Week Eleven- Cabo

March 15, 2020 Sun- Frank and Wendy made it up from Cabo just in time to walk to church. We treated them to Pork tacos for a snack afterwards. We decided to drive out to Balandra Beach so Frank and Wendy could see “the most beautiful beach in MX”. Unfortunately it was cloudy, cool, and breezy. We were all in jackets except Frank who said he was climitizing. LOL. We drove over to Telacote Beach where we had some amazing seafood. Frank’s shrimp looked outstanding. Bill had fried fish, I had shrimp tostada, and Wendy dined on chicken and mushroom fajitas. A nice walk down on the Malecon and ice cream rounded out the day.

March 16, 2020 Monday- Up and down to the Malecon for breakfast at Terreza. A little walk around to see some shops but it was another holiday and things were closed. Packed up and then walked down to fish tacos. Frank really liked those. The drive to Cabo went quickly. Chatting along and looking out the windows. Frank took us to their condo after un-loading and we sat by the pool. Then off to the grocery store to get supplies. A two block walk to tacos for dinner. Nice el Pasor tacos. Yum. Starting to wonder about whether we will be able to get home in two weeks when we have flight reservations. Bill is all about a just wait and see approach while I am starting to wonder a little bit. No use in ruing our “last” two weeks here over it. Besides, why go home where everything is closed when we can stay here and enjoy all the is open!

March 17, 2020 Tues- St. Patrick’s Day! Bill and Frank had their green on. Our first trip into the “tourist” district and Marina. Bill and I were Both unimpressed. After hearing about Cabo for years we expected better. Both the Savickas and Lauers agree we would not come here again to stay. The crowds are down due to Corona Virus which is good. I can’t imagine the chaotic place this must be during a regular spring break. Everything is over priced and over sold. Hawkers every few steps. One even got nasty when I said we just wanted to be left alone. You cant see the beaches from “the strip”. Give me La Paz!! There’s a sealion at one end of the marina we got to see a gal feed. He was such a ham. Big animal. We did however have a nice visit at Hooligan’s Bar for St. Patty’s. Wendy and I got shamrock tattoos because we weren’t wearing green, we had free Pistachio and vodka pudding shots, had corned beef and the fixings for a late lunch with a Guinness chocolate cupcake for dessert. Wendy and I had giant pina colada. Yikes! Oh the calories in that one! We walked to a nice glass store where Wendy bought a couple of ornaments. Everyone was full and in need of nap by 4:30. Bill and I took a little walk to another grocery store for some exercise. La Comar has everything under the sun. Very nice and clean store.

March 18, 2020 Wed. Moving day for Frank and Wendy. They came within walking distance of us if anyone should choose to do so. Frank and Wendy came over about 11:00 when they had to be out of their first condo. Check in time for their next one was 2:00. So we took a little walk, had some lunch at a great neighborhood joint and Wendy cut my hair. I was getting tired of putting it up everyday and it being on my neck when it wasn’t. So, off came three inches. I cooked spaghetti and garlic bread for dinner and Savicks brought the ice cream and caramel. Yum.

March 19, 2020 Thurs- Do you know the way to San Jose? It’s just north of Cabo and we took a nice ride up the coast to check it out. Turns out it is much nicer than Cabo itself. We all would have rather been staying up there. We walked the art district and Wendy bought a couple of ornaments. We had a nice lunch at the Baja Brew Co. Frank and Wen had a pulled pork sandwich and we ahd fish and chips. I hadn’t had fries for weeks and they tasted wonderful! After a little walk we found a french pastry joint that had the best chocolate cake with blackberry sauce on the bottom I have ever tasted. Yummo! We talked with many of the shop owners who are being affected by Covid-19. I feel bad that they have no customers. Their livelihood depends on tourism and there just isn’t any. Makes you wonder how long they can go on like that with no income. We got to see the Savickas condo, very nice. We walked back to our little house from there. 15 minutes. We received notice from STEP which is a State Dept. run deal for tourist that notifies you on all sorts of things. We got our get out of dodge warning. They said if we didn’t get out we could be left here indefinitely. So, at 10:30p.m. Frank and Wendy came over and we made a plan. We will all be heading out on the same flight on Sat morning. It will save us from having to get an Uber to get to the airport 35 minutes away. We have a six a.m. departure from the house set up.

Why get Corona when you can get an ” EXTRA”?

March 20, 2020 Fri- This morning was spent organizing gifts and packing up our bags. Not an easy task. I always buy too much stuff to take back home. Of course buying pottery does not help! Got all of that done and took a walk to the grocery store for some Lysol wipes and more hand sanitizer. Two stores had neither. Frank and Wendy were at our door upon returning. We walked some together and hit a place suggested to us by our land lord for lunch. We walked up and was surprised to find a huge place, packed. What great authentic food, and super service. Sure are going to miss all of this. Frank and Wendy stayed all afternoon. Just visiting. I went with Frank to buy an old license plate for his old car. All ready for morning departure.

March 21, 2020 Sat. Well, we are off to fly back the the U.S. not sure what we will be experiencing there but here we go. We were really ambivalent about leaving such nice weather, but the words infidelity really naw at me. If it was a month or so no big deal. But the idea of NOT being able to leave at all makes me nervous. So, off we go.

Week Ten-La Paz

March 9, 2020 Mon- The cleaning lady didn’t come today and the banks were closed. Must have been some kind of “holiday”. The Russian Yacht is back and I teased Kirby that perhaps they had gone to Mazatlan for the weekend also. We walked all the way to the other Chedrui grocery store to have a destination. It was about 50 minutes. Stopped and got a car insurance quote in case we decide to return next year with a vehicle. It is mandatory you have MX. insurance when you cross the border. The insurance is only $100.00 a month. Much cheaper than a rental car for sure. Lunch at home and some reading time. Kirby came back from their excursion to Mazatlan and we chatted about that. Left over spaghetti from the freezer for dinner. Nice evening walk on the Malecon.

March 10, 2020 Tues- Brenda the cleaning lady came about 9:20 she was quick about her business. We took a walk on the Malecon, afternoon reading. Went to dinner at the Famed Mesquite Grill for wood fired burgers and fries. The burger had the works on it. Two kinds of cheese, avacado, tomato, onion, bacon, lettuce, condiments, mushrooms. Yummy. It would have been super good if the cheese had started to melt and the mushrooms were hot. Guess you can’t have it all. After dinner we walked the Malecon and popped into a jewelry store we have passed for two weeks. Turns out the man and his family custom make all of their jewelry. Absolutely stunning pieces!!! They even did the largest grey pearl in Queen Elizabeth’s Crown. La Paz is the ONLY place on earth that has Natural Salt Water Pearls!!! Who knew. Anyway, we spend an hour getting taught about opals, and the 7 precious gem stones. This man’s creations are all one of a kind. He has a peach colored pearl that is over $3,000.00! Beautiful. I have my eyes on a pair of earrings. I May have to stop by and see how expensive they are.

March 11, 2020 Wed- Lunch day with the ladies! Bill and I walked the route to a restaurant the ladies and I would be having lunch at to see if I should walk there or take an Uber. We decided on an Uber. Upon arrival we discovered the chef had had an accident and wouldn’t be in until later in the afternoon, so we hopped in Theresa’s car and went to the Marina. Kirby had eaten at a cute little place before and said it was nice. We sat right next to the water with a different view of the Malecon. Some Beautiful yachts in port from Wa, Alaska, The Grenadines, etc. I had been craving a salad and had a wonderful strawberry and balsamic vinaigrette dressing. We were enjoying the day so much we sat and had a drink afterwards. Jason let us all hop onto is Sailboat and take a look around. Nice 33 footer. After lunch we were dropped off at the Jewelry store Bill and I had been at the night before. The Velvet box. https://www.facebook.com/pg/thevelvetboxbcs/photos/?tab=album&album_id=580369972137226&ref=page_internal None of the ladies had been inside before. They all fell in love with something, of course. I had the earrings I fell in love with priced out. WAY out of my league. Of well. Like I really need any more jewelry anyways. We finally got back about 6:30. What a lovely day. Bill had gone down the street to a bar and met Martin from Cabo who ferries people back and forth to their yachts. What a job! A good day had by all.

March 12, 2020 Thurs- Not much new. “regular” routine for here, except we were on the hunt for some lemon cake mix and frosting for a little gathering on Sat. Walk, read, eat, walk. etc.

March 13, 2020 Fri. We got to talk with the daughter for a while. That was nice. A little pork taco for a nibble. We walked the Malecon where set up was going on for the PanAmerica Triathlon. This is a world elite event. People from all over the world. My friends saw banners from Germany, Spain, USA. MX of course. It is the only race to be completed in the dark under the lights. I think we will stay clear of the hoopla. We finally laid our at the beach for a little while. Dinner just down the street at Zarape for a nice chicken Chimmychanga. It wasn’t as busy around the water as I had thought it would be.

March 14, 2020 Sat. After baking my lemon cake, and getting the courtyard guest ready, morning walk to the bakery for a nice, big, fresh cinnamon roll and cappuccino. All the work was done for the party so a nice afternoon. Went down and saw some of the racers come in. Six o clock and party time. our neighbors Kirby and Jason threw us a little going away party complete with shrimp tacos, pineapple salsa, and guac. How very sweet of them. We played three games of LCR and Jason won twice.

Our friends from home have arrived in Cabo and are coming on Sun. to stay overnight and take us back to Cabo which is our last two weeks of this trip. Monday will be our last moving day. Looking forward to exploring some place else. Seems like we have been in La Paz forever.

Week Nine- La Paz,Mx.

March 1, 2020 Sun.- Wow where is the time going? Only 30 days left to go and back on a plane. Half of the remaining time will be spent in Cabo San Lucas, which will fly by I’m sure. A quiet morning today. Walked to church and bought some cookies from the Nuns which was taken to our dinner/games party.

Mission La Paz was established by the Jesuit missionaries Juan de Ugarte and Jaime Bravo in 1720 and financed by the Marqués de Villapuente de la Peña, at the location of the modern city of La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico.

La Paz was the location of the earliest Spanish activity in Baja California, and was frequently the site of conflicts between the Spanish and the local Guaycura and Pericú Indians. Fortún Ximénez, mutineer on an expedition sent by Hernán Cortéz, landed at La Paz in 1533. Two years later, Cortés himself led a large party that attempted but failed to establish a settlement. Sebastián Vizcaíno in 1596 gave it its anomalously pacific name. Isidro de Atondo y Antillón and Eusebio Francisco Kino attempted to establish a mission settlement in 1683 but again failed because of conflicts with the native inhabitants. When Jesuit missions finally took root in Baja California after 1697, the initial focus of activity was to the north, in the area around Loreto.

The Jesuits finally returned to the site of Airapí (probably a Guaycura name) in 1720, in coordinated expeditions from Loreto that traveled both by sea (under Ugarte and Bravo) and overland (under Clemente Guillén). The mission had little success, however. It was sacked in the Pericú Revolt of 1734 and finally abandoned in 1748, when its Indian neophytes were relocated to Todos Santos.

We stopped at a pork taco joint we have passed a couple of times already that is always packed. One must figure if they are always busy with locals it must be (a) cheap (b) good. Well it was both. The most excellent chopped pork ever!!! I still like the fish tacos better only because they have more fixings to dump on top. If the pork guy had the same fixings I’m not sure who would be the best. The fish guy’s shells are better for sure. They don’t fall apart while eating. Cleaned the floor of the courtyard, read and took a nap.

