Saturday April 21, 2012

Saturday Apr 21/12 update

Here is a video of an Ecuadorian Conveyor belt.  We are continuously amazed at the perseverance and strength of these people to get so much work done by hand.  They purposely use very few machines and that keeps the populace working.  You will never find a harder working people as a whole.

http://youtu.be/Wk31lbsb1xg

Bella slipped out to the 12 De Avril Mercado to meet Bettye where Bella  got some fresh Lomo Fino (Filet Mignon) and Bettye emptied her wallet on plasticware.

So Chris and I decided to meet at the Jefferson Perez Stadium, named after Ecuador’s only Olympic Gold medalist, garnered in the sport of speedwalking.  Neither of us had ever been inside this complex.  My event booklet said there was a dance competition of some sort starting at 10am so we met there at 11am.  However we found out to our chagrin that the competition was not to start until 4pm, ugh!  So we wandered through the various surrounding structures in this sports complex where there were a multitude of events happening, racquetball, swimming, judo, basketball, soccer, and tennis.  Parts of the venues were in very good condition, like the exterior basketball courts, but most of the rest is typically in need of repairs, most of it minor, like painting.  Chris is in the red/orange shirt in one of these following videos:

http://youtu.be/iCps0MZD090       http://youtu.be/4vBjfzNOpyw

We then headed over to Feria Libre (El Arenal) Mercado.  Chris had never been inside so he was blown away by the acres and acres of commodities available here.   You can buy beef, pork, chicken, guinea pig, fish, vegetables galore, clothes, electronics and more at this HUGE market.  They even sell live animals of all kinds:

http://youtu.be/Nhtv4hdl53Q

Bettye called Chris to pick up some veggies and then gave him orders to complete errands in El Centro so we had to part ways.  On the way home, from the bus, I could see the destruction of the Planetarium in the Parque de La Madre.  I read somewhere yesterday that they are putting a 350 car underground parkade and putting in a new running track above and refurbishing the park.  It will be most interesting to watch how they accomplish this.  I wonder if they are going to manage to maintain the existing trees or not.

I asked Bella if she would like to go to the dance competition later but she has some defrosted ribs that must be cooked so I guess we are eating Chinese food tonight.

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

120421 Planetarium being dismantled at Parque de La Madre

120421 part of the Feria Libre veggie section

120421 Jefferson Perez Stadium climbing wall

120421 Jefferson Perez Stadium east side looking north

120421 Jefferson Perez Stadium north side and pool

120421 Jefferson Perez Stadium east side looking south

120421 Jefferson Perez Stadium inside

120421 Jefferson Perez Stadium judo building

120421 part of Jefferson Perez Stadium racquetball building

120421 Jefferson Perez Stadium swimming pool building

120421 Rear of San Blas, taken from the bus

Friday April 20, 2012

Friday Apr 20/12 update

We had arranged to have a technician come out today because our download speed had dropped off significantly in the last week again and we had all kinds of disruptions yesterday but everything was operating good this morning so I cancelled it.  Big Mistake.  The signal has been dropping off and on all day.

Bella went with Bettye to the Vega pottery shop on Avenida De Las Americas while I lazed around home. Friday is a discount day where you can purchase delicately flawed pottery for a fraction of the going price.  Bella got more cat dishes, a milk jug, and a large bowl, while Bettye came home with many colourful dishes and a teapot.

I met them and Chris at the Palermo at 5pm.  Our #50 bus goes right from our door to theirs after a detour around the construction on the Avenida De Las Americas, and it bypasses a sculpture in the middle of a traffic circle called "The Totems". 

Joining us also were the next-door neighbor, Jim, from the Chicago area (who we had met before at Joe’s Secret Garden) and new residents Bill and Judy from Houston.  

Chris spotted this interesting cloud on the horizon and we had fun speculating on what it looked like.   I thought it was a reclined baby, or maybe it is an old man?   What do you think?  

We enjoyed some great cheeses and crackers before heading off to a hidden restaurant across the street where we were the only patrons.  They don’t have any great signage or visible advertising, so we don’t know how they make any money, and yet the food is terrific.   Chris had recommended the sea bass dish, which everyone had, except Bella, and it was truly excellent for $6.50.  Everyone had many interesting and humorous stories about wild adventures so it was a great evening.

