We have now been in Cuenca for seven weeks, with four more before we return to California. Things are starting to finally settle into a routine. I took the time today to gather some of my favorite photos from this trip. Most are from Cuenca, where we have spent five of these weeks, though there […]
It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas…
This weekend the Christmas lights went up along 12 de Abril (the street we are living on) and Plaza Otorongo (about two blocks from our apartment), so we went over to have a look late last night. Plaza Otorongo has a super-size Nativity scene in lights which draws crowds of families The static images were […]
Random Walk Through Cuenca #3
The weather is dreary today, and after a week of travel, we are just staying inside. Figured it might be time for the third installment of random thoughts about Cuenca, and about Ecuador in general. Bus System: The bus system throughout Ecuador is cheap, efficient, and heavily utilized. You can travel within any city for […]
They Lied!
All the guide books state that Bano de la Aqua is 4 hours driving from Quito and 4 hours from Cuenca. We figured that made it a nice stop-over on the way back from Cotacachi (two hours North of Quito). We found yesterday that it took over 8 hours from Cotacachi to Bano, which means […]
The Chain of Buses
I woke up this morning with the first real allergy attack I have had on this trip. Cotacachi is a veritable garden of flowers. We will probably not settle here, both due to the allergy issue and the small size of the town would probably leave us bored after a couple months. We decided to […]
It Won’t Rain Today…
We left Quito yesterday morning. Neither of us was feeling very well — it appears that the 1200 additional feet of altitude from Cuenca to Quito was harder on us than we had expected. We decided to splurge and hired a taxi for $55 to take us to Cotacachi, rather than face the hassle of […]
Getting High in Quito
We flew into Quito yesterday. Though only 1200 ft higher than Cuenca (9400 vs 8200), I felt the altitude almost immediately. Combined with a low grade illness I started earlier in the day, I have felt pretty miserable most of today. Combined with the cold, I will be glad to leave Quito tomorrow, soon after […]
Rooftop Party As Pauline Leaves Cuenca
New Cathedral domes in the afternoon from neighboring rooftop Santo Domingo church, as seen from the same rooftop New Cathedral after sundown as seen from rooftop across the main square This afternoon we went to a party thrown by Vivian Slade — the jazz singer we have listened to several times from The Jazz Society. […]
10,000 Types of Orchids Plus Guitars
Gonna be a rather long post tonight, as this was a busy day with lots of stuff happening. I have attempted to add subtitles tonight, to let you tune in where desired, or skip areas you are not interested in. Driver Recommendation We had three different people recommend Angel Panchez (phone: 0985899643, email: anhelp_68@yahoo.com) as […]
Art Class Completed
Evelyn has just completed a series of art classes taught by renown Santa Fe instructor, Gary Myers, in his home studio in El Centro. Because art materials and studio supplies are scarce in Cuenca, Gary and Arie have developed innovative tools to use. For student easels, he used wooden wedges that were being used as […]
