The unofficial web page of the greater Cuenca expat community

I gave Zenspike's preferred furniture store the following image from the store Colineal.


They said they will make it for $120.

I don't remember the exact cost at Colineal but I think it was pushing $300. I will take a photo of it when it gets delivered so we can compare.

If you recall, that stripped orange fabric is the same as I have on my outside bar stools. It is popular, as I've seen it at a number of different places around town. The sports bar by the stadium used it on all their chairs and booths. < it's in the little mall there, can't recall the name? > You'll look it up, I'm sure! < grin >

ZenSPIKE wrote:

If you recall, that stripped orange fabric is the same as I have on my outside bar stools. It is popular, as I've seen it at a number of different places around town. The sports bar by the stadium used it on all their chairs and booths. < it's in the little mall there, can't recall the name? > You'll look it up, I'm sure! < grin >

My barstools I ordered for the terrace, will also have that striped orange material.

It can pour outside, and you can go out and wipe the fabric down and sit on it immediately. There is no penetration. The stuff is awesome. You'll be very happy with it.
Neil
Ps. San Sabas is having a dance again Friday. You should hit it up. We usually migrate back to my shack afterwards. You're more than welcome to join the crew!

Hey Neil, what kind of music is played at San Sabas?

The times I've been there, it has primarily been rock n' roll. Stuff for the 60"s through the 80's. It gets jumpin' that's for sure.

ZenSPIKE wrote:

The times I've been there, it has primarily been rock n' roll. Stuff for the 60"s through the 80's. It gets jumpin' that's for sure.

Nothing like a Baby Boomer Blast, sounds like fun

ZenSPIKE wrote:

You're more than welcome to join the crew!

Zenspike even has his own posse.

P.S.
Thanks for the tip. One of these days I will show up unannounced. You will probably be the only one in the place that recognizes me.

A young musician by the name of Brian Gary is who has performed when I have been there. Very talented young guy. Plays all the covers from that time period.
But.....
they also do  Blues/ Jazz nights also. The dances are primarily boomer music.

Nards Barley Sez:   
" Zenspike even has his own posse"

Yeah, that's the ticket. The Geriatric Gang is our nick.

Reminds me. My Dad and 4 of his buddies down hill skied well into their 70's. They had patches made up that they wore on their jackets. M.O.T.H.S.
When asked what that stood for, they would proudly respond:
Minnesota Over The Hill Skiers. They started it when they were in their early 60's. Neat bunch, they were.

Zenspike,

I am curious to know if you are paying any of your utility bills online. If so, what bank are you using? Thanks.

Nards Barley wrote:

Zenspike,

I am curious to know if you are paying any of your utility bills online. If so, what bank are you using? Thanks.

Funny you should ask. I have been in the joint since July 7th, and have not paid a dime in utilities! The building is still in the name of the owner/ builder. He supposedly is responsible for the bills until they are put in our names, or, after the final inspection. The thing that worries me is my internet. They came out, hooked it up, in my name. I've been told the bill would be delivered to my door.
The catch-22 in all this is: I can't set up auto pay until I have a bill to show my address to the utility provider, although the bank already has it? I'm with Pichinca, and they claimed they would be accepted for auto pay. I am still a tad bit nervous about it. I don't want to wake up some morning with no utilities.
So.... don't be surprised if I show up on your door step one morning looking for a hot( gas/turned off ) shower( water turned off ) and to use your internet service. Bwhahahaha
Cha Cha,
Neil
Ps. if anyone else has experience with this, please share. Like what  documentation must be presented to the utility to set up auto pay? I know Cedula and a bill with address are needed, but what bank info? Just your debit card?

I'm with Pichinca, and they claimed they would be accepted for auto pay.

The last time I inquired about it a few months ago with them they told me that Cuenca locations didn't have that feature, at least for the utilities I was interested in paying. Hopefully that has changed. I will be asking them about it again probably this week.

I finally got title to my villa (ghetto rowhouse). It took about a month from the date I paid for it. I actually couldn't put the utilities in my name, nor request internet service, because I didn't have title, so that will be on my todo list next week.

P.S.
I bought my villa without using a lawyer.  It went against my better judgement, but I went with my real estate agent's advice who said it wasn't necessary given the circumstances.  She claimed the Notary was responsible for doing the title search. I was the final buyer in the project and the same notary handled all four sales.

Maybe this isn't news to anyone but me, but according to an ex-neighbor, http://www.operazuaytur.com/ is taking passengers to Guayaquil using minivans, and that they were never one of the companies that were shut down for violating city requirements. 

If that is the case, I wonder why our local int'l living rep. didn't get the memo when he took a bus a couple months ago from the Termianl Terrrestre to Guayaquil? I also wonder how he went to Guayaquil on his latest trip to the states he recently blogged about?

Nards Barley wrote:

If that is the case, I wonder why our local int'l living rep. didn't get the memo when he took a bus a couple months ago from the Termianl Terrrestre to Guayaquil? I also wonder how he went to Guayaquil on his latest trip to the states he recently blogged about?

Of course there are many more things to wonder about Said person, but his 9/11/13 trip to the USA involved flying from Cuenca to Quito.  Perhaps he went through Guayaquil previously so he could brag about eating at MickyD's

neds
this thread is getting to be very long
would you consider setting up a part 2 so that we don't have to get through 18 pages to get to the current paqe
and I bet there are others who are intimidated by going through 18 pages
just wondering

denise

Denise

On my computer if I scroll to the bottom I can select any of the 18 pages to view.  If you subscribe to this thread, then every time there is a new posting you will get an email, and if you click on it you will be taken to the most recent postings.  Nards' goal is to have the most viewed and most posted to thread ever, so having another thread would totally defeat that purpose.  He is currently leading the league in total postings, but in second place in total views.

dmgcats wrote:

neds
this thread is getting to be very long
would you consider setting up a part 2 so that we don't have to get through 18 pages to get to the current paqe
and I bet there are others who are intimidated by going through 18 pages
just wondering

denise

Denise,

I tend to agree with you that it is getting very long and unwieldy, and I can't imagine someone new to the forum wanting to go through all those pages looking for useful information. However, now that I have "The Best Places to live in Ecuador" thread in my sights as the most viewed thread, I must keep it going for perputuity to smash all records.