We were invited to Theresa and Nathan Guerroro’s home for dinner and games. I had met Theresa at lunch the other day. The same ladies with their partners were at this function. Theresa and Nathan moved here from San Francisco the end of last year. They have a lovely home up in the hills over looking one of the marinas. What a wonderful view for sunset. Everyone brought a dish and the Guerroros made burgers on the grill and super guacamole. The tequila flowed freely. I got the biggest surprise when Nathan hauled out his putting green and gave me a private lesson. Nathan was a coach for a golf team in San Fran and also the USGTF Northwest Region director. That would be the United States Golf Teachers Federation! IN MX!!! Who knew? Now I wish we were staying here longer to get some on the course coaching so I can up my game. Watch out girls! A wonderful time was had by all and my team took second in Sequence. What a great night.

March 2, 2020 Mon-Our Mondays so far in Latin America this year have all been the maid’s day. Brenda came and changed the sheets, towels, wiped the bathrooms down, etc. We did a load of laundry, did the week’s veggie and fruit shopping at the Mercado. Also bought ground before our very eyes ground beef and chorizo. Went to the bank, took a couple of walks. A little windy today and cooler. Perhaps blowing in a rain storm for Tues.

March 3, 2020 Tues- No rain today, yea. Just another beautiful day in a beach town. It was time to take the bus up to the big store on the other end of town. We waited for a bus with the store name on it and hopped on. Only two other riders. We didn’t know there were two of these stores and got about a five minute ride. We could have walked if we knew it was there. This store is french Chedrui. It was bigger and better than the one down the road. I stocked up on pastries which I have been missing since leaving Cuenca. Got a few other items and walked back past the fish taco joint. Guess what was for lunch? Yup. Can’t beat them. YUM. Some reading time in the courtyard. Bill wanted to walk down to the “best ice cream in La Paz” joint. So we did. Not any better than anything else we have ever had. Next time he wants ice cream we will stick with the one closer to the house. We had fresh burgers and home made fries for dinner. Another walk out on the Malecon for an evening stroll. Man there are a lot of people out walking at 7:30!!

March 4, 2020 Wed- Hi ho Hi ho it’s off to the marina we go…. We walked the Malecon down to Marina #3. Mostly sail boats but a few LARGE cruisers as well. There were many 88 footers in the mix. One even had the name “off the Grid”. It looked like something from a James Bond movie. We made it back in time for lunch. A little rest time and reading in the afternoon. Kirby our next door neighbor and Jason had Kathy over for three games of Yahtzee. Kathy didn’t win a one.

March 5, 2020 Thurs- We took the 10:00 beach bus to Balandra. It is supposed to be the number one beach in MX. I was really disappointed. I have heard the hype for weeks now and really, West Michigan truly has better beaches. The same sand dunes only Mi. are bigger. Better water too, as once the tide went out the water was gone! You could walk from one side to the other. It was windy and cool. We stayed until the 2:15 bus. Got to see the car ferry boat, the oil tank fields, the refinery, and two more marinas. The road went out to another beach and dead ended. Guess you can’t get lost going that way.

March 6th, 2020 Fri- Well, I thought we were going to have some excitement this morning when 35 Military personal showed up across the street from our door. There were all kinds of vehicles and two different colored uniforms. Four men which appeared to be high ranking. They all had their flak vests on with weapons. Even a guy with a radio pack on him. I was getting excited. I went to the corner where most of the activity seemed to going on to see what I could see. Hoping for a little action or excitement. Nothing doing. Turns out there were just starting to demo the old building on the other corner. Not sure why they were all there as after a short time all but three left and the maintenance workers pulled things down. Never a dull moment. Morning hike down the Malecon just in time for an early lunch at the Fish Taco joint. It was cloudy and cool and I had long sleeves and pants on most of the day. It sprinkle some and a good day to sit and read. We walked for ice cream in evening and took in a fabulous sunset. All is well.

March 7, 2020 Sat- Pretty quiet day. Took an hours walk to the big market. Hit the Malecon on the way back for a cinnabon and coffee. Round trip 2 1/2 hrs. Read in courtyard, evening walk. Fish tacos for eats.

March 8, 2020 Sun- Sunday church and bought some more cookies from the Nuns. Yum. Did a couple of loads of laundry, read in courtyard, a couple of walks. We ran into a demonstration on the Malecon for International Women’s Day. Even the police car had a purple sticker for the day. Interesting. Saw a man “catching” octopus. He had a huge bag of them. Always something going on down there. Dinner was English fish and chips at Peshke’s.

WEEK NINE-LA PAZ, MX.

FEB 23, 2020 SUN- the fist half of today was posted on last week. We got our ride from the island to the mainland after a phenomenal morning of whale watching. For whatever reason when we pulled up to the launch, our boat was driven right onto a trailer and we rode boat to the hotel that way. Pretty cool, like being in a parade, of one. We settled into our room, got something to drink and took a nice long hot shower followed by a nap. We met a nice couple from San Diego, Betty and Joe Templeton, who were just heading out for a day ride. They had been to Africa and we discussed their trip with tips if we take that trip. It has long been a desire of mine but had put it off due to the long flight. However, Betty had some good ideas on how to avoid that with worth while stay overs on the way. Something to think about.

Feb 24, 2020 Mon-Breakfast and we were off by 8:40. Ok, so back again to La Paz, went to Walmart to stock up some supplies for the next three weeks then made our way to the new digs, and returned rental car. After settling in we walked a bit. Carnival is going on and the main street along the ocean is closed. Jam packed with vendors, rides, music stages, etc. Not sure I want to par-take in all of that noise and madness. A shower felt good to wash the hair. Hadn’t been washed in five days. Yuck. Though I did sort of enjoy not having to worry about doing anything but putting it up. Needless to say my hair said thank you for getting the salt out. LOL. I talked to my dad which was nice after five days! We took to the sheets for a well deserved rest.

Feb. 25th 2020 Tues- After breakfast we took a walk down the main one way street out front of us and looked for some markets that I had found online. Found all but one. Not too bad of a start for getting to know the layout. Picked up a couple of items needed for functioning in the kitchen. Had lunch and dinner in. Made spaghetti. Boy that sure tasted good! Then it was time to head down to the Malecon for the Fat Tues. parade. What a freaking blast. We missed the first floats, not sure how many, but the ones we did see were spectacular. All kinds of music and dancing, and costumes. Oh my, the costumes. I could have stood there and watched for hours. With the sun setting on the other side of the street it was truly a spectacle. The ocean was flat as can be, and just a mild breeze blowing and it special. We had heard there was suppose to be fireworks, but there wasn’t any. 😦 A nice walk on part of the Malecon we haven’t been on yet got us to a nice park on the ocean side. We definitely will have to rent bikes at some point as the Malecon is 3.5 miles long. We also met our neighbor Kirby today. She is originally from Minnesota and has a friend with a boat down here. She will be a nice neighbor for sure. Looking forward to a glass of hooch in the back patio with her.

Feb. 26th 2020 Wed.- Regular morning walk to learn our neighborhood. It will take a few days to get the nearby streets all in. But we have lots of time so no big deal. We ran into a couple, Sonya and Jeff from Whales, that I had met at the Magdalena Hotel on Mon. morning. What a small world. Who would have figured that!?!?! Also met a couple from Ontario at a coffee shop down the street that are actually our neighbors. They are staying right on the corner across the street from us. Another go figure. However they will be leaving here on Sun. Nice couple. I went into a pharmacy and got some of my RX refilled. I thought if I spaced them out I could make them last for the rest of the trip. However, weeks ago I forgot to keep spacing them, and then for five days didn’t take them at all. Not good, got headaches each day for days. Time to get back on schedule. No problem filling the RX. Just took my bottle in and said I wanted 30, and pay. Not real cheap but better than turning into a bitch for the rest of the trip. NO BODY wants that!

We had a nice visit with neighbor Kirby and her friend Jason our in our courtyard. While doing that the flame on the gas stove blew out and the kitchen filled with fumes. Guess it had been out for quite some time but not more than 30 mins. as I had set a timer and had checked on it. A nice pot of chicken in mushroom soup and baked potatoes really tasted good for a change. A nice evening stroll up a different street rounded out the day.

Feb. 27th 2020 Thurs-I had two stores on the list to find today. We hot them both. One is called Waldo’s and is sort of like dollar tree only a little more expensive. The other store was Dax. Dax is where you go for your cosmetic needs. But, they had the largest selection of cake mixes. More than Walmart! Go figure. We had passed a fish taco joint yesterday that Bill wanted to try so that is where we had lunch. Best darn fish tacos ever for a buck a piece. I’m sure this will be a staple here for us. We spent a little time out in the patio and read for a while. Our afternoon walk led us to Tail Hunters on the Malecon for a cool sip from the second floor deck over looking the bay, where we chatted with a man from Alberta, Cananda. A very low key night.

Feb. 28th 2020 Fri-Destination=bakery. There are a couple of highly rated bakeries here in La Paz and I like to have a destination when walking so we headed off to one. It was a ways off but that’s was ok because if I got something at least I could walk it off going back “home”. Busy little place, and nice set up. Fresh things coming out of the kitchen while we stood and looked around. But sadly nothing chewy, gooey, and yummy looking to me. 😦 We headed back to the Malecon and had a wonderful fresh frosted cinnabun! I found a pair of bright pink pants for $5.00. That made me a happy camper. I HAVE to stop buying stuff. I think I am already out of room. May have to have Wendy carry some back for me again.

I was invited out to lunch by Kirby our next door neighbor. She is enrolled on Spanish classes and has met some nice ladies there. We went to Mim. There were three other ladies there when we arrived. Two formerly from San Francisco and one from Washington state. It was nice to “get away” and have some lady talk and meet new “friends”. We yapped for 2 1/2 hrs. then Kirby and I came back and sat in our court yard for another three hours and yapped some more. No evening walk as it was 6:30 before we headed in for dinner. A nice day.

Feb. 29, 2020 SAT- Lions and tigers and bears, oh my! Well, not exactly. We had seen many writings about the Serpentario such as one of the best things to do in La Paz, etc. So today we hiked the hour walk down to see it for ourselves. Quaint and small this center has a lot of “cleaning” up to do. The water in All of the exhibits was green and dirty. Many of the reptile exhibits were empty. I suppose for kids, who don’t know the difference and this their first encounter with “wild life”, its better than nothing. We really took our time and was finished in half an hour. The nice thing was we got a good walk in and got to see some area we wouldn’t have had we not gone. We passed a shop making fresh tortillas. I had never seen them mass produced with a machine. Kind of neat. A woman and her son were working the outfit. I wonder how many of those things they can crank out in a day? The woman fed the machine with dough that ran thru a press and onto a conveyor which ran them into the hot oil and out onto a rack. See pic below.

We knew going down we wouldn’t we walking back so took a Uber to lunch at the fish taco joint. I don’t think there is a better deal or fish taco in town! We had some nice time in the courtyard where I trimmed up some of the suckers around the trees and cleared up the place some. Looks much better and not so wild now. After dinner at home we headed down to the Malecon for an evening walk and sunset. Much to our surprise there was a cultural arts thing going on in one of the plazas. We took in a rock group, dancers, and a jazz band. You never know what you are going to find.

Sunday we have been invited to game night from one of the lady’s at the lunch the other day. We also plan to rent bikes for a few hours and take a bus up to the big beach called Balandra Beach. This is suppose to be spectacular. Looking forward to it.

Week Eight- Guayaquil, Mexico City, La Paz,Magdalena Bay

Feb, 16, 2020 Sun- Last night we took a little dinner right down the street at a Columbian joint. Great food grilled. We had pork chops that were the thinnest we have ever seen but very tasty. We were a little late for church this morning. We had gone by yesterday to check on the times and a old janitor told us 10:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. So we walked over at 10:20 and church had already started. I guess you have to go with the flow. After church we took a little stroll and got an ice cream bar. We met an old man at the store who asked us to go to the park with him and chat so he could practice his Spanish. He bought a beer,which should have been our first clue. He was a drunkard. He had shit all over the back of his legs and up his shirt and shorts which we didn’t see at first. The park was on our way back to the room so no big deal. We sat with him while we ate our ice cream then scrammed. I said it was our good deed for the day. The man went on and on as a drunk does saying we were his amigos and he loved us. The after noon was spent pool side. We had the whole pool to ourselves. I read for a while and laid around on the float. A nice rest was had by both of us. Dinner was back where we ate last night as on Sunday and Monday a lot of places are closed. We had some wonderful grilled chicken.

