Our First Visitor

I looked nervously down the ramp watching for my friend Debbie to walk through the doors that exit customs and welcome her to Quito, Ecuador's capital. There she was at almost midnight, wearing a hat that resembles Cuenca's famous "Pamana" hat!

Debbie and I have known each other longer than I've known my husband. She's a free spirit, and I told Ken, if I was a betting woman, I'd bet Debbie will be our first guest!

The flights from the States to Quito take all day. The flight to Cuenca is not available until the following day. Since this was Debbie's first trip to Latin America, and she knows no Spanish, I took the 55 minute hop to Quito to meet her. I made arrangements to spend the night at the Hostal de La Mancha, a charming, clean hotel with great views, and reasonably priced rooms. Right on cue, the hotel's driver was there holding up a small sign with Debbie's name and a big smile. Unfortunately, Debbie's luggage did not arrive, but good natured Debbie took it all in stride. We yakked the entire way to the hotel.

We arrived the next day in Cuenca, and Debbie loved "her room".

I told her she was worth every penny of the $2.00 we spent for the roses we lovingly placed in the vase in her room!

As a special treat, we decided to take Debbie to a beautiful spa resort in Vilacamba, the "valley of longevity. Senior adults in this verdent, picturesque valley live longer on average and are more physically active than their counterparts in other parts of the world. The beauty of the area, the hilly terrain, the mild weather, and fresh food obviously contribute to the vigor of the aged in this southern region of Ecuador.

Ken and I had a room next door to Debbie's. Our front porch had two wonderful hammocks, with spectacular views.

The grounds were colorfully and lushly landscaped with rich vegetation, ponds, natural stone walkways and a beautiful, relaxing pool surrounded by rocks and boulders.

Izhcayluna is the perfect place to escape the real world. You can be as laid back or active as you choose. Ken and I did a little of both. Debbie opted for the ultimate in relaxation and pampering. We girls started our day with an early morning outdoor yoga class. Later, while Debbie lounged by the pool, Ken and I did a little exploring of the hiking trails. All of us opted for massages everyday. Our last day there, Debbie and I not only enjoyed a 75 minute massage, but a natural facial as well. Ken enjoyed the full body massage and an additional leg and foot message.

In the evenings, we enjoyed a leisurely dinner in the outdoor restaurant and watched the different shades of green the mountains turned along with the pastel hues of the clouds as a result of the setting sun.

After dinner we enjoyed some vigorous games of ping pong and darts. I'm proud to report the girls won a game or two!

Our accommodations cost $30.00 per night. Debbie's room, the same size as ours was $20.00. This included the buffet breakfast each morning. Our massages cost $18.00 for 75 minutes. Our facials were $12.00, as was Ken's foot massage. We felt like we were treated like royalty for a very reasonable price. A wonderful time was had by all, and Ken and I agreed we would return some day.

On returning to Cuenca, Debbie and I had a wonderful time. We ate out, took the double decker bus tour, and visited the indigenous markets where Debbie shopped for beautiful and unique items for her shop in NC. We also spent a day with our friend and driver Juan in Chordelah, or "silver town" as it's known.

Once Debbie's roses died, she decided it was time for her to leave! She's hoping to return again to Cuenca late next year. We're looking forward to it!

My Personal Experience With The Healthcare System in Cuenca

The stabbing pain in my back began as I stood up and headed to bed. The pain intensity continued to increase and radiated to my groin. It continued for most of the night, and the next day, at 5:00pm with the pain intensifying again, I made an appointment to see internist Dr. Martinez.

Dr. Martinez did his undergraduate studies in Michigan and attended medical school at the University of Cuenca. His wife manages his office and she proudly shared with Ken and I how passionate her husband is about medicine. Ken and I both agreed it shows.

After examining me Dr. Martinez surmised as did I, that I was dealing with a kidney stone. He gave me sublingual pain medication, that miraculously lessened my pain,wrote me a script for a CAT scan and a urine analysis and told me to go right to the hospital and bring him back the results as soon as the tests were completed. I couldn't believe my ears!

At St. Inez hospital, I was treated immediately. Within an hour, still in shock from the excellent, timely care I received, I headed back to the Dr's. office, test results in hand!

The tests confirmed I did indeed have a kidney stone. The good Dr. asked me if I had been drinking "agua con gas" (sparkling water loaded with minerals)and I fessed up I
had. This more than likely was the cause of my problem.

