A Single Expat in Cuenca

Revolving Doors

2011-08-16T15:51:00.000-05:00

What’s past is past…

What the future Holds…

is yet to be discovered

and embraced!

---------------------

For those who have been following my musings

over the past few years…you will be all too

familiar (up to a point) about my comings and

goings. If you’re new to my Blog then…I need

to back up a bit so that you might better

understand…where I’m coming from and what

I hope will be forthcoming.

I started my Expat life and journey back in

December 2005. This was when I took my first

trip to Thailand. From the first moment I set

foot on Thai soil…I new this place…steeped in

its mystical ways…would have deep seated

meaning(s) for me.

Once I arrived in Chiang Mai…I experienced a

major epiphany and knew instantly…that this

city…would be my new home. This all proved

true as within a little over a year…I was a newly

rooted resident of Chiang Mai.

I’m not going to delve into my past living

experiences in Chiang Mai… as that would be

redundant. I will say however that…I lived in

Chiang Mai for almost three (3) years. But…

as life usually has unexpected surprises in

store for all (or many) of us…and without

rehashing what does not need to be re-

visited…I will tell you that my tenure in

Thailand became somewhat…”abbreviated”.

After my departure from Thailand…as many of

you know…I chose to take up residence in

Cuenca, Ecuador.

My past musings in Cuenca... can be found in

their entirety by clicking on the this link…
http://CuencaBarry.blogspot.com

I now present to you…

the next upcoming chapter of my life!

With the previous paragraph(s)

out of the way…I now welcome you…

to my newest adventure in living and into…

My "Re-Expatriated" Life...in and around

"The Rose of the North"

Chiang Mai, Thailand

Of course this will proceed hand-in-hand with

whomever…whatever… and wherever…my

continuing expat life leads me next.

So for now…a “Pre-Welcome” into my future

musings.

I sincerely hope…you enjoy the ride with me

as your guide. That said…maybe…my writings

will awaken a “travelers quest” in you and just

maybe…you’ll visit both me and Chiang Mai

for yourself…in the not to distant future.

nonetheless…

until my actual “new” Blog launch…

Sawadee Krup...which means Hello/Good-bye…

(“Krup” for a male…”Ka” for a female)

"See you already learned some Thai"

FYI…my new “upcoming” Blog address is:

http://barry-thai.blogspot.com

Have a great day (มีวันที่ดี in Thai)

A Special Note…

To my Cuencano Amigo’s

North American Friends.

I have lived amongst you for about 15 (fifteen)

months and…have made many friends and

acquaintances. Some have developed into real

honest-to-goodness “highly-valued” friendships.

For those (you know who you are) friends…

I sincerely hope that distance will not interfere

with our relationships.

For those whom I consider “acquaintances”…

I truly hope that we can stay in-touch as…

I value whatever level of friendship has

developed with each and every one of you.

Thankfully…technology makes contact quite

easy…utilizing e-mails… FaceBook…SKYPE etc.

and I hope [at least] some will take advantage

of this.

So my friends…

I wish you happiness and well-being.

(Tan mis amigos…le deseo felicidad y

bienestar.)

Once Again…FYI…my new Blog address

will be: http://barry-thai.blogspot.com

Ciao for Now…Barry

On the Move Again (Almost)

2011-06-18T18:44:00.000-05:00

June 18, 2011

As I was perched on one of my chosen benches in

Parke Calderone today…it came to mind that

I hadn’t written anything in quite some time.

Well, nothing has really happened with the

exception of my recent trip back to Thailand.

So…I rushed back to my apartemento and

started writing. This is the result.

I know…I know…Exciting isn’t it? :) :)

Just as a tiny refresher…my latest trip to Thailand…

occurred about 2 months ago and lasted a whole

month...in the Land of Smiles.

For those who do not know (even though I

mentioned this in my last Blog)…I have decided

to return once again (this time to stay) to Thailand…

specifically Chiang Mai.

The reasons (3 major) are few but for me…

powerful (forgive me if I am repeating myself

from the previous Blog).

The reason(s)…

Wine…Women…and Song…Just Kidding :) :)

No…the real reason(s) for me are the following:

Firstly…is the Weather. Yes it’s eternal spring in

Cuenca…which by the way… is located “high” in

the Andes (elevation 8500 ft). This keeps the weather

(depending on each of the two seasons) in the low

40F’s [at night] to mid 70F’s [mid afternoon] on a

daily basis.

Now… for most folks this would be ideal.

For someone (like yours truly)…who because of

my ten (10) “beach living” years in S. Florida

and three (3) years in Thailand…not so ideal.

In fact…mornings and especially evenings…

it is Downright Chilly (if not cold).

Yes it’s warm to hot in Thailand year-round but…

I’ll take that over being chilled and/or cold

anytime…"more my speed".

Scondly…is the food. I’ve said this many times

before so…forgive me if you feel I’m repeating

myself (I am). Nobody…Not Anywhere and at

Anytime…can even come close to the Taste of

Thai Food. That by the way…also includes

multitudes of fresh fruits and vegetables that one

can stand. ‘Nuff said!

Thirdly: (but definitely not least)…and remember…

me being a single guy…are the Thai Women.

Once again…’Nuff Said!

So there you have it…my three (3) main reasons

for returning to “LOS” (Land of Smiles). Now…

don’t get me wrong…as there are many more

reasons than the three I just mentioned.

The following is a gentle touch on this

“incomplete” list of reasons.

I would need to first mention…the easy

going and smiling Thai peoples…the simple

life-styles…the plethora of entertainment…

”in” and “nearby” country travels…the

availability of modern goods…foodstuffs etc.

This along with many and varied venues of

entertainment…world class (and very low cost)

medical treatment…and you may now...

understand some of the reasons for my deciding

to return to Thailand…specifically Chiang Mai.

On my way:

In my last writing...I mentioned that I had not yet

made any concrete dates for my return.

Obviously that has now changed.

For those interested…I will be leaving Cuenca

on September 1st…leaving Ecuador on

September 2nd and then…spending time with

family and friends in South Florida for a week.

After my Florida fling…it’s back on the plane

to Upstate and Downstate New York for more

family. This will encompass a few days and then

back in the air and…onward too Chiang Mai,

Thailand via Inchon, S. Korea.

What Next?

As my mind is always thinking ahead…it hit

me that (and this is extremely important!)...

I need to settle on a “New Title” for my Blog

(told you it was important) :)

Something tells me that “A Single Expat in

Cuenca”...when I’m going to be living in

Thailand…well…just won’t cut it.

So…now comes the real work. If you think

coming up with a good solid title is easy…

well…plain and simple…It Is Not and…

not by a long shot! So…I‘m throwing this

out to anyone who is interested in assisting me…

in my quest for a new title. No…I’m not

promising I’ll use your suggestion but…

maybe :)

Oh yes…for those that may be looking for

compensation re: the above…let me say this

now and upfront and in a friendly way.

Ain’t No Way No How! Plain enough?

That said...

all your suggestions will be welcomed!

Back in Cuenca

As of now…I’m basically living in limbo.

Some (not all) of my compadres in Cuenca

know of my upcoming re-expatriating to

Thailand. That said…word (I believe) is

spreading rapidly. This is after all…

a fairly small Gringo community.

One of my personal grievances here in

Cuenca and a fairly strong reason behind my

move (no…its not a big deal) is finding things

to do along with other people (many married

couples...which complicates things). This…

has never been easy. I personally like to be able

to share experiences.

Where’s the fun in sightseeing solo?

So…for now I am biding my time and “just”

starting to think of putting items up for sale…

thinking of pre-packing luggage (YUK) and…

a few thousand other small things that need

to be addressed.

Rest assured that when things start popping

and I have some news for you…I will

definitely “wind up my thinking cap” and

send off a new…updated Blog.

BTW…Please (and seriously)…

if anyone has a title suggestion for my Blog…

for when I’m residing in Thailand…

please let me know. Who knows…

maybe one day you can tell your friends that...

my Blog title was your idea.

Now…wouldn’t that make you feel “special” ? :)

Until next time…Have a great day J

Past...Present & Future

2011-06-02T09:43:00.000-05:00

Thursday, June 2, 2011

So…it’s been a couple (OK a few) months since I last

wrote anything of consequence But to tell you the truth…

to me…my own absence has been somewhat refreshing.

You see… writing the Blog had almost become almost

(I shudder...to use this term)…a job…YIKES!

Anyway…for those of you that have missed my epic (?)

scribes…you may relax as I only took a little detour

regarding my writings. For those that have “not” missed

me… well either read on or…go on your merry way…

”up too you”!

TODAY…

I’ve been mulling over what to write about and…have

decided to forego all (well not all that much) that may

have happened during this non-writing period. With that

in mind I will start this Blog as of a few months ago

THAILAND (part deux)…that’s the number two…

or those that have no inkling of French.

I don’t recall if I previously mentioned the situation that

I had…with my Thai Ex-wife Aor…regarding the selling

the property in Chiang Mai, Thailand. As it turned out…
any Thai Consulate and or Embassy in the U.S. proved
to be a completely worthless endeavor…with regards to

obtaining the required paperwork (can you say…

MASSIVE RED-TAPE). This left me with one available

means in which to bring my real estate debacle to an

amicable close. How you ask?...

