Post 2422
- 9 years and 57 days since I started this blog -
(written about Feb 22-Feb 27, 2020)
Read this once (it won't change for the rest of the trip(s): I'll be linking this post to Facebook. If that's how you got here, here's some background: About 10 years ago I started this blog as a food journal. I had a medical situation and needed to lose weight. Initially, that's all I did here: Journal my food intake and my weight. It contributed to helping me lose 20+% of my body weight in 6 months, and continuing it has kept me on track since then. I started adding commentary after a while, but lately it that has become less frequent.
While I'm traveling, I let go of the weight-tracking and food journaling, except for the occasional food shot when I've eaten something interesting (or visually appealing, or both). And that's where we find ourselves now.
Of course, I plan to come back, but it's not scheduled. My best guess is I'll be back as early as November, but no later than January, 2021. A lot depends on how things go when I get back, and all the unforeseen and unforeseeable things that can happen between now and then.
I've spent most of this week doubling down on the things and places I like. I've also expanded my circle a little. And I've learned a little more about what it might be like to live here.
I've done some retreating this week as well. Because I try to make my stay in foreign places as close as I can get to my regular, day-to-day lifestyle, I continue doing the ordinary, everyday things here as I do back in New York, like paying attention to the stock market. I have a small investment portfolio that emphasizes dividends (income) over capital gains. This week's extreme (historic!) sell-off had an effect that demanded attention and reaction. I had to take some action, do some 'homework' and make some adjustments. It ended up making an impact on my time, since it didn't fit into my 'schedule', such as it is.
A number of the expats I've met here have left or are leaving soon. Some are 'vacationing' or touring other areas of Ecuador, some are going back home (which means the US or Canada, in all cases). All have told me it is temporary and will be returning to Cuenca. I hope to keep in touch, since one of the things I've consciously done here is cultivate other expats, since they're the trailblazers that have helped me in this exploratory visit, and I will be relying on them to make the transition easier when I come back here to live.
I really haven't done a lot I haven't written about before, so this next bit is going to be a bit shorter (I heard that cheer!), and unordered.
- I have never lived or visited any place with better weather. Even when it rains, it seems like a pleasant rain. I have never closed the windows in my hotel room, never been cold or hot this entire stay.
- What initially seemed like my arthritis (active in both knees) acting up may have been getting used to the altitude. My knees were hurting for the first week or so, but after a couple of weeks of being careful not to stress them too much, I was able to walk the approximately ten floors of stairs down and up from the Tomebamba River (which is in a gorge that cuts Cuenca in two) with no ill effect.
- I've been drinking tap water the whole time, not exclusively, but daily, and haven't been sick once.
- Many of the expats here have strategies to deal with the robbery or mugging 'problem'. A surprising (to me) number of them have been pick-pocketed or otherwise robbed. Not one has been injured, and not one that I have spoken with has decided to leave Cuenca due to this. I did hear one tell a story (second-hand information, unverified) about a friend of theirs who decided to move from Cuenca to Spain after being ripped off here. She found the problem worse in Spain, and moved back.
- Of the parts of Cuenca that I've seen, I've liked two different neighborhoods as prospects for renting an apartment.
- I've continued to find the people of Cuenca friendly, charming and helpful, both expats and native Cuencanos.
- I've been helping other gringo visitors find cool places to do things and find good food. The people who work in the places I've been hanging out the most now call me by name - another example of the friendly vibe of this town.
- One of the things I've turned some friends I've met on to is the Spanish class given by Chef Filipe of A Pedir de Boca - the restaurant I've returned to most often. My second (and last, this trip) class I had three friends join me, and they absolutely loved it! They loved the restaurant, too. Filipe is not just an amazing chef and a great teacher, he is a great example of a Cuencano who has pride in his city. He can seemingly answer any question with regards to the culture and customs - it's one of the good things about the class.
- I've made something of an accommodation with the early-for-me hours Cuenca seems to keep. Since arriving, I've only been out past midnight one time. But that is also the exact number of times I've taken advantage of my hotel's free breakfast, served between 8:00 and 10:00am. It's going to take me more than a month for me to make such a radical change in my lifestyle (getting up and out early in the morning - something I haven't done in Syracuse since I retired.
- I've still had no bigger upside surprise than the quality of the restaurants here. My downside surprise was the Carnaval celebration, which couldn't compare with my New Orleans experiences, nor what I've seen and read about in Rio de Janeiro or Buenos Aires. I am informed however that it is not Cuenca's biggest or most popular fiesta, as in those other places. The big one here comes around Christmas time.
- I bought a Panama hat. Cuenca is actually the world's largest seller of Panama hats - which are, and always have been, made in Ecuador, from Ecuadorian straw. The hat I came with, which was only a couple of months old, was fraying and so, in the Panama hat capital of the Universe, I bought a Panama hat. See the photo at top.
- I had a very good conversation with the man behind my favorite cup of coffee, Diego of Sinphonía Café. I tried a couple of different cups - French press and straight espresso, in addition to my usual choice, americano. All terrific. The ham and cheese baguette and vegetable quiche I had weren't bad at all, either.
- I went to an open mic I hadn't been to before. A very nice place, with a decent PA, and, as it turned out, good food at an excellent price. But! I was the only musician there, and one of only two people who came to perform. The other one was a young Ecuadorian actress who did dramatic readings, and a theatrical monolog, in Spanish, of course. What that meant was that I could appreciate the rhythm and inflection of her delivery, which was enough for me to enjoy!
So, that's it. I fly to LA Sunday, to NY overnight Monday, arriving Tuesday, departing to Florida Friday. After a lot of fishing, I'll come back to Syracuse by April Fool's Day, and stay until next Winter.
Probably. If I've learned anything, it's that I cannot really predict the future. Man plans, God laughs.
Thank you for reading this far. Unless you just skipped all the reading and jumped to the end to look for the pictures. All cool with me, I hope I made it easy enough for you to find. Click HERE for the photos. The link is for the photo album:
Cuenca Feb 22-27, 2020I'm grateful for this wonderful adventure, which has turned out so well.
Food Comment
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| From Kamaq Gastro, Arte y Cultura: This bad boy is the Kamaq Advanced Double Burger. which wraps its two patties, sautéed mushrooms, onions and peppers, it's fried egg and lettuce, tomato, avocado and cheese, in two potato pancakes instead of a bun. It's the first hamburger I've ever eaten with a fork and knife. |
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| I mentioned eating a nice piece of vegetable quiche at Sinphonía Café above. Here's the photo. |
Thank you!
Danny and Brittany are on the plane to L A
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