Juan Carlo, the chef/owner of Testios suggested we try Mediterraneo for dinner, so we did. We were planning to go around 7, but our neighbor, who owns the building we are living in decided to drop by for a visit, and to drop off an article he wanted me to read. He is a naturopath and has a guru in India that he follows, but didn´t want to tell me his name. That´s ok. I am not in the market. He likes to talk to us as we are pretty like minded and he is not so keen on Ecuadorians. He is from South Africa and has lived here for 21 years. It is taking him a while t get used to Ecuadorians, I guess. Anyway, we wound up leaving around 8:30 instead. Mediterraneo was amazing. I immediately developed a liking to Davide, the owner, who is an Italian from Milano. He has been here with his wife and 3 kids for 11 years. God was the food ever great.Areally good Italian restaurant in Cuenca definitely means alot to me, and Ella too. I had ravioli de carne and Ella had ravioli de funghi, mine was with pomodore fresca and hers with pancetta, parmigiano reggiano, cream and muchrooms. Oh lordy. We also had some killer bruschetta and a half litre of a great Chilean house red. Ella, who adores tiramisu, said this was the best she has ever had. We pulled our chairs together and sat for a long time and the place was eventually packed by about 10. There were a few Italian guys who were waving their hands furiously in typical fashion, but mostly there were hip young Ecuadorians which made me feel like i was on the Upper West Side. At the next table were 2 Ecuadorian gents who were maybe in their mid-seventies. The system with serving drinks is they bring the bottle to the table add ice and pour. And pour. And pour. After several hours, the gentleman who would eventually make his way to our table, Francisco, was pretty much snot-slinging drunk. His amigo was literally falling asleep at the table and could barely get a word in edgewise, so Francisco made his way to us while his friend siezed the opportunity to give Francisco the slip. Francisco sells sofa beds from a business card . He has nowhere to actually display them. They seem to come only in red. And he wants us to buy one. Badly. He was rather hysterical, with an asthmatic (sp?), painfully long laugh and i will reiterate, as smashed as i have ever seen a standing human being. Needless to say, all eyes were upon us. so for about a half-hour. we simultaneously enjoyed and endured Francisco. I gave him my number, but i am pretty sure he will have no clue today as to much of the evening. We walked the 10 or so blocks home and the streets were packed with people and traffic was gridlocked at around 11:30. As i said there is music everywhere. This night, a group of several hundred 20-somethings was gyrating to the Doobie Brother´s Greatest Hits in a park where a .Go figure. The custom in Ec, if you are a man, is to start drinking with your workmates at around 3 after you return from lunch on Friday. Then, you leave work, go out, and just keep drinking. This is unlike the U.S. in that they get a 2 hour jump on it, at work.

It grows on you

We went with our new friend,Francine.(from Perth) to Bank Pichincha to open a local account today. She wanted to introduce us to Juan. For the very first time. we have a personal banker. In order to qualify for this. you need to open an account with lots of money. $200.00 to be exact!!! Juan, our banker, hugged me when we met, kissed Ella on the cheek. and nearly threw Francine on top of his desk.I would guess he is about 27. Despite their perhaps 30 year age difference and mutual marital status (married) Juan is undeterred and pretty much unbridled . When we went to put our new password into the ATM, Juan assured me he would very much enjoy to ¨hacer un deposito¨into francine´s account, in a matter of speaking. This led to some extended giggling on the part of the young woman who was assisting us. Francie was. fortunately, out of earshot. Besides, she does not speak too much Spanish, so all was enjoyed appropriately and in good taste. When i said to Juan ¨todo es en buen sabor¨, his grin lit up the lobby.
After that, went up the 92 steps from the Rio Tomebamba to the Centro Historico, had a mild coronary,and found a great restuarant owned by a gringo of German persuasion (any caucasion qualifies). We had a bowl of quite good cream of mushroom soup, Stewd chicken with rice and a mound of kartoffelsalat, (potato salad..can`t get enough carbs, you know) and a dessert of baked pinapple with blob of fresh schlag. there was also a tall glass of fresh pinapple juice. Can`t get enough pineapple either. all of this for the princely sum of $2.90! I blew the budget with a glass of fresh papaya juice for an additonal dollar. After that, we strolled about 6 blocks to Parque Calderon, which is becoming so festooned with Christmas regalia, i fear it may soon become a crater from the weight of it all. also of note is that i have been asked if i was interested in providing therapy to an interested client, and also asked if I were willing to lead an Eckhart Tolle group for Cuenca. i am sort of interested in both, but not just yet. Tonight, Friday, there are 2 gringo meetups, one at Zoe`s and the other at Cafe Eucalyptus. It seems that attending these as a newcomer is like coming before the comittee. Not sure if i am so inclined right now, but perhaps after a bit. We are invited to Chritmas dinner with a group of around 10 people at a local hotel, then to a party on the 26th at a neighbor`s house (that`s our new neighood in San Joaquin, which is a few km out of town and decidedly quieter. Our new house is very cool. You enter via the neighbor`s property, where you are greeted by 2 German Shepherd who are really very affectionate and a sheepdog that wishes you were dead. so much for breed stereotyping! The house is adobe, and it is about 3 times the size of our olympia house, which was tiny. There are 4 bedrooms, 2 up on a loft accessed by a wide spiral staircase, and a bunch of smaller rooms downstairs including the other 2 bedrooms. Ther are lots of little nooks and the thick, soft adobe walls give a comforting feeling. there is neither heat nor air conditioning, as neither is needed. This makes for some pretty freaking low utility bills, around $15 a month. Property tsxes are a whopping $20 a YEAR! The ceilings are all rustic wood planking suspended by dark, rough cut beams. The smell is delightful, the floors are all a rustic tile and there is a nice big kitchen. All this for about the price of a really shitty studio in Portland! We`ll be in there on Jan 18th. Gracias a dios es Viernes!!!

