The unofficial web page of the greater Cuenca expat community

We took the bus from GYE to Cuenca. Very comfy, we saw the countryside, mixed with the locals and prayed the bus had good brakes. Gad, those drivers go, go, go! All for $8.00!

C'mon Bob!!!!!!
I bleed Purple. < Vikings >

Unfortunately, I got the chance to meet both The Cisco Kid & Poncho in person when I was pretty young. It was at a rodeo type deal. Anyway, Cisco was putting a pretty serious strain on Ol' Diablo. Let me just say, he wasn't wearing the same sized pants as on the show! I was somewhat disillusioned.

Now Bat Masterson... he stayed in shape. < Gene Berry >

aterosin wrote:

http://issuu.com/cghh/docs/cuenca_guide_to_holistic_health

This is a resource some might find useful. G

I know a expat in Cuenca who is a doctor who practices natural medicine.

He is a vegan, so he eats no meat or dairy. But he goes a step further than most vegans and doesn´t eat processed grains, so bread, brown rice, granola and oatmeal are off his list. He told me that a friend of his does autopsies in the United States and that he has seen only one healthy colon in all of his years of work. I guess he was telling me this to explain why he doesn´t eat processed grains.

I told him that I eat mostly granola or oatmeal in the mornings, and that it must be better for me than Fruit Loops. He concurred.

New items to the home gym.  These items cost about the same as they do in the United States. The push-up bars were $12.50 from Coral and the ab wheel was $10 at the sportings goods store on General Borrero, a tad north of Mariscal Sucre if I recall.

That ab wheel is a killer. It seems to work more the arms, back and shoulder than your abs. I can´t do a complete motion yet, partly out of fear of falling on my face.

Nards Barley wrote:

Anyhow, I think it will be good for expats to take the big buses to Guayaquil. It will elevate their cultural integration quotient (new word).

I like that, and if you haven't yet trademarked it, I plan to steal it. Here, you know you're dealing with an expat with a high CIQ when you see him peeing in the street.

Are the buses reasonably comfortable? I use buses between cities here if the distances are not too great, and they're OK as long as they aren't crowded. The seats are very narrow, though, and can be tough to deal with if the bus fills up.

See my reply above. We found the busses very comfy. Luggage goes underneath the bus and there was plenty of room under there. Seats are assigned, which we didn't know on our first trip but quickly found out. Don't get the seat right behind the driver, you won't see anything due to the curtains and safety signs. Ask for a different seat at the ticket counter if that happens.

aterosin wrote:

See my reply above. We found the busses very comfy. Luggage goes underneath the bus and there was plenty of room under there. Seats are assigned, which we didn't know on our first trip but quickly found out. Don't get the seat right behind the driver, you won't see anything due to the curtains and safety signs. Ask for a different seat at the ticket counter if that happens.

Thanks.

Seats aren't assigned here, but I wouldn't get right behind the driver anyway. No curtain here, which means I'd be seeing the road too well -- which would scare the heck out of me.

They drive here similarly to what you describe.

I haven´t ridden intercity buses, but I will take Aterosin´s word on it.

And if that is enough, we have the Longood´s statement:

oh, how I love hopping the bus to see the sites of Ecuador

And then there is this from The Frugals:

The bus travel from Guayaquil to Bahia called Reina Del Camino (executive buses) had more comfortable seats than the van, plus it had a TV and bathroom, and, it was air conditioned so well in the bus I had to put my sweater on. The buses are clean and comfortable.

But, it is not all roses with the locals. We have a quote that Cuenca Highlife pinched from somewhere:

Many van passengers who were put out on the highway said, however, they won't take the buses. “They are dirty and smelly and uncomfortable,” said Gabriela Lopez. “I will fly before I ride on one.

We rode down in a van yesterday and came back in a rented van (we picked people up at the airport.  We have one rented for when our guests go back next Wednesday.

I don't ride buses, but they are not as safe as a van.  Our comadre witnessed an armed robbery of a schoolgirl on a city bus and her phone was stolen on a city bus, this in the last three months.

