WEATHER IN CUENCA ECUADOR - SUNSHINE AND FLOWERS in December!!!!

Two blocks from our dwelling is a fabulous daily flower market in front of one of the many churches of Cuenca.  One can buy a huge bouquet of flowers for $5.  As I read about the blizzards and storms in the mid-west and I hear about snow and rain back home in Oregon, I am embracing the sunshine and smelling the beautiful flowers of Cuenca.

Close-up of one of the vendor's displays.

An Array of fragrant colorful flowers at Parque Calderon in the heart of El Centro.

Giant succulents surround huge trees in el Parque.

An Ecuadorian woman buys a bouquet from one of the street flower vendors......

.....as other vendors wait for their next sale.

It seems strange to be in the latter days of December and in the Christmas season, yet surrounded by such huge colorful and unique flora.

We love walking in our beautiful Parque Calderon and seeing the lovely landscaped grounds and colorful flowers.

This park beauty really caught my eye!

We visited the Pumapungo archaeological site and the grounds were breathtaking!

Every day we walk for miles and miles, and I always have to stop, click, and capture the beauty around me.

I have no idea what some of these trees, plants, and flowers are.  The longer we are here, the more familiar we will become with our new floral surroundings.

Closeup of this beautiful huge flowering tree.

We are definitely in one of the most amazing and beautiful areas of this majestic world.  I'm so thankful to be experiencing another country and it's beauty.

If any of our readers can elaborate on any of these unique and amazing plants, please leave us your comments and let us know what they are.  It would be fun to hear from you and know the names and history of these beauties.

As another Christmas approaches, we are loving being in an area that is having gorgeous summer-like days, and cool mornings and evenings.  No heaters (yet) and no air conditioners, no humidity, no bugs, and no mosquitoes.  Some rain, but not for hours or days or months.  We couldn't be more pleased with this Cuenca weather season, so far!!  

Living in Cuenca Ecuador - It's All About The People We Meet........

After our morning workout, we walk over to Sra. Marianita's Juice Stand at the market.  We tell her what we would like in our Jugo, and she runs it through her juicer and blender.  Today we had Jugo de Borojo (borojo Pulp. The borojo fruit is famous in Colombia, because of its aphrodisiac and health properties. It is highly energetic, with very high protein content - http://www.borojo.net/) Alfalfa, y Zanahoria (carrot).  Two juices are $1.00. That's Bo getting his morning "Jugo" fix!!

Sra. Elena always has a smile for us when we visit her Cheese Stand.  She sells fresh Queso Pensado (salty and like Mozzerella) and Queso Molida (like Feta but not as salty) amongst other kinds of cheeses.  We are getting to know our special vendors and frequent their booths.  (Notice the children of vendors playing in the aisles while their parents sell from their booths.)

I've added Chanco to my vegetarian diet!  Dona Elsita (no photo yet) and her daughter, Delia (in photo below) always greet us with warm and loving words as they give us tastes of their succulant Chanco (pork) and Chicharon (crispy skin), while serving us a huge $5 plate for two.  Their Batata balls and pickled salad mix top off this regular amazing lunch.

Sra. Delia marinating their to-die-for Batata balls.  Colorful pickled salad mix in front!

This vendor (whom we have not met) specializes in selling cooked hominy, beans, and other varieties of legumes.  Some of the vendors are warm and embrace us, some are shy and humble, some do not make eye contact with us, and few are grumpy and almost rude or indifferent.  A dear Ecuadorian friend told us not to take things personally here, and to accept the culture and way of her people, and especially not to get angry or impatient.  Daily, Bo and I observe these poor and humble people working from sunrise to sunset, setting up their booths, waiting for their daily bread in sales, and many still out late at night until there is no one around to sell to.  To see some of them carrying heavy loads on their backs and walking all hunched over down the narrow busy streets truly breaks our hearts.  Yet it is their way of life and what they know and do proudly.  It is the Christmas season, and the streets are busy with Ecuadorian families and tourists shopping.  I'm sure many vendors are anticipating greater sales this time of year.