By making another round-trip to Thailand.

LET THE GAMES BEGIN !!!!!

Now if one is flying within ones own country or even a

neighboring country in the same hemisphere…one can

imagine a “normal” (and somewhat affordable) flight

schedule. That said...and being that I am presently

residing in South America i.e. Ecuador….well let’s

just say...“it’s a game changer”.

After numerous searches on the Internet for a flight to

Chiang Mai and…after many weeks of searching…

I came across a flight that would allow me to by-pass the

Good ‘Ol U.S of A entirely. My route took me from Quito,

Ecuador to Paris, France, to Bangkok and finally to...

Chiang Mai.

This “little” trip only took me 50 (yes fifty) plus hours and

by the way…was each way. “Not” a fun trip by anyone’s

standards (except maybe the airline)!

After all is said and done I have to say the flights were

all pleasant…overall the service was good and more

importantly “safe”.

NOW OR THEN...GOOD STUFF…

Soon after my arrival in Chiang Mai and after catching my

breath…I got in touch with Aor (my ex) and we got down

to business (real business).

Off we went to what is loosely translated from Thai…as

the “land office”. This is always a fun place…as is any

government agency throughout the world. I must say

though…they did get us in and out as quickly as possible.

Whether this is the rule or the exception…I have no idea …

nor do I care!

After a short wait I signed where they told me to sign…

and Aor likewise signed. I then paid the exorbitant

fee of roughly U.S.$5 dollars...and wah-lah…we were

done! Now and hopefully soon…the house will sell and

I’ll be the recipient of a good portion of my original

monies…I hope!

A FUNNY THING HAPPENED...

You know the old saying “Never Say Never” well this

proved very apropos.

When I left Thailand a bit over year ago…I basically

said good-bye to LOS (land of smiles) and hello to

Ecuador. This…to the point that I even applied for and

received my…”legal residency” in Ecuador. However…

coming back once again to LOS…that same feeling of

years ago (this being my very first visit to Thailand) hit

me like a “ton of bricks”.

The feeling that I am referring to occurred on the first

morning of my “first trip” to Thailand. This feeling very

simply…was an internal voice that simply said…

”I’m Home”!

Guess what…my latest trip last month was in essence…

”déjà vu”!

Anyway…to continue on with my little story...after doing

the legal stuff…I made contact with some of my friends

in Chiang Mai. This [meeting friends] also gave me a

chance to re-acquaint myself with the city and it’s surrounds.

Unfortunately…everything didn’t go as smooth as I

thought it would (what a surprise). The first thing that

threw me…happened the day after my arrival. This day…

being a Saturday…was also the now “once a month”

meeting of the Chiang Mai Ex-Pats Club. I was somewhat

excited as I “new”…I would get to see more than a few

of my Chiang Mai friends.

SURPRISE!

I arrived the customary ½ hour before start time. This

BTW…is to give everyone a chance to socialize a bit…

while sampling some coffee and “goodies”. Apparently

people got mixed up (as I found out later) regarding

the meeting date. The result…out of the average 2-300

or so people that show up regularly for these meetings…

maybe …maybe 60 made their presence known.

Of the 60 people…I new exactly 4…yes “four” people.

It wasn’t a total loss however as I did get to spend some

quality time with [granted] a few friends.

Now…you know there is always a down side to a story.

This being no exception…here it comes...

My downside…happened once I rented my motorbike (yes…

the same make and model that I owned while living in

Chiang Mai). After renting said motorbike…I got on the

inner-moat roadway that surrounds Old Chiang Mai City.

My purpose was simply to get back to my Guesthouse.

This was when I did a “very…very stupid thing”!

At approximately 40 mph…I decided to adjust my side-

view mirrors. HELLOOOOOO….

It’s said that at the moment of an accident…ones brain

shuts down. I now know that…this IS a truism if there

ever was one…because…one moment I was riding and

the very next moment…I was...”kissing the pavement” of

the roadway. To say that I was extremely lucky is a huge

understatement! Luckily…nothing was broken…that with

the exception of my pride. And of course bruises (possibly

I think some torn tendons).

To make a longish story short…I went to Maw Pan

(pronounced "paan") my old doc in town and after 2 visits

(a week apart) with some medication and 2 weeks hence…

doc and I decided I needed to get an X-ray. This …just to

confirm his original findings. So…off I went (on my

motorbike) to the hospital.

To say that they [hospital] are efficient would be a gross

understatement and that…in capital letters. I entered into

the outpatient area…went to the front desk and was

immediately and literally handed over to a very pretty

English speaking floor nurse. She understood that all I

needed…was X-rays and an X-ray report for my doctor.

She then physically led me to the x-ray area on the other

side of the hospital. I was then “asked” to wait.

X-rays (2 of them) taken…I waited a bit more…was

handed my report along with my x-rays and with the

verbal report that told me “all was well” and I was done.

Total time in the hospital…under 1 (one) hour.

Complete cost for the X-rays…500 Baht or U.S. $16.66

Total cost for my two (2) doctor visits, medications and

along with the outpatient hospital visit with x-rays…

under U.S.$55 (fifty-five).

So…now after another fun 50+ hour trip back to Cuenca

(Ecuador)…I am and have been for a bit over a week…

once again back in my “departemento” (apartment).

AND NOW TO…CUT TO THE CHASE!

For those that do not already know…I have decided to

return…once again to live in Chiang Mai.

I guess this statement makes it “official”.

There are a few major reasons for my decision.

The first reason…being the weather.

You see…after living 10 years in S. Florida…on or very

close to the beach and then followed by 3 years in

Thailand….I am convinced that my body will never be

comfortable in a 50-70F degree temperature range…

such as it is in Cuenca.

In actuality the range as of late…has been 50 to low 60’s

under clouds or rainy skies…YUK! This by the way...

will get worse as Ecuador is coming into the colder

months! Incidentally…there are those that would say…

well move to the warmer climes near Ecuador’s Beaches.

To that I say…”been there-done that”…and no thank-you!

The second reason is food.

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again…

No place… Nowhere…even comes close to Thai food…

’nuff said!

Thirdly …but definitely not lastly…are the women.

Now don’t get me wrong…as there are some beautiful

women in Cuenca. Again I am only basing this on my

one year in “Cuenca”!

The problem as I and many other single men in this town

see it…is this simple fact:…”life is all encompassed in a

very strong Catholic upbringing”…wherein ”marriage” is

the only acceptable way of life for a woman…period

end-of-story. I for one…am not inclined to marry again…

so life (for me anyway) in Cuenca/Ecuador is…well...

a very lonely affair!

Now I am not saying that women in Thailand don’t care

about marriage. They do…and I don’t blame them…it is

after all a way for many Thai women …to lift themselves

out of a...shall we say…underprivileged-type lifestyle.

That said…”IF” marriage proved (for me) to be the only

way to have a long lasting relationship…so be it.

However…in Thailand (as in many other countries) there

are two ways to get married.

One way of course…is under religious vows etc.

The second way is...marriage by way of a Civil Contract…

which of course binds one legally. That leaves me one

option (if it comes to that)…which is a religious ceremony

and without legal parameters.

The Big Question…

When is my upcoming re-expatriation to Thailand...

going to happen? The answer simply is this…

I am planning…but as of this writing no reservations

have been made…to leave Ecuador the beginning of this

coming September…visit family and some friends in the

states and then off to Thailand i.e. to renew my Thai-

type lifestyle.

So there you have it folks and until next time…

Have a great day and embrace life for what it is …”wonderful” :) :)

A Bit of Exploring in and Around Cuenca

2011-03-16T17:45:00.000-05:00

Cuenca Sightseeing...
the "Old", "New" and
In-Between!

Finally…I have a choice of sightseeing companions. I’m
sure many of you are aware that I have this dislike of
“not” having somebody in which to share the joys of
discovery. The result…except for a rare occasion…
well…I refrain from doing much in the way of
sightseeing.

This has always bothered me somewhat because life in
general can get boring...doing and seeing the same thing
day in and day out.

Recently my friends Ellie & Wally left the heat of
South Florida and are now vacationing in Cuenca for a
month and…yours truly has a couple of willing sight-
seeing companions. This by the way…has giving me a
new level of enjoyment with regards to Cuenca and
its environs.

I’ll get back to these forays in a moment but first I want
to give you a hint as to my “almost” new arrivals.

My friend Jim is do to arrive in Ecuador in a couple/few
days. We met while he was here…a few months ago…
for what I call a “look-see” regarding Cuenca. He is now
after a very long…cold and very rough Chicago winter…
moving here!

So Jim…here is a hearty pre-welcome to you.

Also on my welcome list is Jeanne…whom I met at a
Gringo Night a few months ago. I met her incidentally…
the evening before she was returning to San Francisco.
Months later she once again returned to Cuenca for a few
days…secured an apartment for herself and a few(?) pets.
Jeanne is due to arrive in literally a few days.

So Jeanne…a pre-welcome to you too.

