BREAKING NEWS......

BREAKING NEWS…….

         “NOTHING MUCH HAPPENED…

    THESE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS”

Well…I might be stretching the truth a bit…maybe a little!

Basically I guess I’m experiencing what one might call…

the everyday “ins ‘n outs” of well…just living a retired 

lifestyle here in Cuenca.

I know that sounds boring to some of you but in reality...

it’s how can I explain this to you…”just nice” J

This is not to say that I’m vegetating…’cause I’m not 

(not too much anyway). In fact this past week I’ve been 

busy with…better sit down for this…nightlife!

Last Saturday evening I went to a “reservations only” 

dinner/show at California Kitchen. The evening consisted 

of a "price fixed" dinner along with…what was billed as 

a “Belly Dance” show.

In reality the show was performed by an Ecuadorian 

Dance Troupe and included…yes…the advertised Belly 

Dance along with a variety of Spanish Dancing. 

The troupe consisted of three and a half couples 

(remember the Belly Dancer). Also as an “umplanned” 

happening the show included…a “wardrobe malfunction” 

and “NO” it wasn’t part of the show. 

It was…how shall I say this…quickly “covered up” J. 

As always California Kitchens' food was very good and 

along with a packed house...everyone (including yours truly) 

had a great night…which “by the way” cost a whopping 

Fifteen Bucks!

The other happening…was a 60^th Birthday Party this 

past Tuesday. 

Now before I go on you need to understand that a fair 

amount of the older (retired) population in Cuenca…

”start” the end of the day somewhat early. That said…

the Birthday Party wasn’t even starting until the 

"ungodly hour" of 8pm (YIKES). 

OK…enough of the silly (if not reality) stuff!

The “Fiesta de Cumpleanos” (birthday party) was for 

George and took place in George and Tom’s “temporary” 

apartemento . I say temporary because they are 

awaiting the completion of their new apartment which 

probably won’t be ready for another year. 

Anyway the present apartment is HUGE!...and with this 

being the case…there was a “full house” of guests.

So…with wine and drink flowing…and along with really 

tasty finger snacks…the night was off to a good start.  

Beside the foodstuffs I… like everyone else in attendance…

were meeting and yakking with new and not so new faces. 

I have to say the party seemed to have been a success.

Anyway…guess who didn’t walk into his apartemento 

until about 11 p.m. OMG J

OK…enough of the parties etc. and moving on to the 

other stuff!

The other stuff as I alluded to…was basically my normal 

comings and goings…with una anomalia (one exception). 

This being my “almost” completing the needed flight 

reservations for my upcoming trip to the states 

(in about a week from now).

Thankfully…and as most are very aware…almost all 

flight reservations were completed “on-line”. This leaves 

just two items…

(1)  booking my round-trip (in Ecuador) flight reservations 

                                           and

(2)  making arrangements for my trip from NYC to upstate 

NY…which incidentally will most likely be a "bus trip"…

”long story” and one that will be told at a later date 

(post U.S. trip).

By manana…the first will hopefully be done i.e...

 "in-country" flight booking! 

FYI…there are a couple of reasons for a “non-internet” 

booking in Ecuador. 

First and foremost is that in most cases…it is "not" easy 

to do this…as most Ecuadorians buy goods and 

services for cash vs Credit Cards…so the system isn’t 

really set-up for this. In plain language…it can become 

quite expensive to charge “anything” considering the 

hefty surcharges involved!

Encompassing this is…[and to me a very important item]

is the "Senior Discount"... which by the way...is in the 

neighborhood of 40%...and from what I can see is not 

available in “on-line’ bookings!

The second item that I’m presently concerned with is 

(as I mentioned before) the “bus trip” from N.Y.C. to 

upstate N.Y. (brother and sister-in-law). This can only be 

completed in person just prior to the bus trip. 

So obviuosely this has to wait.

           Otherwise…I AM NOW (almost) READY!!

So mi amigos…I would venture a "guesstimate" that my 

next report will be after my return from the states...