Daily we see an old and poor Ecuadorian on the street who quietly asks us for some help.  We are always blessed to give them a coin (dollars here are coins) and squeeze their hand (and quietly pray for them).  Since we've been here, it seems rare to see beggers on the streets.  Yet, it's easy to give to those unfortunates we've encountered, because they are truly in such need and incapable of working. 

 The other night, as Bo and I walked the dark city streets, we came across this homemade barricade behind an abandoned street kiosk.  We met Sr. Luis Garcia, a shoeshine man, who greeted us with an aged handshake and a big and genuine smile.  He was eating a bowl of soup in the dark night, all alone, and he seemed anxious to talk to us, so I asked him specific questions about his life.   We learned that he lives in that kiosk box by his shoeshine stand. He told us his wife used to help him, but she fell right there 4 months ago, and she is now in a care facility, which he visits every morning.  We hope to see him again - and again. 

Mr. Diaz said he has been working on this corner for 64 years!  He is now 94.  His home is to the right of his stand, inside the abandoned kiosk.  Yesterday, when we stopped by to say hello, he told us to be careful that no one robbed us, to have a loving Christmas together, to eat well, and to take care of each other.  he said that since his wife fell and is no longer with him, he has nothing anymore. 

Our friend, Sr. Diaz

Today we received news from back home that someone we were very close to has been diagnosed with Esophageal Cancer.  He is only in his 50's.  Life is precious.  Our days are precious and unpredictable.  We should daily count our blessings - and those blessings truly are the people we know and the new people we will meet along the way. 

As we journey through our days in Cuenca, we have no idea how long we will be here.  What we do know is that it's all about the people we are privileged to meet, to smile at, to show concern towards, and to give to - and may we be grateful each day for the important things:  our health, our loved ones, and every new person we meet and are touched by along this Ecuador journey.

RENTING IN CUENCA ECUADOR - WE MOVED!

Every morning, we wake up and hit the city streets!  We love living in the heart of El Centro, opening our door and walking out into the bright, sunny, alive and vibrant day.  The music, the smells of vendor foods, the beautiful abundant colorful produce lining the streets as vendors cry out for sales, and the unique beauty of this historic city captures our attention for hours.  We walk for miles, and every corner we turn and every store we enter is like finding a hidden treasure.  After a week in our temporary rental which is in the historic district and loving the location, we began to look for a more permanent rental in the heart of El Centro.

So after many phone calls and viewing different houses and apartments from 30 minutes out in the country to even just a 10 minute taxi ride away, we found an apartment a few blocks from our temp and moved in on Wednesday.  We thought this would be our longer-term rental.  However, after spending a few days here, we realize (for many reasons) it's NOT! We're continually reminding each other that every decision, even ones that don't quite work out as we expected them to, is a part of the process of this journey, and it's really about the people we meet along the way!

Friends of ours then told us about another place that they used to rent, and so I immediately contacted the Ecuadorian owner, we met with her and viewed the apartment, we liked it so much more, and so we put down a deposit last night and will be moving again on January 28th!!  We're hoping this will be our long-term rental.  It's very open, bright, and still in the heart of El Centro.  Because these are month-to-month rentals, we can try them out and we aren't committed to a long-term lease.  We've decided we want to be free to "GO" when we're ready!  The price is right for both these rentals, so we feel we're doing quite well in our searches.

We've been enjoying the authentic Ecuadorian little hole-in-the-wall restaurants, and the prices we are paying for a lunch makes us smile.  Yesterday we went out with another couple, and I paid the bill for the four of us, $8.00!!!!  Bo's been keeping a budget of our expenses for groceries and produce, and if he's projected correctly, our grocery bill will be around $200 a month.  Our apartment has a tiny refrigerator and freezer, and because we shop daily for fresh produce, we don't need much space for our groceries.  As Bo says, every time we pay for something, "What's not to like about Cuenca?"

