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!!!