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

120420 Interesting cloud, baby, old man, or ????

120420 Bella, Bettye, Bill, Judy, Jim, Chris

120420 These are called "The Totems"

Wednesday-Thursday April 18-19, 2012

Wednesday Apr 18/12 update

Bella was up before me to bake bread and prepare food for her bridge enthusiasts and also for supper.  So I came down to a sinkful of dirty dishes as my first chore of the day.   Bella mentioned that it is dark in the sink area and that we could use some good lighting.  That gave me a purpose to vacate the premises.

I left just before Rosa was to arrive to clean house at 12:30 and walked up past Coral to see the seamstress to try to repair my backpack straps and zipper.  She quoted me a whole $2 and said to return at 4.

I caught the #15 up to the Cemeterio and then walked past the airport to Kywi and MegaHierro.  MegaHierro kinda had what I wanted but everything was too bulky or needed too much ancilliary stuff like wiring and plugins.  The nearest plug to the sink is about 6’ away so I started off looking for something with that long of a cord.

At Kywi I found a 30 LED light, rechargeable, emergency light for $9.99.  The cord was barely 2’ but I decided to get some good Velcro to keep it in place but also to make it removable for charging and for emergencies.  It was such a great idea that I got a second one for my headboard to read by.  It even has a low setting where it only uses 15 LED’s.  It is positively scary that I am so clever.

Then I started the long trek home.  About 10 blocks from home I hear a “Hello, how are you today?” and it is this fellow that owns a Ferreteria (hardware store) who likes to chat in English whenever he sees me passing.  He was there with his cute little daughter and they agreed to pose for a couple of shots.  It was good to hold me up a little because it was about 3:20 and I wanted to pick up my backpack in the next block. 

Even though I was early it was fortunate that my backpack was ready.  This is the same backpack that I had bought for $10 a couple of months ago and have now spent a total of $3.50 on repairs.  I kinda like this cloth backpack because it is light, has 2 large compartments, is expandable, and has drink pockets and front bungies for securing more stuff.   I usually wear it to carry my jacket, umbrella, Tilley hat, sunglasses, fanny pack, muti-tool, city map, plastic bags, my big camera, a bottle of water and napkins.

The bridge game was well underway upon my arrival home with Bettye and Chris Petersen and Manon Stephenson joining Bella for the afternoon.  They are all such nice, intelligent people, and a joy to be around.

I installed the two LED lights and they are truly a Godsend.  I don’t know how I did dishes before??  Maybe I’m too used to being a mushroom….  You all know that one, right??

We enjoyed a lovely supper with homemade Nanaimo bars for dessert.   Bella had to make some ingredient substitutions but they turned out great. Mmmmmmmmm good.

After our company left I did the mound of dishes again and could actually see what I was doing.  Did I mention I love the new LED lights??

We are having Etapa Internet issues again tonight and have lost our signal so this blog will be delayed.

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

120418 Proud Hardware Dad & daughter

120418  Let there be LIGHT above the sink

120418  Let there be LIGHT at my headboard

Thursday Apr 19/12 update

Still no Internet this morning so I have decided to take a trip to Etapa.   As I got off the bus I saw a huge bicycle procession dumping onto the 12 De Avril and don’t know what it was all about.

I still didn’t quite have my bearing for the exact location of the Etapa office but it has all fallen into place now.  It turns out that they haven’t taken any bank withdrawals the last  two months so they cancelled our service!  They needed an authorization letter from Banco Pichincha and $57.22 cash.  Now why didn’t they tell us if there was a problem when we were ther signing up with Michael Berger??  Ugh!!

So off I go to Banco Pichincha and stand in line for over an hour for the 2 minutes worth of work, then hike back to Etapa, only to stand in line for another ½ hour to make the payment, before going back to talk to AnnaIsabel to get my Internet hooked back up.  It is funny how Michael Berger just happened to show up right then and helped confirm my understanding of her Spanish and broken English.  Now I have to go back again on May 5 to make the May payment in cash but the rest should clear the account, no problem.