Our rent now is $400 for a 3 bedroom, 3 bath uncomfortably furnished (that's another story!!) apartment, including Direct TV, WiFi, Propane, and water.  The apartment we will be moving to is going to be $500, but will have nicer more comfortable furniture, a huge kitchen living room area, and a city view from the windows.  It's only a 2 bedroom (all we need), but the trade-off and extra $100 will be well worth the move.  Again, everything is included.  So, we do not have to pay for anything else except our food, medical if needed, and entertainment and travel expenses.

An eye exam in Cuenca costs $1.50 and eye glass frames are $20.  The corner pharmacy we shop at had a 20% off everything sale Friday.  Bo had his Prescription refilled over-the-counter for $15.  In the States it costs him over $150.  His other prescription will cost him $6 when he runs out.  My hormone prescription will cost me $15.  In the states, it is over $100.  

Every time we go out and are charged for our meal or drink, we gasp!  We went to the market today and shared a huge plate of Ecuadorian cuisine and two freshly blended ice-cold pure coconut drinks - Total bill for two $6.00.  More than enough food for the two of us, and delicious beyond words.  We were stuffed!  All this to say, we are loving the cost of living here and our food budget rocks!!!

We had a sweet day today visiting our friends, Rommie and Charles.  They are so much fun to be with.  We laugh continually.  Rommie walks us all over the city teaching us where the hidden shops are, and Charles is a delight to be with too.  Bo and I have so appreciated their help, and today I was able to help Rommie by calling on some apartments and houses for them, because they needed me to speak Spanish to the Ecuadorian landlords.  We met them while living at our temp rental, and they are now also looking for their longer term house or apartment.  It's fun to continue to get together with them.

Because of the intense equator sun, we were hoping to find Bo a hat today at a wonderful handmade hat shop, but Bo is just not a hat guy.  Instead, Rommie found one that was perfect for her.  I am not shopping these days, not until we settle into our permanent rental.  Then, watch out world!!!  For now, we have all we need.

Bo and I also have been climbing several of the stairs in our city.  There are several landings that go down to the Tomebamba River and lower level of our city, so it's been Bo's daily exercise - one flight down, and one flight up!  Today, we did a double round, up and down, up and down!  We're talking over 90 steps!  With the extreme elevation here (8,500 feet) and not working out for awhile, all this walking and exercise is another wonderful part of living here.  It's amazing to watch the older Ecuadorian women climbing the hills and stairs effortlessly.  Some of them have bundles on their backs, and daily you will see little hunched over bodies walking the streets on the way to their vendor spots.  Back home, Bo would be carrying everyone's bundles.  Here, it's an Ecuadorian lifestyle.

We moved to this area of El Centro (about 4 blocks from out temporary rental).  We're still in the bustle of this beautiful city!  (Our apartment is on the left mid-block).

We love visiting the Mercado daily.  Today we had lunch upstairs with our friends.  We spent a big $6.00 for two and had a delicious Ecuadorian meal and fresh blended Coconut Juice.

Bo loves Cuenca Life!  What's not to like???

After lunch, we went hat shopping for Bo.  All these hats are handmade.  (That's Rommie on the left shopping for her hat!)

Will he find a hat?  Charles looks on, as Rommie continues to shop in the background.

Looking Good!  No, he couldn't bring himself to doing it.  Still no hat for Bo......

Stairs to lower level of the city along the Tomebamba River.  We walk up and down these stairs two times daily for exercise.  No small feat I tell you......

Every corner is a treasure!  Every building a work of art!  The mountainous surroundings and beautiful sunny blue skies are a few of the delights of our days.

The Ecuadorian Women are strong and hard-working. The children are always with their parents and grandparents, quietly playing along side their vendor booths.  I have never seen so many families and children together before!  No daycare for these babes...... 

Some vendors don't have a particular booth or location.  They simply lay their fruit, herbs, flowers, or particular wares along the sidewalks and sell to the passersby. 