Feb. 17, 2020 Mon- we took a quick Uber ride back to the Malecon and shopping area. I bought all of the gifts I am going to take home. I had been looking and looking for certain things for a certain price. Mission completed. Sat on the river inside having a cappuccino and a piece of cake watching the river tide crap float by. I am amazed how fast the tidal current runs here. There must have been some kind of diesel leak or something as it smelled to high heaven and there was a huge slick floating by. What a shame. Anyway, the tide must run about three miles per hour or so. Vegetation of all kinds floating back and forth. Back to the room for a swim and some reading and packing cause, “I’m leavin on a jet plane, dont know if I’ll be back again.”

WEW, what a long evening. We headed to the airport just after 6:00. I got a little antsy and with traffic and all it was a good thing we did. Most everything went like clockwork, until I heard my name called over the speaker system. They wanted me to go down stairs to have my bag inspected. I had a little apprehension but knew there was nothing in THAT bag to get me into trouble, but still it is a little un-nerving. All was good, but when I got my bag back in MX. City the luggage crew had broken my top handle off, and didn’t return it. Too much stuffed into a hard side suit case will do that to ya. Plan took off at 9:00 on the dot. Cheap flight, No movie, no music. Guess we were lucky to get a bag of chips and a drink. We finally got into the room and settled about 2:30. Wonderful five star room with a view of a mountain. I’m looking to seeing what we can cram in on Tues. I would at least like to visit the Cathedral.

Feb. 18, 2020 Tues- What a lovely central historic district here in Mexico City. So much rich culture. After walking down the street to get a SIM card for the phone, we caught a cab to The main Square. Here we saw The National Palace where there was some sort of demonstration and people camping out on the sidewalk. We visited the lobby of the Grand Hotel,

The Palacio Correos (post office), The Cathedral, Zocalo, Casa De Los Azulejos. We also walked past the National Museums. One was closed as they were changing up for a new exhibit, and the other Bill wasn’t interested in seeing. I also stopped in to take pics and drool at the pastries at Dulceria de Celaya. I will share a link from a gal who also does travel blogs who has some nice pics of the same things we saw. This was you can see the same pics without me using my space up.https://www.solsalute.com/blog/12-hours-in-mexico-city. We has some wonderful tacos today! YUMMO!

I took over 250 pics today and could never show you them all. My high lights as always were the churches.http://catedralmetropolitanacdmx.org/galeria/ San Filipe http://profesa.oratorio.mx/ My second and third favorites are The Grand Hotel and The Post Office. What beautiful stair cases.

I could go on and on about all of the lovely buildings I saw today. I would quickly run out of space if I posted just a few of them. We got Bill’s phone up and working for this country and ready for the next stop. We had a wonderful half day here and wish we had a little longer. Dinner in the hotel cafe and a nice sit in the Jacuzzi in the roof top glassed in area. Off to La Paz tomorrow.

Feb. 19, 2020 Wed-A quick walk this morning to stretch the legs before flying to La Paz. The flight was a no frills, had to pay for my coke kind of flight. After a little confusion about the rental car place, it was booked under Turo but actually thru Mexu, and didn’t know that ahead of time. Actually Bill has missed the Mexu name at the bottom of the reservation. Any way, we grabbed the shuttle out to the office and drove to the hotel for our one night. We were recommended to eat at Claro Fish Jr. on the malecon. We had red snapper which was a little over cooked and dry. The guacamole was excellent however. https://www.facebook.com/clarosfishjr/ Good hot shower and ready to hit the hay!

Feb. 20, 2020 Thurs-I slept not a minute last night. UGH! I got up and did a load of laundry at the hotel. We stopped at Walmart on our way out of town and picked up some cappuccino to take back home. We drove three hours through the desert with nothing to see but cactus and dry scrub. Literally. I don’t think I have seen anything so boring in all my days. Oh wait, we did see three giant snakes. Bill hit one by accident and it was so thick you could feel it under the tire. And at least six feet long. Yuck! The next three days were brought to us by…Magdalena Bay Whale Watchers tour…https://www.magdalenabaywhales.com/ We made it to the hotel/ lodge office and had ceviche and guac. for lunch. Before being whisked away on a 20 foot panga to the island. Our Capt, Miguel would spend the next three days with us. He started out by taking us past the buoys where the sea lions hang out. The ride to the island was about 40 minutes. Some slow areas as they were very shallow. The first sight of camp was really cool. There are tents scattered about the hillside with the common space/restaurant in the middle, and two whale skeletons guarding from each side. This is going to be fun. After getting settled into our new digs, I took a little nap as I had a headache and was feeling a little woosie. We had a big glass of fresh squeezed limeade and took a walk up the shore a bit to a little graveyard. I spied my first whale spray right out front at 5:55 p.m. This was a juvenile. I can hardly wait for tomorrow. Dinner was wonderful. A nice plate of fish, shrimp and chocolate clams. Ohhhhhh, the chocolate clams are divine! So smooth and rich and chocolaty. Our Capt. had run into a friend who gave him some Choco. clams. He explained to us that in Cabo they run about $50.00 pesos, and he can get them for $10.00. These were given to him and said he would let me try some raw ones tomorrow. Looking forward to it.

Feb. 21, 2020 Fri- I was so busy snooping around camp I didn’t notice the two osprey nests in the top of the whale bones. They had chicks in there. That is pretty neat. Miguel was 45 minutes late this morning. He had spent the night over on the mainland and too much fun with the girlfriend. But he made up the extra hour the next day. About Miguel… he works 7 days a week for three months being the Capt for the company. Then he takes a week off, the goes to work for the sardine company fishing the trollers and in the processing plant. Then another week off and on to scallop fishing. He is a wonderful Capt as we would find out and a hard worker who loves his job. There are loads of whales in the bay, they say more than 50. The camp has eight boats with capts. We petted a whale pretty much right away. It’s hard to know which way to look at the whales spouts where everywhere. I just love hearing the noise they make when blowing the air out of their lungs. After several hours we asked Miguel if we could go fishing sometime and he took us right away. Out to the rocks where the currents come together is very rough but the fish love it there. We didn’t have our rods in the water five minutes when I had a hit. Yup, turned out to be a night Yellow Fin. Next Bill and I had double hitters. Two barracuda at the same time. Next up it would be a pair of Cabvilla which is a cousin to the gouper. We fished an hour and a half altogether and caught five fish. Awesome. Guess what’s for dinner? Miguel made us fresh chocolate clam ceviche for lunch. They were still moving on the shell so I squirted them with some more fresh lime and let them sit a minute before devouring. I must admit, I like the cooked ones much better. They don’t have that chocolate flavor when raw. We had the two Cabvilla fish cooked for lunch. It was more than we could eat so we had Marco, the owner who was on the island for the day, join us. Bill has been feeling “off” since we left Mexico City. Can’t really put a symptom to it, just isn’t feeling normal. Any way, he went to lay down for a while and I took off down the beach with two Capts. who were digging scallops and pulling octopus. I learned a lot from them and later showed Bill and another lady, Bev, what I had learned. The Capts. also found a flounder in a net to add to their spoils. They ended up with a whole bottle of scallops and three octopus. Bill and I both had too much fish for lunch so no dinner for us. I took a 1/’2 shower in our private furnishings and decided to sleep outside. What a wonderful experience sleeping under the stars with no ambient light, listening to the coyotes and watching the lights from the fishing boats. Another once in a life time experience.

Feb. 22, 2020 SAT-This morning we departed right on time 7:04 there was 2-3 foot waves today. We touched a whale our first half hour our there!!! We saw 6 breaches but nothing close enough to take a picture. 😦 We had a whale who was so curious. “She” came right up to the boat and wanted to check Bill out. He was so close leaning over when she came out of the water she “knocked” Bill back. He darn near peed his pants! We were fortunate enough to see two whales mating. Talk about cool. They do this “dance” thing and the male pushes the female up out of the water. Unbelievable. We also had two whales at a time under our boat rubbing themselves on the boat. Too amazing. It is very difficult to put all of this into words. It seems to diminish it all. It really is too amazing to describe. Bill had fried fish for lunch while I dinned on shrimp k-bobs. All to much again to have a dinner. We decided to “donate” my large Yellow Fin to the Capts. They don’t get any chance to fish or eat this and it was more than we wanted. I only needed a taste. The chef did a great job of marinating and cooking the fish over a wood fire. The chef even had marsh mellows for us to roast over the fire coals. Bill and I walked after lunch to the little fishing village just down the beach from the whale camp. The village has 30 families that live there and are 100 percent fishermen.

Feb. 23, 2020 Sun- The best day ever!!! We had a very choppy day today. It took only 22 minutes to get out but 45 minutes to ride back to camp. We had 4-6 foot waves, with a chop. We had two whale under the boat for the longest time. A lot of the time we had two whales side by side and very curious. We petted several of them today. It all seems to surreal. After petting these large animals I was more than content just to ride along side of them and be in their presence. These truly are amazing creatures. They slip into the sea with their tails like wet noodles. So graceful. So beautiful. I am unable to post video here on the blog but I do have some. If you want to see it let me know and I can send it via Face book or possibly email. I tried to get some great pictures, but also promised myself THIS TIME is was going to live in the moment. Some other people from our camp have pics of us that they said they would share with us once they got back to internet. If I get them before I close the blog out for this season I will post them for you. The pics below have not been enhanced in any way. This is truly how close they come to the boats.

I would like to give our thanks to all the crew of https://www.magdalenabaywhales.com/ The entire staff is accommodating in every way. They truly have your trip on their minds. I couldn’t have asked for a better trip in any way. If you are considering a trip to the Baja please consider Marco and his team.

WEEK SEVEN- SALINAS

Feb. 9, 2020 Sun- Its hard to believe we are half way through our trip already. It will be going even faster now as we will be moving to Mexico and three different cities in the second half of the trip. Bill and I attended a small local church this morning. Standing room only, but we were there in time to get a decent seat. Funny they had air conditioning but had the windows open with the ceiling fans running. The air must be for warmer temps. say about the 85 it was in there? Across the street from the church is a coffee shop/restaurant called Common Grounds and we had passed this several times. I was in the mood for a cappuccino so we hopped on over. Nice place with great service and atmosphere.

Time to hit the beach. It was still a little cloudy out and a good time to go and swim. The sun is very intense here as it was in Cuenca and you don’t really feel the burn until it’s too late. I was sitting on a wall for a few minutes and when we got home Bill noticed a little spot on my one leg that had been hanging out that got a little too much sun. Nothing severe but goes to show me the point. I need to be extra careful. I have been really cautious with my face keeping a hat on at all times. A little snack in the apt and watched the movie Predator. After all of the these years I still like this movie. We headed out for some dinner, and ended up dining where we had some ceviche the other day. We had a nice Corvina fish with salad, rice, and fried plantains. Excellent. On our walk after dinner we decided to go a different direction up the Malecon. We were walking a block from the apt. when we saw a nice flower in someone’s garden. The man was wearing a UNC Charlotte t-shirt and the conversation began. We were invited into the garden, and then eventually in the house for cake, ice cream, gelatin, and juice. Wow. What hospitality. Two hours later Robert offered to take us to the other side of the peninsula to see the sea lions and sun set on Mon. WHAT A COUNRTY. Robert has a Puerto Rican mother and his father was from New York. He just found out 15 years ago that he had a U.S. passport as a child. Robert was so proud to say he his American too. Myra is Ecuadoran. Together they had three lovely daughter who are all married. Robert’s brothers both live in the U.S. Robert and Myra celebrated 50 years of marriage three years ago, and Robert retired two years ago from Guayaquil and moved here. Robert was in Chicago years ago for a conference and said he never thought a man could ever be “that cold”. LOL

Feb 10, 2020 MON- No swimming today. The sun was very warm and so was I. we took a city bus to the south end of the malecon and walked back. We saw the marina, Chipipi beach,ans San Lorenzo Beach. Stopped at the market for a few things to tie us over until Sat. Came back to apt. had lunch and crashed. Walking in the heat and humidity really sucks the life out of me. We ran into Mykal who is the surfer dude and he showed us where to rent bikes. Nice little chat. He invited us to his “tent” on the beach at 11:00 on tues where he will be giving lessons.