We also arranged to have a technician come out tomorrow because our download speed had dropped off significantly in the last week again.

I left Etapa determined to get my directions intact.  Etapa is near the Rio Yanuncay on the 10 De Augusto, near where it joins with 24 De Mayo and the 12 De Avril.  I also happened on the Quinta Bolivar, a residence of the Liberator of Latin America, Simon Bolivar. 

He was a fascinating fellow…  http://latinamericanhistory.about.com/od/latinamericaindependence/a/simonbolivarbiography.htm

They were having a free art exhibit so I popped in while waiting for the #16 bus.  There was one particular artwork that caught my eye because of its incredible attention to detail called “Patio” by Carlos Munoz.  As I was exiting man stopped me to ask if I knew that they were for sale.  He showed me a price list hidden behind a door.  He was one of the artists and he was asking the highest price of $700 for a mediocre painting.  Unfortunately there was no pricing on the “Patio”.  The house has some beautiful grounds and has a good view of El Centro.

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

120419 "PERCHAS" by Catalina Carrasco in QB

120419 "EN EL JARDIN" by M. Soledad Burbano in QB

120419 "PATIO" by Carlos Munoz in QB 

120419 Simon Bolivar painting

120419 Simon Bolivar bust

120419 Bicycles on the move

120419 Quinta Bolivar 

120419 Quinta Bolivar info

120419 Quinta Bolivar courtyard

120419 Quinta Bolivar spider plant backlit

120419 Quinta Bolivar view west

120419 Quinta Bolivar view of El Centro

120419 Quinta Bolivar yard 1

120419 Quinta Bolivar yard 2

120419 Quinta Bolivar yard 3

120419 Rio Yanuncay east

120419 Rio Yanuncay west

Tuesday April 17, 2012

Tuesday Apr 17/12 update

I was up early to get laundry going and to complete the artwork along the stairwells and put up the hummingbird feeder which Jorge did deliver last night.  Bella had suggested more of my “Cuenca Kids” photos around the gaming/cards area and I had picked up 4 more frames last night.  However I figured on finishing the whole stairwell so I took a walk to Coral to get 3 more frames. some rope, wire, screws and anchors.

Bella caught the bus to the Book/Movie Exchange and she says this driver was just plain nuts, skipping 3 stops with people waving and driving like a man possessed.  She wasn’t sure he was going to stop at Parque De La Madre but luckily he did.  Apparently none of the others on the bus seemed concerned.

When I crossed the river I noted the river was quite low, exposing a lot of the rocks on the riverbed.  It is easy to see why it is called the River Of Rocks during a drought.  My “measuring rock” on our side of the bridge is showing about 18” below its left shoulder.  This is about the lowest it has been since our arrival, as opposed to when it is buried when we have received continuous rainfall.

Coral only sells cheap anchors that break and spin in the holes so I stopped at the Ferreteria 3 blocks away and they had the right ones that always seem to work (and they did). 

I managed to get all the walls marked, drilled, anchored, and then all the pictures printed, cut, framed and installed by the time Bella got home about 12:15.  She is thinking she would like to see them straight but these particular frames just want to hang crooked as the balance is incorrect.  I will need to leave them for now and worry about that as a possible project for another day.  The angle is starting to grow on me….

Then I had to duct tape a broom handle to an expanding closet rod to a clothes hanger.  This was to put a loop of rope over the wires outside the terrace and bedroom windows, then to grab the loop and bring it back.  I drilled a hole in the terrace’s aluminum support to take an eye-hook to hold the rope.  I had filled the feeder with 1/3 cane sugar as instructed and made hookups to the loop on the rope.   Sonuvagun, it worked.  Now it can be retrieved twice a week for cleaning.  I hope it attracts the hummers because it takes a fair amount of sugar to make the nectar of the gods.

