Giving Thanks in Cuenca

We had a wonderful time at Roz and Ken's on Thanksgiving Day.   Ken sent someone to pick us up in a cab around 3:00 P.M.  We loaded up the trunk with plants, and two side dishes, then drove to Gilberto and Elaine's house.  More food, champagne, and wine were added to the car and then all four of us took off for the country.  It was a beautiful day...sunny and warm.

When we arrived, Ken and Roz were ready for us.  Ken had prepared some delicious appetizers, and had the turkey prepped and cooking on the grill.  Roz had the whole house looking beautiful.  Jazz was playing in the background and everyone was happy to be there.  Gilberto opened a huge bottle of champagne, and we all had a toast to new friends and our new life in Cuenca.  We sat and visited with each other while we enjoyed the warmth of the late afternoon sun.

Ken and Roz were nice enough to offer Lance a small plot of their land so he could plant some flowers.  He had hoped to get some vegetable plants, but was having trouble locating them.  Someone at a local garden shop is going to look for them and let Lance know when they arrive.

Nothing makes Lance happier than having his hands in the dirt, planting a garden.  While we visited, Lance worked away in his new garden and Ken kept his eye on the turkey.

As you can see by Ken's face, cooking is serious business!  

Here is Elaine and Ken posing for a picture.  Sorry about the lighting...the sun wasn't cooperating.

 Roz had a beautiful table set for us.  We sat down and all of us enjoyed a fantastic meal.  The turkey was juicy and done to perfection.  The green beans w/ fixings and the mashed potatoes that Gilberto and Elaine brought were delicious.  Even our sweet and sour purple cabbage turned out pretty good.  One of my many favorite dishes was the stuffing...yum!  I've got to get that recipe from Ken.  Roz did a great job on the gravy too!  

After dinner, some played a round or two of ping pong outside.  We enjoyed two dessert's around the fire pit...pumpkin pie and apple crisp with vanilla ice cream.  Then, it was time to go.  Our cab driver came back and took us home.

I wish I had more pictures...but that's what happens were you're too busy having fun.  Thanks Roz and Ken...it was a delightful holiday and we were honored to spend it with you, Gilberto, and Elaine. 

Life has begun to settle down here in Cuenca.  We finally received our residency visa and our cedula, which is the national ID card.  The cedula is good for 10 years.  We started this process back at the beginning of August in the United States and just completed it this week.  Having the cedula allows us to open a bank account in Cuenca.  It also enables us to apply for health insurance...which is much cheaper than in the United States.  We plan to do both of those things on Tuesday.  

The other day as we were returning from getting our cedula, we saw a protest taking place near Parque Calderon.  Actually, that isn't so unusual...we often see protests of one kind or another taking place there.  This one was a little different because it appeared to be mostly college students that were protesting.  They would march along the street chanting, then, sit down on the street.  After several moments, they would stand up and begin to run, then, start the whole procedure all over again.  As far as I can tell, they were protesting violence against women.  The police blocked the traffic from the other streets for the protest and then stood back and quietly watched. 

An hour later, when we came back outside, it was all done.

In town and along the river the lights are going up for the Christmas season.  They will be lit on December 5th.  Carolina, who works at our front desk, is collecting toys for the poor children in some of the rural areas.  We decided to make a donation.  We got fashion dolls for the girls and trucks for the boys.  We also bought some candy.    

Each child will get one small toy and a bag of candy for Christmas.  Her family does this every year.  She invited Lance and I to go with them to hand out the bags.  We are very excited to have this opportunity!  

I also went shopping for art supplies this week to donate to an all girls orphanage that is run by the Catholic Church.  I will hopefully be doing some volunteer work there in the weeks and months to come.  I will be teaching an art class with another ex-pat, Bettina, who comes from Canada.  She has a number of programs that she would like to offer the girls, including yoga, cooking class, and an art class.  

Finally, we heard that the tenant at the condo we are hoping to rent will be moving out on January 15th.  We will move in a few days later and work with a decorator to make some minor changes.  Below is a picture of the place.  It was featured in a local magazine because of it's unique design.  I will post more pictures after we move into our new digs.

I hope all of my family and friends enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving.  It's just a few weeks until the Christmas holiday begins.  It will actually be our second Christmas here, because we vacationed here during last Christmas.  We are looking forward to the big parade on Christmas Eve and hoping to participate in some other holiday events.  Please write if you find the time.  We always enjoy hearing news from back home. 

Our 1 Month Anniversary in Cuenca!