The late afternoon and evening was utterly amazing. Our new Foster Family, Roberto and Mya took us on a car ride to the tip of the peninsula and to the highest view point in Salinas. The property is owned by the Air Force but admittance is allowed. Here you will find The westernmost point of Ecuador has three main attractions:La Fae Beach, with a boarded walkway where you can watch a seal colony;El Morro (or little hill), with a lighthouse and incredibly spectacular views over Salinas; and La Chocolatera – a point named for the way the tempestuous waves break on the rocks, creating foam and the impression of a big bowl of chocolate. There is a special place where a crack in the rocks create geyser. It is so cool. It makes a woosh sound also. Pretty cool. Just like Old Faithful. The whole tip is beautiful, truly amazing and special. After touring the tip and watching the sunset, we were taken “home” to Aviles home and made dinner. Including hot chocolate and more cake and ice cream. This couple is sooooo hospitable. Words cannot express my feelings.

Feb. 11, 2020 Tues- Yet another amazing day. Our “family” took us for a six hour tour in their vehicle. We saw many beaches, went to a Museum, had lunch, saw churches and visited a fishing village. This couple have hearts of gold and have much wisdom for life. Robert is one smart cookie. After a much needed rest from 4:00-5:30 we “hit” the beach to soak our feet. A little Chilly for full in swimming.

The Los Amantes de Sumpa Museum is located in the Province of Santa Elena , It has a clay oven with which ancestral cooking classes are given, a traditional house with the wooden bat, the duffel bag and other elements of the typical coastal house. This last word identifies the native name of the Santa Elena Peninsula and the oldest archaeological site on the Ecuadorian coast, where the remains of a preceramic settlement with evidence of housing, a garbage dump and a cemetery were discovered.

The first references of this place were provided by the American archaeologist Edward Lanning in 1964, who called the Las Vegas complex an area in which he identified traces of a culture prior to the appearance of ceramics. The interest in investigating these testimonies prompted Olaf Holm (+) to carry out a research project led by the anthropologist Karen Stothert, who began studies in 1971, identifying a site on an elongated hill of approximately 150 m in length. The site was excavated several times, the last in 1977.

The best known archaeological evidence of this site constitutes the burial formed by two young individuals (male and female) deposited in a flexed position and with their arms intertwined. On the skeletons several stones were found located in different places of the bodies, as if it were the evidence of an act of stoning or some funeral rite. The truth is that this finding caused great admiration in the population of the area that began to recognize them as “Sumpa lovers.” Although this testimony proves to be the most significant of the excavation of the OGSE 80 site, the importance of it exceeds this discovery because the Las Vegas site is until now the only evidence of a Paleo-Indian settlement on the coast of Ecuador (approximately 7000 years BC).

The site museum is named Los Amantes de Sumpa , due to the burial of two skeletons that are embraced and that are part of the cemetery of the inhabitants of the Las Vegas Culture , listed as one of the oldest in the American continent, towards the 6,000 BC The Museum “The Lovers of Sumpa” was built with the help of several institutions. The Municipality of Santa Elena donating the land, because right in that place the remains of this Culture were found. The Foundation “Pro Pueblo”, the National Cement, the physical construction of the pavilions and the Central Bank of Ecuador the assembly of the Graphic and Ethnographic Museum. The Foundation “Los Amantes de Sumpa” ²At present, the museum “Los Lontes de Sumpa” is being administered by the state, Ministry of Culture and Heritage , entity responsible for managing the activities and ensuring the preservation of the museum through the execution of tourism public investment projects. ³

The museum hosts vestiges of Las Vegas culture. Here are the remains of an embraced man and woman, whose story is considered a symbol of love. It is a sample in situ (of the place). They were buried carefully together. The man with his right hand on the woman’s waist and with the right leg on her pelvis. The woman, meanwhile, is in a flexed position, with one arm over her head. Unusual aspect of this “burial” are 6 large stones that were placed on top of the corpses of the couple. There are also other vestiges that represent the way in which they buried the first inhabitants of this coastal territory, in addition to exposing pieces of Manteño-Huancavilca culture.

So fascinating.

Feb. 12, 2020 Wed- Well our next road trip with Roberto and Maya didn’t happen today. Roberto ate something at lunch yesterday that made him ill, and he was tired from the long trip also. So, we stopped over to see how he was doing and ended up being there nearly two hours. Robert has written three books in his retirement. They are a complete pictorial and history of the main central blocks of Guayaquil. He has presented his books to the city for publishing. He intends to write another. The books contain his photographs exclusively. Each street, building, and plaque, has been cataloged in his writings. Each book has taken him three years to put together. After looking at the books, listening to some Opera and being served juice and cookies, we departed to let Roberto rest. We walked back to the Farmer’s Market as Bill didn’t get to see much of it from the previous day, and I was hoping to find an orchid plant to give to Maya for all of her hospitality, as her collection of plants does not include one. I was disappointed to not find ANY plants for sale. At the market there was giant shrimp the size of my hand for $9.00 a lbs.!!! I couldn’t hardly believe it. Our walk took us back up to the Malecon and some lunch. Bill had another fried fish and I opted for fish ceviche. What a bowl full. They serve the ceviche here in cereal bowls! Nap time and then a quick swim before heading back to Roberto’s for a light dinner of pantecones and corn souffle. Of course the leche de queso for dessert. Another day with too much food and no enough exercise. Blah!

Feb. 1, 2020 Thurs- We had a wonderful sight seeing with Roberto and Myra. They drove us up the coast to Montanita, thru San Pablo, Monteverde, Valdivia.

We drove thru fishing villages, along miles of restaurants on the beach, villages that made woven handy crafts, to the surfers paradise of Montanita. In a small village along the way we stopped in a museum that Roberto had not been in yet. There were all kinds of ruins and artifacts. This is similar to the Sumpa we had visited on tues. Except this was dated to nearly 6,000 years before Christ.

In 1821 the comuneros began to discover archaeological remains when building their houses. Some time later, between 1956 and 1957, the archaeologist Víctor Emilio Estrada, together with a work team made up of community members and foreign professionals, documented the existence of the Valdivia culture, unknown until then, after studying more than 25,000 ceramic fragments found in the zone. ³

The museum was built by DITURIS (National Tourism Directorate) now the Ministry of Tourism in 1978, being opened to the public in 1985, below what is now this site is hidden what was the first site of culture Valdivia excavated scientifically. The inventory of the pieces and objects of the museum was carried out by the comunero Juan Orrala, craftsman and guide of the museum at that time, together with Spanish delegates sent by the national government to inventory all the pieces that the site protects, this process It was carried out between 2013-2014, which states that more fragments than complete pieces were found, with a total of 950 inventory items registered with the Ministry of Culture and Heritagein the city of Quito . ¹ The women was the most important part of this culture and was highly revered.

Montañita is a village on Ecuador’s Santa Elena Peninsula, known for its beaches with strong surf breaks and bohemian vibe. Lively bars, nightclubs and thatch-roofed restaurants line the streets. Montañita Beach stretches north to La Punta, a rocky bluff with views over the ocean. Farther north along the coast are Olón village and the nearby cloud forest of the Chongón-Colonche mountains. This is also hippieville. A lot of drinking and smoking pot in the evenings, but the cops don’t seem to bother them much as they bring in a lot of revenue. There are more than enough stores selling trinkets and clothing and restaurants to go around. Blocks and blocks of them. When arriving around 11:00 there didn’t seem to be much going on. But when we left at 2:50 the town seemed to be waking up some. A lot of Rastafarians walking about. The beach was perfect white sand and super wide. On the week-ends the place is said to be crawling with people. NO doubt. The four of us ate lunch upstairs as to get a breeze. It was nearly stifling for me. You can tell you have sweated a lot when you don’t use the bathroom for more than six hours tho you have taken in much fluids. We had a wonderful trip, yet again, thanks to Roberto and Myra. We did not swim only rested upon returning to the apt. Later we walked to the laundry only to find they had JUST closed, but got a little exercise after sitting much of the day.

Feb. 14, 2020 Fri- Laundry dropped off and carrot cakes purchased for Roberto and Myra. A nice swim and lunch. Laundry picked back up. Rest time before evening party. Roberto and Myra asked us to join them this evening to a small St. Valentine’s Day Fiesta at some friend’s home in a nearby town. Turns out the the home belongs to Roberto’s daughter’s former in-laws. Carlos and Anita moved there four years ago when Carlos retired. Anita is a chef and wanted to open a small typical restaurant and so they bought this facility/home. What a great place to throw a party. Complete with bar and bathrooms. We met Roberto and Myra at their house at 7:00 as we had some left over food to give them along with the cakes. Myra had a beautiful rose in a plastic sleeve for me, because Valentine’s Day here is also for friends. the ride to Ballentia was about 15 minutes. Being a chef of course Anita had all sorts of nuts, three kinds of chips, little hot sausages, all the wine you could ask for, and birthday cake. This group of friends, 50 in all but not all here tonight, gather once a month or so. There were three birthdays to celebrate this evening. Music on a huge console played via Carlo’s smart phone. Blew me away. So among the people attending were: a famous psychiatrist, two chefs, a dental assistant/nurse, a farmer from Dallas, a hardware store owner, an accountant, a major from the army who was at the former President’s side at all times during the war, and a machinist who has been many places around the world. What a gathering of intelligence. I think it was after 11:00 before we left and got a grand tour of the night life in both a nearby town and here on the Malecon. Hard to believe how the Malecon gets transformed at night. It’s like Cancun during spring break. Holy cow, the music, the dancing, people eating, walking the Malecon, and remember this is now all after midnight. Guess we have been missing the boat. What a wonderful way to spend our last evening in Salinas.

Feb. 15, 2020 SAT- Today we headed back Guayaquil. Roberto and Myra insisted on taking us to the bus station about 20 minutes ride from Salinas. Myra and I had a weepy moment when parting. This couple is truly of a dying breed. They showed us so much more than we could have ever seen on our own. The love they exhibited is endearing. I will forever remember their kindness and hope to see them again some time. Roberto even boarded the bus to show us our seats. We could have done that ourselves for sure but he insisted. How sweet. The bus was an express and took only and hour and 45 minutes to get to Guayaquil. The cabs were right out front and before 2:30 we were checked into the hotel. This hotel is a small family owned business. All rooms are on ground level and face a court yard with a pool and Jacuzzi. Breakfast is included and we are just a few minutes from the airport. There is a nice covered sitting area in the court yard. Nice for morning coffee or reading. Lounge chairs, etc. A perfect place to spend two days.

The upcoming week will be busy. We spend two nights here in Guayaquil before flying to Mexico City, Mx for two nights. Then fly to La Paz, MX for two nights before getting a rental car to drive to the west side of the Baja De Sur California, MX. Magdalena Bay for whale watching. There we stay one night in hotel on main land before taking a shuttle boat to the island camp where we stay for the whales. This family owned camp has been in business for 40 years. You get up to six hours a day in the boat with your private guide to see the whales. The rest of the time you can fish, swim, kayak, etc. We will be in this location for five nights before returning to La Paz for 21 days. The last two weeks of our trip will be spent in Cabo San Lucas. So, now that I am out of breath, I think I will go swimming before 10:30 a.m. church. Chao!

