The unofficial web page of the greater Cuenca expat community

Nards Barley wrote:

What I should have said is you are probably the first to attain that status without actually being an expat, since I figured you had stepped out of the U.S. before.

True, but I will be an expat in less than 2 years, just getting an early start.

mugtech wrote:

Nards Barley wrote:

What I should have said is you are probably the first to attain that status without actually being an expat, since I figured you had stepped out of the U.S. before.

True, but I will be an expat in less than 2 years, just getting an early start.

I thought you ruled that out, or is it you ruled out Ecuador and opted for the Philippines?

Nards Barley wrote:

mugtech wrote:

Nards Barley wrote:

What I should have said is you are probably the first to attain that status without actually being an expat, since I figured you had stepped out of the U.S. before.

True, but I will be an expat in less than 2 years, just getting an early start.

I thought you ruled that out, or is it you ruled out Ecuador and opted for the Philippines?

BINGO!!!

A new business had opened in the building Alcazar recently targeting U.S. citizens seeking healthcare.  I had walked by once and it was full of Expats sitting around a table listening to a presentation. The offices were on the ground floor and the entire window space which was very long and tall was filled with a custom poster/sign written in English promoting this new business.

This was a recent promotional of theirs in the Gringo Post:

Free Healthcare in Cuenca presentation for Medicare participants

Come join us, this Wednesday morning, for a presentation of a no cost Healthcare Benefits Plan for persons who are now enrolled in Medicare in the USA. 10 AM, Wednesday, September 18, 2013 at Bonanza Health Solutions located at Remigio Tamariz 2-31, 1 block up from Gran Prix gas station on Solano Ave. 099 148 1399 or +1 602 625 7690.
Refreshments will be served.

Peter Kwee: pjkwee@gmail.com

I was over at an ex-neighbor the other day and asked him if he knew about this new business and he told me it was already out of business. Apparently they were receiving too many complaints.

mugtech wrote:

I thought you ruled that out, or is it you ruled out Ecuador and opted for the Philippines?
BINGO!!!

Too bad. I was going to have the recently formed baby boomer reception committee prepare for your arrival.

Nards Barley wrote:

mugtech wrote:

I thought you ruled that out, or is it you ruled out Ecuador and opted for the Philippines?
BINGO!!!

Too bad. I was going to have the recently formed baby boomer reception committee prepare for your arrival.

I am sure my wife and I will be visiting Ecuador sometime in the next few years, I will let you know.

Nards Barley wrote:

A new business had opened in the building Alcazar recently targeting U.S. citizens seeking healthcare.  I had walked by once and it was full of Expats sitting around a table listening to a presentation. The offices were on the ground floor and the entire window space which was very long and tall was filled with a custom poster/sign written in English promoting this new business.

This was a recent promotional of theirs in the Gringo Post:

Free Healthcare in Cuenca presentation for Medicare participants

Come join us, this Wednesday morning, for a presentation of a no cost Healthcare Benefits Plan for persons who are now enrolled in Medicare in the USA. 10 AM, Wednesday, September 18, 2013 at Bonanza Health Solutions located at Remigio Tamariz 2-31, 1 block up from Gran Prix gas station on Solano Ave. 099 148 1399 or +1 602 625 7690.
Refreshments will be served.

Peter Kwee: pjkwee@gmail.com

I was over at an ex-neighbor the other day and asked him if he knew about this new business and he told me it was already out of business. Apparently they were receiving too many complaints.

According to the posts on Gringo Post it was fraudulent,although another poster said it would be good for USA citizens as a health care choice, but because of a lot of confusion and misinformation out there they were withdrawing the proposed plans, but were going to clarify it and bring it back later.  I read that to mean they have not perfected the con yet, as it supposedly involves a doctor from the medicare fraud capitol, Florida.  Maybe you could show up next time for the free refreshments and get a reading on their line.

[Moderated: No politics. Thanks]

GringoBueno wrote:

I just hope they go to the Philippines where I won't be running into them.

Philippines looking better every day.

Nards Barley wrote:

Free Healthcare in Cuenca presentation for Medicare participants

Come join us, this Wednesday morning, for a presentation of a no cost Healthcare Benefits Plan for persons who are now enrolled in Medicare in the USA. 10 AM, Wednesday, September 18, 2013 at Bonanza Health Solutions located at Remigio Tamariz 2-31, 1 block up from Gran Prix gas station on Solano Ave. 099 148 1399 or +1 602 625 7690.
Refreshments will be served.

According to the posts on Gringo Post it was fraudulent

I remember seeing those ads and thinking it sounded pretty questionable.

Moderator, please tag this post as "solutions"

I ordered the following item from Paypal on August 4th and received it today.  It was shipped direct from China to my Cuenca p.o. box.
   
