Facades, cornices, and balustrades

Old Colonial Cuenca is filled with homes and buildings dating back to colonial times. All it takes is a leisurely walk along the streets of old town to put yourself in front of a commercial building, a church, or an old home that exemplifies the long lost desire to have beauty for the sake of beauty alone.

Though life on the streets is fascinating, look up above the clutter of stores at street level.  It doesn’t take much of a stretch of your imagination to picture what Cuenca must have looked like a hundred or more years ago.

These photos show just a small percentage of the dozens and dozens of buildings that are today proudly kept in a grand style and are as beautiful as they were long ago. 

Someday, we'll do a posting on the old churches of Cuenca but as there are 53 of them it will be a big project. 

The Expats

One of the wonderful things about Cuenca is the size and vibrancy of the expat community. Approximatly four years ago, two of our most prominent expats thought it would be a good idea to have a weekly gathering of expats who live in or who are visiting Cuenca.  The concept was to share experiences and create a network of friends. They spread the word around and a few expats started meeting at a local restaurant on Friday evenings for a glass of wine and conversation.  Over the years, the venues changed frequently from the Eucalyptus Café, to La Parola, to the Eucalyptus again and currently, to Zoe’s Restaurant as different people came up with new places to meet. During the last year, some 30 to 40 people have gathered on Fridays at Zoe’s. There are even some efforts to broaden the gatherings further.  Some people are just visiting and have heard through the grapevine that it is a fun and informative evening. Some are renting here for a month or so while trying to decide whether to move to Cuenca or not. These people are usually thirsty for information. Others are expats who are long time residents who have put down roots and expect to stay for years to come and who attend to meet old and new friends.  But almost all find it an interesting evening where everyone is welcome and where many people are willing to share information and friendship.  If you are presently living in the US, Canada, or Europe and thinking of an international move, one of the things you are probably looking for is information, current information that is valid and has no hidden commercial theme. From our experience, there is no better place than the expat community in the city or region you are investigating.  We looked at Quito where there are many expats in the Tumbaco and Cumbaya areas but, from what we saw, there is no organized expat community.  There may be but we could not find one. We looked at southern Spain, which still interests us and where there are many expats from the UK who have summer homes along the coast. But there seems to be no functioning group of expats in the specific areas we researched. Everywhere you look, there are good blogs, good sources of information, but a real expat community is often lacking. There is an argument against attaching yourself to a vibrant expat community. It is that shopworn argument that “The last thing we want is to join a group with the same life style we are leaving.” We have not found that to be the case in Cuenca.  Our friends are from all over the world and have brought their interesting lives with them. This is not an enclave of Americans huddled behind closed gates who seldom go into the Spanish world around them. Our friends are scattered all over the city. They are involved in cultural and charitable events.  They lead exciting lives. Just read some of the blogs about Cuenca to see how “out and about” they are. What the expat gatherings have done is provide a venue where we have gotten to know each other and sorted out friendships which have become one of the strongest parts of our Cuenca experience. 

Ecuador unrest

We were at the gym late this morning and noticed the TV was unusually on with the news. Vivid photographs showed President Correa in Quito being doused with water and tear gassed by members of the National Police. He had gone to a street rally to mediate a misunderstanding over police promotions and benefits. It turned ugly and the President was tear gassed and attacked then taken to the hospital for a checkup as he had been roughed up and was still recovering from leg surgery.  It is late afternoon now and a state of emergency has been declared until the situation winds down. The pivotal Ecuadorian Army has stayed on the sidelines and its only presence is guarding the closed airports and national infrastructure. If they stick with Correa it will blow over quickly. If not, we don’t have a clue what the next step will be.  We have been advised, and it makes good sense, to stay indoors until we know what is happening. The internet, TV, and cell phones have not been effected so we have communicated to our family that all is OK. Looking out the window, the city is quiet like a Sunday afternoon. Latin Americans have been through this a number of times and seem to have a more casual attitude than we gringos. But, we too, have been calmed by their stoic response. 