What we love most about living in the heart of this glorious city is being able to walk home when we want to drop off our produce or groceries, or if we're hungry, need a bathroom break, want to change clothes (because of the daily weather patterns) or are just worn out and tired.  We are usually only a few blocks or a few miles away, and walking back and forth to our apartment is effortless.  At 7:30 tonight, after already being settled in for the night, I suddenly said to Bo, "Let's go out for a city night walk."  And we did!  El Centro was still Saturday night alive, but many of the vendors were shutting down their booths or packing up their carts or wares and heading home for the evening.  It was already dark and late, yet they will be back to their particular spots the next day, ready to work and earn their livings.  The Ecuadorians are truly a unique, humble, and beautiful people whom we love living amongst and getting to know.

Yes, it's been another glorious day in our beautiful city.  When I lay my head on my pillow, I thank my heavenly Father for bringing us to Cuenca and for each new day ahead.

LIVING IN CUENCA ECUADOR - Much Accomplished and New Friends!

There are so many details to applying for our residency visas, looking for a more long-term rental, and learning about the Ecuadorian lifestyle and culture.  Our relocation helper came over today and we went through our documents and discussed our desires for a more permanent rental.  Within a couple hours we had our passports copied and laminated to have on us at all times.  Original passports are worth $10,000 on the black market, so we should never carry our originals!.  We also went and had our passport pictures taken for our visa application, and we now have our new cell phones and Cuenca phone numbers. 

We had dinner with our new friends, Ruta and Tim, at DiBacco's, a delicious Italian Restaurant.  It was a fun evening, and we shared our stories about what brought us to Cuenca, Ecuador.  After dinner, we walked around El Centro and came upon the Dominican Ministry of Iglesia Santo Domingo's annual holiday lantern lighting ceremony in Santo Domingo Plaza.  It was a sight to behold!  I had been carrying my camera around since we arrived, and this one night I left it at the apartment.  Never again!!!  I'll be sure to photograph it next year!  The area's streets were blocked off, and there were thousands of homemade paper lanterns with candles lit inside each lantern.  This beautiful city was alive and glowing in the dark of night!  Hundreds of Ecuadorian families were celebrating, and there were children frolicking and laughing in the lantern-lit streets as festive music played in the background. I will forever remember this sight to behold.

We headed for Tutto Freddo, a delicious ice cream and pastry place, and then sat in El Centro park enjoying our dessert as we people-watched.  Our new friends walked us back to our apartment where we ended our evening with more sharing.  They decided to take a taxi home instead of walking.  As we ended our day,  Bo and I both agreed, "It's been another great day in Cuenca."

We're glad we finally got to meet you, Tim and Ruta.  We look forward to more fun times together.
 

We LOVE our New and Beautiful City CUENCA!!

Daily, we see unique and delicious vendor carts along the city streets.

The Ecuadorian people are hardworking and beautiful.....

The Ecuadorian people are humble and make us smile!

SHOPPING AT THE MARKETS IN CUENCA ECUADOR - Our first MARKET DAY in Cuenca!

We finally dragged ourselves out of bed to start our first full day in Cuenca.  It may take us a few days to recover from that long journey and catch up on our sleep.  We haven't felt any altitude affects, and that's a good thing!  After tidying up and more unpacking, we grabbed our produce bags and headed for the Mercado 10 de Augosto.  Our condo is about two blocks away.  As we walked into the Mercado, Bo's words were, "I'm liking it here already!"  Woohoo!!!  We walked around looking at the beautiful produce, then decided to go upstairs so Bo could have his coffee fix.  We were so graciously served by a beautiful Ecuadorian woman.  I asked her (in Spanish, of course)  if she put any sugar or water in her juices, and she assured me they were pure blended fruits and vegetables.  My order came and it was DELICIOUS - Zanahoria (carrot), Pina (pineapple), Y (and) Papaya.  I savored it.....

Bo had two Cafe Con Leche and a roll.  We paid $2.25 for everything.  Off we went to begin our shopping.  I'm so ready to use my Omega Juicer after hauling it over 4,000 miles.  Both my Vitamix and Juicer adorn the kitchen counter ready to perform for me.  (Oh, Elizabeth and Caroline, you would both appreciate this fine produce for your juicing.)

