Cuenca, Ecuador Vacation Trip

We are flying in to Quito this Monday night! Staying in Cuenca with a friend and look forward to seeing the country and people! Was good to read your blog from the planning stage! Made us feel even better about the travel choice...

Best,
Kyle J.

great blog, I too am looking into Cuenca as my retirement move. Are there additional entries?

Lionel, thanks SOOO much for these posts. My family and I are moving on July 3, and although I have found tons of info to facilitate our move I was missing the African American experience. You have put our minds at ease. I have visited other Latin American countries and have always had the most excellent experience it's nice to know I can expect that in Cuenca as well.

Hola Amigos/as,
I want to send a big-up to everyone out there in cyber-land! I guess you're saying where is your boy, he hasn't posted on the site in over a week. Well, I've been busy! That's the honest truth! I've been all over this city. Well almost all over. I've covered the four directions, and some. I simply love this city. There is soooooo much going on day and night. I don't see how anyone could ever be bored here! Over the last few days, I've visited with the owners of the hostel I'm staying in. I was a guess at their hacienda for brunch. They live a little on the outskirts of Cuenca up in the mountains. They are some very hospitable folks and I probably will rent from them when I return in September. You really can't beat the rental fee, $200/month and $12/month for internet. I can save a ton of money living here, but I'm only going to stick around for awhile. I plan to get my own condo after a few months.

Okay, here is what else I've been doing. Each morning I get up and go to a cafe (Bananas) for breakfast and coffee. I order two eggs, two slices of bacon, toast and coffee. All for $2.00. You can't beat that anywhere. Afterwards, I usually hang around the cafe and meet any expats that decide to eat there. We usually get together and shoot the breeze, mostly telling one another how lucky we are for being in Cuenca. We also talk about how we don't want anymore expats to discover this place. I'm serious! We are getting selfish about this place. Afterwards, I usually take a walking tour of downtown and stop at the central park to look at the females walking by. That can take considerable time, at least a couple of hours....lol! The central park is not very large only about one square block, but it is very popular with the locals. Then, I catch a few city buses to get a better picture of my new home. I like to do this, because it gives me a better feel for what the regular folk are like. Its better than riding a tour bus full of tourists. Don't get me wrong, I'm a tourist myself, but I really want to get to know the regular people, and riding the city bus is the best way to do it. Plus, it only costs $.25 cents versus $8.00 for a tour bus. I can get off wherever I like and walk around a bit, then catch another bus for a quarter.

People, this is one of the most beautiful cities I've ever seen. Everyone talks about San Francisco, but this city is much, much cleaner and the views of the mountains are outstanding. The views of the city from the mountains is breath taking, too. Today, I visited a part of Cuenca called Turi. To get to Turi all you have to do is catch a city bus and it will take you up into the mountains where you can a get a good view of all of city. I hear the view at night is even more spectacular, but I haven't seen it yet.

As for eating. I've eaten at some of the most inexpensive restaurants and gotten a good lunch or dinner for $3.50. It is usually chicken or pork with rice, beans, fries and other miscellaneous vegetables I can't put a name to. They aren't very big on beef here. You have to go to a more upscale eatery for that. It makes me wonder with all the cows I've seen in and around the city. Yes people, I've seen cows in the city! I've even seen a cow walking a woman on the sidewalk! I mean the cow was in front of the lady and she was holding on to a rope! They are big on fresh milk here so you see quite a few cows eating grass in the parks. Check this! If you want fresh goats milk, all you have to do is bring a container to one of the markets here and you can get it straight from the goat! I've also splurged and eaten at more upscale restaurants costing $8.50 to eat, but the cheaper ones are just as good and much cheaper in price. I do want to send a big-up to California Kitchens Restaurant (Expat Owned) for giving me the biggest burger for $5.50 I've ever had in my life. I didn't know how big the burgers were so I ordered a double. When they brought the burger out, my mouth dropped. I chastised them for not warning me as to how big the sandwich was. They had a big laugh when they saw the expression on my face. Seriously, a single burger is two times larger than any burger I had ever seen, so I had quite a time eating a double.

Let me say something about the people here in Cuenca. I mean both the locals and expats. Everyone is very friendly, warm, outgoing and and try to be aware of most of your needs. I mean this sh@t! I'm not putting on! I can't believe how many times someone has provided me with info whenever I needed it. Just today, I was standing at the bus stop waiting for a bus and someone honked their horn at me and called out my name. I did not know these folk, but they had heard that I was in town and honked their horn to say greetings and hello. Remember people, there are 500,000 people living in Cuenca. I'm an Afro-American and because there aren't many of us here, these people knew who I was and made a U-turn to say hello. I want to send a special big-up to Juan and Diane Moreno for being so nice to a fella. There are many, many more. There is Bob, my housemate, Gerard T, the unofficial major of Cuenca, the Vintimilla's, my landlords, and others I can't name. Oh! let me not forget, Alejendra and Glory at Bananas Cafe. Alejendra, will not allow me to speak English when I'm making my order. She forces me to speak the little Spanish I know! Gloria, is an Afro-Ecuadorian assisting her. She can't speak any English, so my Spanish phrase book gets a workout with her.

