Things I'll miss in Cuenca

Three weeks was a long time to stay in one place.  I say this only because we have a lot of ground to cover over 8 months, not because I got bored in Cuenca.  In fact, I absolutely loved Cuenca and easily could have stayed longer.

I loved the scale of the city -- walkable, containing enough distinct neighborhoods to keep it interesting. Cuenca has two large mercados in the centro (for those of you who want the farmers market experience), three SuperMaxis (if you like your food shopping more first worldy), delicious restaurants serving $3 almuerzos (three course lunches), as well as cafes with gringo food and fast wifi, a symphony orchestra and youth orchestra that are reportedly quite good, numerous book stores (I'm collecting Ecuadorian book recommendations so I can improve my Spanish), churches galore, amazing public spaces filled with trees, flowers, and the best people watching in the world.

The Parque Calderon is filled on any given day with senior citizens sitting and chatting on benches, ladies selling espumilla (sweet, pastel colored meringue/cream disguised as ice cream) and homemade potato and plantain chips, tourists, business people, students in uniforms, indigenous people from the campo, the guy who will you pose for holiday pictures with his large St. Bernard, lottery ticket sellers ($3 million!!), and families strolling and hanging out.  Oh, and don't forget, Cuenca is surrounded by gorgeous, soft, green mountains.  The southern sierra in all its glory is always visible beyond Cuenca's narrow cobblestoned streets and adobe walls.  The people here are also incredibly friendly.  As transient gringos passing through town, we were routinely greeted with smiles and pleasant conversation.  Even when thousands of people descended on Cuenca for el Pase del Niño, the atmosphere in town was safe and hassle-free.

Thank you, Arie, for renting us your beautiful, spacious and quiet house.  And thanks for introducing us to your friends.  Tony and Michelle, Todd, Adam and Carmen, and everyone else we met in Cuenca, thanks for the Christmas Eve party, the travel advice, and for the game of ultimate frisbee!

Ultimate frisbee with resident gringos on Christmas Day

What I will miss about Cuenca:

1.  The amazing selection of fresh fruit and vegetables in the markets.
2.  Cooking and relaxing at Arie's house
3.  Our wonderful teachers at La Escuela Simón Bolívar, Señora Elena and the rest of our host family
4.  The beautiful architecture in the Centro and its mountain setting
5.  El Cajas and Baños -- unique excursions that are easily within reach of Cuenca.

O&R with Sra Elena, Carlos & Lourdes

What I won't miss about Cuenca:

1.  Hand washing laundry
2.  Diesel belching buses
3.  Narrow sidewalks and slow-moving pedestrians
4.  Not being able to throw toilet paper in the toilet (not unique to Cuenca)
5.  Fireworks at 5:30 a.m.

We leave Cuenca on the 30th, well-rested and ready to celebrate New Years at the beach with the Chaps Platts and Katzs.  We'll be at the beach for the next 2 weeks, then will head inland to Mindo and the cloud forest, then to the Sierra again, and ending our 2.5 months in Ecuador at the Galápagos Islands.