There were hundreds of vendors selling meats, vegetables, grains, fruits, and on and on.  I can't even begin to mention all that our eyes feasted on. 

I imagine we got charged a bit higher from some of the vendors (we're Gringos), but I was sure to speak Spanish and compare some of their prices.  Some wanted to charge $1.50 for a pineapple, and others $1.  Guess how much I paid?  We're here to live with and pay as the locals.  It will take time to know the local prices, but that will happen.

These are all the fruits and vegetables Bo and I hauled home - back to front:
2 huge bunches of Chard, 2 heads lettuce, 1 each cauliflower, broccoli, red cabbage, 2 bunches (8) beets (50 cents each) two large bags HUGE carrots ($1 each), pineapple ($1), 6 mango ($1), 10 apples(1), 2 huge bags tomatoes ($2), 10 red onions ($1), 4 HUGE cukes ($1), 3 large avacado ($1), Bag of already peeled fresh garlic (50 cents), 20 limes ($1).  GRAND TOTAL $15
We're Happy!

After we put away our beautiful produce, we headed back out towards the grocery store SUPERMAXI.  As we crossed the bridge, I stopped to capture a photo of Cuenca's beautiful Rio Tomebamba.  We still have much to explore along this river walk.  We finished our shopping at SuperMaxi and then took a taxi back to our condo.  The rest of our day was spent cooking and relaxing.  We had a fabulous salad for dinner, and Bo is making healthy beef broth, soaking brown rice and black beans, and he's back into his joy of cooking.  

Tomorrow, we hope to get our cell phones taken care of so we'll have our Ecuador phone numbers.  We're thankful we have high-speed internet and can still stay in touch with our family and friends back in the USA.  In the evening, we will be going to DiBacco's for dinner to meet a couple whom I've been corresponding with for a few weeks.  It will be nice to finally meet them in person.

It was another day in Cuenca paradise.  I can't wait to get up and juice that yummy produce.  Time for more sleep.

MOVING TO ECUADOR - In Transit to Cuenca and Finally Arriving - Part 2

On Tuesday, we hugged our Ella goodbye, and Patty drove us to the airport.  We flew from Tampa, Florida to Newark, and our flight from Newark would land us in Panama, City at 10:30 pm.  On the flight, we met Javier.  He was flying back to his home in Panama City after spending time with his family in Newark.  He offered to drive us to our hotel after we went through Customs, even though we told him we had LOTS of luggage. Javier's cousin, Kathryn and her two boys, Eduardo and Angel met us outside of Customs, and through Kathryn, we found out our Hilton was about 40 minutes from the airport.  They drove us around trying to find us a hotel closer to the airport so we would have an easier transport in the morning and not miss our flight, but to no avail!  We decided to have them drive us back to the airport and we'd spend the night there, but Kathryn graciously offered for us to stay at her home.  Angels in disguise!!!!

It was an unexpected but wonderful night.  Imagine 8 suitcases and 6 people piled into a jeep called "Berta."  What a sight unheard of in the U.S. where we would have been steeply fined or thrown in jail!  This family made room for us in their already cramped quarters, and we laughed together and got to know them and their kind hearts even more.  The next morning, Kathryn drove us to the airport at 7 am before heading to her work place.  We will always remember their kindness and generosity towards us.  Thank you Javier and Kathryn. 

Our check-in went smoothly, except for the overweight baggage fee we had to pay this round, but we were too tired to rearrange our luggage, so $273 later we were on our way to Guayaquil.  We, again, had another flight that left me enough seating to curl up and sleep.  When we landed and passed through customs, our van driver was not present.  We waited over 30 minutes and were advised by the airport staff to take a taxi to another van company, Operazuaytur, and they accommodated us immediately.  After paying at their office, we were taxied, again, to another location where a van driver loaded up our luggage and we began our journey towards Cuenca.  Another experience!!  Driving through the Cajas National Park to an elevation of around 13,000 feet was a thrill ride.  In Ecuador, a center line means nothing, and passing on a double line around winding curves is just fine!