Intercity and interprovincial buses...not bloody likely.  The bus owners whining that others give better service and that's just not fair..while they dive like people possessed. El Nomad had a notice on their Facebook page not to ride at night.

Have to start keep stats of the bus accidents...

ZenSPIKE wrote:

Now Bat Masterson... he stayed in shape. < Gene Berry >

Then there was Paladin (Richard Boone)who saw the first curve ball
thrown in a baseball game.

Thanks to Paladin, I learned a new word...paladin and even read some stories about paladins...

And they call tv the boob tube

With time being a factor with work and all my first trip will be for 2-3 weeks. Is that enough time to get an idea of what life is like in Cuenca?

mugtech wrote:

Then there was Paladin (Richard Boone)who saw the first curve ball thrown in a baseball game.

I took that to mean he was old, but he wasn't -- only about forty at the time of the show.

The old one was Pancho (Leo Carillo) -- he was in his seventies.

He was from an old and respected Californio family, by the way. His great-grandfather was a governor of Califonia during the Mexican era, and an uncle was mayor of Los Angeles.

Hi there,

How do I subscribe to your non-blog? You have the type of information that is of help to those of us planning to move to Cuenca.

Thanks!~
Elizabeth

bloommt wrote:

Hi there,

How do I subscribe to your non-blog? You have the type of information that is of help to those of us planning to move to Cuenca.

Thanks!~
Elizabeth

Hit the little green button below that says "subscribe"

Duh....feel rather foolish!

Thanks!
elizabeth

I think we're automatically subscribed to any thread to which we reply.

Texas Red wrote:

With time being a factor with work and all my first trip will be for 2-3 weeks. Is that enough time to get an idea of what life is like in Cuenca?

I would say yes, since for most expats life in Cuenca is about walking around El Centro (downtown); deciding which gringo hotspot to have lunch at (Fabianos, Bananans, Windhorse, etc); picking up a few groceries at Supermaxi; and then making it home before it gets dark to watch Fox News on their satelite dish, or if it is Friday night, have a few drinks and then catch the free symphony.

And in terms of where you you will be living, you will want to walk along Ordoñez Lasso west of the Avenida de Las Americas, since there is a better than 50 percent chance you will living on that street, and a better than 25 percent chance you will be living in the Palmero seen in the photo below:

Nards Barley wrote:

Texas Red wrote:

With time being a factor with work and all my first trip will be for 2-3 weeks. Is that enough time to get an idea of what life is like in Cuenca?

I would say yes, since for most expats life in Cuenca is about walking around El Centro (downtown); deciding which gringo hotspot to have lunch at (Fabianos, Bananans, Windhorse, etc); picking up a few groceries at Supermaxi; and then making it home before it gets dark to watch Fox News on their satelite dish, or if it is Friday night, have a few drinks and then catch the free symphony.

And in terms of where you you will be living, you will want to walk along Ordoñez Lasso west of the Avenida de Las Americas, since there is a better than 50 percent chance you will living on that street, and a better than 25 percent chance you will be living in the Palmero seen in the photo below:

[img align=C]https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTvjF9LQhqDYm-wjh4oMSzgIokXuLZj5qlR_DXUQxdpSREmHiwicQ[/url]

Boy, the rent seems awfully high there. In fact the more I read about Cuenca the more it seems the cost of living is much higher than a lot of published reports. I'm looking to make it on $1,500-2,000 monthly. I'm a widower and at least in the States I eat out most all the time. I'd be looking for fully furnished with as much included as possible (internet, tv, utilities. I've thought about Loja and Bahia as alternate choices but Cuenca is first choice due to the large expat community. That said I want to immerse myself into the Ecuadorean life as much as possible. Thanks for your help Nards. Any advice from you and others is much appreciated. Looking at mid-December to first 7-10 days of January for visit.

Texas Red wrote:

Boy, the rent seems awfully high there. In fact the more I read about Cuenca the more it seems the cost of living is much higher than a lot of published reports. I'm looking to make it on $1,500-2,000 monthly. I'm a widower and at least in the States I eat out most all the time. I'd be looking for fully furnished with as much included as possible (internet, tv, utilities.