Whether or not I’ll be busy helping my two new amigos
sightseeing or just having more friends to hang with will
remain to be seen but…I am looking forward to their
arrivals!

Now back to today’s...
Adventure…

As a start to our sightseeing…we decided to start small
and took advantage of The Cuenca City Tour. This by
the way cost all of five ($5) bucks per head and lasted
just about... 2 hours. Now I need to back-up a bit.

Today’s trip was planned for the day before but…we
found out that the time we planned for (1 pm)…well…
there was no tour scheduled [anymore] for that hour.
Hence today’s trip…started at 11 a.m. All this actually
turned out for the better…as today’s weather…was
gorgeous (yesterday was overcast).

The tour took us around Parke Calderone (Cuenca
Centro) and then headed out through various parts of
town.

To me it was interesting do to the fact…that we were
sitting in an open aired double-decker bus.

This afforded a view of the city…quite different than
what one is used too while walking…i.e. street level!

Where we were going …I had no idea. Where we ended
up…was in a place that I briefly visited when I still a
“very green”newbie. The place is situated high above
Cuenca. The destination name…is Turi [pronounced
TOO REE] and is known for it’s high look-out point over-
looking Cuenca. It also is highlighted…by its very white
church just above the lookout point.

While…well above the city (cuidad) of Cuenca…and as
all tours generally do...we had about 20 minutes to roam
around this quaint mountainous town...while enjoying
some refreshments (can you say beer) J and taking in the
sights of Cuenca Cuidad (City).

It was then time to reverse the trip and return back to
Cuenca proper. Once back…and two hours later…
we decided to take in some well deserved “shade”
(remember we were sitting in the sun…up on the upper-
tier of a double-decker bus) to cool off.

Being that it was well after one (1) p.m. …one can
imagine that the ‘ol stomach alarms…would make
themselves known…and “they did”!

Now being that between the three of us (I being the one
living here)…the onus unsurprisingly fell on guess who...
to find...a place to eat.

Now I’ve never eaten lunch there but…as I’ve reported
on previous Blogs…California Kitchen soon came to mind.
This…especially since Ellie & Wally have never been there.
Guess who made a good choice in this suggestion?
Me…that’s who!

Anyway after a pleasant and very fulfilling lunch…we
parted company for the day and also to…maybe take a
nap...(especially Ellie).

Surprise!!!!!

I was going to continue this Blog as different trips made

themselves known. Unfortunately Ellie & Wally have
cut their stay in Cuenca short for personal reasons and
are heading towards the coastal beach areas.

Hasta Luego guys...

So… now I prepare myself for the next amigo(s) arrivals
and we shall see if and how busy I may (or not) be.

Hasta Pronto mi amigos y amigas :)

"A Short Update"

2011-02-23T16:15:00.000-05:00

When there’s nothing to write about…

This absence of excitement…

is mainly due to life (for me anyway) being in somewhat

of a neutral state of affairs which by the way…

is not a bad thing.

Now this is not to say that I haven’t been active

(OK…a little bit anyway).

I did take a day trip with mi amigo Charlie to a place

called Ingapirca. This incidentally…translates to...

“Wall of the Inca”. Now don’t get bent out of shape as…

I’m not going to give you a lesson in Inca ruins (whew)...

that is…other than to say that these particular ruins are

"tiny" compared to the ever-popular and world renowned

"Machu Picchu"...in Peru.

In short we enjoyed a really nice day...even with the 3

hours or so each way on a bus and...I got to see something

other than Cuenca.

Other than the above and as I hinted in the previous Blog…

my big focus now is…on my upcoming trip to Thailand...

i.e. ...

“LOS” as in “Land of Smiles”

To tell you the truth…I feel like the mammoth and

powerful rocket…tied to its Gantry…waiting for

ignition and it’s subsequent “lift-off”.

In the meantime…my “hectic life” in these environs (LOL)

take precedence and…must be endured. ..ahhhh…

such is life!

Now even though I’m a tad less than 2 months from the

start of my East Asia trip…I am not idle. My immediate

focus is on finding a suitable and affordable place…to

call my own temporarily…for my month in Chiang Mai.

Thankfully my friend Jim (living in Chiang Mai)...

is being an enormous help to me in checking out a

couple of Guesthouses. This…after some fairly intense

Internet searches. Also living the good life in Chiang Mai…

is my friend Larry who has suggested my staying in the

Guesthouse that he’s currently enjoying.

Unfortunately…I can be “picky” and this time is...

"no exception".

I have this “active focus” on staying within the bounds

of Old Chiang Mai’ [Walled City] and not (even though

it’s within walking distance) outside the Mote.

Some may call this being “thick-headed”…so be it!

So…as of this moment…in my search for a guesthouse

and depending on updates…I await and anticipate the

offing from mi amigo…Jim.

Incidentally…the aforementioned search has been

narrowed down to [one] place with the easily pronounced

name (LOL) for westerners of….

Fueng Fa [FWENG FA] Place!

I may be jumping the gun…but here is the link to the

guesthouse for those that are interested. The rates that

you will see are in Thai Baht…which "currently"

convert to roughly...30 THB to 1 USD...

www.fuengfaplace.com/index.html

So…now you have a fairly good (but admittedly) short

idea as to what is happening in my life…

here below the Equator.

Until next time mi amigos y amigas...

Internet Connection...Maybe...Could be...Possible...hmmmm

2011-02-03T17:28:00.000-05:00

NOTE: You may notice different
print heights and I can give you no
clue or reason...but I do apologize!
=========================

NOT IN A MILLION YEARS…

The above comment has to do with

what I am currently (and have been

for quite a few months) experiencing

...regarding my “actually” obtaining

Internet service. I must say however

that I do have inconsistent service

(somewhat like pirating) by way of

wi-fi from a hotel...half way up the

street from my departemento.

Anyway not to get off the subject…

and going back in time…I had

originally “contracted” with the

premier Internet provider in Ecuador…

named “ETAPA”.

All was well until I received a call

from them stating (and without any

reason what-so-ever) they could not

install the Internet to my residencia.

Well…that was OK [then] as my free

wi-fi was working pretty good. This...

is when the “S**T’ hit the proverbial

fan and my free wi-fi…all of a sudden…

required the much dreaded…password.

Well being a guy who hailed from

Brooklyn…I took the “bull by the

horns” so to speak…went to the

Hotel-Restaurant where I was

getting my [previous “free” wi-fi]…

sat down…invested in a good but

overpriced appetizer and obtained

the much the needed “password”.

This by the way…got locked into

my computer and I was good as

gold…for a few weeks anyway.

Those few weeks became an

exercise in futility as…I never new

when and or if I would get on-line…

thus my decision…to once again

try to get ETAPA as my Internet

provider.

This time however I enlisted the

help of Martha who over time…

in Cuenca has become not only my

apartment finder…but a good friend.

That brings me to my current angst.

Please take note…that this is now

day three (3) of “trying” to obtain

service from the illustrious

organization known as ETAPA.

It seems that "their" idea of “pronto”

is M-A-Y-B-E…today, tomorrow...

or whenever !!!

Incidentally…you may have heard

of the rumor that things move slowly

here (and elsewhere) in South

America. Believe me...

IT IS NO RUMOR…IT IS
PLAIN SIMPLE… “FACT”.

Anyway…

I’m getting a bit off the ‘ol track!

This latest chapter in my ETAPA

dealings started three (3) days ago

as in Monday.

After arriving with Martha (my

translator in this...adventure) at

ETAPA’s Sacred Ground (Main

Office) we finally…after about an

hour had all the T’s crossed & I’s

dotted. We were told that installation

would take place Wednesday (today).

And…off we went to our business
and I was HAPPY…HAPPY :)

The story…doesn’t end here

(as if you couldn’t guess).

After the success at ETAPA on

Monday…Martha made some calls

(unbeknownst to me) and this was

the result:

OK…it’s now Tuesday evening

and I am now at Gringo Night at

Di Bacco’s Restaurante…having a

very good drink along with good

conversation and “here comes Martha”

like a major storm cloud about to

unleash a torrent”. She almost literally

dragged me out of the restaurant

telling me that the ETAPA installer

is waiting for me. HELLOOOO!!

WOW I thought…this is amazing

and of course I understood Martha’s

rushing me (she tried calling me

about ten (10) times). Anyway…yes

the installer was piddling around with

the building wires and I must say he

did try…but he apparently (?) ran

into a “Grande Problemo” and told

me in broken English he would

return at Ocho Media (8:30 am) the

next day (today Wednesday).

THIS DID NOT HAPPEN!.........

SURPRISE!!!!!

To continue (after a calming breath)

8:30 turned into 10:30…and beyond.

After calling Martha (many times)

we decided I should go about my

business and do...whatever.

Now…you are probably thinking

that at least I had the rest of the day

to enjoy life and I was…

[notice I said "was"]!

At about Noon I made up to meet my

friend Charlie for coffee or whatever

and that I would just wait for him
in El Parke Calderone.
This mi amigoes…is when I got
the phone call from Martha that…
they [ETAPA] were on the way
and would be there [steady now]...

in cinco minutos (5 minutes).