My stone is no more, praise the Lord, thanks to imbibing lots and lots of water and flushing the little thing out.

What were my total medical costs? Dr. Martinez's office visit cost $30.00. The CAT scan of my abdomen was $150, and my urine analysis $3.00. Total... $183.

The care I received was timely, high quality and for a very reasonable cost. A CAT scan in the US, depending upon where you live, averages from $1000 to $8000! Kind of makes you go hmmmmmm, doesn't it?!

Attending Church in Cuenca

We have been attending an Adventist church for the past month. It is located on Mariscal Lamar, smack dab in the center of a business district. During the week, when the church doors are closed, it looks like a storefront. Sabbath morning the doors are flung open, and remain that way. The sound of singing and preaching fill the avenue.

This is no storefront, but a lovely tiled iglesia that holds 200 plus members. Every Sabbath the pews have been filled. The platform is unique, and resembles the tomb Christ arose from! In front of the "tomb" are large vases filled every week with beautiful fresh flowers.

We were told there are four Adventist churches in Cuenca. We have yet to meet the pastor, but have enjoyed the fire and passion of the lay preachers we heard. Keep in mind that we are not yet fluent in Spanish. Some preachers project the scripture on the screen, and we look them up in our English bible. It makes it much easier to follow along and understand what's being said. I bring pen and paper with me and jot down words I don't understand and look them up when I get home. This not only increases our understanding of the message, but helps improve our vocabulary.

We've noticed the deacons all dress in orange vests. Like in the States, they take up the collection, and at the end of the service, dismiss us by rows, greeting us warmly with a "Feliz Sabado".

Last Sabbath the scriptures were not projected on the screen. Because the books of the Bible sound so very different in Spanish, I was having a hard time looking them up and following along. A sweet lady sitting next to us, and her daughter behind her, seeing our struggle, looked up the scriptures, handed us their Spanish bible, and helped us find them in our English bible. One of the elders on the platform this week used to live in the States, and returned with his young family to his beloved Cuenca approximately two years ago. Fabian has three children. We met his precocious daughter Genesis, 9 years old. She speaks perfect English. They invited us to return at 4:30pm for the weekly youth program. We had to decline this week because we were helping Kenny, but look forward to visiting next week.

I mentioned to Fabian I was going to look for tabs for my Bible with the books in Spanish. He insisted that he would take care of that for me and bring them next Sabbath. He knows where to get them. We thought that was very thoughtful and generous.

God's people are scattered all over this earth, and it's wonderful to feel like "home" no matter where you are!

Medical Care in Cuenca

It's been a while since I've blogged. We've been caring for our friend Kenny who had a double knee replacement. The total cost for his two new knees, four day hospital stay, meds, and physician fee.......$8600! That's right, his wonderful doctor even told him if he pays directly to the manufacturer for his knees, he can save $450! When was the last time your doctor or hospital offered you the opportunity to save some money?! If Ken had the procedure in Hawaii, it would have cost $66,000. To say his insurance provider was happy with his decision to have it done in Cuenca is an understatement.

The procedure was done at a new, clean modern hospital called Mt. Sinai. It appears to be a part of Humana. Kenny's room was very large with a comfortable futon and.....monogrammed sheets. The staff was very friendly and accommodating. Kenny's doctor agreed to allow the staff, after administering meds, to leave the empty bottles with Kenny so he could research them on line and compare them to their English equivalent. The surgeon had done 150 knee replacements prior to Kenny's. He provided excellent post operative care. Physicians here do most of the hands on after care. Not only did he personally dress Kenny's knees post op, he also put on and changed his thigh high compression hose.

Kenny was on the operating table for 6.5 hours. To his surprise, he was given spinal anesthesia instead of general. He was awake and alert post op, and feeling great. His recovery was much more rapid in the absence of general anesthesia.

Two days prior to surgery, they allowed Kenny to donate a pint of his blood in the event he might need it. I was surprised they allowed that so close to surgery. Interestingly, because there are so many clinics and hospitals in Cuenca, blood is only allowed to be stored at the Red Cross. We had to give the surgeon our phone number in the event he needed us to pick up the blood and bring it to the hospital. Approximately 3 hours in to surgery, and immediately after we walked out of the gym, we got the call. We hurried to the Red Cross, I signed the register after giving them Kenny's blood donation receipt, and walked out with a little black plastic bag holding his blood. We took a cab to the hospital, found a nurse, and she gave the blood to the surgeon in the OR! Quite an interesting experience. The rationale for not storing blood at medical facilities is because there are so many, the amount of blood stored would be insufficient at each site for their needs. Only the few designated trauma sites in Cuenca have some excess on hand. I was very pleased to learn that, as that was a concern of mine.