About 25 minutes outside of Cuenca, Patricio, our van guy, stopped at a restaurant where we were transferred AGAIN to another taxi with all our bags.  Our driver, Giovanni, drove us the last leg of our trip (approximately 3 hours later).  We're still not clear on why the vans were not able to enter Guayaquil or Cuenca, but I'm sure we'll find out the true story later.  We were dropped off at our temporary rental in the historic district, and we're both pleased with what a wonderful place we landed at.  Originally, we planned to stay with an Ecuadorian couple, but we were advised that their home was not centrally located and we would be quite a ways from El Centro.  We knew we wanted to be in walking distance of everything!

Our rental is beautiful!  It is in the Historic District, and we are able to stay here and unwind with enough time to begin looking for our long-term home.   We spent the evening unpacking a few things, then off to a wonderful restaurant Carole, our landlady, recommended.  La Vina's food was delicious, and Bo and I toasted to our "New Beginning" in Cuenca.

Yes, we're finally here, and our long journey to get to Cuenca is over.  We're truly here ready to explore our new city and figure out our new and simpler lifestyle.

Beautiful Wooden Door opens to Historic District, walking distance to everything.

There's a beautiful courtyard and fountain upon entering the gate.

Everything is brand NEW!  We're the first renters.  I love NEW!!!!

We slept and slept and slept our first night here.

Thank you, Carole, for opening up your wonderful and comfortable home for us to rent.  We're loving it......

MOVING TO ECUADOR - In Transit to Cuenca - Part 1

Our last day in Oregon will forever be an unforgettable memory.  From 6:30 am up until the last hour, we rushed around moving and storing the last of the furniture, cleaning our now rental house, and trying to cram the last of our packing into 4 already bulging and probably over 50 pounds suitcases.   By 1:30 pm, I knew that we wouldn't be ready for our 3 pm ride to the airport.  Then, just as I was about to take my shower break, the phone call came - a couple who wanted to see our rental, and I heard myself saying, "Come on over and look at it."  Did I just say that?  I did.  So, by 3 pm, our friends were here, our potential renters were here, another friend stopped over to bid us farewell,  Bo was outside boarding up the storage area, suitcases still needed to be packed, the house was still not empty, and I was ready to cry and pass out - seriously.  Obsessive-compulsive neat freaks will relate to what I was going through, because disorganization and seeing a mess makes me shut down, so I can't even function.  AND I was not functioning!

Then came kisses and hugs and calming words from Elizabeth and Ellen, and their ability to take charge and help make the remaining things to be done happen SUDDENLY became a task accomplished, a bit later than planned, but still with enough time to get us to our flight on time.  The "We are going to rent this house" couple left happy (could these people really be our wonderful renters????), Bo finished boarding up our storage area and hurried to clean up and get ready to go, and Ellen and Elizabeth loaded up those heavy suitcases, finally driving us away to the airport.

At check-in, we had to unpack and repack our overweight bags and leave things behind so we wouldn't have to pay the extra $150 overweight charge per bag - and we did it!  We also had a delayed flight so were able to hang a bit with our friends, take some photos, and finally more hugs and kisses goodbye (and tears).  Then we remembered!!  We left a few hundred dollars in the safe, food in the freezer, and several more things that would never have happened had we not been so frazzled and rushed.  I'm thankful I gave our keys to Elizabeth, so they were able to go back to the house and take care of things for us. 

Our red-eye flight was not full so the seat next to me was empty (more favor) and I could curl up and sleep.  We finally both passed out from exhaustion.  We arrived in Tampa on Sunday morning and so enjoyed our two days with our dear family of friends.  We took one day to decompress and visit with Patty and Ella.  Our last night, Bo and I cooked a wonderful Puerto Rican dinner for dear friends who came to feast with us, and we had a wonderful few hours of sharing our faith together and encouraging one another.  By midnight, we hit the sack, ready for another day of travel from Tampa, Florida to Panama City where we would spend the night at our Hilton reservation (or so we thought) before finishing our journey the next morning from Panama City to Guayaquil, Ecuador.