On Wednesday, November 12th, we celebrated our 1 month anniversary of living here in Cuenca, Ecuador.  In that short amount of time, we have learned a lot.  We now know the area where we live and no longer get lost when we leave our apartment.  Grocery shopping takes much less time, because we recognize some of the brands, and know where to look for certain items that we use on a regular basis.  We have visited many restaurants, and met many nice, friendly people that we enjoy spending time with.  Our Spanish isn't great, but we certainly know more than when we came, and we really like our teacher...she is kind and very encouraging.   On Monday we will get our passport back with our Residency Visa stamp on it, and then will apply for our cedula.  Overall, everything is progressing smoothly...and we are having a great time.

Saturday was another fun, adventure day.  Lance and I took the bus with Roz and Ken to a rustic looking Mexican restaurant named Agave, which is located near the town of Giron, for lunch.  We arrived at Terminal Terrestre at 11:00 on Saturday morning where we planned to meet Roz and Ken, then board the bus.  We've never been there before.  Inside the terminal were all kinds of shops selling lots of candy and snacks, as well as books, magazines, etc.

Outside the terminal there were 2 fountains and a nice area where you could sit outside.  We waited there for Roz and Ken to arrive.

Once they arrived we went inside and bought a ticket for 10 cents to go through the turn-style.  Then, we boarded the bus.  If you've never been on an out of town bus in Ecuador, it is quite an experience.  They play lively music, and all kinds of venders hop on and off the bus with items they want to sell you.  They offer all kinds of things, including fruit, candy, baked goods, etc.  A polite, "No, Gracias," will send them on their way to the next person on the bus. 

At one stop, this young man got on and gave a short speech about how he sells candy on the bus to help pay for his college education.  He plans to be an English teacher.  First he spoke in Spanish, and then English for the benefit of us Gringos.  Roz bought 3 candy bars from him to share with us.  Yum!

We settled back for the ride, visited with each other, and watched the scenery.  As we approached our stop, we got ready to hop off.  You pay as you leave the bus.  It was suppose to be $1.00 for each of us...but for some reason, when Lance and I offered the money, the bus driver wouldn't take the payment.  We're not sure why...but $2.00 for the four of us for a 45 minute ride sure was a good deal.

  

Here's a peek at the scenery across the road from the restaurant.  There appear to be many dairy farms in the area.

 Above is a picture of the bar, and below is a photo of the fireplace.

Behind the restaurant is the owners house.  They are a young couple with teenage children.  All the family members speak English because they spent time in upstate New York.  The house is huge, and I believe there might be plans to turn it into a B&B someday.  

This is the outside bar-b-que where they cook the meat.  Lance and I ordered fajitas and they were delicious.  

We enjoyed a wonderful meal, and had fun visiting with Roz and Ken for the better part of the afternoon.  Finally, it was time to go.  To return to Cuenca, we had to stand out on the road and flag down a bus.  It wasn't very long before one showed up.  We hopped on, and settled down for the ride home.  

Along the way, a young family got on the bus with an adorable baby.  The father was holding her, and looked like such a proud Papa.  Ken struck up a friendly conversation with him and found out that he had spent time in New Mexico, but was now living here in Ecuador.   

What a great time we had.  I want to thank Roz and Ken for the invitation and for the opportunity to see another part of this fascinating country.

In other news, we are finally getting around to looking for a more permanent residence.  Last week we saw several apartments, and are hoping to see more in the near future.  No definite decisions have been made yet, but we are considering one of the condos that we saw.  We are hoping for an unfurnished place with a terrace or balcony so Lance can have outdoor plants.

Last week we also went to a meeting at the Cuenca Chamber of Commerce.  Any ex-pats that were interested in doing volunteer work were invited to come.  They had representatives from 4 universities and some government officials there to kick off this new program.  They spoke about some upcoming projects and encouraged us all to fill out forms telling about our skills and talents.  Then, they are hoping to build a data base to match talents with community needs.  I hope to work with small children in some capacity.  In fact, I was approached by someone who runs an after school program, and was asked if I would be willing to help out.  I told her I would be interested in stopping by to check it out.  Lance and I found the school where she works and plan to go there this week.

We are also attending the 4th annual film festival in Cuenca, which runs from November 14th to the 21st.  We have looked over the schedule and found 6 films that are in English or have English subtitles.  The venues are in several different areas, with 4 of them being within walking distance to El Centro, where we currently live.  The best part is that all of the films are free!  We saw our first movie last night and plan to attend another tonight at the university.

