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″