What’s familiar and what’s hard to find

We seem to be always writing about what is different and unusual in Ecuador but that really doesn’t help someone who is thinking of moving here who wants to know what to bring and what familiar items they can get here at the stores.  While we will list things common to someone who lives in the US, please be aware that there are many, many items both locally made and imported that are available in addition to this list. This list is far from complete. Some familiar items may be available and we have not yet found where to get them. These are just some hundreds of familiar products that will make purchasing easier until you get to know the less expensive, locally made products. Almost every product listed here has a local counterpart, often as good or better and certainly cheaper.  It took us a while but the only items on this list we still buy regularly are Colgate toothpaste, Reynolds wrap and Cascade dishwasher soap.

Drugstore items – Colgate toothpaste; Speed Stick, Dove, Mitchem & Arid deodorants; Head and Shoulders & Pantene shampoos; Nutrogena and Nivea products, Listerine mouth wash; Centrum Vitamins;  Phillips Milk of Magnesia; Eucerin & Lubriderm body creams.

Supermarket items – Cascade dishwasher soap; Dove hand soap; Sprite, Coca Cola & Pepsi; V8 Juice; Aunt Jemima Pancakes; Clorox, Ritz Crackers, McCormick spices, Jiffy peanut butter; Huggies Diapers; Scott Toilet Paper; Kleenex; Dasani & Evian bottled water; Kraft American and Velveta cheese; Reynolds wrap; WD40; Splenda & Sweet and Low sweeteners; Royal puddings; Berio Olive Oil; Kraft mayonnaise; Del Monte Creamed Corn; Twining and Celestial teas; Ruffles, Dorito, and Lays chips, Motts apple juice; Haagen Dasz Ice Cream, Heineken, Bud, and Corona Beer; Almost every liquor and wine found in the US.

TV – Samsung, Sony, LG

Computers – Toshiba laptops; blank CD’s & DVD’s; Epson, Canon & Lenmark printers

Cell phone – Nokia, Samsung & Blackberry phones

Stationary Store – HP printer paper; HP and Canon ink cartridges; bic pens; Stabilo Boss highlighters; Scotch tape; Duracell & Energizer batteries

Cars – New and used Hyundai, Chevrolet, Toyota, VW & Subaru; BMW & Mercedes less obvious but you see some.

Driving – right side of road; international road sign shapes but in Spanish.

Money – Ecuador uses dollar; ATM’s; familiar banking systems.

Electricity – 120 volt; common plugs.

Water – Cuenca has excellent drinkable city water.

Obvious omissions (these may be things to bring) – English books; Household cleaners; English software; English keyboard; yellow lined pads; Printer compatible photo printer paper; B vitamins; US DVD players don’t play Ecuador DVD’s; incandescent light bulbs; Braun power tooth brushes; Vick’s NyQuil cold medicine; High end camera equipment; High thread count sheets; Wireless headphones; 8 ½ x 11 paper and file folders.

The lists of familiar products and those hard to find could go on and on. This is just to give some inkling of the large amount of popular products sold in the US that are available here. 

Double your pleasure by being bi-lingual

Two lessons were learned or reaffirmed yesterday.  Cuenca is really just a small town and being bi-lingual is a gift not to be ignored. It was Loretta’s birthday and the three of us drove up into the Cajas National Park to our favorite restaurant, Dos Chorreros, where we often go to celebrate a holiday or special event. It was a perfect day, bright sunny skies filled with powder-puff clouds, the weather warm and clear.

The twenty mile drive up and into the mountains passes through spectacular scenery with waterfalls, cattle grazing on steep grassy slopes, indigenous families waiting by the roadside for the frequent busses,  and the sensation and the reality of climbing, constantly climbing upward.

At about 12,000 feet we pulled off the highway onto a dirt and gravel road, past trout ponds and tumbling brooks until we came to the restaurant where a dozen or more llama were grazing on the grass.

On entering the restaurant, we encountered a couple from Cuenca who we had spent the day before with in Yungilla at another friend’s farm. It had been something of a home warming event with a busload of Gringo’s arriving at the farm for an all day picnic. We chatted a bit about what fun the previous day had been.

