CUENCA & VILCABAMBA

The first day I arrived in Cuenca, I walked to the Parque Calderon, of course. Below are photos of Cathedral de la Inmaculada Concepción, known as the "new cathedral," as well as the whitewashed "old cathedral," known as El Sagrario. I also walked to Cuenca's numerous other plazas that day.

 Below, Cuenca's residents are socializing in Parque Calderon during the afternoon. And next is a photo taken of a crew filming a movie at Parque Calderone.

Next is a scene from Cuenca's beautiful flower market outside the Church of El Carmen de la Asunción.

Below are a few photos from around the river, where my hostel was located. I show the hostel I was going to stay at but didn't because it was so crowded, as well as the one I did stay at, Casa Cuencana, yet wasn't that thrilled with. These hostels were both on Hermano Miguel near Velazquez. I needed to economize, so stayed in a women's dorm, which I had to myself for 4 days. The rest of my stay there included a non-stop round of backpackers. Mostly I enjoyed them, though toward the end of my stay I'd grown weary of the turn-over.

Below is the Rio Tomebamba. In addition to its trademark skyline of massive rotundas and soaring steeples, Cuenca is also famous for its barranco (cliff) along Calle Larga, where the city's 18th and 19th century "hanging houses" seem to hover over the rocky Rio Tomebamba.

The Rio Tomebamba effectively separates Cuenca's historic sector from the new neighborhoods to the south. Below is Cuenca's Super-Maxi, where I bought a few items I was unable to locate elsewhere.

I'm going to back- track some in the next photos, in order to depict the beautiful trip from Puerto López through Quayaquil and to Cuenca. My last post described my stay on the Ecuadorian Coast during most of January, before coming to Cuenca. First of all, let me say that the altitude here is much higher than that of the Coast, and I was unprepared for the cold. Of course, I've adapted to the weather during the 3 weeks I've been in Ecuador's Southern Highlands. First of all is a photo of the colorful bus I rode from Puerto López, along the coast, to Jipijapa, where I caught a bus to Quayaquil.

 The Cobrador of the bus below waves good-bye as I leave to buy a ticket from Quayaquil to Cuenca.

The route from Quayaquil to Cuenca was among the most gorgeous trips I've ever enjoyed.

 As we climbed into the highlands, my eyes feasted on the moors of Parque Nacional Cajas

 Finally, we arrived in a chilly, rainy, Cuenca.

After Quito, Cuenca is Ecuador's most important and beautiful colonial city. Most locals consider their laid back culture, cleaner streets, and mostly agreeable weather preferable to that of the capital.  Dating from the 16th century, Cuenca's historic center, is a Unesco World Heritage Site.

The day after I checked into my hostel, I toured the Museo del Banco Central "Pumapungo," Cuenca's most important museum. The museum has an entire floor of colorfully animated dioramas displaying traditional costumes of Ecuador's diverse Indigenous cultures, including Afro-Ecuadorians from Esmeraldas province,the cowboy-like montubios (coastal farmers)of the western lowlands, several rainforest groups and all major highland groups. The final exhibit features shamanic rites of the Shuar Culture.

Included in my visit to the museum was the Archeological Park out back, where I walked through extensive ruins of buildings believed to be part of the old Incan city of Tomebamba.

 Walking along the Rio Tomebamba back toward Hermano Miguel was a delightful way to spend the morning, and visitors are treated to an opportunity to view parrots, condors and hawks (not included in this photo series).

I especially enjoyed the murals on the walls along the river, which depict aspects central to Cuencan culture, such as the making of the toquilla straw hats. The most famous hat making town in Ecuador is Montecristi.  Sigsig, south of Cuenca, is another town well known for its Panama hats. For over a century Ecuador has endured the world crediting another country with it's most famous export, the Panama hat. The origin of the misnomer dates to the 1800's when Spanish entrepreneurs, quick to recognize the unrivaled quality of sombreros de paja toquilla, began exporting them via Panama. I saw more panama hats around Cuenca then anywhere else in Ecuador.