No worries. The Frugals will help you rent a decent apartment like this one they listed today. I might rent it myself if I didn´t already have furniture, and for the fact I am persona non grata over there.

That rental would leave you plenty for eating out, including once or twice a week for dinner at the California Kitchen.

Nards Barley wrote:

No worries. The Frugals will help you rent a decent apartment like this one they listed today. I might rent it myself if I didn´t already have furniture, and for the fact I am persona non grata over there.

Wow! That's a terrific looking apartment for the price. I won't be there for several months yet, but that gives me hope that I'll be able to find something similar in Quito (or maybe reconsider Cuenca).

Anyone who has eaten at The California Kitchen will recognize that set individual who is standing: Susie Evans, the daughter of the owners.



That picture comes from an article today in El Comercio. There is very little of interest to note in the article. It essentially talks a little about some of the businesses started by expats in Cuenca, and how they are addressing certain niches, such as Gringo food.

P.S.
The California Kitchen is up for sale, so you may not be seeing the Evans family attending to customers for much longer.

I was surprised to see a product offering today in the following ad today from the Gringo Post.

Ta Maki homemade food and products

We offer you, natural, homemade food and products. 100% whole wheat bread (sold at Coopera store) 1 Kg or 500 gr $3.50 or $1.75. Greek creamy yogurt 1 or 1/2 lt., $5.00 or $2.60. Cottage cheese, 1 pound, $2.50. Exotic, mixed fruit marmalade, 250gr., $2.22. Peanut butter, 250gr., $3.74. Pure milk, 1 or 1/2 lt. $0.70 or $0.40. Fresh, farm eggs $ 0.30. Pickles, $3.60. Boiled, sweet hominy, $3.15. Tomato paste, $3.15. Apple sauce, $3.15. 100% fruit pulp, fresh lettuce, carrots, broccoli, cabbage, whole chicken, turnips, traditional turnips, coriander, parsley, celery, spinach, radishes, tree tomatoes (for juices and chili sauce), squash, chicken broth - concentrated, beef broth - concentrated, duck - ready to cook, little potatoes, Swiss chard. Home delivery on Tuesday and Friday. Add $2.00 for transportation. For orders and more info call: 099 331 4680 Claro, 098 716 5706 MOVI, landline: 283 7011

Specifically, cottage cheese. I have not seen cottage cheese in any market.

However, I would have to purchase more products than just cottage cheese to warrant the $2 transportation charge.  Therefore, I will need to encourage my former neighbors to order from them, so they can place an order on my behalf.

Good prices except $3.60 for a dozen eggs is steep, but paying $2 to get it all delivered sounds reasonable if you buy a week's worth of food at a time.  No nuts available?

mugtech wrote:

Good prices except $3.60 for a dozen eggs is steep, but paying $2 to get it all delivered sounds reasonable if you buy a week's worth of food at a time.  No nuts available?

Non-factory eggs usually cost me around .25 cents an egg, or $3 a dozen. Or if I pick up the factory eggs at Supermaxi, they cost me around $2.10 a dozen.

Eggs at Supermaxi only a few cents more than the local Giant Food Store eggs here.  Any peanuts, cashews, Brazil nuts available anywhere?

mugtech wrote:

Eggs at Supermaxi only a few cents more than the local Giant Food Store eggs here.  Any peanuts, cashews, Brazil nuts available anywhere?

I see a variety of nuts at Supermaxi, although the only kind I buy are walnuts for my oatmeal.

I passed this bookstore the other day located on Hermano Miguel:



and saw this book in the window:



I am currently reading the digital version of this book. I purchased the paperback version about 7 years ago in Guatemala after I kept seeing it in stores along with The Da Vinci Code. Unfortunately, I could never get out of Chapter 1 since it was too difficult and too boring. I am up to chapter 4 right now so things are looking more promising that I will finish it.

So why am I reading it now? Because I have committed myself to reading at least 3 noted pieces of Latin America literature. Normally, I would never willingly read a piece of literature unless it was assigned to me in classroom environment. However, literature is considered an element of culture, and I wish to increase my cultural assimilation quotient (revised word).

