Hacienda Uzhupud

On Friday, October 25th, Lance and I were lucky enough to be invited to lunch at Hacienda Uzthupud.  Our helper, Victor, drove us to Roz and Ken's house, and then he took all of us to this beautiful place.  When we arrived, we met up with 2 other couples that are friends of Roz and Ken.

Hacienda Uzhupus is a beautiful estate located about 30 minutes outside of Cuenca.  It is surrounded by mountains, lovely gardens, a heated pool and hot tub, and an organic vegetable garden that supplies the restaurant and cafe.  It also offers horseback riding.

We all took a tour of the grounds, then sat down for a delicious, relaxing meal.  We enjoyed everyones company and are looking forward to the day when we can return and spend the night.  I hope you enjoy the pictures.

 Here I am posing with Roz and Ken.

Here is a nice picture that Ken took of all of us at the table.  Thanks for sending it my way Ken.

On Saturday and Sunday we went to the park and the market.  Here are a few photos from the weekend.  

There were some kind of demonstrations going on at Parque Calderon on Saturday.  The woman above is weaving a hat and the man below is writing names with glue and applying glitter to the glue.

Here is a sample of all the wonderful fruits and vegetables we have to choose from at the market.  When we go to the market we always ask permission before taking a picture.  We usually ask to take the photo after we have purchased something. 

Lance loves all the different juices they offer.  He had a coconut drink and I tried Mora juice.   Yum!

This picture was taken from above.  

On the way home on Saturday, we saw this clown standing in front of a store trying to attract people to a grand opening of a new store or a sale...we are not sure which one it was.  He saw me with my camera and posed.

Just another delightful weekend in Cuenca! 

Oh the Places We Go...and the People We Meet

It continues to be a busy life here in Cuenca.  Everyday we discover something new and meet so many nice, kind people.  Last Saturday we finally had the opportunity to meet up with our new friends Roz and Ken.  We went to the Jazz Society to hear a duo from Southern California.  It was nice to catch up with them and hear about their past year in Cuenca.  They have always been so kind and  helpful to Lance and myself.  We appreciate their friendship and hope to see them as often as possible, even though they now live on the outskirts of Cuenca.  Sorry...no pictures of the event...I didn't think to bring my phone.

Sunday Lance and I headed down to the Inca Lounge and Bistro for lunch.  As we passed the park we could hear music playing.  We were surprised to see two native (North) American men playing instruments and entertaining a small crowd.

A little bit later, I received a text from my daughter, Erin, asking if anyone watches the Packers in Cuenca.  As we approached the Lounge, here is what we saw...

it was Mike, the owner of the place, wearing a Packers jersey.  I asked if I could take his picture and he happily posed.  Mike hails from Alaska, and he told us that some girls from UWM had given him the shirt.  The Inca Lounge is part restaurant, and part sports bar.  They are one of the "go to" places if you want to watch North American football.  Mike is very friendly, and runs a nice establishment.  He referred to living in Cuenca as an expat "lite" experience.  I would have to agree.  Despite our lack of the language, we have found it very easy to get around and the people most helpful.  I'm sure it would be much harder in other countries.  While there we met a couple from Cleveland who are interested in moving to Cuenca, so we sat with them and shared a little bit of our experience.

Monday, we had lunch with another new friend, Barbara, that we met on our previous trip to Cuenca.  Barbara is originally from Germany, but she has lived in many different and interesting places.  We had a nice conversation and will no doubt get together with her again sometime soon.

Tuesday we paid a visit to the Mall del Rio which is the biggest and fanciest mall in Cuenca.  They have a Coral store there...which might remind you of Walmart...and many other upscale shops that display items and brand names that would be familiar to people back in the states.  Most of the stores at the mall and in El Centro are already preparing for Christmas.  We saw a huge Christmas tree being assembled in the mall and the Coral store had large displays of candy and animal crackers.

 Here is a picture of the food court at the mall.  It has a large screen T.V. and many familiar fast food restaurants, including McDonalds, Burger King, Pizza Hut, Subway etc.  It also has a car dealership.

These pictures show Lance holding the large sacks of candy and animal crackers that can be found in the Coral store.

Wednesday, we had to take our unexpected trip to Quito to get pictures for our residency visa.  We flew with another couple, Glenn and Mara, who also needed photos.  Glen and Mara moved to Cuenca a few days before us.  They were very nice, had interesting stories to share, and had much more knowledge of Ecuador due to several trips they had made in the past.  They were also very good at speaking Spanish...which was a great help to Lance and myself.  Interestingly enough, Glenn had gone to school in Oak Creek, WI and Mara had gone to Northwestern University, but also spent some time in the Milwaukee area while dating Glenn.  However, they spent most of their married life in Alaska.

Mara taught kindergarten...go figure...and I believe Glenn worked with computers.  They are both musically talented.  In fact, Glenn's brother, Gordon, is in the well known Milwaukee band, The Violent Femmes.  We appreciated having someone to spend the day with while we took care of business.

