We've been in Cuenca exactly six days, and one of our favorite things is the plethora of quaint little shops that entice you with helado (ice cream), or dark Ecuadorian chocolate, or specialty coffees and desserts. You feel like you're back in Europe. Our friend Ken knows most of them and insists we accompany him while he gets his daily fix. Our favorite, is the one located in el centro, at Parque Calderon, next to the cathedral. It is the most beautiful park in Cuenca, full of activity, and not far from the outdoor carts that sell gorgeous flowers at ridiculously low prices. Fresh flowers will be a mainstay in our apartment!
Tomorrow is going to be a busy, but exciting day! Our apartment is going to be cleaned from top to bottom, the rugs in the bedrooms cleaned, the beautiful hard wood floors polished, additional recessed lighting installed, and a consult with a painter to have the place painted the colors we selected. Our landlord graciously offered to paint the place prior to our arrival. Paint chips were sent, but unfortunately, the colors don't remotely resemble the colors we selected.
Yesterday we met in person, ex-pats we had been communicating with on line. What a fun time! We had lunch together at a Columbian restaurant, and enjoyed a lentil burger. Yummy! It turns out there are a number of vegetarian restaurants in Cuenca, and it will be fun to explore them all. Lunch cost us $2.90 a piece! The ex-pats are a close knit group, and go out of their way to help each other by sharing info on the best places to shop for essentials, bus routes, restaurants and the like.
Thanks to a wonderful on-line blog called "Gringo Tree", Ken and I found a family selling their household goods. We now have two beds (one for our guests to be!), TV set-up with speakers, refrigerator, dining tables and chair, teapot, mirror, plant stand, and more. We'll be picking those items up, with help from a new friend, Friday morning. We fully expect to be moved into our place by the week-end. Praise the Lord!
Today we spent a good part of the day shopping for household goods. We went to a beautiful, modern, mall called Rio. We spent hours in a fabulous store called Coral (pronounced Corral). Talk about a super store! It has everything you can imagine for your home, spread over two floors, and includes an upscale, full service grocery store. The prices were wonderful, and the staff all wear very attractive uniforms. Electrical appliances are tested prior to purchasing, to make certain they work. Our purchases were bagged, placed in a special cart, and ushered outside by a friendly employee who not only flagged down a cab for us, but also helped load our purchases into the taxi. The expected tip? Twenty-five cents.
Heading back to our friend's apartment with our goodies, Ken and I agreed we can get used to this! We love not having to worry about finding a parking place or how to get around the city by car. The taxis are inexpensive, and the drivers friendly, especially when I practice my Spanish on them! We now have the bus schedule and are learning the routes. The buses run every 6 minutes, they go absolutely everywhere, and you can't beat the $.25 fair! Even better, walking this beautiful city is a wonderful treat! Ken and I have been walking daily an average of 3 to 5 miles per day. The average gringo looses about ten pounds their first month here! I've always loved sidewalks since growing up in New York City, and boy are we loving them here. Are we easy to please or what?!
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