WEEK SIX-Cuenca/Salinas

Feb. 2, 2020 Sun- Ground Hog Day. Congrats to all of my Northern readers on Phil NOT seeing his shadow. Only the 20th time in 120 years. I hope he is correct on Spring being right around the corner for you. 🙂 Today was also Super Bowl Sunday. More on that in a minute.

We had spotted a couple of “flea markets” a couple of weeks ago that were open only on Sunday so having gone to church on Fri. that left our morning open for a long walk. We went across the river and headed right to the markets. The first one was basically all used clothing and shoes. But I did she the most beautiful white pit bull pup ever. The sad thing was “he” was about ten pounds under weight! Poor baby. I would have grabbed him in an instant if I knew how to get him back home. I was really fretting about the pup when Bill said perhaps the owners had just gotten the pup and he was like that when they got him. That made me feel a little better but I still had my doubts. The next market was a little more organized. Some new some used things. A little girl came up and wanted to speak English to me even tho she only knew a few words. I always find that soooo cute.

Walking around this “new” neighborhood we found yet another Mercado. And I thought we had been to all of them. This is a market where everything is sold in the fresh line of goods. Flowers, veggies, fruits, meats, etc. We saw a pan of what looked like white sausages cooking. We asked to have one. The man was so enthralled that we were from the U.S. he asked to take OUR picture. He was so proud of his product. And deserving so. His little sausages were filled with rice, garlic, onions, carrots, cilantro, etc. Very tasty. We hadn’t had anything like that yet. He even gave us one for free because I liked so well. What a country. The crabs are in! This is too is the first we have seen of this species of crab. The others were blue and smaller. I so wanted to get some but have been advised to wait until we get to the beach. Around the corner of the Mercado was a wonderful little bakery. I think their specialty must be meringue cookies as they had a whole display of them. All colors, two sizes.

Next along the walk we fell upon another church where another celebration was going on. We witnessed a parade of this sort the first week we were here. Then it was called Los Ninos. I am not sure if this is the came celebration or not, but there has been one on the street across the river from us every Sunday so far. This one had little girls all dressed up on horse back, and a small band.

Ok, time for a rest up top on the roof. We were invited to a Super Bowl Party held by our neighbor who owns the bar below us. Mike the owner is a transplant from Albuquerque, N.M. and has been here for 10 years. He owns INCA bar. Which is a gringo bar by day and an Ecuadorian bar at night. Anyway, he has several large screen t.v.s in the bar and had one brought in for the deck of his place which is directly behind us. He is river side. He has wonderful food and we dinned on nachos. I must say the best we have had so far. And he told me they would be. There was the standard “betting square board” of course. I took home made popcorn to share. We sat in the bar for the first half and thought we would go sit in the upper deck for the second half. But it was too smokey so we can “home”. I was rooting for the Chiefs and very happy that little Patrick won! Ecuador makes the sixth country I have seen the super bowl in.

Feb. 3,2020 Mon– “road trip day” We took another day trip up just passed the town we visited last week. Chordeleg. Chordeleg Canton is a canton of Ecuador, located in the Azuay Province. Its capital is the town of Chordeleg. Its population at the 2001 census was 10,859. Once again the one dollar for the ride was more than worth it. This sleepy little village is know for its jewelry. Gold and silver alike. Entire streets of this town are lined with jewelry shops, where one can watch the amazingly fine and skilled handiwork of the craftsman. As Ecuador becomes more developed, fewer people are interested in learning these ancient crafts I was told. So, unfortunately, the day will likely come when all these items are mass-produced in factories, but for now, Ecuador is a treasure trove of these “guild towns”. There are dozens of jewelry stores lining the streets surrounding the park, and scattered throughout the side streets as well. I’ve never seen so many jewelry stores in such a small area! The abundance of silver jewelry is almost overwhelming. One of my favorite things about this little town though was the Spanish-style chandelier filigree earring lamp posts! I have never seen a city with those before.

We walked the square where most of the jewelry stores are located and a few side streets. Very low key and quiet compared to Cuenca. Built on a hill we had many nice vistas. Lunch was a nice plate of fried Corvina fish. We went into the small museum where a few relics are held including a huge giant earring made of all sliver. This thing was five feet! I would love to know how many man hours it took to complete this beautiful piece of work. We also saw some nice artwork in the middle of a near deserted plaza. The workmanship is amazing. I definitely would not move to this town as there isn’t enough going on there for me. However, if one wanted to drop out of society this wonderful little town would be ideal.

The boy that sat next to me on the bus was very fascinated with me. I don’t suppose it was the blue eyes? Anyway, he wanted to know if we were from Canada. I thought it strange that he didn’t know about the United States. Go figure. I had looks from many little ones that I’m sure have never seen a white woman with blonde hair and blue eyes before. At least not up there. We had a nice visit and took an evening walk after sitting for a spell upon returning back to the apt.

Feb. 4th 2020 Tues- We had a nice experience in the Pumapungo Museum today. The Pumapungo Museum is a Decentralized Operating Entity of the Ministry of Culture and Heritage of Ecuador, located in Cuenca (Ecuador)Cultural heritage of Humanity; and with offices in the city of Loja and Riobamba. It is a center of anthropology, archeology, ethnography, art, documentation and audiovisual, with free and free access to the knowledge of cultures and human beings that inhabit Ecuadorian geography. Almost a century ago, the wise German Max Uhle established with certainty the ancient Inca settlement of Tomebamba, built by Tupac-Yupanqui in the Cañari site of Guapondelig, was in what is now Cuenca, in the area of Pumapungo. At present, the Pumapungo Museum integrates services such as the National Ethnography Hall, with its permanent exhibitions “Tsantsas: lost myth, ritual and tradition and” Spiritualities and rituals. Power, rite and healing: worldview of the shaman ”; the Archeology Room “Pumapunku: worlds of memory”, the “Víctor Manuel Albornoz” Library with its documentary fund, newspaper archive, historical documentary and photographic archive, audiovisual fund; the “Guillermo Larrazábal” Room and 2 temporary exhibition halls; “La Salita” exhibition-sale of products of the best designers in the country., The Community Hall, the Pumapungo Theater, the Archaeological and Ethnobotanical Park, the Bird Rescue Center, children’s playroom and the areas of ethnography, sculpture reserves , contemporary art, painting.

The traveling exhibit was India. While a whole room was devoted to Ghandi with lots of pictures, it lacked in artifacts. There were a few nice pieces and some beautiful jewelry. The second floor is devoted to the country’s history and culture. Very nice job. Next month is the exhibit from Salvador Dali. I would like to have seen that. Pictures were forbidden but I managed to click a few anyway. More info if interested at: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Museo_Pumapungo

Bill had seen some info on the “best hot dogs in Cuenca” so our lunch was dining on one of those. The kid was from L.A. and being home schooled here. His father had just had heart by-pass surgery in the states and they were selling off the restaurant’s equipment, and the kid was helping his family. Hot dog tasted like “home”, but not worth the $3.00 he was charging. We did a load of laundry and started to pack for the move on Thurs. Dinner was Sr. Janos fried chicken and fries which has become Bill’s favorite staple here.

Feb.5, 2020 WED- Bill was suppose to have a dental app. this morning at 11:00 but they called and said their equipment had gone down. First time this has happened the receptionist said. They wanted to reschedule for next week but we will already be at the beach. I went for a nail fill across the river underneath the grocery store. $10.00. Very nice lady. Bill and I took one last walk up town to the square and got an O.J. at Don’s again. This was the best orange juice in the city. Got the rest of the packing done. Had dinner at Amay where we had eaten on Friday night. The Asian bowls looked amazing the other night and I really had a craving for noodles. So I ordered a chicken and veggie bowl for $4.80. At first I didn’t think I would eat it all, but it tasted so good that I devoured the whole thing. A nice little stroll “home” , and then watched Titanic. I’m ready to move on.

Feb.6, 2020 Thurs- MOVING DAY-Our previous trip through the mountains was not one for sight seeing. As you remember four weeks ago it rained most of the trip and we didn’t get to see much of anything. Today was not the case. What a wonderful ride through the mountains. We started out at 8,400 feet about sea level in Cuenca, up to 13,602 at the top of the pass, down to 30 feet here in Salinas. What a ride. The sun was perfect and No rain. We ran above the cloud line and tree line for quite some time. Then all of a sudden the clouds came into view below us and off to the distance. There were mountain waterfalls, mountain lakes and mountain villages. Lord knows how far they have to go to the store! I think perhaps for the most part they are self sustaining.We passed a little chapel on a rock and one Alpaca. The vistas were amazing.

We started out with a Taxi from the front door to the Bus Terminal. There we loaded onto a typical transport bus which is a nice motor coach. That bus took us to Guayquil where we boarded a second bus for Santa Ellena where the province terminal is. There we hopped a local bus for Salinas. Then we got an Uber to the apt. So, one taxi, three buses, and an Uber with six hours plus. Whew! Know wonder I got a little fussy. The bus transition was remarkable. Bill just had time to use the facilities before we boarded the second bus. Too bad flying doesn’t go this smoothly.

The apt. is on the third floor with a nice balcony and hammock. Brightly decorated in blues and ocean theme. “I think this is why Bill picked it. He knew I would like the colors.” LOL. Pleanty of room and a bedroom with a door on it for a little separation, shall we say. The T.V. is in the living space instead of the bedroom. I’m sure it will be just fine. Only three blocks from the Ocean. The nicest thing about this time of year is it is off season and there are very few people around. Only the Locals. Just a couple of families on the beach.

Feb. 7, 2020 Fri- First full day in Salinas. Bill gave me the bum rush out this morning to go play in the waves before it got too warm out. Yesterday it was 90. A bit warm for me! So, off we went. We were the only ones on the beach. The water is warm and relaxing. As mush as we liked walking the river in Cuenca, we both agreed that the ocean is much better. We coral combed for a while to see what is in the tidal pools. The normal. Urchins, coral, tiny fish, etc. I found what looks like some Agate for my dad. We continued down the “board walk” and then turned in land a couple of blocks. Had some Wonderful blackberry juice, and then a spread for breakfast. Bill ate the eggs, bacon, and hash brown while i ate the Belgium waffle that came with it. And of course, more blackberry juice. Now it was after 11:30 and time to head back and rinse off for a nap.

We took an afternoon walk as it was cloudy and figured with a breeze would be a little more tolerable heat wise. It wasn’t too bad. We stopped for some shrimp ceviche and a coke. The ceviche here comes in a soup bowl again like the one from the Malecon in Guayquil. My gosh, the limes here totally make a difference. Those tiny little suckers are divine.

Evening and cooler temps with a breeze made walking out tolerable without sweating. Walked over to a mini mart to get a few things as all of the super markets are not within walking distance during the day, and easy to get turned around at night as we are on a peninsula.

Feb. 8th, 2020- Sat– What a difference a day can make. Yesterday there was literally no one one the beach. Today was a whole different story. Umbrellas and chairs were all along the boardwalk. People parking blocks down to get a good spot. The locals were coming in droves. I can’t imagine what it is like here during high season. A little cloudy start today but good for walking down to the main market. There isn’t a Municipal Market (farmers Market) here in Salinas. Boo-hoo. Anyway, we walked down there, brought our groceries home and I made tuna for when we got back from the ocean. We swam and hung out for a while and met Michael who is Ecuadoran but lived in Venice Beach, Ca. for 20 some years. He moved back home (here) and runs a surf lessons/long board co. He gave us some tips while we are staying here. Nice guy. Dinner was back a Jimy’s where I had some excellent honey mustard wings, while Bill had fish and mashed potatoes. Jimy is a culinary school trained chef from Peru. His food is top notch and cheap. A nice stroll along the ocean on the way back to the apt. Note the top left picture below. It is right across the street from the beach. We saw a couple of these plus public bathrooms. The sign says, ” toilet $.50 shower $1.00″

WEEK FIVE-cuenca

Jan. 26, 2020 Sun.- Last Sunday we arrived at Church about 9:20 and had plenty of seat to choose from. Today when we got there more than 2/3 of the church was filled. The closet we got to the front was two flat screen tv.s away. Pew wise…maybe more than 50… but not very close. Anyway, it all came to light once the service started. All of the pomp and circumstance of someone important. Turned out it was the Arch-bishop from Spain. And once again we were the only whites in the lot. Which by the way doesn’t bother either one of us.