Now…one would think that after

living in Ecuador 8+ months I would

understand the linguistic variances

of five (5) minutos…NOT!!!

I rushed home and W-A-I-T-E-D...

BTW it was about 11:30 a.m..

At 2:30 I had given up!

So…una mas vez (one more time)...

I called Martha and told her to call

"THOSE" people and tell them to

come manana as I had my

appointment to meet mi amigo

Gerard for a late lunch.

You’ll never guess what happened

next (or maybe you will)…as (and

I still can’t believe this…although

I saw it with my own eyes)…

Cammie...mi gato (my cat) is

apparently half watch dog (cat…

what-ever) as…all of a sudden she

stood up straight and statuesque….

staring straight at the door and then

ran for it.

The only thing missing was barking.

Well lo and behold I opened the

door and there stood two Etapa

Installers. After a couple of quick

calls and back and forth conversation

between Martha and the Etapa

hombres they swore they would be

done in a half hour. In they came…

started doing what they (supposedly)

do best and BAM…

they hit the proverbial wall!

It’s Mac Attack time…

“Not what you think”…

no Big Macs but the realization

that I have a “Mac” computer and

“dos hombres” have absolutely...

“no clue”.

Back on the phone with Martha (I

owe her BIG TIME when this is done)…

it turns out that she and the head

installer are good friends. Anyway

he made a call after talking with her

and to make this story somewhat

shorter…manana he…his friend

(who knows the ins and outs of

Macs) (?) and Martha are all coming

to mi departemento at 8:30 a.m.

(well see) to bring this installation

to a final…and hopefully happy

conclusion. Party time anyone?

Well…it’s now day four (4) of this

debacle and OMG…it’s 8:20 a.m…

I have one sneaker on and there’s a…

knock on my door. Could it possibly

be true…an Ecuadorian Service Person…”EARLY”?

Believe it or not…not only is he early

but there are now three (3) hombres

and uno hombre is “familiar” with

Macs.

I am UTERLLY SPEECHLESS

(but ecstatic).

They came…they fixed…and they

said adios. Time elapsed…maybe

15 minutes…and I now have my own...

wi-fi connection...YES :)

So…my first order of business was

to FINALLY secure my flight to

Thailand (for about 2 months hence).

This little jaunt is necessary...so that

hopefully one day the house in

Thailand will be sold. But…

first things first.

After about an hour of playing

"yes/no/maybe" with Expedia.com

and with some minor changes in

flight dates…Yes…yours truly has

succeeded in securing his reservation.

The only thing left now is to reserve

“local to/from” flights…both within

Ecuador and Thailand…but I have

time to get his done. The important

items were the Intercontinental Flights…

and right now I just can’t even “think”

of making any more reservations!

There will be more information

regarding these flights…as I get closer

to my actual flight date.

This by the way (if you’re interested)…

are my flight dates (excluding the

“in-country” flights).

I leave 4/20/11 and return 5/20/11.

So I guess it’s best to keep this

current Blog on the short(ish) side

and get outside for a bit and then…

yes...I can now get on mi

computadora/Internet…

anytime I wish!

Hasta Pronto y

Tenga un dia agradable

(See you Soon and

Have a Nice day) :) :)

2011-01-01T09:46:00.001-05:00

2011...A Brand New...NEW YEAR

First of All…in case you haven’t heard it enough times…

here’s “uno mas” (one more)…

**FELIZ ANO NUEVO**

**HAPPY NEW YEAR**

OK…I’m going to start the New Year Blog by backtracking

about a week. The reason for this…is that Cuenca puts on

a holiday show like I’ve never seen which…by the way in

reality…started a few weeks ago.

Now one would think that all this holiday merry making…

parades (especially parades) would culminate at the end

of Christmas Day. WRONG!

From what I hear…the biggest partying...with more

parades etc…will be New Years Eve [and Day?)…

[and if my ears have not deceived me]...continues through

January… although not as intense thank goodness [I think].

But for now…as you might imagine…and the way

Cuencano’s party…last night one might have thought that…

it was the 4^th of July instead of the night “before”…

Christmas Eve. Of course…besides the fireworks

(let’s not forget the BIG BOOMS) there was a Christmas

show /pageant.

Now I’m literally a stones throw from the festivities in

the park. So…around midnight (lala-lala-lala)…I for one

was very happy when they rolled up the tent (so to speak)

and took a rest until manana…Christmas Eve “Day”.

From what I hear…on Christmas Eve “day”…there is a

continuous six or eight (6 or 8) hour parade through

Cuenca Centro. Incidentally…this turned out to be…

“not” an exaggeration! YIKES!!!!

Being a (still) Nuevo (new) denizen of Cuenca and

wanting to share these experiences…I’ve taken a bunch

of pics to give you an idea. Incidentally…the process of

taking these pics wasn’t easy as…there were “what

seemed like” thousands of people in Parke Calderone

which…if you hadn’t guessed was the center of all the

action.

NOTE: Unfortunately the pics that I took...refuse
to load into the blog. I will try at a later date. Sorry!!

Now of course the “powers that be” didn’t “just” put

on a very long and very large “home-town” parade but…

there were all the other trappings one would expect at

a gathering such as I experienced. You name it…it was

there and mostly with a South American flair vs. what

we Norte Americano’s are used too.

Cotton-Candy…Stuffed Pony’s for photo-ops…a

cacophony of music…street ice cream (picture ice

cream molded in a cup with a sick in it…cost about a

quarter)…all types of foodstuffs (some cooked ”literally”

and right on the spot as “on the sidewalks” and also

many different trinkets etc. being sold. I think you get

the idea…yes? If not…think “carnival”.

Oh and one “must” not forget …Mother Nature! She

did it up right…i.e. “sunshine…a few high clouds and a

temp…of about 70F. One could not ask for a better day!

Now to be truthful…fast forward a few hours (evening)…

and…apparently Mama Nature decided she was being

w-a-y-y-y-y too nice and…can you say downpour?

However…by this time…ahem…yours truly was

comfortably ensconced in his departemento.

=========================================

NOTE:

FYI…and only because this was bugging me…I just

went through my records etc. … and finally came up with

“my” approximate time in Ecuador. That number is “8”

as in the amount of months living here below the equator.

=========================================

Now back to the present!

Last night (that being Tuesday…27 Deciembre)…I went

to a Post Christmas / Pre-New Years Party at George &

Tom’s place. The invitation asked that the guests come

dressed for the occasion…you know things like a suit and

or sports jacket…slacks etc. I’m pretty sure you get the idea.

That said…guess who “does not” own a sport jacket let

alone a suit…hmmm? Please understand that when I

expatriated…yours truly disposed of such trappings with

the knowledge that there would never be any need for such.

On a whole I have been right.

Anyway…getting back to the party stuff.

Although “sans” suit ‘n tie…I was acceptably dressed and …

I “was” comfortable. What did I wear?

Well…I got all duded-up in my “good” black jeans…new

western boots…black T-shirt covered by my new black

security vest [which BTW is quite dressy]…all covered by

my western [cowboy] hat.

(I guess I need to take a photo if this for you guys)

The party itself was…akin to an upscale “cocktail” party.

George and Tom…did it up right with an open bar. The

bar included two (2)…possibly three (3) bartenders. Along

with the bar was a full...dining room sized table complete

with all sorts of goodies (finger food) freshly prepared

throughout the night by some very “friendly and

competent” kitchen staff.

Of course…no party can succeed without a good blend of

people…to make the party a success that it truly

deserved. This presence was “absolutely” in evidence

for this party!

I for one had a very “high-spirited” night…as I’m sure did

everyone else.

Thank you George and Tom!

Abrupt course change…

This is the day that I…do to a medical concern (albeit a

small one) and after considering that I haven’t had a

check-up in a while…I went to see an Ecuadorian doctor.

My new Doctor (this statement should give you a hint)

happens to be a “Medicina Interna” or in English…a

“Medical Internist”. El Doctor…was referred by another

Expat and friend…here in Cuenca…so off I went!

Now I’ve often heard of the wide chasm between the U.S.

Medical Doctor and the Ecuadorian Doctor. Before I

continue and…before those of you in the U.S. go off on a

“very unfair” tangent…here me out!

Dr. Martinez was schooled both in Ecuador and the U.S.

This…by the way is true for a great many Medical

personnel both in Ecuador and throughout a large part of

what is called…Third World countries.

Getting back to that...“wide chasm"

I called Dr. Martinez (Yes…direct to his cell phone)

yesterday and made my 12:15 pm appointment for today.

This by the way was my choice as I could have seen him

yesterday...but…I had other plans. One should also be

aware that the good doctor speaks ”perfect” English!

And now…the rest of the story…

and you will then understand the word(s) “wide-chasm”…

I arrived about five minutes early and the good doctor...

hadn’t returned from his “rounds” at the hospital as yet.

So…I waited…in a very ordinary waiting room.

At 12:15…guess who walked in…yep Dr. Martinez.

Within a few minutes I was sitting across from him in

his office.

Now…I won’t go into all that transpired...but I will share

the following:

Unlike his U.S. Medical compatriots…Dr. Martinez took

his very amicable and professional time in getting to know

something about me and of course my reason for seeing

him.