READY TO MOVE TO ECUADOR - 'twas the night before leaving..........

It's really happening now!  We've spent the entire day packing, packing, and more packing.  There is so much left to do before we leave tomorrow afternoon.  I feel so overwhelmed and wonder if we will get it all done.  Bo reminds me, "we always do, Hon!"  Just what I needed to hear.  It's pouring down rain.  My prayer is that tomorrow we will have a break in this wet weather because we have to get up early and empty this room - haul the furniture to our back shed-storage area. It's not fun moving in rain.

I'm proud that we were able to get everything we want to take to Ecuador in 4 check-in bags, and 4 carry-ons.  Considering we're moving to another country, I think we're traveling reasonably light.  Because we had packed our bathroom scale, I can't weigh the bags, but I'm hoping they will not exceed the 50 pound limit.  So many rules with the airlines.  If we make the weight limits for each bag, it will cost us $120  to check in our bags.  I'm glad they don't have a weight limit on the carry-ons (United that is), because my camera gear is HEAVY!  Bo has the Vitamix and Omega Juicer in his carry-on - and I'm laughing as I think about how heavy that one is.  they took up the entire bag!  No way was I checking through my juicer.  We could pack it tonight because I already juiced away today so I'd have my infusion for tomorrow.

I'm thrilled to be going to Cuenca just for their produce.  The day I walk into one of their open markets, I'll know I've truly arrived!!  The ex-pat bloggers that have shared photos of the vendors selling their fruits and vegetables have given me a reason to bring that heavy juicer and Vitamix.  The colors, the abundance, the variety, and the amazing prices.  It's one of the first things I want to do when we arrive - go produce shopping!  I've read that you can either pay gringo prices or local prices.  We're going to learn to shop there and use our Spanish to get the local prices.  I'm sure we'll find our favorite vendors after some time there.  I'm hoping we will meet some wonderful Ecuadorians and ex-pats who will show us how to shop.

We'll be rising early tomorrow, ready to wrap up things here in Oregon and begin the next leg of this journey.  Our dear Cannoy family is coming over in the afternoon to whisk us off to the airport.  They said they want to give us a proper send off.  Sweet!  We love them so much.  So, at around 3:30 pm we're on our way.  We'll have an overnight flight and end up in Tampa, Florida tomorrow morning at 10 am.  By Tuesday, we'll be on our way from Tampa to Guayuquil.  We'll arrive in Cuenca on Wednesday, December 5th, exactly two months from the day we were originally to leave back in October.  It's been a long long wait!

As for the house, it's in the hands of our property managers.  What will be will be!  We're walking by faith and not by sight.  I love the quote from William James that says, ""Our belief at the beginning of a doubtful undertaking is the one thing that assures the successful outcome of any venture."  With all the unexpected changes since we began this journey, it certainly has been an amazing and at times doubtful undertaking.  There have been a couple of times when I wanted to turn around and go back to our comfortable predictable life here, but I'm glad we've persevered and didn't give in to the disappointments and closed doors.  We focus on all the doors that have opened instead....

The most difficult part of today was going to see mom and kissing her goodbye.  She doesn't know we won't be back for some time, but I do.  I cried all the way home.  It hit me harder than I thought it would, even though I know she's in the best care facility for the stage of her health and dementia.  Pam, one of her caregivers who loves mom so much, hugged me at the door and we cried together.  She promised me she'd take good care of mom until I'm back to see her.  My heart hurts just writing this.  If mom were healthy and able, she'd be on that plane with us.     

My Beautiful Mom in her younger years (1944).  I'll miss my precious mom!

Thank you dear friends and family for all your prayers, e-mails, and phone calls. Your words of encouragement and excitement for us means so much.  Bo and I are truly blessed and we'll miss each and everyone of you.  For those of you whom we didn't get to see and hug goodbye, know that we'll be blogging our adventure and life in Ecuador so you can join us in our journey.
Mucho amor y abrazos,
Linda and Bo