 On going to our table, a man called from his table. “Is your name Bill?”  They were a visiting family from Michigan who identified us from the photo on our blog. Jonny tore off with their 6 year old daughter to play outside by the tumbling creek that runs by the big glass windows of the restaurant while we talked. They ran and jumped over the creek and became instant friends sharing their exuberance in English. We chatted about the family's adventures visiting Cuenca until they left.

After seating ourselves at our table, Jonny noticed a boy his age at the table next to us. He went over, introduced himself in Spanish and he and the boy went out to play. It turned out they were a French family and the boy spoke only Spanish and French. The mother knew Jonny from the Cedei School where she had taught French in the upper school. They had moved here from Tasmania and bought a farm outside Cuenca. Jonny and his new friend spent most of our dinner time talking in their common language, Spanish, and playing in the woods and creeks until they returned soaked to the waist.

On the way to our car after feasting at the desert table, a teen age girl said, “Hi Jonny.” in English. She had known him from summer camp and was quite proficient in English as are many of the Ecuadorian students who go to private school.

Are there some lessons here? We think so. Cuenca is a city of approximately 500,000 people yet a day does not pass that we don’t run into someone we know. And, we are not unusual. It is a common observation of almost all of our gringo friends. For one reason or another, people are extremely friendly and go out of their way to express it. We have never had so many friends in our entire lives as we have here and we hear that from everyone. Secondly, having previously used only English, we would have been deprived of some of the friendships we have in Cuenca if we didn’t use Spanish. Jonny is growing up bi-lingual and thinks nothing of switching from English to Spanish depending on who he is playing with. Though our Spanish is still in the embryo state, his is vocabulary is exploding daily. We think we have given him a gift that will soon override all the trials and frustrations of living in a foreign country. 

Some odd things – Some not so odd

Direct TV presently has seven high definition channels which make all the difference in our TV resolution. They advised that there will hopefully be an additional six channels by Christmas, 2010.

Lava solid dish soap is the best silver polish we have ever used though it is not meant to be used as such. Does a good job on the dishes too. 

Almost all DVD’s sold in Ecuador are pirated versions of legal discs. Most have the language option for changing the spoken language between Spanish and English. DVD’s cost $1.50 each. Blu Ray discs are just getting a foothold and pirated copies cost between $6 and $8 which is still far less than the $20 - $30 original versions in the US.

Buying English books in Cuenca is a problem. Even Spanish books are not sold as prolifically as they are in the US at large stores like Border’s or Barnes and Noble. There are no mega-book stores. There are a few good international bookstores and one we like is called the Libre Mundi International Book Store. There are a limited number of used English books sold at a small establishment in town called the Carolina Bookstore.

Inch long plastic matches come in tiny boxes. Tough on the fingers if you hold it too long.

Cuenca’s 8500 foot altitude makes cooking somewhat problematic. Boiling and baking food is almost always a crapshoot. But, gel shaving cream, again because of the altitude, explodes like whip cream when you spread it on.

Demand hot water heaters are often inconsistent in delivering constant hot water. It can be cold then hot then cold again all within minutes. In our apartment building a trick is to turn the bathroom sink hot water faucet on full blast at the same time you are running the shower hot water. Apparently, the combination lowers the water pressure enough to get the demand heater to kick on and stay on. Sounds crazy but it works for us and we can get a half hour or more of hot water with no problem.

We were out for dinner in town with visiting friends last Saturday evening and the pyrotechnics exploding on the street outside the restaurant was deafening. They were noticeably nervous at hearing gunshot like fireworks just outside the door. Exploding fireworks are a way of life in Cuenca. No need for an alarm clock. We are awakened every morning between 5:30 to 6:30 by a half dozen aerial salutes every five minutes signaling some call to worship that still makes no sense to us. Weddings announce their happiness by both aerial salutes and Fourth of July type explosions in the sky.  As the holiday season progresses so do the number of explosions all culminating in World War II on New Year’s Eve. And, we have yet to see where you can buy fireworks.