In any case, here is how wikipedia describes this book:

The widely acclaimed book, considered by many to be the author's masterpiece, was first published in Spanish in 1967, and subsequently has been translated into thirty-seven languages and has sold more than 20 million copies.[1][2] The magical realist style and thematic substance of One Hundred Years of Solitude established it as an important, representative novel of the literary Latin American Boom of the 1960s and 1970s,[3] that was stylistically influenced by Modernism (European and North American), and the Cuban Vanguardia (Vanguard) literary movement.

P.S.
Ironically, Dan Brown´s latest novel Inferno is displayed right next to Cien años of Soledad in that photo above.

From an article of the newspaper HOY regarding the foreigners whose deposits in Coopera were being used to secure a investor´s visa:

Carlos Heredia, abogado de 120 extranjeros, dice que los más perjudicados son aquellos que requieren obtener la visa 9 II, que se aplica para inversiones en pólizas o bienes raíces.

Carlos the lawyer for 120 foreigners says that the most affected are those that want to obtain the 9-II visa which applies to inversions in certificates of deposit or real estate.

La semana pasada se negaron dos solicitudes de visa. Los informes dados por el Departamento Jurídico del Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, Comercio e Integración, indican que se niegan las solicitudes debido a que Coopera ya no se encuentra autorizada por la Superintendencia de Economía Popular y Solidaria (SEPS) para emitir este tipo de certificados.

Last week they refused two applications for visas.  The reports given by the Ministry of Foreign Relation indicate that the applications were refused due to the fact Coopera is no longer authorized by SEPS to emit this type of certificate.

Heredia solicitó a Diego Aguilar, liquidador de Coopera, que certifique que los depósitos se hicieron en forma legal antes del cierre de esa entidad. Expuso el caso de seis personas, cuyos depósitos sumaban $156 500. No ha tenido respuesta.

The lawyer for the foreigners appealed to the liquidator of Coopera that he certify the deposits that were made in a manner legal before the closure of the entity. He presented the case of six people whose deposits excede $156,000. He has not received an answer.

Nards Barley wrote:

P.S. Ironically, Dan Brown´s latest novel Inferno is displayed right next to Cien años of Soledad in that photo above.

Inferno caused a big ruckus here in the Philippines because it describes Manila as "the gates of hell."

My comment at the time was "What does he mean by 'gates of'?"

Has anyone heard of a cheap way to get from the States to Ecuador thru Armenia Colombia? I read it somewhere but can't  find the link now...

aterosin wrote:

Has anyone heard of a cheap way to get from the States to Ecuador thru Armenia Colombia? I read it somewhere but can't  find the link now...

Aterosin, you aren´t wasting any time planning your next trip to Ecuador. Do you have an orchestra tryout in Armenia?

Nards Barley wrote:

aterosin wrote:

Has anyone heard of a cheap way to get from the States to Ecuador thru Armenia Colombia? I read it somewhere but can't  find the link now...

Aterosin, you aren´t wasting any time planning your next trip to Ecuador. Do you have an orchestra tryout in Armenia?

I tried to find an answer, but all I could come up with was the following blog post which was less than enthusiastic:

http://2wheelchronicle.com/a-rainy-afte … -colombia/

So, overall I cannot recommend Armenia, the city in Colombia, as a tourism destination. The city center is dilapidated, dirty, and with few redeeming qualities.

BobH wrote:

Nards Barley wrote:

P.S. Ironically, Dan Brown´s latest novel Inferno is displayed right next to Cien años of Soledad in that photo above.

Inferno caused a big ruckus here in the Philippines because it describes Manila as "the gates of hell."

My comment at the time was "What does he mean by 'gates of'?"

