver left me in FRONT of the blockade. GRRREAT. I backed up a bit to create a bit of distance between me and the crowd. Next thing I knew, they were lighting the debris on fire. GRRREATTT. A few feeble attempts amounted to nothing, but then it took hold and we soon had huge flames. The half dozen (or less) police present were just hanging about, not doing much of anything. I guess they didn't want to provoke them further. By now, the other side of the highway was blocked, too. Meanwhile, I'm not sure what to do or not to do. I just decided to stay locked in the car in case someone wanted to take advantage of this gringo and make me the Rodney King of Ecuador. So, I decided to make like this was a big drive-in movie and got out the big bag of chips I just bought and started munching.

No one had placards conveying their message, so who knows what this was all about. But, I do know the area is lined with colleges and these appeared to be college-age kids, so maybe there's a connection there. More police arrived, and by 'more' I'm guessing another 6 or 7. More hanging out. Suddenly, people who had gotten out of their cars to see what was up, started running away from the group and I thought 'oh no'...but they were running back to their cars as they seemed to know something was about to occur and maybe traffic would get through. The police, sans any riot gear, apparently moved on the crowd and forced them off the road while at the same time putting out the fire and kicking the debris aside. As soon as there was an opening, drivers hit the gas and the stampede was on....driving over the burning embers and to FREEDOM!!!! I saw someone indicate to me that the crowd was throwing things, maybe rocks, and I wondered how many dents or broken windows I might end up with, but I got through without a scratch. It was nice driving back with no traffic ahead of me!! LOL

Ok, that was a major digression from the subject of this story, but it was worth it.

Now, to the beach.

The last few days have been very nice weather-wise. About 80 degrees (26C) and low on the humidity side. Friday was a national holiday, so that meant hordes of people from the city headed for the beaches for a 3-day weekend. I spent my last few days on the beach, soaking up the rays, watching all the people (lots of families and kids) as well the constant parade of hawkers selling their wares.

For 2 bucks you can rent a chair and umbrella. Plop down and watch the whole scene. Here's a list of things you can buy at any given moment as hawkers walk the stretch beach back and forth, repeatedly calling out their product::

sunglasses
clothes
snocones
cotton candy
beer
empanadas
jewelry
hats
coconuts (with milk inside)
ice cream
ceviche
potato chips
arts/crafts
inflatables
corn on the cob with cheese (ewww)
temporary tattoos
langostinos (jumbo shrimp)
langostas (lobster)
rides on the banana thingamabob behind a boat
jet ski rentals
....and much, much more!!

Many of the hawkers have 3-wheeled umbrella'd carts with wide bicycle tires they push back and forth on the beach.

After the beach, I headed for my favorite roadside outdoor seafood place situated in a cluster of a dozen or so others covering a square block. It was hopping due to the weekend crowds, so they had extra helpers in the form of kids. I don't mean 'forced child laborers'. These were family kids who were enjoying helping their parents and/or older siblings. My 'server' was 11 years old. He took my order, got me another beer, cleared my table...all with a smile...especially illuminated when I handed him a tip.

I mentioned it before, but this time I had 20 (a double order) butterflied, breaded shrimp, skip the rice and salad, but substituted papas fritas (french fries) for $10 plus two 20oz Pilsner beers for $1.50 each. YUM!! While eating my meal, hawkers were selling fresh jumbo shrimp and lobsters. I bought 2 pounds of shrimp ($10) and 3 small lobsters ($10). YUM!!

Enjoy the pics....and a video this time (when you run the video, click Full Screen in the bottom right-hand cornder)!! WOOHOO!!

The 'mob scene'

Bozo meets a lobster

An 'ocean' of red umbrellas cram the beach

Ride the banana towed behind a speedboat!!!

SnoCone cart vendor pedaling around the streets and neighborhoods offering up a cold treat.

Ice cream carts

SnoCone cart

This vendor is showing off for me. He takes a machete to hack open the tops of coconuts and hands it to you with a straw to drink the milk.

Sunglasses anyone?

Jewelry is everywhere.

The cluster of open-air seafood dives.

I have over 10,000 ____ (select the correct answer)

2011-08-12T09:16:00.000-04:00

Choose (only one) from the following possible answers to the question "I have over 10,000 _______":

cells in my body
cents in my IRA account (thanks USA Gov't)
bites on my body from my stay in Salinas
dogs in my neighborhood that bark incessantly
idiots living in the city who don't know how to use their car alarm
taxi drivers in the city who obviously don't know what the lines on the streets (or highway) mean
views of my blogs
salty sea shells from the seashore south of Salinas
dog and cat hairs stuck in my cars' upholstery
shares of Bank of America stock, now worth almost nothing

....and the answer IS!!!

I would be dead
Pretty darn close given the recent plummeting and general downward spiral of the economy in the USA
I would be dead. No, really, I only have about 30. ONLY!!!
Dog-gone close! But, since they're all running around in the streets and everywhere else, who can count them when they won't hold still!
Again, hard to count. But, my guess is....waaaay more.
I honestly think they know what the lines mean. You're supposed to straddle them, right?
If you selected this as your answer, you done good. Congratulations!!
Nope. They're all from NORTH of Salinas.
Sorry, I just don't have time to count them all. But, I'm bettin by the time I get back to Cuenca carrying my 3 kids in the car, I will have 20,000+ and only 4,829 will come out with the vacuum.
What kind of a dumbass do you think I am? Why would I hold stock of a company who's responsible for outsourcing thousands of USA jobs to other countries, thereby contributing to the demise of our economy??? HMMMM????

A great big THANKS to all of you who've read my postings thus far and another big THANKS for the many comments and compliments you've posted. I'm very flattered.

Now, on to ONE MEEEEELLION!!!!

Dano