Saturday, May 22, 2010

Discovering more...


MAY 18, 2010

This was one of those days that (HA HA you thought I was going to say I should have stayed in bed) started out simple and then became a pleasant day in town…which included discovering a few new things. This by the way…most of the time…a good thing!

When I left for my Espanol Class this morning…the weather was just turning really nice. Incidentally…Cuenca (from what I’ve been told) has been experiencing a warmer than usual mes de Mayo (month of May).  Anyway…today in class I had a new classmate… which was nice in that I feel we learned more and…it was more fun with someone else sharing the load so to speak.

Once the class ended we went to the lower and main level to the bookstore. As I needed a new novel to read…this was perfect. The bookshop as I may have mentioned before is also a gathering place for Gringos who just may want to hang out…meet other Gringos etc. Well…today was no different as I met an hombre de la Estado Unidos (a man from the United States) who now owns a farm outside Cuenca. To make a long story shorter…I am now on the list for whenever he has an overage of fruit and/or vegetables and will be able to become a proud owner of fresh “organic” edibles…at by the way…very reasonable prices.

Well…after hobnobbing with the owner and other Expats…I finally found a book in which to keep my brain busy J.

Continuing on with my day and following the advice of Carol (one half of Lee & Carol…the owners of Carolyn’s Bookshop) I went in search of Almuerzo (Lunch).

Carol had suggested two shops across from each other and just around the corner. 
The first one was open but looked empty. With that knowledge I decided to take a look-see at the competition across the street. 
This was a “no brainer” as it was almost full of happy diners. In keeping my prior promise…I won’t get into the whole meal. I will however say that for a buck seventy-five…hey who’s gonna’ complain. However I must say that there was “zilch” to complain about. In fact I will be returning!

Now with “El estomago” Happy Happy J…I continued on with my next quest.

During my time in the bookstore (Information Central) I was made aware of a DVD shop where DVD’s are sold for Uno Dolar (One Dollar) and that Fernando speaks very good English. As the DVD shop was in the general direction of my trek home…off I went.

Finally after getting just a little confused with the calles (streets) I found the shop. 
Unfortunately…Fernando was not to be found and the Hombre who was minding the store eventually persuaded me to not wait for Fernando but to take my time...look around and pick what I liked. I ended up with three “newly released” DVD’s as in “Alice in Wonderland” with Johnny Depp…the latest Star Trek…and Avatar. All for three bucks total.

Ye can’t beat that hombre! J 

Of course these are all pirated (that’s all that’s available in Ecuador)…but they checked everything out on a DVD player and I will take it back if there is any problemo!

Now I thought that my shopping was over and done with for the day. However on my trip up “the hill”…”WHAT’S THAT SAID MY NOSE ????

Well…It’s the wonderful smell of fresh baked bread...that’s what!!!! OK…I weakened…didn’t need it but…into the Pan Panaderia (bread bakery) I went! However I was a “bueno muchacho” (good boy) and only bought two rolls and something I’ll call a Danish pastry.

Y asi mi amigos (and so my friends)…until the next report…

May 19, 2010 

Well…this was one of my “hibernation” days…as I didn’t even venture outdoors. No it wasn’t due to inclement weather…it was due to laziness  J.  Hey I’m allowed!

Anyway nothing to report as I did nothing with the exception of  reading…writing (e-mails) and …
well that’s about all!

So Manana….Senors y Senoras y Senoritas

MAY 20, 2010

Before I forget again!...I’ve been meaning to comment on the calles (streets) inside Cuenca. 
Yes…I know I mentioned the cobblestone streets. What I failed to mention was the fact that “every single street” in town is “una via” (one way). This in itself is very nice…as you need not bother looking both ways before crossing the street.

Now that would be true for any normal person. Well I’ve often been told that I’m not “exactly” normal…and in this case I tend to agree with that observation. Remember that I spent three adventurous years in the “Land of Smiles” a.k.a. Thailand. One should also keep in mind that the Thais (like the English) drive on the [left side of the road] and just opposite most the world’s drivers. That being the case I learned very quickly to look both ways…on a “continual basis”.

Flash forward to my now being a new resident in Cuenca, Ecuador and looking closely…you will see a “rare swivel-head Gringo” (me) crossing the “one-way” street. This being true...even though everyone in Ecuador drives on the right...just like in the U.S.

OK...enough of the silly stuff!

Today being Thursday marks another day of educating myself in the language of Esapnol...
i.e. Espanol Class. S-L-O-WL-Y…I am getting a grasp (notice I didn’t say learning) on the language.

Now comes my personal treat that I gave myself. And that treat came in the guise of a Full-body Massage. Now please understand…I was a Licensed Massage Therapist for Ten Years in Florida. Being in that Industry enabled me to get a massage fairly often. When I moved to Thailand once again I had a Thai massage every single week...until I met Aor (my now Ex-wife). So basically until today…it’s been almost three years since my last massage.

To say that I enjoyed it would be like saying a huge Ice Cream Sundae was OK. 
WOW…would be more like it. The cost …20 bucks for the hour. This is about 4 times more than Thailand (about $5U.S. per hour) but probably a good 80 bucks less than the U.S.  Guess what?...I am not complaining…not one bit!

Moving on…up two streets and over by three...I arrived once again at the BATA shoe store (remember… Sneakers). And…"YES"…new styles in stock. Forty-Six bucks later and yours truly walked out with new “sneaks”! J    And it’s about time!

Upon leaving the store I noticed that the old watch was around 3 pm and that’s when Mr. Stomach got into action as I hadn’t eaten since breakfast. Well the Mr. Stomach and Mr. Brain ganged up on the rest of me and off we all went in search of something “different” in the way of satiation. The ‘different” food came in a guise of…ready for this one…”Chicago Pizza”. Yes!…the real deal! However...even the real thing is different in here in Cuenca. Not so much in the product…but…well for 4 bucks I had a personal size Pepperoni Pizza (which was big enough for “dos personas” i.e. 2 people) and this included Garlic Rolls and a large glass of Coke. Can’t beat it!

Well after "way to much to eat" (yes Sr. Piggo finished it all)…it was time for my uphill hike once again. However…”A Funny Thing Happened On The Way Home”...dum-de-dum-dm :)

As I was starting my walk...I passed a tiny…what could only be called a Mom & Pop…grocery /candy store and I swear…as I passed I heard…”pssst” from the “Ice Cream Freezer”. “NO KIDDING” ;) 

Anyway…yes I broke down…as after pizza you have to have…a cooling desert (that’s a universal law I’ll have you know). Anyway I bought an ice cream pop that looked in the picture...way bigger than what I received…but for 30 cents…it was good …it was refreshing…
and it satisfied the beast within me J.

So once again…I have triumphed over the uphill trek (it is getting a bit easier) and am now safely ensconced in my apartemento J

Ciao for now…








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