(1^st week October)…that is unless I feel the urge to report 

from someplace in the states J

Ciao for Now...me amigos y amigas J

BRIGHT SUN-SHINEY DAYS (and then some)

Monday thru Wednesday, 16 to 18 of August, 2010

( Lunes por Miercoles, 16 a 18 de Augusto, 2010 )

OK I’m guilty...as I spent awhile absorbing some “sun” 

YES…you read right as we do indeed have that 

Very Large Bright Yellow Ball beaming it’s rays and 

smile down to us Cuencanos…while reading my 

book in Parque Calderone.

By the way…if it seems to you that I spend a lot of 

time in Parque Calderone…you are right and I do so 

with good reason. You see…El Parque is exactly 

one-half block from my apartemento. Being that the 

green grass and trees are so very close…I now 

consider this “hallowed ground” area to be my 

(almost) personal “back-yard” J

In either case…while taking in the “rays” and diligently 

reading my book…my friend Jim happened to appear 

while at the same...time casting a friendly shadow on 

guess who and 'yon  book.

As friends sometimes do…we just sat and caught up 

on the comings and goings on in our "retiring"lives.

Now...while in the middle of our ”very important 

jabbering” ...along comes my neighbor Pete who aptly 

joins into our exciting conversation. 

This highly productive give and take exercise...went 

on for quite awhile until the appetite “alarms” starting 

to increase in intensity.

Considering that we were literally across the street 

from Raymipampa Restaurante and/or Tuttta Freddo...

we had a choice. Well not really as…Raymipampa 

had no available seats. So off we went to Tutta 

Freddo for what Jim said was possibly the best 

(believe it or not) Pizza in Cuenca. 

At this point in time…and until further notice I am 

remaining an “open-minded” skeptic!

The resulting pizza (although nowhere compared 

to my Brooklyn Italian Pizza in N.Y.)…was indeed 

acceptably good. By the way…

I opted for the “personal” [like we had a size choice]…

Pepperoni Pizza.

Pizza aside…the best part of the meal was “the 

company” as we had quite a bit in common and 

pleasant un-rushed conversation.

Next stop...was later [6p.m.] at Carolinas Bookshop…

about which I mentioned in my previous “blog” for more 

food and yakking J

"Time Jump"…

and it’s about two days later and the story continues 

it’s flow (so to speak..for better or worse).

The Bookstore get together was pleasant with a 

chance to catch-up with a few acquaintances and 

where I also met a few new possible-friends-in-

the-making!

OK now bare with me folks...

we're moving through time and it's now the next 

morning as in 5:30 a.m. Tuesday and...it's travel-time!

The gathering of “Cedula seeking Expats” trip is now 

under-way…and once again...it's up and across 

Cajas National Park and heading into Guayaquil for the 

express purpose of picking-up of our much sought after 

Certfied Cedulas!

Finally. after 3 ½ travel hours…we "once again" 

entered “The Registration Office” and well…I’ll spare 

you the ins 'n outs and give you the...short version!

We explained our reasons for the visit...gave our 

names…sat down for ten (10) minutes and…well...

we were now newly Registered Cedula holders…

Signed...Sealed and Delivered J J

After a relaxing (and for Ecuador and us…

an expensive ”hotel”) lunch…we were then “headin’ 

on back”...through Cajas and on to Cuenca!

With the above…now said and done…my next big 

(must do) thing is to finally make my reservations for 

my approximate…three (3) week visit to the states.

More on this as it develops.

But...as for now…

Adios Mi Amigos y Amigas

Sunday in Cuenca

Sunday (Domingo) 15 de Augusto, 2010

Before I start...

REMEMBER IT'S WINTER IN…

"THESE HERE PARTS" OF EL MUNDO (The World)

Being that we just had a hint of sun (first time this week)…

I put on my layers (only 3 today) of clothes...grabbed my

book and headed over to El Parque Calderone for a bit

of sun...fresh air...a bit of reading and also...to be 

around the other denizens of Cuenca.

Now Sundays in El Parque is always busy catering to

the influx of family's and their various activities,

However...today (maybe 'cause of my late start)...I was

treated to a sight that I personally have never seen.

What did you see...you ask? J

Well I saw first hand...an almost never-ending flood of

Cuencano's who were just exiting one of “The” focal

points of Cuenca.

The focal point in question...the awesome…marble clad…

“El Catedral de la Immaculada Concepcion” otherwise

known in English as…

The Church of the Immaculate Conception.

