Cuenca Updates

Sunday, May 06, 2012

Sunday May 6, 2012

Sunday May 6/12 update

It was my turn to have a lazy day and catch up on some sleep but that didn’t happen. Bella asked if I wanted to go with her to the new COSTTO store since she had never been there and I said yes. We caught the milk run on the #13 to the Mall De Rio, then walked past the Turi traffic circle to the store.

It is a blustery day today and cool but not cold and rainy. It is very comfortable for walking.

We picked up a few items and checked prices on many others. The store has a very large selection of appliances, good brand names, and they are half the price of another large retailer, Sukasa.

We then walked to the Solano connection and went north to catch the #16 at the soccer stadium. On the way we go by a park with some interesting brass sculptures of a family. The plaque says they spent $17,000 on the park, which probably would have been 10 times that much at home.

Across from this park is an interesting new building with two floors of retail and what looks like 3-storey condos above. This building is in a terrific spot with great views, near the river and looks very well constructed and safe. The traffic is light and would likely be very quiet. We’ll have to tell Bettye and Chris about this one. I should have taken a photo of it.

One block further on we come upon Tres Puentes (Three Bridges), 2 for traffic and one for pedestrians. It is a very picturesque spot and has great views of Immaculate Conception cathedral to the north and the Turi church to the south.

We decided that our favorite bus is now the #16 because of its route which can quickly take us to Etapa, Banco Pichincha, downtown, Spanish class, weaving, cooking class, Jefferson Stadium Feria Libre, and even COSTTO.

When I got home I barely got my window open and my little buddy just floated into my room almost instantly. Gotta love my new little buddy who is beside me as I type this and it doesn’t faze him any.

Way across the street I used my zoom to capture two young guys leaping over a security fence to the street. They didn’t act suspiciously like thieves, maybe they just didn’t have their gat keys with them.

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

120506 Church at Solano & 10 De Augusto

120506 Church and Lovers

120506 Solano view to Immaculate Conception

120506 Agave plant doing the Twist

120506 The Home Front

120506 The Provider

120506 Tres Puentes 1

120506 Tres Puentes 2

120506 Blustery day looking east from top of Solano

120506 My faithful buddy

120506 Can you see his tongue extended?

120506 Teen Jumpers

Saturday, May 05, 2012

Saturday, Cinco De Mayo, 2012

Saturday May 5/12 update

Today was an interesting day with all sorts of characters on the street. There is a huge full moon so I am certain that has a lot to do with these oddities.

I know some of you are getting tired of the hummers already but here’s just a few more shots of my little friend fifteen inches inside the house already. He is visiting regularly now and, as long as I stay quite still, he is being bolder.

Bella wanted a quiet day today with only a trip to Coopera on her agenda. I tried to get her to come to the Festival de Pan (Bread Festival) on Calle Larga near Todos Santos but I had to go myself. There wasn’t much going on when I first went by so I thought maybe I had missed it all. I went and had 2 “donair” lunch again at the Persia Pipa Bar a little further up the road. Oh it was so good, even if I had to put up with teens smoking a hookah in the corner. I have no idea what they were smoking but it didn’t bother me.

While eating my lunch I was watching this old indigenous Quechuan lady trying to use her cane to bring down something from inside the grating of the building across the street. She made several attempts too, oblivious to traffic, before finally shuffling on her way without her prize.

I was walking by the Coffee Tree Café and literally came across an example of the blind leading the blind. See the photo enclosed. ‘Nuf said.

When I came back near the Todos Santos Festival area they had a singer and a few roaming clowns performing for a while. One of the audience was the lovely Ecuadorian lady Doctor Norma who attends the afternoon Spanish classes that Bella, Chris and Bettye attend, and helps the teacher Martha with her local translations and idioms.

Singer and clowns http://youtu.be/4Uw5O66MUAY

Then the entertainment gave way to barefoot ethnic dancers and this was one of the best displays I have seen of their joyful dancing.

http://youtu.be/JxKi95wWiK0

http://youtu.be/aCw9oHlPfT4

http://youtu.be/FQd8M4xWbms

From there I walked to Rotary Market to try to find a small shelf unit, about the height of my window mainly so I could have a stable surface to use for my hummingbird feeder. After going from stall to stall and back again at least four times I finally settled on a shelf unit for $15. When I got it home it was just the perfect height.