Next up a quick jaunt across the square to the Old Cathedral to hear the Cuenca Symphony.

The Cuenca Symphony Orchestra (OSC), under the direction of Maestro Michael Meissner, performs regularly at numerous sites, including the Old Cathedral, Teatro Pumapungo, and Teatro Carlos Cueva Tamariz (University of Cuenca). Much to the surprise — and delight — of most expats, there generally is no admission charge for these performances.

Acoustics at all venues are excellent, but my personal favorite is Teatro Pumapungo where, if you sit in the center balcony, you have a better opportunity to watch each musician individually. This was the first time I really could appreciate how each instrument in the orchestra interacts. The upper seats of Teatro Carlos Cueva Tamariz provide almost as good visibility as Pumapungo, but to have a good view of the orchestra in the Old Cathedral, you have to arrive very early and sit in the front rows.

Encourage community access to symphonic musical art.
Encourage the participation of authors and interpreters of Ecuadorian symphonic music and universal repertoire, through the dissemination of their performances.
Develop educational activities aimed at different educational levels for the understanding and enjoyment of national and universal symphonic music.
Coordinate actions with public and private organizations to execute programs that allow self-management.

The symphony is now under the direction of Micheal Meissner:

After obtaining his degree at the Higher School of Music in Munich he served as concertmaster at the Regensburg Philharmonic and director of the Ratisbonense chamberta in Bavaria. Michael Meissner lived in Mexico for about 25 years where he founded the international Music of the Sea festivals in Huatulco and Viva Vivaldi in Mexico City, has directed and produced 9 operas and has led 40 orchestras in Latin America and Europe.

In 2010 he obtained the European Prize for fine Arts of the European Union and became an honorary member of the Rafaele d’Alessandro Association in Switzerland. He is permanent guest director of the Sudecka Philharmonic in Poland. As a researcher he has restored and edited works by Vivaldi, Rolón, Ponce, Moncayo, Revueltas, Brahms, Dvorák, Schuman, Salvador Bustamante Celi and Corsino Durán.

Today’s selections were from Anton Bruckner-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anton_Bruckner Andante for 4 tubas and Symphony no. 7. The symphony #7 had four movements and the first one was 20 minutes long!!! WOW! The whole symphony #7 was 56 mintues. The venue was very acoustical. The symphony will be playing Beethoven on Feb 1st at a different venue. We hope to go to that one also.

Now going on 12:30 time to find some brunch. Did we hit the jack pot, again! Just across the street and down a block is a lovely little place called “Sunrise”. A cute, unassuming, joint with food that is out of this world. Bill had fresh squeezed O.J. while I sipped on a Mimosa. We shared the huge plate of eggs on the bottom topped with pull beef, cheese, onions and peppers, fresh guac, pica de gallo, multi grain bun and fried potatoes. All for $10.00. So sad we didn’t find this place sooner. Will have to try to hit it one more time before leaving.

I went up on the roof to the solarium to catch some sun and read for a little bit. That didn’t last long enough as the wind picked up and it got cloudy looking like it was going to rain. It never did rain however it did stay cool and breezy and we didn’t get an evening walk in.

Jan. 27, 2020 Mon- Our friend Nelson from Guayaquil told us about a quaint village up to the North East from here called Gualaceo, pronounced “Why-a-say-o”. We hopped our local bus to the terminal and grabbed a bus going to that town. We went right thru the mountain pass. It took about an hour. On the way there must have been some sort of agriculture doings in a town we went tru as there were ag. pick up trucks parked along the road for a mile. we went right to the river to see what that was like. Very shallow and rocky and milky like they were still getting runoff. The village is not much. Much slower pace than Cuenca and less populated. We sort of made the rounds. The town square, the church, the market for lunch and Ice Cream shake to top it all off. We spent just a little more time walking around and figured we had pretty much seen all there was to see. SO, we boarded a bus Cuenca bound. Both of us we a little disappointed. We thought there would be more there. There were so nice murals on the walls however and a nice covered wooden bridge.

A little rest and re hydrating after the trip and a quick walk to the grocery store for a few items. The evening was spent in.

Jan. 28, 2020 Tues-Not much today. Did a load of laundry. A quick morning and evening walk. Sat for a spell across from the Main square watching people and had a great fresh squeezed O.J.

Jan. 29, 2020 Wed- Today we both had dental appointments. Mine was for a cleaning, Bill’s was a consult on a couple of “fillings”. My $35.00 was waived as I told the gal I had seen their add in the Gringo online paper, Cuenca High life”. Bill’s consult was also free but will be going back next Wed. for a couple of filling fixes. $35.00 a piece. Stopped and got some more pastries, nap and reading in solarium . Afternoon walk across the river to the pharmacy to get the new toothpaste and mouth wash the dentist recommended. We headed “up town” to a joint called Moe’s. We were the only ones in there and most times I would walk out. But after looking at their menu, we decided to stay and have some fish. A nice plate of rice, lentils, salad, fries, and corvina fish. The salad was the first I have eaten since coming here. Always wary of lettuce abroad, I had abstained. I shouldn’t have. The salad and home made dressing was amazing! The staples here are rice and french fries. Bill had had his fill of one and I of the other. With all of the potatoes here you would think you would find mashed potatoes. Not!

Jan. 30, 2020 Thurs- I have been spending more in the morning up stairs in the solarium. I know my time here is coming to an end and I am truly going to miss this wonderful space. This morning there was a nice view of the mountains so a clicked a pic. We had a destination for our morning walk. Bill is scouting apt. for possible return. So we took a tour of one across the river on a nice quiet side street. Just before going in we saw a gringo woman and chatted with her. She had just signed a lease there. Cynthia has been here in Cuenca for three years. A transplant from Texas she was full of all kinds of information. I was glad to have bumped into her. After wandering around that neighborhood, we headed back to our side of the river for lunch. We ate at El Meson. I had seen many reviews on this restaurant and we had gone the night before but they are not open in the evening. We had the lunch special. Cream of potato soup with chicken, cake, Potato and veggie salad, rice and a piece of chicken with a drink for $3.50. We are one and brought one home. Afternoon walk was back across the river to find a Wings Joint Bill had seen. We stopped in an antiques shop. Back home up in the solarium again Bill and I were chatting when soemthing hit the windows. Two hummingbirds were laying on the tile. Poor things. I picked them up and laid them in a bush. Eventually they both flew off. These hummers are about twice the size of the ones in MI.

Jan. 31, 2020 Fri.– We had a wonderful experience this morning in an artisan bakery. Two men greeted us and invited us behind the counter when I asked if it was ok to take a picture of the oven. “Come, come, look,” he said. The man quickly opened the oven and said to peek inside. The oven is huge. The paddles used to pull things out of the oven were over eight feet long. I can’t say how high the oven was as it was dark inside, but I’m guessing about four feet. We were given fresh samples still warm. A delectable croissant made of sweet dough topped with a honey glaze, sour dough bread, and a cinnamon roll. We talked for a while and I told the owner I used to work in a pizza place for 12 years but could never roll two balls at the same time like he was. We bought some yummies and went on our way. I’ll bet if I stayed here I could help roll dough balls for them. The fire is stoked with only Eucalyptus wood.

that little pan in the back is a huge pan of cinnamon rolls. Fire to the left.

The next stop was the Soup Kitchen. Bill had seen the info for volunteers in a blog and we wanted to see the facility. Met the kitchen boss for Fridays, Lisa. She told us all about the process and how it all worked. Also met Kathy, who we would end up running into at the English mass and have dinner with. We had lunch on the river after looking for another apt Bill had seen online. Doing a little recon work possibly for next winter. We had met the owners of this restaurant a couple of weeks ago. A brother and sister team Ecuadoran but from Jersey. A nice little place on the banks of the river and two stories up with a view. Bill said the Milk shake was the best so far. We had a nice “philly steak sandwich”. Tender steak with loads of caramelized onions on a very soft bun. Pretty tasty.

garden at soup Kitchen, bet I could pull all the weeds I wanted to

A little rest time on the roof and it was time to get ready for church. We had been in the entrance to this church before and peeked in but hadn’t gone in as one time there was a service for the school children attending classes there, and another time you had to pay for entrance.

The chronicles written about the foundation of Cuenca reveal that the first Catholic mass, on the occasion of its foundation, was celebrated in a chapel that existed in the place where the church of Todos Santos rises; currently a heritage complex administered by the community Madres Oblatas. An imposing tower crowned with the image of the Heart of Jesus distinguishes the church of Todos Santos, whose name recalls the place where on April 12, 1557, the citiy’s first Catholic mass was celebrated.

This next link has a lot of interesting information about the church if you care to learn any more. I believe the whole structure is wood. Even the painted ceilings. https://ramblinginthecity.com Here is more info about the preservation. https://www.wmf.org/project/todos-santos-complex

The church also sponsors a school which has been in existence for 125 years. https://www.escuelasagradocorazon.com/

Feb.1,2020 Saturday-Bill has seen an article about another Farmers market being held upstream. So we hiked on up there. Upon arriving to the “square” we found it empty. I thought how can this be? Perhaps we go the info wrong. Bill assured me that it was correct. Before giving up Bill said, “lets take a walk around the block.” And low and behold, bingo. The market was being held on the front lawn and patio of a restaurant, Santorini’s. I guess the local rules and regulations for actually doing the farmers market in the square is a night mare. So the markets are held on private property. Most of the vendors were the same ones at the market last week with a few new ones. We chatted for quite a time with a couple of folks we met last week. I bought some “REAL” cbd cream for $15.00. Let’s hope it isn’t confiscated and I can get it back home. Keep your fingers crossed for me. Not sure what the laws are in Mx.

Of course we had to have a nibble at home and my time up on the roof. Dinner was the neatest thing. We had heard, then seen an add for this “dinner” at someone’s house. He man puts in on once a week on Saturdays. Reservation only. Each week he has a different preset entree. Today we had fried chicken, Which we have heard was the best night to come. The fixings were mashed potatoes, You know Bill was loving that, white gravy, cole slaw, fresh rolls with butter and marmalade, chocolate lava cake with fresh whipped cream. It is served family style and you can eat as much as you like. They also had a full bar. We were seated in the library with about 10 others at our table. There was one more table in the library with about eight at that table. Other tables included the main dining room, patio, and living area. About 50 in all. Mostly gringos of course.

We ran into two ladies we had met at church on Friday. Made many new friends. All were lovely dinner partners. The fee for this nice evening started out at $11.75 a plate plus drinks and taxes. The taxes were $9.00!!! Bill had two drinks and I had a sprite. Total bill $44.50. Yup that’s right. I thought it was crazy, but the experience was worth if for a once in a life time event. More info and pics from our dinner at Joe’s at: https://joessecretgarden.blogspot.com/ .

Well, we are moving this coming week on Thurs. Heading over to Salinas at the west coast if you are following us on a map. We will be taking the bus back to Guayaquil and then another to the coast. Looking forward to some new scenery. Four weeks is a long time in one place after you have done all of the tourist stuff. Ready for a change. So, get out your swim suit and get ready for some awesome ocean pics. See you all next week.

WEEK FOUR-Cuneca

Jan. 19, 2020 Sun- Sunday morning mass was attended at the Cathedral.