   

 It was our first visit to Quito, and we were amazed at how close the mountains are to the city.  Parts of it are very beautiful.  Unfortunately, we didn't get to visit the historic center.  Instead we flew into the new airport...which is many miles away from the city.  After a long cab ride we arrived at the old airport, met someone from Gringo Visas who was there to help us, then drove with them directly to the office where we had our paperwork and pictures done.  Afterwards, we went for lunch with one of the helpers, a very nice gentleman who had previously done mission work in Cuenca.  When lunch was done, we headed back to the airport where we sat and visited for the afternoon, waiting for our 6:00 flight back to Cuenca.  I wish I could have gotten some nice pictures of the area, but we spent most of the time in a car and it was hard to get a good shot.  Someday we will have to return to Quito for a longer, more relaxing visit.

We continue to enjoy our stay at the Gran Colombia Suites.  There are so many nice and helpful people that work here.  One of our favorites is the handsome gentleman who works at the front desk.  His name is EnZo and he always has a smile on his face, is impeccably dressed, and goes out of his way to help everyone.  He grew up in Cuenca, but speaks very good English...which is helpful to us.  We LOVE EnZo!!!

Today is Thursday...and Lance and I have our second Spanish class.  It is going to be a challenge.  We attend as true beginners, but there are many in the class that clearly have more experience than us.  We will continue to work hard at this because it is important that we know how to talk to the local people.  That does it for today.  Tomorrow we take another exciting trip with Roz, Ken, and friends of theirs.  I will have a new post about that experience in the days to come.

If you are a friend of mine and following this blog...please let me know by becoming a follower.  It's nice to know who is taking the time to read it.  On a personal note...Mrs. Weaver, if you are reading this, please email me...I would love to hear from you.  I hope you all enjoy a nice weekend.  I'm sure it's starting to get cold in Wisconsin...here the weather seems to get nicer each day.  :)

   

Why Ecuador?

Ever since Lance and I made the decision to move to Ecuador, people have asked us why...why would we move to Ecuador?  Sometimes they would follow that question with...Do they have cars?  Do they have the internet?  Will you be living in a hut?  (Seriously?)  Will you be safe?  Can you drink the water?   Hopefully this post will answer once and for all...Why Cuenca, Ecuador.

As you already know from my previous post, Cuenca has many buildings located in the historic center that have been renovated on the inside.  They also have many, many new buildings outside the historic downtown area...and they continue to build more.  Yes, they have good wifi, Direct TV, and all other modern conveniences that you enjoy in the United States.  Yes, they have cars, taxi's, busses, and in another year or so they will have light rail going right through the historic downtown and beyond.  And...yes, you can drink the water...at least in Cuenca...but probably not in some other areas.  Most importantly, it is a charming city with friendly, kind people who are always willing to help you. Everyday there is something new to explore or learn.

On Saturday, October 18th, Lance and I walked one block from our apartment to see a parade that celebrated rural indigenous women.  Groups of women from different rural areas gathered downtown in their traditional dress.  It's important to note that what they wear in the pictures are often the same clothes they wear everyday.  You will see them at the markets or on the streets dressed in these traditional outfits that they have worn for over a hundred years.  Take a look...

When we first arrived at the park, groups of women were gathering together in anticipation of the parade.  Yep, that's me waiting on the bench for the parade to begin. 

Each group of ladies wore distinctive hats and/or outfits.

These two photos are my favorites.  These young men were lively and loved to play to the crowd.  They were with the group of ladies pictured above with the colorful skirts. 

They also had stuffed animals set up in the park that could be used for taking a child's picture.   Checkout the big horse at the far end.  It looked real if you didn't get too close.  They also had a real St. Barnard Dog that you could pose with in a photo.

Eventually everyone was organized and it was time for the parade to begin.

Along the parade route you would see people selling fruit or other things to eat.  This is something that you see everyday on the streets of Cuenca...not just on parade days.  

As we rounded the bend on the parade route I snapped a picture of the mountains that surround Cuenca.  It was a beautiful sunny day which was a welcome sight because it had been cloudy and rainy since we arrived.  (This was taken with just my iPhone camera...that's how close those mountains are to the city.)

The parade ended at a plaza where the people had set up a bazar to sell food and other craft items.  

 I'm not exactly sure what this is...but it looked interesting.

After touring the plaza we headed over the river to look for an Italian man who sells brick oven baked breads and homemade cheese...the best in Cuenca.  As we crossed the river we saw evidence that a family had come down to do their wash.  This was a more common practice years ago, but you don't see it as often today.  (And, yes, we do have washers and dryers in Cuenca.)   

 The Italian baker and cheese maker was located in this lovely little shopping area near the University.

People gathered there to buy his wares.  He plans to open a store sometime next year, but until that happens, he sells his homemade bread, cheese and sausages at this outdoor market.  They were a little pricy by Ecuadorian standards, but delicious!

It was just another fun and exciting day in Cuenca, Ecuador.  Please make sure you leave comments...I promise I will respond in due time.