Cuenca Updates: Thursday June 28, 2012

Thursday June 28/12 update

Two days ago I had received a very unusual email from Andy Cocker, the honorary British Consul saying he was stranded with lost documents in Madrid and asking that we send him 2350 Euros to bail him out! I had seen similar scams first-hand previously and had also noted that the request had not come from Andy’s work email which was the only one we had used. I emailed Andy at his work email to notify him that his email had been hacked. Today Andy responded “Thanks Al, yep - I was done! Now back in control and thx for your interest”.

This morning I got involved in checking out the Domestic Labor laws and did a major post on my Ecuador blog cuencaresidency.blogspot.com. I won’t repeat it all here except to say that the regulations are probably going to cost a lot of good ladies a lot of work.

I caught the #16 to Etapa this morning to deliver my plea for dispensation from the installation fee to the General Manager. I told him if he waives the fee I won’t bill him for all my lost hours because of the lousy service and requested that he please respond via email.

Even though the weather was quite iffy I decided to walk home. I stopped at the Quinta Bolivar to see if they had new exhibits, and yes, they did have some new artworks and a few were really quite good!

Near there I saw these two indigenous people working a garden very diligently. Between this hard work and the heavy loads they lug around there is no wonder why they are usually quite stooped in later life. These people do work so darn hard they really put us to shame.

I followed the Yanuncay River then followed the Tomebamba to reach home. Note the gas prices here for a US Gallon! That new police station is moving right along too and probably will be completed shortly.

Raoul has already moved over part of his sister’s Internet Café into the new building so he is getting closer to being done too. The house across the road is getting the interior walls done so it is clipping along too. This all benefits the neighborhood and increases our values. It helps when the city workers come and cut the grass too.

Bella had to run to the weaving store then return in time for a bridge group here. David and Kathy from Edmonton came over, along with Reshma, to complete a foursome.

When they were done playing David and Kathy came upstairs to see if I could summon Tom Thumb. They were flabbergasted when Tom was right at the window as soon as I opened it and he ate right from my hand. Good show Tom! That is the way to perform!
The four of us caught the #15 to Big Kabuda’s for the best burgers in town! Jesus told me that they were in Quito talking to a Texas couple who showed him my Cuenca blog recommending his restaurant! He was shocked that I had done that for him. He invited us to join him for a Venezualan celebration July 22 at Parque Paraiso. We are looking forward to that. The food tonight was scrumptious as usual then Jesus invited David, who likes hot spice (he's a former fire captain), to sample this MadDog hot sauce that is some 5 million BTU's of fire. It is apparently the #3 hottest sauce in the world. Jesus gave him a sample drop on the end of a toothpick and David said the fire kept building on his tongue at an unbelievable rate. I gave him credit for handling it so well. He was still feeling that one drop a half hour later.
There is a symphony concert tonight put on by the French Association but we didn't make it there. We have to be up real early to go on our little adventure to the waterfalls, etc tomorrow. It is neat that David and Kathy are taking the same tour with us.

Enjoy the pics. That was today’s excitement. Hugs to all.