Now if I remember correctly…in the U.S. there is always

a nurse present. In Ecuador (at least with my limited

knowledge)…well…there was “No Nurse”…period!

After getting to know a little about each other…he

proceeded to examine me. Apparently there is (hopefully)

nothing much to be concerned about. I am however going

for a blood test manana and [we] will both know more by…

ready for this…here it comes…5pm tomorrow.

Yes I was a little apprehensive…what with not ever having

a blood test in Ecuador and/or not speaking the language

(to any great extent anyway).

As it turned out…whatever my lingering fears were…the

feeling was unfounded. I arrived at 8:30 a.m. The staff

was very professional…fast and friendly. My results?

They’ll be ready by 4 pm and I’ll get those results from

my Doctor at 5 pm. Incidentally…the clinic was clean…

modern…no pain and…I was “in” and “out” in ten

(10) minutes flat!

It was my "option" to either pick-up the printed results or

the clinic would e-mail it to my doctor. I chose the latter.

OK…like…I’m a “time traveler now”.

Its hours later and I just returned from seeing the doc.

Keeping it simple…the results weren’t great but they

weren’t terrible. That said…yours truly needs too…

“put the breaks on”…as in not eating most of the good

stuff that’s bad. In short I need to be cognizant of what

I’m eating while…making a real effort in not buying

(and then eating) the goodies.

Incidentally…

No Appointment was necessary for the Lab.

As for costs…

The time spent with Dr. Martinez…about 1 hour…

Cost 30.00 Bucks

Next Day follow-up visit (1/2 hour)…FREE

The Docs bedside manner…incalculable

Cost for the Lab…$78.00

TOTAL COST = $108.00

And now returning to normalcy as in…

“Jumping Back”…to the present…

New Years Eve Day (El Dia de Noche Vieja)…and

it’s 72F and Partly Sunny. [Sorry ‘bout that folks but if I

didn’t tell you about the weather here in beautiful

Cuenca…I wouldn’t be doing this Cuidad (City) justice].

As for New Years Eve…I have no real idea…other than

what people tell me about past New Years Eve’s (Noche

Vieja) anyway. To be sure I will tell you about all.

That being said however…from what I’ve heard they do it

up big here in Ecuador. It is now around 2:15 pm and the

“BOOMS” and fireworks have already started. If this is any

indication for the rest of the day/night… then I will

probably be dreary eyed in starting the New Year manana!

Getting away from the holiday theme

(just for a moment)…

I discovered a brand new coffee shop and…made my

“inaugural” visit about 2 hours ago. What drew me to

“Coffee Tree”…is the fact that they have an extremely

rare phenomenon displayed (and for use) in front of the

place. This being…”outdoor tables" (mostly with umbrellas)

and comfortable chairs)…something akin to Paris and

Roma...(what a great discovery).

Incidentally…I was treated to a small parade while I was

having my outdoor Coffee. Here’s a few fotos…

(Once again...do to photo malfunction...no pics available
at the present time.)

Unless something or someone changes my mind…I most

likely will not be joining the “late night” partying.

Now don’t get me wrong as it’s not like I don’t like it…

it’s just that after a life-time of New Years Eve goings-on

stuff…I can very easily forgo the festivities…and enjoy it

[safely] from my apartment.

By the way…there "was" a planned Gringo New Years

Eve party…but late word is that it has been cancelled. The

following is a quoted e-mail that was sent to a friend of

mine and forwarded to me…

“buses will stop running and taxis will be EXTREMELY

scarce. The reason for this is that most streets are

going to be blocked off completely with effigy fires,

fireworks, dancing, drinking, musical groups. Also,

hundreds of men dressed as women will be roaming

the streets with long ropes blocking off vehicle traffic

and demanding pocket change to pass. This is a

cultural tradition.Gangs of children...do this also”.

I understand the above goes on until 4 or 5 a.m.

And the Rains Came…

I have no idea what’s going to happen tonight and being

that I’ve decided “not” to venture outdoors I really don’t care.

That said and here’s where the sub-title comes in…on my

way to getting pizza for me…myself…and I…the sky

opened up and did not let up for about an hour (and it

wasn’t just a drizzle either). It’s hard to tell at the
moment what nature is throwing at us…but it looks OK
for the present time.

All bets are off for the evening’s celebratory events.

And like I said before…I’ll be inside…nice and dry!!!

…and so the…Eleventh Year of the Second Millennium

starts and I wish you all a Very Happy New Year…one

filled with laughter…good health…an accumulation of

wealth and most of all happiness and serenity.

Until Next Time and...

From Just a Little Below the Equator

Feliz Ano Nuevo Mi Amigos y Amigas

(Happy New Year my Friends)

2010-12-21T12:19:00.000-05:00

21 Decimbre, 2010

OK...I’m back.

This…being an absence of about one month.

I guess one can say I got lazy and they’d probably be right.

In either case...are you ready to absorb my observations

once again?

Here it goes…..

Ecuador can be strange at times!

The reason I just made that statement is...do to the

language situation. It is well known that most

Ecuadorians (and South Americans in general)“do not”

speak English…and if they do…they are usually quite

shy about it and would rather…once quarried…just shake

their head “no”.

The reason I pointed out this apparent shyness is not

because they…as a people are inherently shy. Just the

opposite as…they are not! What they are fearful of...is

that (and I’m considering many can speak and

understand the English language) they may make a

mistake! In doing so and…in their mind this would make

him/her look and feel uneducated. So…when asked if

they Hablar English?…they’re reply is usually No…

lo siento (I’m sorry)…No Hablar English!

So…[where was I going with this]…oh yes…

I picked myself this morning to get out and go have

breakfast instead of me cooking for “me” once again!

Now…just because it’s close and easy to get to and…

the food is always good and the price very reasonable…

I found myself at Raymipampa’s Restaurante.

While I was sitting there reading my Kindle and having

breakfast…my hearing “finally” deduced…that something

wasn’t quite right in “Kansas” (Cuenca).

HARK!!!!!! What pray tell is that sound?

Why…it’s Christmas Music playing over the sound system

but…IT’S IN… YES…IT’S IN ENGLISH!!!! ...

and I’m in Ecuador. Will wonders never cease?

OK...OK…I know…it was a looong way of getting to the

point of “making my point”…but I had fun getting there.

And the ‘Beat Goes On”

(now what’s he talking about?)…

OK…most…if not all of you know…I recently (like

almost 2 months ago) moved to another (my present)

location. Welllll…….

Call me crazy but…the race is “on again”!

I’m talking about looking once again for new digs…as in

apartment! Again…most of you know that my so-called

Internet has been well…like a thorn in my side. This along

with my “RIDICULOUSLY” Tiny Kitchen…well…

I feel the need for change…”for a change”! (hey…it’s been

two (2) months ye know.)

So…anyway within the next half hour I should get a call

from my ''dapartemente" finder (Martha… about a place

(in town) to look at. This time however…I am “not”

giving her an answer re: talking the apartment (or not) so fast..

as I want to be as sure as possible…and also to compare

other offerings. That said…one needs to understand that

one can “never” be sure until one lives in the “new” dwelling.

The reason for this is the “noise level” and “times” of these

possible …loud noises (fireworks “the BOOM kind”…

car alarms [a BIGGY] etc etc). Now one can NEVER be

sure but...this is where Due Diligence can pay off!

Guess what…I met Martha at the corner of the “possible”

new digs. Yes…it had a balcony (narrow but…still a

balcony) and yes it is situated above a farmacia (pharmacy)…

and yes…it’s all of 2 blocks from Parke Calderone.

So you ask…what’s the problem?

Well to tell you the truth we never even made into the

apartment. It seems that since the last time Martha was

there…the owner rented out the…better sit down for this one…

entryway/foyer area to a "CD Shop". Yes...one needs to go

through the “business” in order to get to the main locked

doorway…which…I suppose gets one into the apartment(?).

I never found out…as the furthest I got was the sidewalk in

front of the CD shop and...“not a step further”!

So…I’m still entrenched in my current apartment and happy

to be here!

BTW…while talking with Martha (after the aborted

apartment appointment)…I mentioned that I might be open

to looking at either furnished or unfurnished in what is

considered “New Town” and which is on the south side of

the Rio Tomebamba (Tomebamba River).

Anyway she mentioned a nice furnished apartment is

available and…by the way she described it…is in a stand

alone small house with 2 levels in a secured area.

To tell you the truth I am torn between El Centro and

the possibility of being near but...outside of Old Town.

Here’s the kicker…the rent ($250.00) includes utilities

(not sure of the internet yet). Sounds like I’m interested hmmm?

Truthfully I’m not sure yet but I may just call and set an

appointment with Martha real soon.

Anyway…enough of the apartment stuff for now.

Right around the corner as most of you are aware…

are the Christmas and New Year holidays.

For all my Jewish friends I wish you all a post

Happy Hanaukah! To “all”...

I wish you have a Very Happy Holiday Season!!

Myself ?...Monday (12/27) yours truly is off to an

“All Holiday” party at a Gringo couples home in town.