The church incidentally is also known as…

The “New Cathedral” in which construction was started

in 1885 (Yes…the “new” one) J.

Now once the streaming multitudes exited…they

headed across el calle (the street) into Parque 

Calderone and…in which I can only describe them 

(the multitudes) as…descending like "a flock of 

seagulls"...intent on laying around a beach that was 

covered with scraps of food.

[ How's that for a visual? ]

Anyway...it was nice being ensconced in everyday real

life for a change. I will say this...It was a kick to observe

and also to feel part of (albeit a tiny bit) in what was

going on within the throng of the various families’...

”park day”!

Also among the humanities were of course the "peddlers"...

selling everything from ice-cream cones...chips...

cotton candy (although I have zero idea of what the

Espanol name is)...street shows...children-sized [almost]

real life-like pony's (for photos) and for some reason....

lots and lots of cars around El Parque. These by the 

way…were being “herded” by police and their whistles 

in an attempt to "keep 'em moving". 

All-In-All...a circus atmosphere and in one where

everyone is enjoying themselves! J J

I have one other observation...the little kids are so very…

very cute...and well behaved! What a “pleasure” to be

able to be in the midst of all these simple pleasures.

So now back in El Apartemente...it is now around 2 p.m.

and my AccuWeather.com "thigamajig" tells me...it's all

of 54F and partly sunny (which of course it isn't...can

you say C-L-O-U-D-Y) ?   

Anyway this “so far”…

has been my mostly outdoorsy day. 

Now…Manana (Monday...i.e. Lunes)...

I have a "Bring a Dish of Something or Some Sort of 

Drink" get-together at Carolinas' Bookshop. So...

I'm "yes"... looking forward to that and seeing and 

carousing (hmmmm)...with a bunch of Expats and 

actually…not being home in my apartemeno in the 

early evening. 

The gathering/party itself is from 6-8pm and…along 

with the various “hand-delivered” food and drink…

should be “fun” J

The following day…which…if you’ve been “paying 

attention”…is Tuesday (Martes)...whiich means it's 

back into the mini-van at 7a.m. and off to Guayaquil 

to get my Cedula ...  

***Ha-la-looo-ya***  J  J  J

The rest of the week...wellll...

I guess it's...back to the old retirement grind…

and so…until next time…

Ciao mi amigos y amigas…

Sonria y el mundo sonria detras en usted

(Smile and the world smiles back at you) J J J

AWESOME...INSPIRING...MIND-BLOWING!!!

Wednesday (Miercoles) 11 de Augusto, 2010

First the really great stuff…

As the title gives hint too…

AMAZING…MIND-BLOWING… AWESOME…

GORGEOUS… INSPIRING and…

                    

I’m sure there are many more descriptive words.

   


The above is my attempt in giving you…albeit...
a small hint as to the descriptive scenery throughout 
about 95% of our (my two friends and our guide / 
interpreter) trip via a very comfortable mini-van.

The place…

Cajas National Park which incidentally…crosses the

Continental Divide somewhere between Cuenca and

Guayaquil (pronounced…Goo-why-a-keel).

To give you a small idea of our trip…we traveled up

to an elevation of…thirteen thousand feet (13,000ft) 

or just shy of 4km or…almost 2.5 miles high.

Keeping in mind that Ecuador as a whole…is a

micro-climatic area…we traveled from a temp of low

40F (Cuenca…a.m.) to Guayaquil (about mid-high 

80F’s for the time we were there).

The drive took just about three (3) hours. Once the 

van dropped us off near the airport (drop-off point)…

we taxied directly to the Registration Office and…

“lucked-out”…BIG TIME!

The building is huge…and so was the mob of people.

However our guide/translator…after a few quick hit ‘n

misses ended up at the correct window where we

“prepaid” the cost of the Cedulas ($2.00).

That done we were ushered into a room that…

and I’m guessing here…probably contained a

thousand people. The upswing to all this was that

there were 24 or so booths in which various citizens'

type  business was conducted.

So with our personal “next” numbers in hand…

we sat...and waited !!!!

