Cuenca--Saying Goodbye

House above the river Tomebomba, on the famous El Barranco (cliff with "hanging" buildings)

Our time in Cuenca has gone by all too quickly.  As we prepare to leave, we have some reflections:

First and foremost is what a good experience our Spanish lessons have been.  Our young teacher, Lucie, is a delight and soooo patient. Despite each of us making the same mistake time and time again she patiently corrects us, even though we and all of the other Gringos she has taught over the years continue to make those same mistakes.  One day you feel like you can converse and the next day, you wonder if you can form a complete and coherent sentence in English, much less Spanish.

We were fortunate to find a comfortable apartment pretty close to the center of town.  We can walk to Parque Calderon, in about 15 or 20 minutes and one or both of us usually does so almost every day.  Even the car alarms have receded  into background noise.

Strolling the streets and browsing through the markets continue to be delights.  The indigenous people, and there are quite of few of them here in Cuenca, dressed in their traditional garb are always fascinating to see.  Almost all of them, men, women, and children, wear some kind of hat usually a fedora or a variation on the Panama hat.  All wear very colorful clothing, and the children are absolutely beautiful.

Beautiful little girl in a desfile ( procession)

A boy, usually from a wealthy family represents the holy child

With the Christmas season upon us, one of Cuenca's unique celebrations involves "Passage of the Holy Child" parades.  Almost every neighborhood mounts one--just this Saturday we heard a band passing by, ran out to the street and caught a parade going through our neighborhood. We understand that the Christmas Eve desfile will last for several hours--sorry we will not be here to see it.

Nacimientos (creche scenes) are an important part of the Christmas season.  Every home has one or more, and the city's Official Nacimiento is huge, abstract,  and made of what looks like aluminum foil.  We're told it is mobbed with people most evenings since it is brightly lit (and must be blinding).

Cuenca's Official Nascimiento

A elaborate nacimeinto in one of the local museums

Sitting on our patio on a sunny morning, enjoying breakfast is one of the great treats of our little apartment.  When we arrived it was overgrown with weeds and had that "junk yard" feel, but with a little TLC it has become  a great retreat.  Sue often had her Spanish lesson there.  It really has made up for the frequent car alarm symphonies.

Rio Tomebomba and walkway

Walking along the river—something we didn’t do nearly enough.  This past Saturday was an incredibly beautiful day in Cuenca.  Bright blue skies with very few clouds; lovely breeze to cool you off when you were in the sun, but not too much so that you were chilly in the shade.

The weather continues to be a surprise each day.  As the locals say, you experience all four seasons in one day. ( Just read an interesting article on the local gringo website about Cuenca weather—it is wholly unpredictable from day to day and hour to hour, but you know that it is probably going to be cool much more often than warm, and with the record high temperature of 82 degrees F, it really will never be hot, although the sun is incredibly intense.)

 After a great walk along the river, we climbed uphill to visit the gardens and aviary of the Pumaponga Museum--so tranquil and relaxing.  We could have kicked ourselves for not having explored these gardens before now and hope to go back before we leave.  In a little copse by a pond was a hidden orchid garden (the orchids in the branches of the trees) and benches made of rounded stone, probably retrieved from ancient Inca structures. A more beautiful and peaceful setting would be hard to find.

Many wonderful birds in the aviary

No venture is totally idyllic.  We have some negatives, like the horrendous traffic and crazy drivers--it feels like you risk your life when trying to cross some streets.  Also the thin air and tremendous pollution (due to all those vehicles) makes breathing difficult.  Since walking is often uphill, you get out of breath pretty quickly and need to stop to rest often. 

 Some buildings look kind of dilapidated, but  a lot of reconstruction/face-lifting seems to be happening and is being done beautifully.  And, finally, when we walk, people don't engage us with smiles or even looks and often it seems they would as soon push us off the sidewalk, so you play "chicken" and see who will move first--and it is inevitably us! 

At first, these annoyances had us telling one another we wouldn't come back.  But with time, and especially with nearly daily discoveries of something unique, intriguing and/or beautiful, we have changed our minds.  Cuenca grows on you, and you realize there are so many things to discover and explore.  Eventually you would get to know people--both Gringos and Cuencanos--and could have an excellent life here.  Its big draw for Americans is that you can live very comfortably on a small pension or Social Security income and this is very true.

Finally, we will remember Cuenca's beautiful rivers, its well tended and peaceful parks and squares, the fascinating mercados and tiendas, the captivating culture, the joy of seeing works by its artists and artisans, the delight of listening to some of its talented musicians.

Stairs leading from the river up to the Cuenca historic district

We will always remember the melodic and romantic street  names, many named after historic figures:  Juan Jaramillo, Hermano Miguel, Marisol Sucre, Presidente Cordova, Simon Bolivar, Manuel Vega, Benigno Malo, Padre Aguirre, Mariano Cuevo.  Aren't they more fun than 1st, 2nd, 3rd or Main ?

Another view of the beautiful Tomebomba

Cuenca, Ecuador is a place we would recommend for a vacation or longer stay.  Not quite as "magical" as, say, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico perhaps, but it is still charming and interesting.