It is probably the sixth item I have ordered since living in Cuenca directly from China and they all arrived eventually. While many shippers in China won't ship to Ecuador, there are often a few that do.



While I could have ordered this item for around $20 from Amazon.com plus $10 to send it here via Club Correos and receive it within 3 weeks, I wasn't in a rush. It cost me around $8-9 and that included free shipping.

Less than 2 months is acceptable.  It takes about the same amount of time to ship 36 cubic feet boxes to the provinces on Luzon, Philippines.  Sounds like a solution to me.

I had lunch at Fabianos today, which has been a regular thing since I don't have appliances at home.  Between 12:00 and 3:00 they have a lunch special they call a grinder. You have a choice of 4 different grinders They all come with a side salad and cost $3 unless you get the chicken in which case it costs $4. A bottle of coke costs 80 cents. Free Wifi and lots of elbow space makes it a favorite place.



By the way, they installed a mural in the front room and it was finished today.

After getting off bus #13, walking on Esteves de Toral somewhere between Gaspar Sangurima and Mariscal Lamar I spotted this dog.

I bet ya a brew, he spotted you first. < grin>

In house Security.

I rode bus #7 out to Creaciones Muebles to take a look a desk that they have on their website.

Here is the desk. It is built like a tank and weighs a ton. I like it but I want something lighter. The office furniture stores also sell desks that weigh a ton, often made partly of metal.



P.S. By the way, next to the desk is set of tv trays.  He says those tv trays are big with Americans.  I told him I would buy a set, but there aren't any frozen tv dinners to take out the microwave to set on them.

P.P.S. The cost of the desk is $283.

That object on the desk is what people back in olden times called a 'typewriter'. I used to know people who used them (but I think they're all dead now).

BobH wrote:

That object on the desk is what people back in olden times called a 'typewriter'. I used to know people who used them (but I think they're all dead now).

I remember. I should have told the owner to build one with a sliding tray underneath the table that for computer keyboard.

BobH wrote:

That object on the desk is what people back in olden times called a 'typewriter'. I used to know people who used them (but I think they're all dead now).

Not quite yet

I went deep into the bowels of Gringolandia again, and as I emerged, I stopped at Trump Tower El Rocio to visit Zenspike. I had previously been in the apartment during the construction phase. I wanted to take pictures of his pad for the web page but since he had guys working on the fireplace, I decided to hold off for another time. So for today, I introduce you to the neighbor's cows who were out grazing.

The one in the rear is me.
Nice to make your acquaintance. < finally >

Ps. The boys finally finished, but stayed another hour downloading all my music. The DOORS & Joe Cocker seemed to be the favs.

I think that is the first truck I have ever seen peddling gas in Ecuador. Very strange that you captured it!

I went to ZenSpike's preferred furniture store located on 5-48 Unidad Nacional and Peru to inquire about a custom-made couch, and lo and behold next door was a place I have been previously been to for pizza and cinnamon rolls called Los Losas.



Here is the cinnamon bun I bought for 85 cents:



Here is their menu:



They also sell bread:

I have purchased bread and roll's from there in the past. Never saw the cinnamon rolls. You don't often see them that they aren't flat!
How is the pizza? The owner claims best in Cuenca, but who doesn't?
Any luck with the couch?
ZenSPIKE

ZenSPIKE wrote:

I have purchased bread and roll's from there in the past. Never saw the cinnamon rolls. You don't often see them that they aren't flat!
How is the pizza? The owner claims best in Cuenca, but who doesn't?
Any luck with the couch?
ZenSPIKE

Pizza is good. I think we ordered a medium and it was quite big for the size relative to what I was expecting.

There was a young woman working at the furniture store. She showed me a number of sample couches, I gave her the dimensions of what I wanted and she is going to email me an estimate. I will probably order it from them.

Interestingly, they are also a re-seller of Moblime furniture where I bought a bunch of my stuff.  She was showing me the same catalog I have previously seen when I asked her about the stools you have. My gut tells me they may sell Moblime's products for less than Moblime sells them in their stores. We will see since she is going to email me prices for a few of the products from the catalog.

Good to hear  you had a positive experience. One always has reservations when making a recommendation, as your personal experience might be the same as that to whom you made the recommendation,  but I felt pretty secure with these folks.
Stay Well,
Neil

I will be looking for art stuff to put on the bookshelf.  I haven't been to one of these fairs yet, so no idea if it is any good.

This sign near the corner of Solano and 12 de Abril caught my eye. It is the first time I have seen a sign listing the bus lines served at a stop. An excellent enhancement.

The owner of Carolina's bookstore, Lee Dubbs, has a new article posted on Captivating Cuenca.