I still cannot believe it but we probably waited

about a half hour… and we were each in our own

little both with our own clerk…about to embark on

the needed “Residency” classification J J J

Jumping ahead a bit…after going over our required

paperwork…getting finger-printed (no ink)…photos

taken…we were done! 

Well almost as we were then informed that we needed 

to return in 48 hours to pick up our Cedula I.D. Cards...

DECISION TIME !!

We could have camped out in a hotel for the next

two (2) days or return to Cuenca…hence return at a

later date. We opted to return back to Cuenca...

that same day (Tuesday)...

Now at this point one needs to [again] understand the

Ecuadorian mind-set...

Remember my past Rantings?

Ye know things like...later don’t necessarily mean that

day or for that matter…the day after next etc. etc.

Anyway…with our knowledge of how things sometimes

work in these here parts J…we decided to leave

Guayaquil and return on the following Tuesday (one

week later to the day). 

The reasoning behind this is simple! Thursday…(though 

this is the suggested day)…is way too soon and Friday…

well...it’s another National Holiday! (Ecuador is loaded 

with Legal Holidays) and Monday...which is the start of 

the week…is a BIG no-no!

So…next Tuesday at 7 a.m. we ‘re off again to…

”hopefully” bring this governmental adventure to a close!!

OK…official stuff done! 

Now it was time to get some “fuel” as in lunch and 

have a look-see around.

Now…Guayaquil is a BIG CITY!

I’ve always heard the “bad” things about the city and

to be fair… depending on how one presents or carries

him/herself in public (and this is true in most cities of

the world)…probably translates to the degree of crime

one may or may not attract. With this in mind…

Off we went to do a bit of exploration and also

to “do lunch” J

Now…there is an area that is called El Malecon 

(The Malakon)…which is nestled by the El Rio Guayas

(The Guayas [goo-why-aas] River). The area frequented

by everyday people...stretches about 2.5 miles and is

made up of (and I’m quoting this from a guide book)… 

”sculptures…ponds…playgrounds…gardens and of

course river views”. There is also a covered outdoor

food court in which yours truly and friends took part in.


                           
 

The food was surprisingly “very” good…considering it

was not a restaurant i.e. “food court”. The ‘views’ and

over-all ambience (yes…food court) was very relaxing

and enjoyable…as was the company of my...

comrades-in-arms. J J J

Anyway as the temps and least we forget the humidity

that Guayaquil is known for (as in high)...we figured it

was time to VAMOOSE !!

However…before we grabbed a taxi back to the

“van” site we made a quickie stop to a small park a 

few blocks away.

The park is known for its...Iguana (some where “huge”)

and Turtle (also quite large) population where they

roam free (well the Iguana do anyway). This by the

way…was a very welcome respite from the heat as

the park has many many large trees!

OK…Iguanas and Turtles finished with...it was time to

head on back to the “van” and back to hittin’ the

road to Cuenca.


I MUST CONFESS !!!!
If you haven't already guessed...I cheated a bit as...
all photos represented here were "sadly" not taken
by yours truly...as I forget to take "El Camera" with
me on this trip. So...these pics are stock photos
I found on the web. Still...it gives you a tiny idea
of what I experienced.


Now on with the rest of the story...

Back in the mountainous regions of Cajas National 

Park once again…I was presented with a sight that

was well…too awesome for words. Remember…

13,000 feet.

If you’ve ever flown (as most have) in a large

passenger jet you will be able to relate to this.

Remember when being a passenger...on a passenger

jet…and then starting the decent from the very high

altitudes and going through the clouds? 

Well…then also try to recall those puffy clouds.

Now picture yourself driving on a 2-lane mostly well-

paved road. 

Next envision yourself traveling through those…

lush green mountains accompanied by beautiful white 

puffy clouds which are waiting for you to “drive” through. 

However…as you drive…you realize…no…it isn’t like 

being in a jet at all. Because in a jet aircraft it’s an 

“impersonal and ignored experience” and your through 

those clouds in a few minutes "flat"!

Now while being a part of and...up in the Cajas 

mountains… convert those few moments to...well an 

“unlimited and one-of-a-kind” experience like no other

and one in which I…and maybe one day you…

will never forget!

Hasta Pronto mi Amigos y Amigas J