Navidad

We had the misfortune in October to be poor planners arriving in Cuenca during a week-long festival (called Fiesta) based mostly on Cuenca’s independence. So we had to stay in a hotel for a week rather than longer-term accommodation. Turns out not so much luck as these people party all the time!

The Quinta Floripes Social Club

Manuel is the patriarch of our new family compound, and he warned us before we signed the lease that we should just let him know if his weekend music bothers us. "Some friends come, and we play music in the garage." The garage attached to our house, actually.

Taking Root (Finding a New Home)

La Quinta Floripes

Despite all the groundwork that has been laid by the tide of gringos to make things easier on newbies, that tide is landing on the beach of retirement living, not family sabbatical living. So, bad metaphors notwithstanding, there is a tremendous apartment/condo market for those looking for fine, controlled spaces with full amenities (security, utilities, cleaning, etc.) included. Investment property is a newish concept here, so unless a place is built to rent, it typically isn't rented.

The Day the Earth Stood Still

Ecuador is a "third world country," a phrase which comes from a French term and means "place where everyone drives crazy in loud, smelly cars." So just as we celebrate the value and importance of our labor by taking the day off on Labor Day, so the Ecuadorians celebrate crazy, loud, smelly transportation by not using any.

Guerra de Cambio

Ecuador converted their currency to the U.S. dollar a decade ago. For Gringos that means no cost to convert currency and no crazy math figuring out how much things cost. It also means no pretty money like all the rest of the world has (the U.S. has the plainest money eveeeerrrr). And you know in grade school when we learned about currency and how the U.S. printed money and burned the stuff that was too old and ratty to use? Lies.