Questions about this blog and everyday life in Cuenca

My wife and I are planning a trip to Cuenca. We are beginning to do research to see if we'd like to retire there. In your opinion, is this the most frequented site to gather info. I can't help but notice very few responses on many threads.

Also, is it offensive to those of you living in Cuenca, when Americans ask questions about such things as satellite tv and internet costs, rather than discussing cultural or environmental topics?

We currently live in a (near) perfect place, Flagstaff, AZ. But we'd like to have a similar life in the mountains of Ecuador, minus the high cost of living. I would like to list some things we hope to find in Cuenca. Feel free to make comments or suggestions.

-Live close to a river, while also being within walking distance to markets, cafes, restaurants, parks, bus stops.

-Jog or ride bikes along a greenway sidewalk or path (do the rivers allow you to bike alongside of them? Will you have to cross a lot of busy streets?)

-Live near a large park or botanical garden where we can jog or walk the dogs. We notice some city parks are quite beautiful, yet they have limited lawns and paths to run on.

-Flagstaff is at 7000 feet elevation. We average only 4 days a year above 90 degrees. Monsoon rains keep it cool from July through autumn. No insects. Lots of mountain trails to hike. Cuenca is at 8200 feet elevation. What are the high temps you experience? What are the low temps? Are there mountain preserves in or near town, sort of like they have around Phoenix, AZ?

-Have any of you been victims of crime in Cuenca? Can you tell me how many homicides the city has in a year? I'm guessing it is about 1% of what a city of that size in the U.S. experiences.

-Does Cuenca have restaurants serving food from other countires, like Thai food, Indian, Vietnamese, Japanese, Korean?

-Was your decision to move to Cuenca based more on econimics and stretching your retirement dollars, or did you just seek the most beautiful place you could find to live in?

-Not wishing to offend, but we do watch television, so I need to ask; can you get satellite service that provides similar viewing as you'd have in the U.S. Specifically, can you get a high-def dvr with a package that includes network and cable channels, and sports, like college football, for instance? I like to watch business shows, history channel, HGTV, comedy shows, movies. I'd rather not have to download stuff on a computer.

I read a post from a Texan, asking about golf and whiskey and other deal breakers. Some told him to just stay in Texas. I can understand how sensitive people can be who embrace the people and culture of Ecuador and are offended by Americans trying to Americanize Ecuador. I read how Retirees from wealthy countries can disrupt the economy of poor countries, and make life even harder for the indigenous population. We will try to be sensitive and supportive of the people of Ecuador. We are not wealthy and plan to rent a modest apartment in town, hoping it doesn't cause the cost of housing to spiral out of control as it did in Arizona (our current home is now appraising at $200k less than the $308,000 we invested in it. Ouch)

Most of these questions have probably been asked by hopeful expats again and again. You may be tired of answering them, again and again. I thank you for providing any input at all.