Post operatively, Kenny is doing well. We had to go to a medical supply pharmacy and buy him a walker and bring it to his room so he could begin therapy. No huge hospital mark up here. As a matter of fact, before leaving the hospital, Kenny received a very detailed itemized bill. The average cost of one pill, ten cents. Lunch, two dollars and fifty cents.

Kenny is now rehabing at home with a physical therapist that sees him about 5 times per week. Her hourly cost? Fifteen dollars.

Ken and I were very impressed with our first close up look at medical care in Cuenca.

Seeing the Sights

We decided it was time to visit some of the well known sights outside of Cuenca. With our friend Juan in the driver's seat, we took off to the beautiful countryside to explore one of Ecuador's best known orchid farms. There are over 4000 species of orchids worldwide, with over 2500 raised at this beautiful facility.

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The farm was located in a gorgeous valley. We were able to take a tour, and experience the incredible beauty of these versatile flowers. The flowers are first started from seeds that are placed in recycled liquor and coke bottles!

We saw a large variety of flowers and a beautifully landscaped garden area with orchids so tiny, you almost need a microscope to see them. We also spotted flowers that looked like spiders. The fragrances were wonderful!

We couldn't resist and just had to buy an orchid for our covered terrazza! We continued on to Chordela, known for it's numerous silver shops. It's also a quaint village with lots of parks, and a river running through it.

Juan's family owns a vacation home in Chordela, and has fond memories of week-ends and vacations here. We visited the mercado in town, an indoor market with row after row of produce on one side of the ground floor. Across the room were a variety of stands selling blended fresh fruit drinks. Juan bought us a drink blended with fresh coconut milk that was absolutely delicious! Coconuts are plentiful in Ecuador, and in Cuenca you frequently see roadside vendors selling fresh cut pieces. There were also booths with large containers of fresh grains for sale in bulk. Grains, fruits and vegetables are very inexpensive and are sold at the mercado by the indigenous Indians.

The second level was primarily different types of raw and cooked meats. One section is pollo (chicken), another carne (beef), last but not least were whole, roasted pigs (jamon). Pork is the most popular meat in the Andes mountains.

Since we were in town on Friday, we were able to take advantage of another outside mercado next to the cathedral set up once a week. Part of the purpose of our journey was to purchase plants to landscape our two terrazas. We hit the jackpot! Ken had great fun bargaining with the vendors! It's expected, and something Ken loves to do. I just stand back and let him go, marveling how well he communicates in his very broken Spanish and sign language! In a matter of minutes he has the vendors laughing, as they cave in to his offer. Sometimes he drives such a hard bargain, the other vendors crowd around just to watch this big gringo in action to see who wins the tug of war. It's all great fun with lots of smiles.

With Juan's car loaded with plants, we happily head home, enjoying the wondrous beauty that is Ecuador.

Sugar Shock

On June 24th, I turned a milestone birthday. Now I'm 10 years older than the minimum age for an antique! (Figure that one out!) Feeling old, my sweet hubby decided we needed a romantic lunch back at the "House of Angels" restaurant where we spent Father's Day. The sun was shining and the garden was just beautiful! All of the staff came out and brought me a special dessert with a candle and sang Happy Birthday. For those of you who know me, I'm not a big dessert person, yet there have been some frequent mentions of this waist expanding activity! I can say in all honesty, that since this new change in lifestyle in Ecuador, i.e. walking just about everywhere almost daily, Ken and I have lost quite a bit of weight. We are currently looking for a tailor because our slacks just don't want to stay up. Unfortunately, I didn't bring a belt, but smart Ken did!

We recently discovered a nice, well equipped, clean gym with new equipment just a ten minute walk up the hill from our home. Talk about a great warm up! We've begun our weight lifting regime, and we feel great! (Well sort of..) The cost for the two of us? Thirty dollars per month and no contract. Diego, the owner, is a nice young man who lived a few years in the States. His degree is in education, and like the young lady who made our curtains, his salary as a teacher was so low, he couldn't survive. He had to look for alternatives. He's weight lifted most of his life, and owning his own gym has always been a dream, that's now a reality. We're glad we're able to be a part of his success.