So mi amigo’s y me amiga’s …

Feliz Navidad…Chanukah Feliz y

Feliz Ano Neuvo

(Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah and

Happy New Year) :) :) :)

Just Everyday Stuff in Ecuador

2010-11-29T18:38:00.000-05:00

Note:

OK…you just may have noticed that I’ve arbitrarily

changed the look (once again) of my Blog. One other

thing you may (or may not) have noticed is that I’ve

restructured the the Blog "type lay-out" as…I’ve gotten

wind of a couple of remarks stating that it was more

“like a report” vs. a“story”...so I hope this is an easier

and more enjoyable read.

Also…I hope you all like…what you see!

=======================================

Etapa just called and informed me in broken English…

that they could not connect my Internet for me and

[for me] to come and pick-up my deposit. When asked

why…they could not nor would not…explain. This is

when I called Jose and I am now going to meet him at

Etapa and try to get to the bottom of this!

Well the result of my (too late for Etapa) meeting with

Jose re: this debacle was this…Being that he [Jose] will

be out of town…until sometime in the middle of next

week…I just need to cool my heels a bit longer. This said

my next step would be getting my refund from Etapa and

then meeting with an hombre from something called

“Punta-net”…which according to Jose is “in all likely-

hood” better and less expensive than Etapa…and also

with better speed.

This mi amigo’s remains to be seen.

Anyway…realistically I’m probably looking at an

Internet connection hopefully in the “very” beginning

of Deciembre (December).

Today [Saturday] is (and I can only call it this) “prep-

day”as in getting ready for manana where everyone in

Ecuador are “shut-ins”…as this is do to the forthcoming

Census taking exercise!

Actually…

(Remember EVERYTHING is CLOSED MANANA)…

I’m in pretty good shape as I went food shopping

yesterday… went to the ATM this morning and just got

back from the DVD store where I stocked up on three (3)

movies at a buck apiece. That along with my Kindle and

some planned cooking…I guessing I’ll make it through

the next 12 hours A-OK!. Now if I had Internet…

well one can always dream…can’t one?

As for the rest of today…

at 2 p.m. there is a live performance by an American

guitarist…at Kookaburra Café here in town that many

expats are supposedly going too. Unfortunately… as it

turned out…not many people came and they were lucky…

as the performance wasn’t very entertaining. I did

however get to meet a couple that are “soon-to-be”

Expat Cuencano’s. So…the hour wasn’t a complete loss!

Anyway…after the debacle of Kookaburra (and keeping

in mind the “shut-in” stuff for manana)…I stopped off at

Raymipampa Restaurant for an early dinner and also took

half home in a doggy-bag…for tomorrows “adventure”

in mi apartemente!

Well Sunday as in the day of the Census has arrived and

my day of “State Imposed Shut-in”…has started. I look

at this semi-imprisonment as a way to do some house-

keeping and just chillin’. Realistically…that’s all anyone

can do. BTW…whether the Census taker comes early…

late…or not at all…is of no consequence…as the official

ruling stands firm…i.e. one cannot leave their homes

until 5 or 5:30 p.m. (nobody seems exactly sure as to...

the end time).

Before I forget…and this has nothing what-so-ever to

do with all this official stuff…I feel I must answer my

friend Don’s e-mail.

Note:

Under normal circumstance I would never address a

personal e-mail in this Blog. However…the content

may be of interest to others also. This is do to the fact

that…I feel this response should be “timely” and also

that (as you \now know) my wi-fi connection is hit ‘n

miss! But first I need to back up a bit.

After…getting up early[ish] this Sunday morning…as

usual I went to check my Internet (i.e. E-mail). Well I

almost could not believe what I was seeing. This was…I

not only had some mail (which is nothing unusual) but…

that I had [working] Internet (wi-fi)…which (not only

active) was a lot stronger than normal).

Anyway…getting back to Don.

Don had commented in his last e-mail to me…about my

latest Blog and how he couldn’t understand how…

I accomplish this [blog] with so very infrequent Internet

connections. Well Don (and anyone else who might be

wondering)…it’s really quite simple. You see…all my

“raw” Blogging is done off-line in “Microsoft Word”.

Once complete and corrections made…I then “cut & paste”

the “almost” finished Blog to my Blog website.

You’ll notice that I mentioned “almost” a moment ago.

The reason for this…is simple. Even though I proofread

the content…I still have to re-align my “new” Blog entry

to fit the base parameters and…also too make some “last

minute” corrections during my final read.

So…as you can see…not so simple after all.

Anyway…Don…

I hope that this answered your question!

Getting back to the Census...

They (the Census takers) were in-fact a…No Show. This

at least (as far as I was concerned) was what I experienced.

As for anyone else that I spoke to…they all had a Census

taker at their door.

Do I care? Not really and this "not showing" of course does

“not” surprise me in the least!

So…that’s it for now mi aqmigos y amigas.

Once again I hope you like the new look and the new blog

commentary structure :)

Ciao for Now

FILLING IN THE BLANKS

2010-11-26T09:49:00.000-05:00

Friday (Viernes)…19 Noviembre 2010

Filling in the “blanks”……..

Over the past “many” days I’ve been busy with [as I’m
sure you can guess]…the Internet conundrum.

The Ecuadorian Bank account (necessary for the Internet)
is now done! This being said…I just returned from the
bank albeit…empty handed.

You see (and remember…this is Ecuador) today was the
day that I was to pick-up my “debit” card…in which case
I would then have ATM access. I would have also been
sure my account was “live”. Well-l-l-l...it wasn’t!

Lo Siento (I’m Sorry) Senor…No “active” account…

No Debit card and…yes…yours truly has to return this

coming Monday for said Debit Card and whatever else…

kind of papers await me.

Ahhh the joys of South American Customer Service (?)

So…now it’s about 11 a.m. and I am obliged to wait…

for the Etapa “installation hombre” who…hopefully will

(a) Come…and (b) [keeping my fingers XX’d]…be

successful at installing said internet.

Somehow...I have a feeling that…”IF” Etapa comes…

It’ll be late or…I’ll need to do a “do-over” on Monday

(at the very least)!!!!!! Soooo…..now I wait!!!

Quick Note: Etapa…a “No Show”!

It’s now early Sunday (Domingo) a.m.

Luckily I picked-up another errant wi-fi signal which…
gave me about a half hours worth of connection and
allowed me to send a couple of e-mails along with deleting
a lot of crap.

Monday (Lunes)…22 Noviembre 2010…a.m..

Finally…finaly…fianally!

My Bank Acocount with Pichincha bank is now…after

another 2 or so hours…”activated”…as are the Debit Card

and Transfer card. These cards are necessary in order to
make any intra-account transfers…don’t ask…
’cause I have no use for it...but it’s something that
“one has to have” [????]. As for my Etapa (Internet)
Installation…”manana”…we’ll see!!!! More later ….

If you’re keeping track of this idiocy…

it’s now Wednesday (Miercoles) and (believe it or not)…

Etapa (BTW that’s pronounces EEETAAPA) came about

noon and left about 12:15.

Results…NADA!!! ARGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It seems that the phone number on the Etapa “Proof of

Telephone Service” that I received from the owner…was

“her” phone number. Thus No Installation! Anyway…
after I talked to not…“Un”…but “Dos” Amigo Cuencanos
and…I guess after some behind the scenes negotiations…
bottom line…el Dos Hombres from Etapa are due to come
back manana…Thursday (Jueves)…A.K.A.…

(Si...Thanksgiving Day).

Now…Etapa “promised” to arrive at my door early a.m.

I mentioned to mi amigo who had set-up this upcoming

visit that…I had an early Turkey Dinner appointment and

will have to leave by 1 p.m. His response (and in typical

Sud (South) Americano style) told me to…just (marchar)

leave!

I guess that means…if they don’t show by then…”they’ll”

just have to reschedule me [perfecto] !!!!

Anyway…with luck…my Internet woes…will be a thing

of the past come manana. Incidentally…I’ve had “some”

luck in picking up some stray wi-fi signals over the past

couple of days. This of course has enabled me to check

some sites and do some e-mails. Unfortunately and
because the stray signals are…shall we say…weakish…
this translated to a high incidence of “extremely low”
Internet speeds…too low in fact to let me get SKYPE
to actually work. Isn’t “high tech” wonderful ???

BTW and before I forget…this coming Sunday is the day

that the Republic of Ecuador does it’s Census. This occurs

every ten (10) years. Now…the Census rules are thus:

Talk about “shutting down a country”…

One cannot leave their home from 8 am. until 5:30 p.m.

This is supposed to ensure that “everyone” will be
available to the Census taker (visitors included). The
penalty...(as I understand it) is that a person ignoring this
rule…will be apprehended and end up in jail for the next
24 hours (I’m being quite serious here). Furthermore

(again as I understand it)…ALL streets will be CLOSED

and enforced by the Police Force.

BTW…I got lucky as…my Cuencano friend gave me a

“copy” of the six (6) page Census. Being that the Census is

only in Espanol...he was nice enough to fill in the blanks

for me. This way when the Census taker arrives…I just

need to hand over the copy and he/she will just transpose

the information…[I Hope] !!