Dan Brown is going downhill.  After I read the one about the Masons in DC, which seemed like a cheap History Channel docudrama, I decided to give him a rest, and the reviews I read about Inferno confirmed that.  It was funny to read how indignant people in the Philippines got about fiction, like they don't know what fiction means.  Where they afraid people would avoid Manila as a result?  Manila is not going to turn into a ghost town like Detroit no matter what Dan Brown writes.

mugtech wrote:

Dan Brown is going downhill.  After I read the one about the Masons in DC, which seemed like a cheap History Channel docudrama, I decided to give him a rest, and the reviews I read about Inferno confirmed that.  It was funny to read how indignant people in the Philippines got about fiction, like they don't know what fiction means.  Where they afraid people would avoid Manila as a result?  Manila is not going to turn into a ghost town like Detroit no matter what Dan Brown writes.

I've never read anything by Brown, and based on what I've read about his books, I doubt I ever will. It's just not the sort of stuff I like.

But your "like they don't know what fiction means" comment made me laugh, because that seems to be a general problem among Brown's fans -- I've run into a lot of them who seem to take his stuff very, very seriously.

from a newsletter by Domenick Buonamici

Here's how... But first, remember I said “cheap” not necessarily “comfortable”.

To start, you have to get from where you live in the US to Miami or New York City.

I buy two separate flights.  One to Miami/NYC and another to South America.

Or I do it even cheaper and hitchhike, AMTRAK or take the Greyhound bus to Miami.

Then once you’re in Miami (or New York) buy a one way flight from Miami to Armenia, Colombia on my favorite budget airline (that doesn’t yet fly to Ecuador) Spirit Airlines.

Armenia in western Colombia is the closest city to Ecuador they fly.

If you buy at least a month in advance you can get a flight often less than $150, for instance, now I’m seeing flights in late January and early February on the Spirit website for around $135 to Armenia from Miami with taxes and everything included.

In fact, you’ll find Colombia to actually be a nice place to visit.

Plus, Colombia is a place that doesn't require a roundtrip ticket to enter.  Whereas Ecuador officially does require the return although most the time they don't enforce it yet sometimes the airlines will not let you on the plane to Ecuador without the return passage.

I know, it's confusing but it is what it is.

Colombia is far removed from the bloody 80’s, 90’s and Escobar years.  I should know, I lived there for a year recently and learned of this strategy because I wanted to visit some old friends and get from the US to Ecuador cheap.

A really nice area to visit near Armenia is the “Coffee Triangle” or “Eje Cafetero”.

Once in Armenia take the 2 ½ hour bus ($4-5) to Cali, another interesting town and a famous salsa dance Mecca.

Once in Cali hop a little crop-duster-type plane to Tulcan on the Ecuadorian border with one of the several tiny Colombian airlines that aren’t well advertised on the net like Satena.  I’ve caught flights as low as $65.

Or to it even cheaper hop one of the frequent daily buses (15 hours, $20-30) from Cali to Tulcan.

It's a scenic ride and one beautiful stop along the way is Popayan, a pearly-white colonial town in the southern hills of Colombia.

Then from Ipiales, Colombia cross the border to Tulcan (Ecuador), get your passport stamped and hop one last bus 4-5 hours ($5) to Quito.

That’s it!  You made it!

If you’ve been keeping track, if you fly to Colombia and bus it the rest of the way you can get from Miami, USA to Ecuador one way for around $175 in 2013.

What a trip. Gad, that sounds fun! Gotta get to Miami somehow...Thanks for posting!

Hello,

I am planning an exploratory trip to Ecuador in November, 2013.
I have been researching the country for retirement for several years.
I plan on flying into Quito and renting a car to drive to Cuenca. Is that a good plan? Is Novenber a good time to visit Cuenca? Any recommendations on the most inexpensive way to get to Ecuador? Any recommendations on inexpensive but nice hotels in Cuenca? My Spanish is not good-is that an issue?

Thank you.
Jeff Rawley

If it were me, I would fly to Guayaquil and spend the night there.  Catch a bus or a van the next day to Cuenca.  The trip from Quito to Cuenca is long and parts are fog shrouded.  Driving here can be a bit of an adventure that you might want to put off for another time. 

There are several hotels/hostals here in Cuenca, depending on your price range.  Depending on how long you plan to stay might make a difference in price.

Ticket costs...no definite information.  We are flying from Guayaquil to Dulles at the end of October for $708 (R/T) each.

HTH

Mike