I also got my first haircut here.  I went to a salon that Carolina, one of our receptionist at the front desk, goes to.  She works the afternoon hours, after EnZo leaves for the day.  Like EnZo, she is actually trained to be a chef.  Carolina recently was in a contest to be Ms. Cuenca.  She didn't win...but EnZo told us she looked beautiful.  Carolina is very nice and we enjoy having her here at the Gran Colombia Suites.

Speaking of EnZo...we are sad to report that he will be leaving us shortly.  He has a new job at one of the top hotels and restaurants in Cuenca...Mansion Alcazar.  We will be very sad to see him go, but are very happy for his promotion.  He deserves all the best.

Lance and I are becoming quite the cooks here...mostly out of necessity.  We've had trouble finding a spaghetti sauce that tastes good, so we finally decided to make one from scratch.  We bought tomatoes from the market - 8 for $1.00.  We placed them in boiling water for a few seconds then ice water to remove the skins.  After that we threw in garlic, onions and a few spices and cooked them for about an hour.  The result was a tasty homemade spaghetti sauce that we really enjoyed.  Who knew we had such talent?!?

Well...that about does it.  To all my family and friends back in Wisconsin, I would like to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving!  I will be thinking about you and wishing you were here with me.  Please write when you find the time.

            

Winding it up...(Part 2)

Sunday, November 2nd, was a more relaxing day.  Lance and I took the morning off and then headed out to the art festival for another look in the afternoon.  The crowds were much bigger than on the previous two days.  That night we went to the guitar concert which was held in a building in El Centro that teaches guitar lessons.  The original performers had to cancel for some reason, but the director of the center performed in their place.  The concert was short and sweet, and the venue was filled to capacity.

Monday was an official holiday to celebrate the Independence of Ecuador from Spain.  There were two parades held that day...close to the same time.  The "Morlaquia" Parade was suppose to begin at 9:00 A.M., but it started later.  That's not unusual...things often begin later than scheduled.  When the crowd starts getting restless they will start to whistle.  That's a clue that they are tired of waiting and want things to get underway.  On the other side of town was the Military Parade which was to begin at 10:30 A.M.  We attended the earlier parade, which was delightful, but I saw pictures from another blog of the Military Parade and it looked equally interesting.  Next year we'll have to be sure to attend that event.  Below are just a few of the pictures I took of the parade.  The route went from San Blas to Parque Calderon.  There were lots of floats...many with produce on them; beauty queens; dancers; and bands.  It was a lot fun and the crowd really enjoyed the show.

 This woman is weaving hats on the float.

 These people are giving free samples of milk to the crowd.  

Most cars cut a small peep hole in the material that covers the windshield so the drivers can see where they are going.

 Cheerleaders performed on the street...doing all kinds of stunts with no mats.  Yikes!

This nice lady and her husband stood next to us.  They cheered "Bravo" for every single group in the parade.  When I stepped off the curb to take a picture someone jumped into my spot.  She was kind enough to shoo the guy away and made sure I had my spot back.  Gracias Señora!

It had been overcast, but as soon as the sun came out, up came the umbrella and newspaper to protect their heads from the intense heat.  This is a common sight.  People will often walk with blankets, sweaters, or other things on their head to protect themselves form the suns rays.  

Ecuador's version of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Below are a few pictures of the Military Parade that I copied from Dano's Blog...Ahhh Cuenca.  He is one of the most entertaining writers online and Lance and I have followed his blog for years.  I always enjoy hearing his take on things.  Plus...he takes great pictures.

In the afternoon we headed to another part of El Centro to see the XV Wooden Cars National Race.  It went a huge distance from Benign Maloto to Parque El Paraiso.   This involved a lot of standing and waiting for the race to begin.  

 It was finally time for the racers to line up.

A good sized crowd began to form along the route.  Two young men from the Church of Latter Day Saints joined the crowd.

 These police officers led the way.  One took off first to get the crowd off the street and onto the sidewalks...the other led the way for the race.

And finally they were off!  An ambulance followed behind the racers to attend to anyone that might get injured along the way.  

After the race we took one last walk through the art exhibits.  The crowds were the biggest we had seen all weekend.  Many things were sold and it would be my guess that it was a very successful weekend for most of the participants.

This man is making snow cones the old fashioned way.   

There is always lots of fruits to buy from the venders.  

When we returned to our home, we once again saw a crowd gathered in Parque Calderon.  This time there was also a huge police presence.  President Rafael Correa had come to give a speech.  He spoke inside one of the municipal buildings, but it was televised outside on a big screen.  Many people where there to listen and watch.  Sorry...no pictures of this last event.

All in all, a great weekend in Cuenca, Ecuador!