The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (Spanish: Catedral de la Inmaculada Concepción), commonly referred to as the New Cathedral of Cuenca (Spanish: Nueva Catedral de Cuenca), is the cathedral church in Cuenca, Ecuador. It is situated in front of Parque Calderon.

The plan of the Cathedral was drawn up by Juan Bautista Stiehle (1829-1899) — a German-born friar who arrived in Cuenca from Alsace in 1873 — on suggestions made by Bishop León Garrido. The Cathedral took over the function of the nearby Old Cathedral that had become too small. Construction works started in 1885 and lasted for almost a century. This building combines many architecture styles, but Romanesque Revival is predominant. The cathedral is surmounted by three giant domes covered by striking blue and white glazed tile from Czechoslovakia.^[1] Its stained glass windows were created by Spanish artist Guillermo Larrazábal.^[2]

Its towers are truncated due to a calculation error of the architect. If they had been raised to their planned height, the foundation of this Church to the Immaculate Conception, would not have been able to bear the weight. In spite of the architect’s immense mistake, the skyline of its domes has become a symbol for the city. Its facade is made of alabaster and local marble, while the floor is covered with pink marble, brought from Carrara (Italy). When the Cathedral was first constructed 9,000 out of Cuenca’s 10,000 inhabitants could fit in the building.

They are still working on the bell towers today and have been for 100 years. So this church is sometimes called the 100 yr. church. This is also the “NEW Cathdral”. The original is across the street.

After visiting the “New Cathedral” we went across the street to the Old Cathedral. This is now a museum and often used for concerts. The Church of the Shrine (Spanish: Iglesia del Sagrario) — commonly referred to as the Old Cathedral of Cuenca (Spanish: Catedral Vieja de Cuenca) — was the main place of Spanish worship during the time of Spanish colonization in Cuenca, Ecuador. It functions today as the Museum for Religious Art and is located at the Parque Calderon, opposite the New Cathedral.

History-

Planning for the church started in 1557 and construction began ten years later, using stones for the foundation and walls from the ruins of Tomebamba.^[1] During the colonial period the church was the main center of worship for the “Parish of the Spaniards”; it was reserved for the people from Spain, while indigenous people had to stay outside or worship elsewhere. The organ was added in 1739, and the clock was set in the tower in 1751.^[2] In 1787 the bishopric was established in Cuenca, and the church became a cathedral. The new tower erected in 1868 carries a memorial plate: Torre más célebre que las pirámides de Egipto (“Tower more famous than the Egyptian pyramids“) in reference to the use of the old tower as a key reference point for the French Geodesic Mission in 1736, which determined the arc of the meridian.^[2] In 1880 construction for the New Cathedral was begun. With the consecration of the New Cathedral, the Old Cathedral ceased to be used for regular services. After a major renovation that started in 1999 the Old Cathedral serves today as the “Museum for Religious Art” and a venue for concerts and cultural events. Among others it displays sculptures by Miguel Velez and Gaspar Sangurima and paintings by Daniel Alvorado and Nicholas Vivar.^[2] For more info go to this link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Cathedral_of_Cuenca Much conservation is now underway to remove paint that was placed over the walls containing ” frescoes”. This is a tedious task to say the least.

Next to and behind, perhaps was old convent or parsonage it a little quaint plaza where we had dinner a few nights ago. There is a coffee shop there and I was craving a cappuccino. Two very nice young men with perfect English served me like a queen. It tasted so good I had to have a second. Thought I may have to pay for the caffeine late but had no ill effects. May have to go get a bag of their coffee. YAW coffee is suppose to be some of the best around. It was very smooth. Our dessert today was a traditional lemon pie/cake. It is identical to our lemon meringue pie except they don’t beat their egg whites so much therefore the topping is flat. They top is all off with some condensed milk. YUM.

Sunday afternoon and evening was filled with football and popcorn. Just waiting now for the super bowl. We took a quick river walk during half time to get some more steps in.

Jan. 20, 2020 Mon- What a day! Today was really the first “rain” we have seen since we left the U.S. It sprinkled on and off all day with bouts of sunshine in between. But we were hiking the AMARU zoological park and could care less. We took a bus north up past the airport then grabbed a cab the rest of the way up the hill. Now more than another 1,000 feet above town.

WHO ARE WE

We are an environmental zoological organization that offers a unique experience with the animals and plants that are a part of Ecuador´s natural and cultural richness. We promote and run education, communication, recreation, and research programs to foster the conservation of Ecuador’s biodiversity.

Amaru hopes to inspire the community to promote knowledge and protect both the natural and cultural bio diverse resources of the country. We hope to do this through the different facilities which make up our park.Amaru is a private, non-profit conservation organization created by Ecuador’s Ministry of Environment through ministerial agreement in 2002. Since then, the Amaru Bio Park Zoo of Cuenca has been constantly evolving and developing itself as a leading conservation organization in the region. It maintains credibility through its transparency, honesty, results, and professionalism. For more than a decade it has exercised leadership in the national zoological community by promoting and accompanying the development of other institutions of similar nature and by actively trying to make the community more committed to the conservation of biodiversity. Amaru continues to grow as an organization with clear objectives and goals based on ethical, environmental, social, and community values. These values contribute to the wellness of both our community and the wildlife that we protect every day. Amaru promotes the development of environmental commitment and respect for nature through each of its actions.

Three hours of mid level hiking up and down the mountain side we saw many diverse animals. We saw: Ocelot, lions, puma, bear, deer, wart hogs, fox, monkey, Capi bara, Tapir, lama, alpaca, loads of birds, jaguar, ostrich, peacock, lots and lots of reptiles, snakes and turtles, gators, owls, raptors. I got licked by a deer and snooted by a wort hog. We saw two bucks spar. The $6.00 we spent for entrance fee was well worth it.

Late lunch once we got back to the apt. and a rest. Evening walk to the super mart across the river.

Jan. 21, 2020 Tues– This morning when walking we “stumbled” upon an artisans market we hadn’t seen before. Walked past the doorway many times before perhaps it wasn’t open then. Anyway, here I found my gifts. I had been dis-parring because there really isn’t much in the way of tourist gifts. Of course there is the Andean clothing, bracelets, etc. but not what I was searching for. There isn’t any nice hand painted tiles suitable for travel, etc. Anyway, without giving it all away, I found something special. We came across a man who was selling all kinds of hand made flutes. He was most knowledgeable and even played for us. After I told him I played he handed me a flute to try out. The embouchure was much to different for me to get much out of it. I handed it back to him and he went to town on it. What a beautiful sound it made. There were many talented artist housed in one facility. A man weaving, women beading, painting, etc. I am so glad we finally found this place.

Next up was lunch of course. We hadn’t had pizza yet here and thought we might try some. You can get a huge slice and a juice for a buck. The gentleman is from Venezuela and had fled his country five years ago. I told him I had worked in a pizza store for 12 years. We chatted as much Spanish as I could manage. Really nice guy and was thrilled when I took a pic of the pizza. He then took it out of the case and held it up for me. After reading and rest time Bill wanted to check out a brew pub he had seen listed on line as one of the best around. It’s a Czech bar/restaurant. They had spatzel, goulash, t-bone steak, shrimp, you name it. The ethnic dishes are half off on Wed, so may go back again on Wed. We visited with the Manager there, Niro, who has lived in N.Y., Texas and up and down the east coast. We actually went two doors down the a Mexican joint for nachos for dinner. The place was super clean and we were the only ones in it. Mainly because of the time of day. It was only 5:00. Places usually don’t get real busy until 8:00 much like Spain.

Jan. 22, 2020-Wed-I have a massage scheduled for Fri. 3:00 so we walked to the location to see if I was going to walk or take a cab on Fri. Found it, about 20 mins walk. From there we thought we would visit the MALL. Hop on a bus and go, right? Well, we asked three different bus drivers if their bus went to the mall and they all said no. Two older women came up and we asked them. They said any bus with the certain words on it would work, and then told us to get on the next bus. Turned out to be no the right bus. This ride took us way past the mall, but we did get to see some new territory. We hailed a cab and $2.00 later we were taken to the front door. Nice medium sized mall. The only shop they had that I had never seen before, anywhere was a J-Lo shop. There was this HUGE multi store. They had everything from motor cycles, to swim wear. Makes Meijer’s and Walmart look like pikers. The wine and liquor was an entire isle, both sides. And silly string!! Cases and cases of silly string. I have seen it all over town, but still need to find out what they use it for.

We had a very nice burger at the mall our first since being in Ecuador. $4.99 for burger, fries and drink. A little pricey, but worth it. The afternoon walk was to load more money on our bus card. Trips are $.30 each, each way. It was Bill who chose to do this at this time. I am going to call him The Stumble god, because once again we hit the jack pot. We heard music coming from somewhere and went to see what was up. Sure enough! It was the 6th Precinct Police Band. They had 6 saxes, and a berry sax, Glockenspiel, clarinets, a trombone, two drummers, and four trumpet players. I did a huge woo-hoo and clapped after they finished the first song I heard and people looked at me like I was a tourist! The lack of enthusiasm, appreciation and participation really surprised me. But I more than made up for it!.

Jan. 23, 2020 Thurs– I had not slept well last night due to the coffee. Blah. I knew that would happen but it tasted so good. Lesson for all: Decaffeinated Does Not Mean Caffeine Free. So, a little later start in morning walk. I wanted to travel upstream farther than we had walked before. Not much up there, sort of quiet. We turned to the north and headed up an East running street. We stumbled upon an American Burger joint. The owner from California had moved due to his opinion of the fallout from the Yakashumi accident. WOW! Now that’s a stretch. Anyway, they have home-made ice cream and such. They even have a “spaghetti” plate made with ice cream. It’s a special extruder that puts out the ice cream looking like spaghetti. Kind of cool. May have to go back just for the fun of that. Their milkshake was great but the chili cheese fries needed some different cheese than what they had. Just a slice of cheddar thrown on top. 😦 I have been wanting to get started on a base tan for when we move to the beach in a week and a half. Being an overcast day a thought it would be a good day to sit our for a bit. My upper half was under an umbrella the whole time, but received a mild burn anyways. Who would have thought it would go right thru the umbrella? The legs that were not under the umbrella didn’t get burned at all. Different skin I guess. Anyway, big hat for me the rest of the week. We went in an Antiques shop and they had a really cool idea. It ws an old residents of course and they had plates,etc. embedded right into the wall. Pretty neat. The old clay oven was still intact. I would love to have that baby out on my deck at home!!! I cooked dinner in, a white sausage with onion, peppers. Pretty tasty. A short evening walk out tonight. I saw a sign for an upcoming concert of….metalica! Here in Cuenca!

Jan. 24, 2020 Fri- Some say I’m spoiled, I prefer to call it blessed. I had a wonderful pamper me day. On our morning walk I had cake, cappuccino, blackberry smoothie, and two dozen beautiful roses. All for the unbelievable price of $10.90!!!! That’s right! $10.90. WHAT A COUNTRY!!! Sometimes I need to pinch myself. I used to think of Ecuador as an exotic destination not really knowing much about it. Now it is just a slice of heaven on earth. The weather is perfect, EVERY day, food and lodging is cheap, the landscape amazing, and the amenities go on and on.