Tomorrow, I will post with a very unusual experience I'm going to have. Keep it locked on this site for the update.

Gald you meet a friend out there. Keep us posted.

Ashanta

I guess everybody is looking for pics of my trip! Well I haven't taken many yet. I caught a cold yesterday and I'm trying to stay warm. Today, Monday, I will visit the Cuenca tourist information office to get a map of the city. Here, as a tourist, you need a map to keep from getting lost. I also hope to get a map of the city bus, because I'm going to ride a few lines to see what the rest of the city looks like. I'm located in El Centro (downtown) where all you have to do is walk to visit the places you want to see. The bus on the other hand, allows one to go shopping at the mall. I want to check out the prices and compare them to back home. Well, I'm off! Tonight, I promise to say a lot more about Cuenca.

Okay, my family and friends, here is the first installment of my visit to Cuenca Ecuador. First, let's start off with where Ecuador is located for you geography challenged folks. Ecuador is in the north-western part of South America. It is located on the equator with a small portion above the equator. Most of the country is located below the equator which makes it a south american country. I'm visiting a city name Cuenca, which is located in the south-central part of the country, high up in the Andes mountains. It is approximately 8,000 feet up in the Andes. Cuenca is called the "Athens of the Andes", because it has a lot of historical buildings and because it is considered one of the more cultural cities. I'm not going to go to deep into the cultural, historical aspects of the city. Anyone can Google "Cuenca" and read about that.
I arrived here Friday morning and checked into my hotel and slept for at least 24 hours. The reason is not that the flight was long (9 hours), it was because I had long layovers during the flight. I was so tired when I arrived here that all I wanted to do was sleep. Today (Saturday), I woke up at 12pm and started my walking tour of the city. Well it wasn't exactly 12 more like 3pm. I walked a bit until I found a good cafe where I stopped for a breather. Remember I told you that Cuenca is approximately 8,000 feet up in the mountains? Well, if you aren't used to the altitude, you can become tired rather quickly. I walked 6 blocks and I was nearly out of breath. I stopped at this cafe to eat and get my favorite cafe coffee, a cafe mocha. The food and mocha plus a big, big slice of amaretto cheese cake cost me only about $6.00 plus tips. That meal would have been every bit of $12 to $15 back home, not counting tips. I must say that every item was delicious. Now remember, I was all alone in a sea of Spanish. I had to gesture my way to order my meal. As I said, I was all alone in a sea of Spanish. Let me tell you that Spanish phrasebooks are of little help when you are ordering a chicken (pollo) dinner and a soda. I managed to order, and pay for my meal almost like a professional pantomime artist.
Now here is the most exciting part. I was sitting across from a gentleman who I knew was not Ecuadorian. I look at him and smiled and he smiled back. I asked him did he speak English and he answered back, he did. We started talking and he asked me was I the black guy on the Yahoo Expat Group that said he was visiting Cuenca in May. I said yes it was me. He said you must be Lionel. I said yes, I was. Then, I remembered communicating with a gentleman named Gerard in the group. I asked him was he Gerard and he said yes! This was like seeing a long lost friend, only I had never met him personally. Gerard and his wife moved to Cuenca from Southern California. To make a long story short, Gerard gave me a nickel tour of Cuenca showing me a lot of the sights. He took me up into the mountains over looking the city. Ladies and gentlemen, boy and girls, this is a beautiful city. It sits in a valley surrounded by mountains. It has a population of about 500,000 people. Gerard pointed out all the major shopping areas and other great sights. This gentleman and his wife have been living in Cuenca for over a year, so he knew the lay of the land. Dude, showed me a lot of the historical parts of the city. The center of the city kind of reminds me of New Orleans' French Quarter, except bigger. I guess you are wondering where are the pictures? I forgot and left my camera in my room. But don't dis-pare, I will be taking a double-decker bus tour of the city tomorrow and I will take plenty of pics. I'm closing now, but I will tell you all this. I like what I have seen so far and I almost forgot, the people are very friendly to this brother even though I can't speak any Spanish. They are very patient and understanding. I really like that! Oh! I only saw one other brother walking on the street today. He was a young G and didn't look any different than the brothers back home. More tomorrow!