#2786, Friday, February 18, '22: That was the week that was (Cuenca edition)

Reverend Ken's Travel Blog

Post 2786

- 12 years and 49 days since I started this blog -

Winter Travel Journal

(written February 18, 2022)

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 12 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 has kept me on track since then. I started adding commentary after a while, originally 7 days a week, then 5, but lately it has become occasional. 

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. And that's where we find ourselves now.

What a week! A lot of walking, always. A lot of good eating. Good music. Old and new friends. 

I went back to the Jazz Society Café, this time with my friend-from-last-visit Anthony, who wanted to introduce me to other friends of his.

Which is how I met Fernando. Anthony met Fernando a while ago (he's been coming to Cuenca far longer than I have, six years, I think). He met Fernando on a van ride to Guayaquil, where the two practiced Spanish and English for three-plus hours.

Fernando could be described as a wood carver. After seeing pictures of some of his work, I agree with him that he is a sculptor, in wood, instead of stone or metal. He is a talented artist.

Meeting Fernando at the Jazz Society Café.

Anthony and I - at the Jazz Society Café.

The music and the food were great as always, but I really hit it off with Fernando. By the end of the evening, he was calling me his amigo grande - his big friend. I'm going to say he was referring to the quality of friendship, and not just my height. But I could be wrong. 

We ended up sharing a cab, he lives in the same direction as me, and it gave him a chance to tell me where his showroom was - just around the corner from my hotel, as it turns out.

I went there a couple of days later, and was again, knocked out by his work, this time in person.

Musicians, carved by Fernando Avila.

Detail from one of the musicians sculpture, carved by Fernando Avila.

An abstract in walnut, carved by Fernando Avila. When we discussed this, he said he was inspired by the wood. This reminds me of stone sculptors, who I have heard say they expose the sculpture they see in the stone.

Don Quixote is one of Fernando's favorite subjects. This one is about 4 feet high, base to spear-tip. But he also showed me a Don Quixote and Sancho Panza pair that were almost life-size that he was readying to ship to Texas.

I'm going to put up some random shots from my walks around town: 

Almost every day, you can see this toy and party shop owner outside his tienda, greeting children and all passers-by. I got a kick out of this.

Parque San Sebastian. It is surrounded by good restaurants, and is a tranquil, wonderful place to take a break.

In Cuenca, they often light their ornate Spanish colonial structures dramatically. I find photographing them irresistible.

Taking Covid precautions very seriously.

I went back to Wunderbar for dinner and the open mic. I found out since my last visit that they have a German restaurant - all the times I've been there, I thought it was just a bar. The goulash and spraetzel was good, although visually, nothing that photographed well.

The two sisters whose harmonies blew me away two weeks ago were back, but the performance was completely different, as they sang almost no harmony, instead, this time, showing off their individual singing styles. It was good, but nothing compared to my impression of what they do as a duet.

My set came up right after. This time, I had Bela, the harp player I met at my first open mic at Bistro Yaku three weeks ago, backing me up. The set was so good, the audience requested an extra song. Very gratifying. My friend Tony, who was there, and who has seen more of my performances in Ecuador than anyone (including those on my first trip two years ago, when we met), said it was possibly my best performance.

Very gratifying. 

Next/last night, Anthony's friend Su Terry, a jazz saxophone player (also clarinet and flute - probably most wind instruments) was playing at an artist's gallery opening, and Anthony and I went. I had seen Su at the old Jazz Society Café two years ago, and thought the show was excellent. She is one of the most visible jazz players in the town and has a deservedly good reputation. 

We'd never met, though. 

The exhibit was interesting. The presentation though, not so much. Su played in between poetry readings (alternately English, then Spanish). Because of the poor acoustics (it's an art gallery, not a music hall), I only understood about 20% of the English, and none of the Spanish.

Luckily, Su played in between, on a Japanese wooden flute. It was wonderful, very evocative. I'm looking forward to hearing her play again, soon.

Me, Su Terry, Japanese wooden flute. Yes, I'm still getting used to having short hair myself.

I also met a local columnist I'd been reading for years - nice guy. Just at the end of the program, Fernando showed up. When he was done networking, he, Anthony and I went out for a 'snack,' if you can call espresso and tequila a snack (I did also have a nutella croissant, which squirted chocolate sauce all over my hat (no, I wasn't wearing it at the time).

Anthony, espresso, tequila.

That was a good night. A lot of fun, some laughs among friends.

One last thing: I've previously written about the help I got when I first came to Hotel Balcon del Arte, two-and-a-half weeks ago. That was just the beginning. I have been helped in every possible way since. Mostly by the afternoon clerk and IT manager, Betsy. 

She is consistently cheerful and friendly, and has gone above and beyond whenever I've needed anything at all. The other day, while I was on the smoking terrace, she was next door, saw me and looked in to say hello just as the overcast sky cleared to let a beautiful sunset appear - it was so sudden, it was like Betsy had hit a switch. I told her, we laughed, and I took this picture:

Betsy at sunset (the yellow cast is from the smoking terrace's weird lights).

A moment later, Betsy's gone back to work. A moment after, the overcast returned, nothing. The sunset window was about three minutes, total.

.

Food Comment

Fruit, yogurt granola at San Seba Café.

At the amazing La Esquina, spinach and ricotta ravioli in chicken and mushroom sauce. Once again, holy shit! An intense meal and a huge portion (I couldn't finish it, took almost half back to the hotel with me. I have a mini-fridge, and access to a kitchen. The ordinary-looking salad was also good, thanks to a perfect vinaigrette dressing. It became the next night's dinner and was just as good.

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