Packaging is challenging in Ecuador. Fruit juice, wine and milk come in boxes. Fresh milk comes in plastic bags that must be cut open and poured into a container then put in the refrigerator.

We won’t even touch on internet providers as everyone we know has a different story. When you get a provider who gives good service, hold on to them and we would suggest getting the best program they offer.

The government of Ecuador has decreed that incandescent light bulbs are a waste of energy and, once current supplies run out, can no longer be sold. Replacing them are the newer and more efficient twist bulbs.

Cell phones seem permanently attached to almost every ear in the city. There are two big companies offering plans and phones, Porta and Movistar. Probably the best way to have a cell phone is to buy one from either company and then purchase minutes each month rather than contract with one of their plans. It costs more to call someone who has Porta if you have Movistar but is free if you call someone Porta to Porta or Movistar to Movistar.  We constantly run out of minutes before the month is up and have a dead phone until we purchase more minutes. It is possible to have a specialized electronic store “unlock” your US phone for about $10 so it can be used here.

Real costs of living in Cuenca

We, like many of our friends who live in Cuenca, have become concerned about the world-wide publicity that Ecuador is getting in the press, publicity that often shows only the glowing side of things and not the whole picture. While this attention is mostly justified, Ecuador is often misunderstood as being a cure-all for every problem with dirt cheap living costs. In the past few years, Costa Rica and Panama received similar accolades which led to overbuilding and a rapid increase in the cost of living and eventual disappointment by many who came to find their paradise.

We have seen the effect of the world-wide recession on friends and have met and corresponded with many people who are looking for answers to their own desires for change that might bring a full and comfortable life style.  Almost all are near or in retirement and are looking for a way to conserve their remaining assets and to live as well as they can on their retirement income. Living in the States and in Europe has become dicey at best for many of them. Often this means they must find a way and a place to live on Social Security and their pensions. Fortunately, this has worked for us and we have managed to live well on our retirement income. We do worry, however, that this will not remain the case if Ecuador follows the “progress” of Panama and Costa Rica. We are concerned about overbuilding, a rising cost of living, and a change in the character of Cuenca brought about by a huge influx of “wealthy” newcomers because the income, though modest by US standards, is “rich” by Ecuadorian standards.

There will be some disagreement with the lists that follow but these are our real costs not just estimates out of the blue. The column on the left represents our actual costs for two adults plus school for Jonny. The column on the right is an estimate of how these costs for two could be reduced to a lower monthly total. Somewhere in between is probably where you might land.

Rent                $740 -large 4 B/R apartment $300 - 2 B/R apartment

Food               $500 -supermarket food      $400 - for two at Mercados, etc.

Dining out        $240 - twice a week             $120 - once a week

Utilities            $60 – electric,gas, water       $40 – electric, gas,  water

Cell phone       $30 – 2 phones buy minutes  $10 – 2 phones used infrequently

Internet            $90 – Best speed                  $30 – slower plan

Computer        $15 – supplies – high use       $5 – supplies– low use

Cable/Satellite $76 – Direct TV w/ extras     $30 – Direct TV basic

Transportation $60 – car with gas expense   $60 – no car, use bus and taxis

Vacations        $100 – One trip a year          $0 – No vacation

School            $250 – private school            $0 – No children

Maid               $135 – 3 days at $15 day     $0 – no maid

Clothing           $15                                      $5

Haircuts           $10 – for two                      $10 – for two

Gym                $40 – for two                      $0 – no gym

Medical           $50 – pay as you go            $50 – pay as you go

Vitamins          $5                                       $0 – no vitamins

Cash               $400  little things                 $300 – fewer little things

                            $2816                                 $1360

The above expenses don’t include any emergency costs, unexpected medical bills, or one time purchases that always seem to pop up and ruin the budget. Our expense of roughly $3000 a month is less than half the same categories and their cost in North Carolina. Other expats will have other ideas of what it costs for them to live in Cuenca but, no matter how you massage it, the expenses for two living here will probably come somewhere within these two totals.