Here is a quote:

Who will objectively explain the negatives as well as the positives? The answer is simple: Expats who have lived in the country for at least a few years and who have no financial stake in your decision to make the move. They can make recommendations based on experience, with no profit motive. -

There he addresses the Coopera situation, restating something he had written well in an article well before the Coopera crisis:

Putting money into banks and cooperatives without doing your homework can be risky, as some are backed by insurance and some either are not or are under-protected. Simply going for the highest interest rate on savings or a CD can carry risks. Why do you think they offer the highest rates? . . . How much of your money is guaranteed by insurance and how long would it take to recover it?" -

Then he writes,

Listening to various sources other than experienced expats, some foreign residents put very large amounts of money into Coopera, a financial institution that offered a rate of interest that was much higher than that of the other banks and co-ops.

Now my response to Lee Dubbs, pointing out the irony of his statement:

The blogger for Captivating Cuenca, where you are posting this article, was one of those "experienced expats" you are referring to, and he was promoting Coopera as a good place to put your money!!!!!!!!! And the local representative for International Living was another one of those "experienced expats", and he had money in Coopera!!!

And the Coopera beat goes on.  Any news yet, besides the govt not stepping in?  Who gonna get how much when?

mugtech wrote:

And the Coopera beat goes on.  Any news yet, besides the govt not stepping in?  Who gonna get how much when?

Cuenca Highlife has some fresh Correa quotes that they pinched from some legitimate news source:

http://www.cuencahighlife.com/post/2013 … dcast.aspx

Nards Barley wrote:

Cuenca Highlife has some fresh Correa quotes that they pinched from some legitimate news source:

http://www.cuencahighlife.com/post/2013 … dcast.aspx

So there may be some scholarships for the children of Coopera account holders.  Wonder how many expats qualify for that.

Sorry to get back to you so late Mike.
My service is:
Strong VPN.com
it run's about 80 bucks a year.
Stay Well,
Neil

mugtech wrote:

Nards Barley wrote:

Cuenca Highlife has some fresh Correa quotes that they pinched from some legitimate news source:

http://www.cuencahighlife.com/post/2013 … dcast.aspx

So there may be some scholarships for the children of Coopera account holders.  Wonder how many expats qualify for that.

What's the loss like 30 million give or take? Would think that with all the billions China keeps loaning the government that they could find a little extra change to fix the situation.

ZenSPIKE wrote:

Sorry to get back to you so late Mike.
My service is:
Strong VPN.com
it run's about 80 bucks a year.
Stay Well,
Neil

By chance do you have the itemization for the various equipment including the Trendnet TEW-736RE range extender and the Cisco 2500 router used for the vpn connection.

Just in case I decide to undercut him someday with my own "guru everything service" someday.

No Sir,
I do not. Just got a blanket price. I believe that the router was $70.00. Can't say on the extender. I do know I paid $ 285.00 for my Epson L355 printer/ scanner. Wireless. I wanted to avoid buying cartridges here, so it has the built in ink tanks. I was warned to stay away from the " add-on " tanks.
How is it coming along at your place?
I just had a " care package " sent from the States. Keep you posted. It was at 8.5 pounds. Sent priority yesterday. We'll see what priority means with the idiotic gov'mint shut down. Ass-Hats!!!
Regards,
Neil

ZenSPIKE wrote:

No Sir,
I do not. Just got a blanket price. I believe that the router was $70.00. Can't say on the extender. I do know I paid $ 285.00 for my Epson L355 printer/ scanner. Wireless. I wanted to avoid buying cartridges here, so it has the built in ink tanks. I was warned to stay away from the " add-on " tanks.
How is it coming along at your place?
I just had a " care package " sent from the States. Keep you posted. It was at 8.5 pounds. Sent priority yesterday. We'll see what priority means with the idiotic gov'mint shut down. Ass-Hats!!!
Regards,
Neil

Smart move on the printer. I bought a usb Epson monochrome laser printer to avoid changing cartridges on the usb multifunction HP color printer I also own. If I had to do it over again I would probably go with one like your unit, but I was being cheap at the time.

Here is a link to Zenspike's printer in case anyone is interested.

I just put a deposit on some furniture at your preferred furniture store. As I thought, the Moblime furniture is cheaper there than at the outlet in el Centro. %$####!!. And I thought the prices were reasonable out the outlet. The son was there today helping out today.

Glad you were able to do business with them. They are pretty good people. The son is very nice, and speaks some English, as I'm sure you learned. He will do your delivery and set up. Don't know if you got a chance to meet the Father, Milton? Very nice guy, zero English. He has a number of side business's. I think he's a pretty sharp guy.
Hope you are satisfied with your purchases.
Cha Cha
Neil