It's Corpus Christi festival time in Cuenca! This religious, week long festival includes marching bands and processionals that include young girls dressed as angels, priests, nuns, and faithful followers carrying lighted candles, singing, in front of a float depicting the Virgin Mary, as they weave their way around the city. Fireworks are shot off every night around 8:00pm, sometimes in the middle of a crowded street. Ken and I walked to El Centro, the location of Cuenca's most beautiful park, Parque Calderon Saturday night, and couldn't believe our eyes as we saw row after row of tented stands, around the park, next to the cathedral loaded, and I mean loaded with all kinds of baked goods and candies. This is what Corpus Christi is most known for. The confections are not covered, much to the delight of the honey bees that appeared out of nowhere!

Since most Ecuadorians are short, tall folks have to duck to get through the maze of tents!

Sunday, we decided to walk back to El Centro and buy some flowers from the flower ladies near the cathedral.

We found just the perfect flower arrangement for our living room! One of the luxuries of living here is fresh flowers all the time. They are beautiful, plentiful, and very affordable. I love getting up each morning and enjoying their beauty and fragrance. Here's what we selected for $3.00.

Later, we stopped at SuperMax for some groceries, and couldn't resist when we found these for $3.00 also!

They look great in our kitchen!

Monday, during our daily walk, we found a little shop selling hats. Ken left his hat in Murrells Inlet and needed one to protect his scalp from the Ecuadorian sun. Here's a bit of trivia. Did you know that Panama hats are actually made in Cuenca Ecuador? The name "Panama hat" actually was coined by Teddy Roosevelt. While visiting the Panama canal when it was being constructed, he noticed the workers' hats, liked them, and decided to get one for himself. When he returned to the US, his hat caught the attention of the media, and he referred to it as his "Panama hat"! I think Ken probably looks better in his than old "Teddy" did!

He's my white haired "sugar"!

Father's Day in a Third World Country?!

Today is Father's Day and Ken and I are in Cuenca, far from the children. To make our guys feel better, my neighbor and friend, Robin and I decided to surprise them with a special lunch. Little did I know how special this was going to be!

It was a glorious day, and we decided to take the fifty minute walk to Casa Alonso. Here are some of the sites we passed along the way.

We finally arrived at our destination, and learned our restaurant was located inside the beautiful Mansion Alcazar, or as it's know, "House of Angels".

We literally gasped as we walked through the front door, and experienced the splendor of this beautiful mansion that once belonged to a bishop. The mansion houses a restaurant, coffee bar and boutique hotel. It has eleven rooms and three suites, each one individually decorated with antiques.

We were led outside to the breathtaking garden and seated at our table.

After placing our orders, we were served three small specialty breads. That was soon followed by what was called a palate stimulator. It consisted of what looked like yellow cherry tomatoes covered in a balsamic dressing. It was both sweet and tart at the same time. That was followed by a palate cleanser. It was an edible rose petal lightly sprinkled with powdered sugar topped with a tiny dollop of passion fruit sorbet. Yummy and totally unique! As we chatted, we spotted beautiful hummingbirds! They were larger than we see in the States, and a vivid blue-green color. Joe told us there are 150 different species of hummingbirds in Ecuador.

The main course was served on pewter platters with a large cover topped with an angel. While eating we noticed the sky getting darker and the wind picking up. We ordered dessert for this special occasion, and raindrops started to fall. We hurried inside, when for the first time since we've been here, we heard thunder rumbling then torrential rain and hail. It was sudden, and lasted only about fifteen minutes.

We also enjoyed our time inside, and couldn't believe once the rain stopped, how much ice collected in the outdoor flower pots. After dessert we headed back outside to further explore the garden, and just look at what we saw!

The general manager offered to give us a tour of the hotel. Sandra was charming and friendly as were our servers at lunch. Sandra shared that when the hotel first opened a few years ago, there were a lot of reproductions. Today, the majority of the rooms are furnished with real antiques. Just take a look.

I 'm the antique standing in front of the fountain located in the center of the hotel lobby. It is filled with fresh flowers daily. The cape I'm wearing was purchased last year in Cotaccachi Ecuador, a beautiful rural Andes town that specializes in leather goods. The cape has pieces of leather stitched together.

The rain stopped, and despite the drop in temperature of at least five degrees, we decided to walk back home. Along the way, the sun peeked out

out and we were again overcome by the beautiful views and snapped some more photos as we headed home.

We had a memorable day, spent with good friends. All of us agreed on one thing; not everyone is cut out to live in a third world country!