5/12/10

For a change today I started the day with a “late breakfast” however…this was not a cooked at home meal. In fact I [once again] treated myself to a higher than average “Gringo” breakfast.

This time however breakfast…took place at my previously visited “California Kitchen”. Once again I allowed my presence to be recognized there (LOL) by the family who owns the business. George & Carol (the owners) along with their daughter Susan and son Jim …possibly either Jim/Susan may or may not be a daughter or son-in-law…not sure as to the family ties at this point in time. In either case…the four of them do it all and do it well. I will be going back…but do to the higher than average cost unfortunately…my visits will need to be infrequent.

Once breakfast and small talk with the owners and other customers were done…I headed out to complete my next task. This is something that has been gnawing at me for a few days. No it isn’t earth shattering but it does involve a purchase. And there lies the problem.

I realized a few days ago that I have been running around in my “uno” pair of sneakers…and that is not good.  Of course most of us know that changing ones sneakers/shoes on a daily basis is needed for a couple of reasons. Things like personal foot care and also…extending the life of the shoe come to mind. Well…I have been guilty of running on overtime with my lone pair of sneaks!

The much dreaded shopping has started!

The only pair that I liked was in a store named "Bata". Now I’ve bought Bata’s products since being in Thailand. They are stylish…made well…and are decently priced. So…when I first saw the store here in Cuenca….then and there I vowed to return as at the time didn’t have enough cash in my pocket.

Easier said than done as I am just now just starting to feel …that my built-in human directional finder has been reset to accommodate my new home. I still can’t believe that I never wrote Bata’s address in my little notebook. Anyway after many unfruitful trips on various streets in town…I finally re-located “THE BATA STORE” (OK I cheated and conferred with my little...trusty city map).

Now after a delicious and filling breakfast…I finally arrived at my Bata destination.

You may at this point guess the outcome. The sneaker I wanted was no longer available nor was it on the display wall.

Fortunately…I found the Hombre who I think is either the owner or manager and who incidentally…speaks fluent English. He told me a new shipment is due to arrive the middle of next week so…I am officially on a purchasing “hold”. Of course while I was there I made some small talk with the owner/manager (?)  and found out that he lived for a few years in Long Island, NY (USA)…small world isn’t it?

After my little shopping expedition…and as it was a beautiful morning I decided to do some more people watching in Parque  Calderon. The nice thing about this city in general is that of its...overall quiet and peacefulness. Hence sitting on a park bench… people watching in Parque Calderon is a very relaxing and pleasant experience. But like all things…life moves on and it was time to me to get up 'n go and...also start my “uphill” trek back to my apartemento.

So…”me compadres”…until next time…

5/15/10

Before I forget and before I proceed with today’s rantings…I’ve been meaning to comment on the condition of the streets in Cuenca.

The first thing that I feel I should bring to light is that all the streets in “Cuenca proper”… are constructed of “cobblestone”. However this is not the cobblestone that you might remember from years gone by...and from whichever city you may have hailed from. If your memory is anything like mine then you will recall stones about two or three times the size of normal bricks…that incidentally includes all dimensions. Here in Cuenca the cobblestone…sans actually measuring them…are about twice the size of those I recall from many years ago.

However the “cobblestones”…although they lend an aire of a different time and more intimate lifestyle…the real observation is of an almost unbelievable cleanliness of these same streets (calles). No…huge mechanical street sweepers do not invade the streets in the pre-dawn hours. There is however…an almost unseen army of human “street cleaners” that seem to be on perpetual duty. And I must say doing their job quietly and efficiently. The “clean” results are on continuous display and appreciated by all.

Now..back to the normal stuff…

Over the past few days...I’ve done a little of everything which was virtually the basics of day-to-day living here in Cuenca. I did however start a bit of a quest in search of a 3-in-1 printer for my computer.

Now this may sound trivial to those who live in "first" world countries. This being Ecuador however…well some things are not so easy. The truth is that this falls under the category of a variety of items that one may or not really need. But being from the states…I’ll admit it…I’m spoiled!

Anyway…I did find a couple of printers that seemed to be all right until I started reading various online reviews. Big Mistake…as that’s when the “HOLD IT’ sign came on in my brain! 

"Why buy now when I can pick a printer up in the states when I visit. Not only that…but it’ll be cheaper in the U.S. as most electronic items are." Needless to say I’m at a decisional "flux". 

Do I wait…or do I buy now and not have to lug the 3-in-1 printer hundreds of miles from the U.S. to Ecuador. And that by the way...is not even taking into consideration the Migration (Immigration) folks here in Ecuador..hmmmm.

Well enough of that!

Today being Saturday and of course the day before “someone pulled the plug in Cuenca day” i.e. Sunday…I took myself out for breakfast and a discovery walk.

It seems that Café Austria is fast becoming one of my haunts…as I’ve been there enough times now that I’m starting to be known as a steady customer (well almost).

Hey and why not…it’s near the heart of town…the food’s very good along with decent (but expensive for Ecuador) prices…very good service and a great ambiance.

Anyway…after a very satisfying and relaxing meal (accompanied my relaxing Spanish music)…I started out on my own little sightseeing tour. As I wasn’t too far from Rio Tomebamba…I hiked the few blocks and was rewarded with a very nice view looking down towards the river and the newer part of Cuenca. Incidentally…this newer part of town is just North and across the water.

From there it was time to meander around the streets back in Old Cuenca…and do a bit of window-shopping along with strolling through one of the open-air markets. The market I walked through takes place in and around Plaza de San Francisco. This is where many of the Indigenousness Tribes sell all sorts of items. Well...not really needing anything at the moment I just perused the merchandise and after a bit…moved on.

There are many smaller parks throughout various areas in Cuenca. I’ve only been to a handful so I’m far from an expert…but I will tell you that of the parks I’ve experienced… are all clean…most with and some without grass. As far as I have experienced “all” have trees…benches and usually there is a vendor of some kind there to help satisfy any possible “munchie” attack one might have.

And as usual I continued my roamings until…there in front of me was one of the ever present “ascending” roadways…which I must hike to get to my apartemento!

So…once again I sit here scribing the past few days events to you and as always…hope you enjoyed this segment of my ongoing journal. 


Until next time…Ciao J