Today was mostly dedicated to interviewing Spanish Schools for taking lessons when we come back.  But first, we had breakfast at San Sebas, as we had promised the owners yesterday. We struck up a conversation with a man sitting at the next table, and then moved our meals over to join him.  Jim Becker is […]

Today is Ash Wednesday, so the town is about half back to life.  Many people are still taking today off, but tomorrow should return to normal around here. Efrain, from MIO Tours, picked us up again today at 9:00 sharp, and drove us to El Cajon National Park.  The trip was a little disappointing, through […]

Today was a lazy day for us.  Most of the town was closed down for Fat Tuesday (the day before the Catholic holiday of Ash Wednesday).  While Rio and New Orleans have massive parades on this day, Cuenca goes into a mass hysteria of kids bringing out all their big guns.  Everywhere you go are […]

We had scheduled a tour of the surrounding craft villages for today.  Efrain was there waiting to pick us up at our hotel a few minutes before the scheduled time.  We have noticed that everyone is on time, and even restaurant service is fast in Cuenca — not at all what we have come to […]

Squirt guns have been left at the door, as it seems every kid in town is now toting an aerosol can of Carnaval Foam.  This looks like a cousin of the “silly string” we have terrorized friends with in past years around New Years.  A broad spray of foam is sent out to the hapless […]

Shot in the back!  Squirt guns rule the roads!  All flee in panic! Carnaval is upon us, and here in Cuenca, Carnaval is more “water war” than booze.  The weather is warm and (mostly) kids roam the streets, often in the back of their parent’s pick-up truck, spraying anyone they see — with Gringos being […]

We took a 30 minute TAME flight from Guayaquil to Cuenca at 7AM. While in the airport and on the flight, I attempted to read the Spanish language newspaper, and was very pleasantly surprised at how much I could understand.  I have rarely attempted any spoken Spanish since we sold our last airplane in 1992 […]

Our trusty airport limo driver was outside our door this morning at 4:00AM sharp.  Oh well, I’m already up and showered, so no need to curse him for being prompt at that hour… The American Airlines flight from San Francisco to Miami was one of the roughest commercial flights I can remember. I got a […]