Getting back to my previous police statement.

One should understand that the police force in Ecuador is a

“National Police Force”…one in which… police totting

Automatic Weapons are not uncommon. No…it’s not a

“police state”...but they Do Not fool around either! I’m just

glad that this is a “once in a decade” exercise!

OK…enough of that!

Thursday (Jueves)…25 Noviembre, 2010

Another day…and more waiting for the Etapa Technicians.

The big question…will they come before my self-imposed

1 p.m. deadline or not. Actually will they come at all!

It’s now just a bit past 9 a.m. and all I can do is wait it out!

OK…another day came and another day went. By
1:30p.m. I called my friendly interpreter Jose and…to make
a long story short…he called Etapa…cancelled the rest of
the day and rescheduled per my instructions for next...
Monday (Lunes).

The reasoning behind this…is that I refuse to sit in my

apartment for another L-O-N-G day...manana Friday

(Viernes).

So…si…still no Internet! Do you think I might be getting

just a teeny bit crazy over this? Actually…I’m not…just a

bit annoyed. But..hey…this is Ecuador!

On a brighter note…I just returned from Thanksgiving

Dinner at my newish friend Julia’s place. Nice folks all

(we totaled 9 personas) and… wayyy too much food!

One needs to understand that this was somewhat special

to me as I haven’t been to a “family-sized” Thanksgiving

Dinner for…well…quite a number of years. In addition

to the food was of course…was the other Expats present

for said dinner and of also the good natured jabbering

that went along with it (hey that’s a big part of this type

dinner…right?) And speaking of Turkey Day…

By the time you will read this…Thanksgiving will be a

thing of the past. Sooo…this being the case…let me wish

you all…a belated Happy Thanksgiving.

(OK folks…time to get out there and “walk it off”)

Until next time…

Buenas Noches y Sonreir

Good Night and Smile

MY MOVE & OTHER STUFF

2010-11-08T14:07:00.000-05:00

Wednesday (Miercoles)…3 Noviembre

Fiesta (Festival) is “finally” over and things are back to

normal…well normal for Cuenca. Getting back to Fiesta

one more time (uno mas tiempo)… on the last day and…

solely by accident…I met my friend Charlie in Carolina’s

bookstore and…being that neither one of us had any

plans and…being that we were a half block from the

upper end of the “Escalante” (stairs)…we decided

(especially since I haven’t absorbed the experience) to

take in the last day of the “Fiesta Flea Market”. This

market incidentally… had been going on for the

duration of the holiday.

Now I really had no thought what-so-ever of buying

anything…but as luck (?) would have it…I happened

upon a stall that was selling…and I’m at a loss for the

Ecuadorian word…”western” (sombrero?) type hats.

One caught my eye and well…you can guess the

outcome!

If by some ridiculous chance you have not guessed…

well I did end up acquiring un sombrero. The hat in

particular is all leather with very good workmanship

and fits just right. The cost…asking price was $35.00…

agreed price after some friendly bantering ended at

25.00 bucks!

Now for a little bit…the final price was bugging me a

somewhat…as I remember seeing a decent hat in Corral

Hypermarcado (large market akin to Target). However…

as I needed to do a bit of shopping in this store…

I expressly took a close look at the hat in question.

The price…$2.95 [two dollars and ninety-five cents].

Yes…you read that right however…although it looked

good…it was in deed of very poor quality and…made

entirely of the "V" word...as in vinyl.

This knowledge…definitely took the “sting” out of my

previous uncertainty.

Friday (Viernes)…5 Noviembre

As for mi nuevo departemento (my new apartment)…the

“dust has just about settled”. Everything is working but

with one exception and that unfortunately is the Internet.

Apparently…the building has wi-fi but… this is all

private. So mi amigos…I’m left with one option…

that being…to get “my own” Internet directly into my

apartment.

Now getting this service in EC is “not” the same as

you’d expect in the states (what a surprise...huh?).

If I understand correctly…I first need to open a bank

account as Etapa (the provider)…takes their monthly

payment (around $28.00…for decent speed) directly

from my new bank account (this by the way…is a

good thing as it’s much easier this way).

Unfortunately...I’ve been told that this process takes

a “few” days (keep in mind that "a few days" here in

Ecuador...well can mean just about "when-ever"!

Once this is done…I need to physically go to Etapa

with the above bank information...my proof of

residency...[Cedula & Censo]…the deposit

(see above) and a copy of a utility bill from the

“apartment owner”. Once “all” this is complete I

will once again be joining the ranks of the

“connected populace”.

You can be certain that…an E-mail will be

forthcoming regarding this little “new” adventures’

completion.

Sunday (Domingo)…7 Noviembre

”Greetings and Salutations”….

Buenos Dias…as it’s early Sunday morning and as I

just finished a nice home-made…all-American breakfast…

I thought I’d fill in some blanks concerning life in

general…specifically in Cuenca. What brought me to

this point…was the act of having breakfast with my

friend “R” yesterday.The reasoning behind this…was

due to happenstance within the place that we had said

Desayano (Breakfast). The meal in of itself…

(excluding “R”s company) was nothing earth shattering

or for that matter…. memorable. In fact…before I

started this “blog” entry…hard as I tried…and to no

avail…could I remember what the meal consisted of.

No…what prompted this tale…happened post-meal.

You see…as we were leaving this little Colombian

restaurante…both myself and ”R” (she speaks Espanol

quite well)…struck up a conversation with the new

owner (apparently he bought out the old owner…

due to said owners health situation…as he returned

to Colombia for treatment). Anyway… this is when

“it” actually sunk into my dense brain [after all this time

in country]...that the “it”...I’m alluding to is…the subtle

yet important differences between this country…and

most likely all of South America…and the North

American way of life.

At it’s most basic level…I’m talking about the simple

(and polite) way of greeting…well “anyone”.

Getting back to my breakfast! After having a brief

conversation with the new owner and while making

some small talk…it was finally time to take leave.

Now…think about this...

In North America (especially the U.S.)…one would

pay the bill and…leave the premises. Actually (and

I’m guilty of this too)…one may pay the bill and

before leaving…(remember you already left a

[probably too generous] tip)…proclaiming a sincere

“thank you” to the wait-person etc…rather than the

other way around. Weird…huh?

Here in Cuenca...just the opposite (and “zero” tip

expected).But…I’ve sidestepped the real purpose of

today’s “rant”. That is simply this…

“Day to Day Living and Then Some”

Here in the midst of South America…one expects

propriety! What I’m referring to is the act of…either

meeting someone on the street or entering a business

etc. A friendly “Buenos Dias”…”Buenas Tardes” or

“Buenas Noches” greeting would be exchanged…

depending on the time of day. This versus (if any at

all) in the U.S. where “slang is king”…a greeting

may sound something akin to this...

Hey…how are ye doin?…Nice to see ye!...Yo!...

What’s happinin?...See ya!…Take Care!…or just a

plain “nod” (with or without a smile). The list...

as one can imagine…can go on…and on...and on!

I just mentioned “on the street”! These “personal”

greetings also extend too a “physical greeting” where

hugs and…a sort of “cheek-to-cheek faux kiss” is

exhibited. Incidentally…this greeting is “not”

relegated to specific sexual rules. The greeting…is

quite common between men and woman…

woman and woman and “not so common but is in

evidence” within two men greeting each other.

It should also be noted that a “hug” type greeting is…

while not a highly common occurrence…is

acceptable. A hearty handshake between the male

population is also common.

Now please keep in mind that all of the above are my

own personal observations…i.e …

a fairly Nuevo (new) Gringo.

Earlier I mentioned “tipping”…or should I say the lack

of it. Although things are changing a bit…leaving a tip

in an Ecuadorian restaurant is “not” expected.

However…leaving “small” loose change is appreciated.

Unfortunately…and this I can only point to our [U.S.]

upbringing… brain-washing…extravagance…

what-ever…as we not only tip “everywhere”…but over-

tipping is not uncommon in the states.

One thing that was drummed into my head by Expat

articles as well as other Expats here in EC is that one

does not “tip”!

That said...I can understand that there will be those of

you who may come for a vacation and/or look-see”…

and bearing in mind your habitual tipping…

If you feel you must tip…then the “rule of thumb”

is 10%...but keep in mind these few paragraphs…please!

One other item to keep in mind is the use of Half Dollar

coins and/or One Dollar Coins are in “daily” use and

are “very” commonplace…so be careful.

(a) tipping was and is “not” expected (especially

Taxi Drivers). NOTE: …my own observation…

when it comes to cabs [and I don’t take them often]…

over the past year or so (I’m told)…quoted rates have

increased somewhat do in large part to the drivers…

having had a taste of tips and …not getting said tips

as a rule…have caused this mini-fare hike! It should

also be noted that even though most cabs are licensed

and metered…one would be hard-pressed to see

evidence of “any” meter in “any” cab. I have actually

seen a meter (in plain site)…one time and one time

only and…obviously…not used!

One more item regarding “tipping”...

As many of you are aware…before my moving to

Ecuador…yours truly…for three (3) years lived in

Thailand where there is a saying which is…

“Same Same”. Personally…I have expanded on this

saying to: “Same Same But Different”…which as

you may have ascertained…refers to this countries

“way of life”. That said...here’s the rest of my...