The instructions are to put this about 5-6 feet off the ground in the shade, but that would put it in harm’s way and out of camera range, so I thought I would try my original idea anyway.  Nothing ventured, nothing gained.  The instructions also say to put big red bows or flowers to attract the hummers to the area, so I used the good Ol’ Duct Tape again to secure a big pink silk flower near the feeder.   Now we just have to sit and wait.   I can hear the chirp, chirp, chirp of the hummers so I know they are around…   I hope to catch some good videos of these beauties, as well as catch the odd shot which is much more difficult.

Bella has a bridge group coming tomorrow and they are staying for supper, and the cleaning lady is showing up as well.   We never did hear from the neighbor who promised to repay the $20 Monday night and decided not to press the issue.  It is hoped she will show up later, on Ecuador time.  If not, it is the age-old lesson learned.

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

120417 Almost a River Of Rocks

120417 My measuring rock, river is low

120417 Stairway crooked photos 1

120417 Stairway crooked photos 2

120417 Stairway crooked photos 3

120417 Stairway crooked photos 4

120417 Stairway crooked photos 5

120417 Hummingbird feeder from bedroom

120417 Hummingbird feeder close-up

120417 Hummingbird feeder panorama showing my ingenious system for retreival.

Monday April 16, 2012

Monday Apr 16/12 update
I was up very early to catch the gas man to get two refills so we can again have both hot water and a stove that works.
Bella was also up early to accept delivery of a small 32” square table and four chairs to use for playing cards.  It is a good fit in the small vacant space we have on the second floor and much easier for cards than the 6-footer in the dining room.
I was then off to the Street Spanish class for 10:30am, but I managed to catch a bus right away so I was very early, so I did a small stroll along the Rio Tomebamba.  The river is actually pretty low right now but in a way that adds to its beauty because you can see more of the large rocks on its riverbed.  This would not be a good candidate to raft on.
http://youtu.be/apU5Kutl468
A little further on I was struck by the number and variety of flowers in such a small stretch on the riverbank.  This is truly such a beautiful city.
http://youtu.be/Fs9qtrV-sZo
There were only five of us for Street Spanish this morning so that made things easier on Martha, the teacher.  It is truly amazing how close Spanish is to French in so many words, verbs and conjugations….
After class I climbed the stairs to El Centro and started hunting for a hummingbird feeder.  I had the Spanish teacher translate it on paper for me but it still got blank stares everywhere I went so I had to resort to pantomimes anyway.  Oh, I stopped at this place that had a spike of meat in a window, like donair meat so I had to try it.  What they gave me was small, with big dishes of salsa and sour cream but it was so darn good I will definitely be back there to spend another $2 when I am hungry.
After stopping at about 20 stores, I ended up in front of Yolanda’s, (Architect Jorge Beltran’s sister) store and I  resorted to drawing a picture (I’m not bad at Pictionary) and she fully understood.  So she called Jorge and, as far as I could understand, he knows where to get them and he will drop one off at the house.
So then I was off to try to find an eye-bolt to attach a cord to our sunroom to hopefully reel in and out the hummingbird feeder.  On the way I took a couple more church pictures and ran into another couple, Charles and Rommie, that we had met a few times before.  He is from the US and she is Austrian (and very tall).  You can see them in the “Street Scene” photo below.  They were headed to a Mexican restaurant that they frequent right next to Santo Domingo.
I did find an eye-bolt at the Rotary Market and quickly caught the #50 home just as the rain started.  I was going to purchase some nylon rope for the hummingbird feeder which I intended to hang from the big wires that cross in front of my bedroom and the terrace, but I decided to leave that for another day.  Rommie had said that she had been told that hummingbird feeders should be hung about chest high so I checked the Internet and they all recommend around 5’-6’ high so she was right and most of my plans are for naught.   Now I don’t know what I will do.
Bella went to the afternoon Street Spanish class and was to be joined by Chris and Bettye, then she was going to bring home supper.  Tonight is DWTS again and we still haven’t found a good live feed.  It is better to watch the highlights tomorrow.
Enjoy the pics and video.    That was today’s excitement.  Hugs to all.

120416 New Card Table 1

120416 New Card Table 2

120416 Santa Mariana

120416 Santo Domingo

120416 Street Scene, Rommie+Charles

120416 Santo Domingo