Above is Govinda Restaurant, one of my favorite places in Cuenca to have lunch, because of the fresh ingredients included in lovingly created, affordable ($3), vegetarian meals. In fact, I ran into Karla at this restaurant, a mutual friend of my good friend Jean (we both earned our PhD's at the same time from Pacifica Graduate Institute), in Santa Barbara. Right now I am staying in Karla's apartment while she is at a writers' conference in San Miguel de Allende for a few weeks.

Below I'm including a few photos of the children's book reading event that Karla invited me to. The bookstore the reading was held is right below her apartment in Cuenca's historical district.

Below is Luis Peralta, bookstore owner and also the owner of Karla's apartment, where I'm staying temporarily. And the last photo of the series is of my friend Karla. What a synchronicity that we've ran into one another in Cuenca. I last saw Karla over 10 years ago at my friend Jean's 50th birthday party in Santa Barbara.

One of my favorite day trips while staying in Cuenca was the day I spent in the rural indigenous town of Chordelag, south of Cuenca. Below are photos of the Bus Chauffeur, the Cobrador (money collector), the farmer's market, and some rural scenes around town.  I've included of a photo of Eugenia, my French roommate, and myself, standing in Cordelag's Central Park.

I really enjoyed this chauffeur, and sat right up front so we chatted quite a lot. He'd lived in Philadelphia for 4 years and liked Americans but prefers living in Ecuador. He's driven buses for over 20 years! What a good driver he was; I watched him negotiate all kinds of obstacles. He really hit it off with the Cobrador, too. I enjoyed seeing the two of them have such a great time working together.

I especially enjoyed a roommate from Iceland. How many young women from Iceland have you associated with lately? Heidi was the first traveler from Iceland I've met. She was a little older, which helped, and she was very considerate. I also really enjoyed a young woman from Nicaragua, traveling on her own. I've never met another Latin American woman traveling alone. Katherine had been to school in Switzerland, who may have been an influence on her. She not only spoke fluent English, she spoke German fluently. I wish I had taken a photo of her. Below is Heidi.

During my two week stay in Cuenca the last half of January, I took a number of local buses all around town just to have a better understanding of how Cuenca is laid out. I also posted an ad for house sitting services and received some good response. I met with one man who would like me take care of his 14-year-old Tabby during the month of May while he vacations in Peru. I particularly liked this man and loved the idea of taking care of a cat the same age as "my" cat. What a coincidence.

It broke my heart, but I gave my beloved 14- year- old Tabby (Iris) to a friend in order to travel in Latin America. The good news is that this friend and I have become quite close over the past several years of correspondence. Now I'll have the opportunity, through house sitting, to care for a cat again.

It's been an adventurous time, even if Mercury has been Retrograde.  The hardest part for me has been hostel dorm living. After accepting a financial arrangement with Karla to live in her apartment for several weeks while she is away, I went away for a 4 day visit to Vilcabamba. I left early Wednesday, February 4, and returned to Cuenca Saturday, February 7. 

The following photos are taken of the trip to Vilcabamba from Cuenca, although they hardly do the geography of Southern Ecuador justice. The bus ride to Vilcabamba is amazingly beautiful. Included are some views of downtown Vilcabamba, a popular expatriate destination.

I chose to stay in the reknowned German retreat center, Izhcayluma,  just 2 kilometers outside of Vilcabamba. I elected to stay in the dorm there 3 nights, because one bedroom rooms with shared bathrooms were all booked up, and private rooms with private bathrooms were so expensive. I can't believe I spent another 3 nights in a dorm, after being in one for 16 days before that. I've just spent nearly 3 weeks in dorms surrounded by backpackers.

The Izhcayluma is breathtakingly beautiful, and I enjoyed staying there, although I would never do it again. The following are photos of the bus trip to Vilcabamba, and my time at the Izhcayluma retreat.

Luckily, I had the bed on the left hand side of the dorm, which was somewhat protected. Two nights out of three I had a fairly sane young German woman sleeping next to my bed. The third night an Irishman (I really dislike mixed sex dormitories) slept in the middle bed, only he and his companions did not get in from the bar until 5 am. He then stumbled into bed and promptly proceeded to snore like a freight train. I was already awake and packing to leave by then, so all is well that ends well. 