“tipping” commentary.

There are numerous Norte Americanos…who

because of their “lack” of International travel…along

with (in most cases) a life’s worth of day to day

living in their “familiar hometown environment”…

are so accustomed to tipping…well they can’t help

themselves…as it’s almost second nature to them.

The problem then (and again because of the

Gringo’s general good nature) can become one of

open resentment by "some" of the “host” countries

population…”if” in fact the...now expected tip

does not materialize.

I’ve always tried to remember the tried and true..

“Same Same but Different” adage…as it helps

one remember that we’re...

“not in Kansas anymore”.

Smile and the World is Brighter

Hasta Pronto

HOLIDAYS & MOVING DAYS

2010-11-03T10:29:00.000-05:00

Viernes (Friday) 29 Octubre 2010

I’m actually starting this BLOG today…Friday (Viernes)…

but the preparations etc. have already begun. What I’m
referring to is the fast approaching Cuenca Independence
Day or as it’s called here… Indepencia de Cuenca.

The date for this impending

holiday…is actuality taking

place this coming Wednesday

(Miercoles)…3 Noviembre.

However this being Ecuador…

this holiday is actually preceded

by another holiday…one in

which is the previous day and

falling on Tuesday (Martes)…

2 Noviembre. This holiday by

the way…has the distinctive

designation of being called

Dia de los Muertos or...Day of

the Dead.

The following is a direct quote…from my friend and writer

Dixie Davie as it appeared in her newsletter and website…

www.retire-in-ecuador. com.

In the article…Dixie explains Dia de los Muertos as such:

“celebrated with a belief that it is easy for the dead to come

back to earth and visit their living relatives on this particular

day. Altars are erected and piled with food, trinkets,

wreaths and flowers. Breads, candies and cakes are made in

the shapes of the bodies or other symbols. Sometimes the

name of the dead person is inscribed on these edible

mementos. The typical food for the day is “guaguas de

*pan”…accompanied by a beverage called “colada morada”.

The foods have a remote origin in the Incas, who offered

their gods their bodies and blood in sacrificial ceremonies”.

It is currently 2:30 pm and as I sit in my departemento

(apartment)…I can clearly hear the loud…albeit muffled

“sound checks”…along with some musica (?) already

starting…so tonight should be…an experience to say the

least. What will happen tonight and throughout the next

five (5) days is …well I haven’t a clue. This…other than

the fact that there will be “musica”…holiday food and

partying to all hours…throughout Cuenca can only be put

into so many words. Even these few words…”still”…

would not…nor could not…describe what can only be

experienced and…only by experiencing this town in

person.

Speaking of tonight or I should say the latter part of this

afternoon and…in the middle of all the “holiday party

build-up”…I will be picking up my new departemento
keys and starting manana Sabado (Saturday)…yours truly
will “start” my fast approaching move in earnest.

Luckily…my new departemento is only about 3 blocks
from my current location. This incidentally allows me to
basically move myself via my “rolling” luggage…of which
I have “dos” (two) and will take place over this [yes…
moving during a holiday] weekend. Thank goodness for
wheels and elevators.

“Best Laid Plans”… Sabado (Saturday)

Well it’s Sabado (Saturday for all you gringos) and [my

plan] was to meet Martha…my apartment finder…give
the new place a once over…get the keys and start moving
in whatever I could manage by myself. The rest would
wait until manana when my friend Gerard…who has
kindly offered to help with the move…using his new car.
This way…moving the somewhat larger and heavier items
[well the few that I have] would hopefully be a breeze.

“This”…mi amigos’...proved to be the outcome…

The reality is that Martha ran into [some] difficulties. An
hour became two (2) and ended up with a record…
seven(yes…“7”) hours delay.
By this time the start/stop/start/stop and so on…drew to
a close and…well…all I can say is that these delays took
their toll. Hence…by the time I finally did my
“walk-through“ of the new apartment …I had already
decided to forgo any moving today and just take
advantage of Gerard’s [moving service] car and...
do it all manana.

So…here I sit with 95% of everything I own “packed
and ready to go”… and…with “nowhere to go” until
tomorrow a.m. Anyway manana is another day and…
hopefully one in which I will have accomplished
the task at hand.

“Moving Day Has Arrived”… Domingo (Sunday)

Finally…all is “almost” done (well 99% anyway) and it
is now 8;40 a.m. on Domingo (Sunday)…as I wait for
mi amigo Gerard to arrive with his car to facilitate my
move. Now… it’s just a little matter of loading the car…
unloading the car…loading the elevator…unloading
the elevator (I’m sure you get the picture).

OK…I don’t want you to think for un minuto that…
just because Gerard and his generous assistance got
me moved that…that was that. It wasn’t…not by a
long shot…as I still had to return to my now “old”
departmento (apartment) and re-pack my now
(once again) empty suitcases…repack the smaller
“unmoved” items into said suitcases and make a couple
of trips [on foot] to complete my move.

This done…now came the fun job of putting all my
worldly belongings in their proper places. I won’t bore
you with the details other than to say that…finding said
places in some instances was no easy task. This process
however did take some time and succeeded in…yes…
obliterating whatever reserve strength I had left in this...
body of mine!

Work done…it was thankfully time to…”rest”. Now
I’m not sure if I ever mentioned this before but…I am
not the kind of person that can take any type of siesta.
This however did not deter me in the least from trying…
albeit as I “did” try but alas…this little venture of a nap
was unsuccessful…though…I did get to relax.

So...now with the task of resting done…it was time to get
ready for my dinner invitation at my friends’ Karen &
Peters’ place. Keeping in mind that I’ve never been to
their departemanto…what should have been an easy and
short cab ride...of course…turned into an “adventurers”
exercise in futility.

Please understand that in most cases Cuenca cab drivers
know how to deliver you to where you want to go…but…
every once in awhile (as was the case today) the driver
just doesn’t know “how” too get to ones desired
destination. Also…keep in mind that there is a minor
item to contend with in this situation…was our “inability”
to connect verbally. Don’t ask me how…but someway…
somehow…apparently the gods were smiling on us…

I finally made it to my destination.

Upon entering K & P’s departemento…I was
“somewhat” prepared (do to previous conversations with
Karen & Pete) for the sight that awaited me. To say that
it was large (by most Ecuadorian standards) would be a
“gross understatement”. I guess one might call their place
Ecuadorian modern. Roomy…airy and comfortable would
be just a few words that come to mind.

The best part of the night (other than their warm and
receptive companionship) was the sumptuous meal that
Karen prepared. To try and tell you all about the meal
would actually detract from the “overall delightful
epicurean experience”...so I won’t…so there!
I will however tell you that Karen baked some [huge]

chicken breasts covered with fresh mushroom sauce and
was sided with steamed broccoli and homemade rice pilaf.
All this accompanied by some very good wine and great
desert (one of which was Karen’s wonderful homemade
Apple Cobbler along with my offering…as in Strawberry
Short Cake). What a wonderful way to end a long…
but very satisfying day.

Ohh…almost forgot…

all the food was organic and need I say…delicioso!

So…that mi amigos y amigas…is where things stand at
the moment. Manana…this hombre needs to do a
“major” food shopping en El Supermacado in which...
to replenish El Cocina (kitchen)…wish me luck!

Hasta Pronto...

<<POST-NOTE>>

It’s now Tuesday (Martes) evening (about 9:30 pm) and
just had too include this tidbit. Actually…this is a
“kind of” restaurant and “date” review mixed together…
as I had a very enjoyable dinner with a Mujer Norte
Americano (North American Woman) whom at this point
I’ll just identify as “R”.

The dinner took place at a restaurant called Tiesto’s
which…is situated “within” the outer edge of Cuenca
Centro. Now one needs to understand…I’ve been vying
to sample Tiesto’s dinner fare since I’ve arrived in this
beautiful place called Cuenca. The only problem and
reason why I hadn’t gone until tonight was that…
Tiesto’s is actually geared to parties of 2 or more.
Now that’s not to say that “un persona” would not be
served but…I for one…do not think a solo person would
enjoy or…for that matter feel the ambience… friendliness
and warmth that is Tiesto’s.

As for cost…to be fair…Tiesto’s rates “high” in the cost

category. That said however…compared to a comparable

restaurant in Any Hometown, U.S.A. and…considering a

North American restaurant of equal quality that I found in

Tiesto’s...well there’s “no contest”…Tiesto’s wins hands
down…both in cost…quality and ambience!

The wonderful part of the Tiesto’s experience is…the
array of various flavorful spice and flavor mixtures that
one will find awaiting them on their table. This along
with some absolutely…wonderful tasty and imaginative
dishes…well if and when you ever find yourself in Cuenca…
Tiesto’s is a definite…“Do Not Miss” stopover!

On a personal note…my dinner date with “S”…well…

I feel very good about the evening. Now whether “S”
feels the same…well…like I like to say…time will tell...

Ciao todo (all) for now…

*[translation of ”pan” is bread...so I’m guessing that...
this holiday item is indeed a type of bread]