The afternoon was saved for an appointment I had made online with a gal for a facial and massage. i had found the “special” in one of the gringo online news papers. 90 mins massage and facial for $50.00. Yes you read that right also. I have only had one facial in my lifetime and I was 20 years ago in MX. Let me tell you, I got more than my money’s worth. (1) First a cleanser was applied. (2)Then a scrub. (3)Then something to take the scrub off. (4) next a deep moisturizer, (5) something after that, (6) next my provider applied something to make the use of an electric item to “scrape” off the dead skin cells glide over the skin. This was was a somewhat scary and painful at times procedure and I was sure I was going to be a bloody mess. (7) Next something soothing after the preceding procedure. (8) i think this is where I was given an intense hyaluronic acid facial mask that was on for ten minutes more goo and two stages of lights which jiggled and vibrated right thru to my teeth. 5 IN 1 SKIN RENEWAL TOOL: This facial massager combine 5 functions in 1 device: The ultrasonic to vibrate the cells and stimulate the cells activity; The cleansing mode is releasing positive ions help to deep clean your skin; The nutrient absorption mode is releasing negative ions boost to absorb the nutrient; The relax mode is microwave massage, help to relax your skin; The 3 Color LED photon light mode helping to shrink pores and reduce wrinkle, make your skin smoothing and firming. (9) a nice heated vapor to moisturize. (10) more goo (11) a mask that was on for 15 minutes. (12) mask removal goo and a nice fine hydrating mist. (12) Okay, now it is time of for massaging the face and more moisturizer. I have lost count now but the whole procedure lasted 90 minutes. WOW! Time to move on to the full body massage. Another wonderful 90 minutes. And remember this all cost $50.00. I felt like I was robbing her so I gave her a $10.00 tip.My face felt like a new born baby’s butt. Bill had walked me the 25 mins. to the shop and we had agreed that I would take a cab back to the apt. When three hours had passed and he hadn’t heard from me he got a little “nervous” and decided to hike back to check in on me. The gals told him he couldn’t interrupt my session but when I came out they told me he was at the restaurant waiting for me. How sweet. We walked back together and grab some chicken on the way. Damn that cappuccino earlier in the morning that kept me up half the night, again.

Jan. 25, 2020 SAT- It was a good thing we got our morning walk in as it rained all afternoon. The first real rain we have had since coming here. Last week there was rain in the mountains which caused the river to swell, but we didn’t have any rain here in the “valley”. The was a “farmers” market at the cidap: The Inter-American Center for Crafts and Popular Arts, CIDAP, created in 1975 through an agreement between the government of Ecuador and the Organization of American States, OAS, is the third oldest institution in the Americas dedicated to the promotion and promotion of the Artisan crafts and popular culture, which has managed to position itself and give sustainability to its work over time, becoming an emblematic institution of Ecuador and America. There was all kinds of wonderful homemade tasty treats. Honey with outstanding flavor, liquors, breads, cheese, desserts, nuts, salsa of every flavor, jams, and bbq sauce. We spoke with two gentlemen in length about where they were from, how long the have been here, etc. The bbq man had come form Oregon and had only been here for four months. The other was from B.C. Canada and has been here for ten years. The Oregon man has a recipe for marshmallows I am going to try to get off of him in exchange for my Cuban flan recipe. He was somewhat reluctant on the spot but perhaps I can convince him later. I bought some honey that has a citrus flavor to it. The bees dine exclusively on lemon, lime and orange trees. What a wonderful flavor like non I have ever had before. The other item I purchased was a bottle of hooch made with cranberries and plums with the fruit still in the bottle. As well intended as I am of bringing this back to the states, I’m pretty sure it will never get that far! We dropped our goodies off and continued on our way uptown. I love that there is always something going on without knowing about it ahead of time. Today we stumbled upon a “street fair” of sorts down in the main square of town. There was three different music venues, things for the kids, performers, dancers, etc. Noon had come and so had lunch time. Back to the apt for a nibble and that’s when the rain started. We spent the afternoon watching a movie then about 6:00 took a walk down to the local supermarket.

I had been meaning to take a picture of Bill’s favorites street sign and finally had the opportunity to do so. Let me know if you “get it”. Passing by the flower market yet again, I am still amazed at the simple but different designs they come up with. These pics are mostly for future use. There were several boxes of “center pieces” most likely ready to adorn some tables at a wedding reception. Bill and I had seen a crew erecting this huge canopy on Wed or Thurs. and couldn’t figure out what something so huge could be used for. When we went past it today (sat.) they were already taking it down. Come to find out there was a HUGE Jazz festival there with standing room only. Bill is pretty good about getting on the Ex-Pat news sight, and he saw nothing of this until it was over. TYPICAL. i I wish there was a web site that listed all the things going on in the city each day. We wouldn’t miss so much, but then the element of surprise wouldn’t be there either. Next week we are off to the Symphony and a day trip to some small villages. Won’t you come along with us?

Week Three

Jan. 12, 2020 Sun-what Sunday would be a Sunday without church. Having texted on face book to someone from a ex-pat church group we attended San Francisco church on the info the said person gave us that it would be a bi-lingual service. It was not. But the church was beautiful and i partook in communion where the host was dipped in the wine first. I hadn’t experienced that before. From there we walked around. Bill bought me roses,and we had some pastries. Reading on the roof top and a nap. Football on the computer as the satellite was acting up, late afternoon walk to the market and more football.

Jan. 13, 2020 Mon- Walking this morning in search of a pastry shop we had seen on Sat that had chocolate “bowls” filled with chocolate mousse. Bill was sure he remembered where it was. After a while some of the streets all start to look the same. Well, no find. I got my nails done, quite a process here as everything is done by hand. NO ELC. tools. Filing itself took 27 minutes for the first round. I did get three different hand treatments tho so that was a nice addition. Did a load of wash, the cleaning lady came. We went out for dinner and an evening stroll. We really haven’t been out much after dark yet, so seeing all of the lights was nice.

Jan. 14, 2020 Tues-This morning’s walk took us downstream (east) to find the building where the dentist is located. Going to get a cleaning in a couple of weeks. From there we stumbled upon an art gallery. The owner/artist of the gallery works only with metal. And almost every piece of art has musicians in it. Pretty neat stuff. Very colorful. From there on to find the elusive bakery Bill and I had spied on Sat. BINGO! What a wonderful collection of local and traditional baked goods. The one I had spied on Sat. is a chocolate “cup” filled with mousse, cake, and walnuts, topped with a strawberry and oreo cookie. Wonderful!! We bought five times and a juice for $3.80. That’s right for all!!! Our afternoon walk took us across the river to check for a bus stop and ended up walking thru the university. Very nice. For dinner we headed upstairs to the Local market/vendors for whole fish, rice, and potatoes and gravy. $2.00 per plate. I am so glad to have lots of area to walk in especially after eating so much. The portions here are huge.

Jan. 15th 2020 Wed-I am continually grateful for all of the opportunities traveling bestows on us! And today was no exception. We are truly blessed for having a knack of “stumbling onto things”. We have passed by a building that is open to the public but until today we hadn’t gone inside. Something told me today to peek inside. We stepped into the foyer and saw a nice red carpet and “roped off” area. So we stayed on the parameter and took pics of the courtyard. We were then invited “in” by a high ranking officer. There were many exhibits and photos of the “wars” that the Ecuadorians have fought, including 1942, 1981 and 1995. Very interesting. It was a catered affair for the upper echelon. Many young people in uniform. As we were leaving, a Lt Coronal. took Bill by the arm and took us to an exhibit. Turned out they had a young man that spoke English and he wanted us to hear the presentation. This was a sniper unit. We then talked with a General who walked up to us. He had trained for artillery in the U.S. I think he was so proud that the young man could talk to us. The official even insisted on taking our picture. I should have gotten his pic.

I know I posted this picture before but this time I went in and asked the lady how much the dress was. I was flabbergasted when she told me the price. To make sure I wasn’t getting it wrong she wrote it down for me. Are you ready for this, $65.00!!! Holy crap. I couldn’t believe it. Dresses like these are bought for a girl’s 15th birthday celebration called Quinceañera, (Spanish: “15 years [feminine form]”)also called quinceaños or quince años or simply quince, the celebration of a girl’s 15th birthday, marking her passage from girlhood to womanhood; the term is also used for the celebrant herself. I don’t think you could touch this dress for under $500.00 in the U.S.

Next we decided to go back to the market where I had found local pottery. Not really up to Spain standards, but you get what is available. A huge plate and bowl for $11.00. A little late lunch and nap as we had an evening adventure planned. We took a bus ( what a ride for $.30) up the Western foothills into the community of Banos. We walked about 10 minutes to our destination. Piedra De Agua, The thermal spa. This is in a hillside built on an active volcanic thermal spring. Wed. after 5:00 is two for one. $35.00. we partook in – a steam bath, shower, blue mud, red mud, turkish bath, cold shower, warm pool/ cool pool, and finally a Japanese pool. We spent three hours there and my skin feels amazing. what a wonderful evening under the stars. Some of the best $15.00 I can remember spending. We even got a vanilla milk shake delivered to us on a little “boat”. So cool.

For more info and pics on the baths, visit this sight. https://piedradeagua.com.ec/

Jan. 16, 2020 Thurs-A little slow start today. Neither Bill nor I had slept much on Tues night so this was a catch up day. Took our morning walk and met a man who is an artist in Cooper. His crafts were everything from a tiny little basket to a cooper shirt. He was more than willing to share his crafts with us. as we toured along some “new streets” we found a gallery that had all tile art. This was a first class gallery owned by the artist, Fabian Alvarez. His stuff was really pretty, high gloss paint and firing. Lunch was now in order and we hit a place that had just opened up. We had a nice Cuban sandwich with the best fries I’ve had so far. Our evening walk, still being a little tired, was just over the river to the large shopping mart. We stopped into the little bar/restaurant that we were in the first night we were here. Monday Blue. We had a lovely conversation with our waiter, Daniel, who is from Venezuela. His parents and sister fled their country five months ago due to the unrest in their country. Daniel hopes to go to college here and get a degree in Computer Engineering. His dream is to go to the U.S. At 18 I think he has a bright future.

Jan. 17th, 2020 Fri- Another day of Pee Wee’s big adventures. We took the bus across the river to the FERIA LIBRE. This is a 17 acre gathering and selling place for those all over Ecuador. Wed. and Sat. they come from near and far away. Thank goodness we weren’t there on on of those days. So much stuff. Everything from bras to zucchini. And so much! There was a barn just for potatoes, and there were more potatoes for sale in other places. Many Andean people/farmers. I still can’t believe how much of everything there was. About five acres was clothes and shoes alone.

It was a lot of visual stimulation and we earned a nap after lunch. Bill said he would buy me some more roses as the ones from Sunhad started to peter out. We had talked about eating sometime in one of the prime views in the city. We at at The Confessions properly named as it is in the shadow of the cathedral. The reviews for the three cheese and mushroom ravioli and the french onion soup did not disappoint. Thank god for having to walk back to the apt. Then embarking off to the local store for an afternoon walk to get a roll of plastic wrap we “hit the jackpot” yet again. There is a Panama Hat museum/store that we have passed nearly daily. I said to Bill, “hey, let’s pop in there for a min. A min turned into and hour and a half. We got talking to a man who had a little trinket store in the front stall. Make a long story short, he plays the drums and piano, and asked if we would like to hear him play. He is a little mentally challenged and thought it might make his day. Up stairs his family has a coffee shop that we had seen from down at river level walking trail. The piano is housed in the main old family dining room. Our new friend Juan Carlos played for over an hour. Including one song he wrote himself called “summer’s first rain”. A beautiful tune. He then proceeded to play the elec. drums for us. I couldn’t help thinking what an honor and privilege it was to be sitting there, so surreal.

Jan. 18th, 2020 Sat.– Another slow start this morning. This sleeping in late stuff has got to stop. I will never be ready for fish camp at this rate. It was 10:00 before we left the house. First stop would be to the amazing bakery found earlier this week. That’s right, the one with all of the yummies. Time to stock up again. We “met” a couple from west Texas along the way and showed them the bakery. They had been going elsewhere. We walked north on our little city map til we walked right off of it. I had spied a land mark that I wanted to check out. I saw it blocks away still, but Bill was running out of energy so we headed back downhill for some amazing fried chicken. Ouch! WHAT’S THAT!?!?!?! I think its a pin feather starting to stick out of my back. LOL.

below are random pictures of murals around the city.