It grows on you...

A HUGE thanks, Christine, for setting this up for me while we adjust to a whole new life here in Cuenca, EC. (For those of you who don`t know, Christine is my wonderful daughter who lives in Rockville MD.
Some general observations: Life at 8300 feet has not been as bad as I had expected. I was certain that after we landed in Quito (10,500 ft.) that, at the very least, my heart was going to blow out of the front of my chest. This despite being a class winner in a triathalon last year. Oh..i was the only entrant in my class. But I did win.
Cuenca is pretty amazing. Ecadorians are extraordinarily Gringo-freindly, and it sure helps to speak some Spanish. I was highly complemented today by a local panador (baker) ..he asked me if I was from Spain! Scary. We have been out every night. The furniture in our aprtment is such that, other than the beds, it should be totally avoided. There are wicker chairs that were not designed with anything close to my anatomy in mind. When i try to get up, they come with me. Serious abdominal work in either direction. Standing is literally preferable, so i spend quite a bit of time walking to and fro in the apartment. There are neigborhood dogs who, like clockwork, start barking at the rate of around 20-25 barks per minute at 7p.m.. They are able to keep this up until around 5 a.m. when the roosters occupy the role. This is not an exaggeration.The days are comfortable, low 70's, and the nights are in the low 60's. Just perfect for touring the back alleys on foot.. The entire country has been experiencing rolling blackouts for months, due to the lack of rain. Power here is largely hydroelectric. Our first night we sat at the very edge of the center of the distrito historico, Parque calderon, and never knew we were there until the following day, when we retraced our steps from the previous night and saw the largest cahedral in Ecuador looming over us! The park was crawling with probably a hundred people painting thousands of fineals on wrought iron fencing with gild. Planting flowers all over the place. All for Christmas, which is totally huge here. We have already seen at least 6 processions through the centro, replete with donkeys and virgins and wise men..all the trimmings! Today, blocks of the center were closed for a funeral procession which had emerged from the new cathedral. The casket was atop a horse drawn wagon. It was quite honestly the only time in a week i witnessed relative silence from car horns, which are used always, maniacally, in a staccato fashion, usually for no reason whatsoever. I have made a grand target for a number of drivers. Never, EVER, trust anything relating to the pedestrian right-of-way. Not stripes, not signs, not traffic signals. All are suggestions, at best. When the power is out, i allot mysef about 4 minutes to cross a busy street. The historic district has lots of amazingly preserved or restored colonial building. All of it has been designated a Unesco World heritage Site. Most of the cathedrals are built atop Incan Ruins. The Spaniards were not into political correctness, it seems. that is for another discussion board.
When Ecuador's Economy collapsed in 2000, lots of working-age men left the country and never returned. There are more Ecoadorians currently in the 5 Boroughs of NYC than in Cuenca, currently around 480,000. There sre some barrios slightly out of the center which have developed as micro-matriarchies. There are no men at all.
The only real complaint we both have is the busses. They spew black clouds of heavy-particulate diesel and it is common to have burning eyes, a sore throat and aching lungs at day´s end. The narrow streets hold it well, and as Cuenca is situated in a calm zone in the Andes, there is little if any wind. There are plans to create bus transfer stations and allow only CNG busses in el centro, but that is a year away at least. Busses are 25 cents a ride, and we have rechargable swipe cards.Really nice except the smell.
Well, i´m close to needing back surgery from the ergonomics at this particular cafe. I am so sorry i didn´t bring my laptop. This will indeed make for some shorter posts, in case anyone is actually reading them!Can i also receive a blanket dispensation for not spell-checking too thoroughly? Thanks in advance!