The next photos depict the Ecuadorian workers, who maintained the resort center so beautifully. I couldn't help but wonder what they think of so many young travelers who stay up all night long drinking and sleep the day away!

 

I enjoyed swimming at the Izhcayluma, and the massage was among the best I've received in years.  The wildlife, including the birds and butterflies, was astonishingly beautiful, as were the majestic views from the dining room. Izhcayluma trails nearby led to waterfalls, and I took a delightful trail to the town, which was certainly preferable to walking along the highway.  

As far as the food, I ordered the Stroganoff several times, which was delicious. Other items on the menu were not as good. Buffet style breakfasts cost $5, including $1 for scrambled eggs.

It wasn't just that I disliked staying in the dorm, then turning around and paying for breakfast, which meant that accommodations weren't really so inexpensive. As stated previously, I  wouldn't stay at the Izhcayluma again. The retreat center is filled with young families and their children, many of them from Germany or Switzerland. There were some older couples. I was the only single woman at the retreat. I never had a meal or a conversation with anyone there until my final morning, when a woman my own age sat down next to me. I hugged that woman when I left the table!

The retreat itself is run like a machine. It's owned by Germans, after all! It is efficient above all else, and for this it owes its enormous success. Yet no one every welcomed me when I arrived, or said "good-bye," when I left. What a cold feeling I left with about having spent time there. 

I didn't run into any Ecuadorians or Latin Americans on vacation; indeed the only Ecuadorians at the retreat center were the ones working there. Izhcayluma struck me as a lonely retreat experience for anyone but youth of privilege and traditional middle class families. 

The highlight of my time in Vilcabamba was going to Montesueños, a retreat center developed by Apollo Astronaut Brian O'Leary, and his artist wife Meredith Miller. Dr. O'Leary died several years ago, but I've always especially wanted to meet with Meredith Miller. 

Meredith and Brian spoke at the Unity Church in Honolulu, in 1993, and had made a powerful impression. I was particularly taken with Meredith, and her exquisite slide show of her artistic renditions of dreams.

 I was at Pacifica Graduate Institute at the time, studying to be a Depth Psychologist. I finished my Doctorate in 2001 at PGI in Santa Barbara, I and have worked as a Licensed Psychologist with many clients and their dreams over the years. Dreams have always been important for me.

I was also really impressed with Meredith's vulnerability and openness during the presentation. She and Brian talked about how they fought and worked out a loving and authentic relationship during their years together living in remote locations. 

I found Meredith's devotion to an egalitarian relationship with her husband refreshing and inspired. Above all, she stayed true to her own life as an artist, regardless of what was going in her relationship.

You can imagine how thrilled I was when I actually met with Meredith Miller after all of these years. I took a risk and hired a cab driver to take me to her retreat at Montesueños. Meredith greeted me with a heartfelt generosity! I was nervous and excited, and didn't want to take too much of her time, as I had arrived with no notice whatsoever. 

Meredith graciously took me on a tour of the grounds at Montesueños, acting as though she had all of the time in the world. She even posed for photos with her dog, Seda, and posed with me for some photos, too. I will always remember Meredith's great tenderness and our time together. 

I took a few photos around the retreat center, yet for the best photographs, I recommend perusing the photos posted at the Montesueños website, http://Montesueños.net

That's all for now, and I'll post again in a few weeks. I'm busy laying out the groundwork for my Ecuadorian Visa as a Pensioner. Filing for the extended, 180 day visa, is my priority right now. As soon as I have that, I'll go to work getting an FBI crime check and having other documents mailed here from the US. By August, I should have Ecuadorian Permanency. 

It's a step I've been debating for awhile, since I dislike bureaucracy, but I am imagining all will proceed smoothly and will be happy to succeed with regard to my goal. I've traveled a lot, and realize that I have to land somewhere. I can still travel to other Latin American countries for 3 months out of the year while obtaining Ecuadorian permanency. And there are plenty of places in Ecuador I haven't explored yet!

In the meantime, I'm staying at Karla's lovely apartment, recovering from some of the lack of privacy I've endured over the past few weeks in dorms. 

 Thank you for reading my blog and viewing my photos! I wish you all the best when Mercury goes Direct, which will be happening in just a few days.