It only took about 10 minutes for the little guy to visit, and he wasn’t shy at all, coming in to feed. Then he backed up to the window opening and did a complete 360 degree spin while hovering to check for danger then came back to feed again. Oh how I wish I had had the video running for that but I usually let them come in daily the first time completely undisturbed so they will return later, which they always do. He visited me eight times today, and at least twice more when the window was closed and I sure heard him scolding me over that.

http://youtu.be/E6CD6rlBeXE
http://youtu.be/IWWt6oRvsn0

I got an email offer to accompany two friends to Quito and back on Wednesday to pick up a goat (I’m not kidding!). But I had to listen to my body, and not my heart, because an 18-hour drive is not fun, especially when 6 hours will be in the dark on winding mountain roads. The carrot was to be photo opportunities, and there definitely would be some of those in the Avenue of the Volcanoes, but there usually aren’t too many places to stop on that highway, plus they would have a long day, so delays wouldn’t be too welcomed.

Segundo made an appointment with Bella for tonight for more English tutoring and showed up on time.

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

120505 Church Bells

120505 The blind leading the blind

120505 Serious wall art

120505 Chicken donair meat

120505 Doctor Norma

120505 Drum rehearsal by the Tomebamba

120505 Festival De Pan performers

120505 Great clown face

120505 Dancer handing out cheese buns

120505 Hotel Crespo wood art

120505 Hover specialist

120505 Such a great profile

120505 Beauty on the wing

120505 One of God's great creations

120505 Watch me soar

120505 Napoleon the insomniac

120505 A little old for thievery

120505 Going away without her prize

120505 Struggling home

120505 Persia Pipa Bar for good donairs

120505 Todos Santos landmark

120505 The beautiful Todos Santos

Friday, May 04, 2012

Friday May 4, 2012

Friday May 4/12 update

Well, I am truly addicted to the hummers. Last night I had two more long visits inside my room by my little friends so I got 2 more great videos.

http://youtu.be/_u-xxxxlQSA and http://youtu.be/nr_bZJ3WTNo

We went to Big Kabudas last night for supper. Mmmmmm good! It is only 1.5 blocks from the Inca ruins so I got a terrific shot of the warrior statue backlit by the sunset. Boy, the buses are packed between 5 and 7 with everyone trying to get home.

Today is a busy day, starting with meeting Chris and Bettye at California Kitchen for lunch. First Bella wanted to stop at Rotary Market to try to find a meat cleaver (so I better behave from now on) and we lucked out and found a wonderful specimen for only $10.

We had a wonderful lunch then Bella and Bettye went to play bridge at Linda’s, just a few blocks away. Chris and I wandered the small novelty shops and hardware stores where I completed my shopping for a multi-head ratchet screwdriver, and two folding mirror hair brushes. Chris then got all the wooden spoons he wanted at the Rotary Market then we wandered downtown El Centro. We got Chris a bus schedule at the iTur office and he wanted to find some paper products but we ran out of time as we had to get over to his place for an appointment. Then I helped Chris for a couple of hours with a few free downloadable programs to work with his pictures, PixResizer and Photoscape, and another user-friendly site called Fotoflexer. It didn’t take long before Chris was modifying his shots like a pro. Chris has a good eye for photography so he sure had some good shots to work with. He also showed me some photos of some of their previous homes and wowee, I’ll be keeping photos of our previous homes to ourselves.

Then, arrangements were made to meet the girls at a nearby large apartment on the river for 6pm. There was an art show going on in the lobby, some nice work too, and one of the artists was probably a shirt-tail relative, Jose San Martin (Joe St. Martin in Canada..). But our main reason was to check out some of the rental condos in the building, especially one occupied by a new couple Chris met, Jim & Frances. Brad & Cindy, who we had met a few times before would also be there. We got to look at another smaller condo in this 66 suiter and apparently no two suites are alike. Chris and Bettye had also been shown another one before lunch, about 2500 sq ft that they could rent for about $850, unfurnished, but it had no balcony and no view of the river. Jim & Frances’ condo is on the third floor corner with a killer view of the river. We were surprised at how tight the building was as there was very little traffic noise. Another lady showed us her condo on the same floor, no river view and it was shockingly tiny compared to these other huge floor plans.

Then the eight of us walked over to the restaurant across from Chris & Bettye’s place and most of us enjoyed the sea bass dinner again. Scrumptious! We allowed Jim and Frances to regale us with their travels, as they lived in Saudi Arabia for many years, and then they sailed the Atlantic twice, and then sailed the Mediterranean for four years. We discussed the politics of the Middle East in such a frank and fascinating fashion that even the women were willing participants. Good food, good beer, good conversation, what more could a person ask for, for a thoroughly enjoyable evening. It sure beats talking about cooking and recipes all night.

It is amazing how this little network of friends and acquaintances keeps growing in such a short time. There was a full moon tonight so all us crazies were running around.

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