P.S.
As Mugtech says, if you subscribe to the thread, you can avoid some of the lengthy scrolling.

Zenspike,

Didn't you tell me that you lost like 40 pounds while here? I myself have lost at least 30 pounds, with 10 pounds coming off since I bought my rowhouse due to no fridge or stove for weeks, stress, and lots of walking around looking for furnishings.

My question is did you get your pants altered and if so, where did you go. Also did you have the seat taken in as well or just a reduction in waste?

I actually have somebody in El Centro I have used in the past, but I need to do further alterations or buy me some new pants.

I'm at 50 pounds lost, and did that primarily in 3 months. Bummer was I bought all new jeans before I left, all at 36 waist, and now at 32. Nope, they don't stay on. I feel like a " Banger " with my pants around my ass.
I know a guy that had his taken in at the waist and rear end. It is off Los Americas, behind the Super Maxi. He's out of town in Guayaquil right now, but when he returns I'll get the exact address and pass it on to you.
I think I have hit my weight, as I have held it for about a month.

mugtech wrote:

Denise

On my computer if I scroll to the bottom I can select any of the 18 pages to view.  If you subscribe to this thread, then every time there is a new posting you will get an email, and if you click on it you will be taken to the most recent postings.  Nards' goal is to have the most viewed and most posted to thread ever, so having another thread would totally defeat that purpose.  He is currently leading the league in total postings, but in second place in total views.

At the risk of assisting "Nards" with his stats by contributing one last time [I can hear the cheers as I type ] to his legacy as the most baddest poster ever ...

I no longer wonder why so much minutiae [perhaps "Private Message" worthy, but not of wide interest] is tossed against this wall on a daily basis ...

   Carlos  "ElGringoBueno" 

PS  On the other hand, with me gone bye-bye your "cheap shots" tally is gonna suffer BIG TIME ... 

ZenSPIKE wrote:

I'm at 50 pounds lost, and did that primarily in 3 months. Bummer was I bought all new jeans before I left, all at 36 waist, and now at 32. Nope, they don't stay on. I feel like a " Banger " with my pants around my ass.
I know a guy that had his taken in at the waist and rear end. It is off Los Americas, behind the Super Maxi. He's out of town in Guayaquil right now, but when he returns I'll get the exact address and pass it on to you.
I think I have hit my weight, as I have held it for about a month.

I wonder how the seamstress or tailor decides how much to take off the rear end, unless they pull on the backside. I was just going take my pants to the seamstress and tell them to take the pants in a couple inches and take some off the posterior as well.  If they get it wrong, I will order some new pants from the states.

Nards Barley wrote:

However, now that I have "The Best Places to live in Ecuador" thread in my sights as the most viewed thread, I must keep it going for perputuity to smash all records.

I don't know if you can do it, Nards. You're 15,000 views behind
and "The Best Places to live in Ecuador" has the advantage of a really great name -- it's one that newbies will continually look at. It's going to take you a long time to catch up.

I wish you well, though. Maybe it would help if you got some tech-savvy Good Samaritan to set up a bot that would click on this thread a few hundred times a day. Not sure how the site owners would feel about that (nor their advertisers), but it might be worth a try.

GringoBueno wrote:

At the risk of assisting "Nards" with his stats by contributing one last time [I can hear the cheers as I type ] to his legacy as the most baddest poster ever ...

I no longer wonder why so much minutiae [perhaps "Private Message" worthy, but not of wide interest] is tossed against this wall on a daily basis ...

Contributing is a very strong word to describe your posts, but we will survive without you.  What you don't get is that the minutiae which you deride is what makes this thread so useful, for it includes all kinds of every day life info that expats, especially new ones, can use to ease into a new culture.  Good luck, you will need it.

I don't know how many sizes you are looking at Nards. My thinking in my case is that from 36 to 32, the pants wouldn't come out looking right. Even the legs on the pants are balloon-ish. I think a care package from the states is in order for me also.

BobH wrote:

Nards Barley wrote:

However, now that I have "The Best Places to live in Ecuador" thread in my sights as the most viewed thread, I must keep it going for perputuity to smash all records.

I don't know if you can do it, Nards. You're 15,000 views behind
and "The Best Places to live in Ecuador" has the advantage of a really great name -- it's one that newbies will continually look at. It's going to take you a long time to catch up.

I have a few tricks up my sleeve yet to come, and none of them involve an automated bot. Rather, it will be more of a virtual trap ensnaring unsuspecting expats, involving a simple link redirect, that will double a days´ views on my page.

GringoBueno wrote:

I no longer wonder why so much minutiae [perhaps "Private Message" worthy, but not of wide interest] is tossed against this wall on a daily basis ...

Carlos, there is nothing too irrelevant for my web page.  And while I don't want to read your political rants on my page, I do appreciate your contribution to my page's hit count.

Mugs,

If we're looking at stats, the best digital indicator of the usefulness of these threads might be the ratio of "views" to "posts" ...

I did that a day or so ago and the ratio for "the King of Kwenca" thread is about 31 views per post and its competiton gets about 124 views per post.

Now, back when I was paid 6 figures annually (in the prior century that was a fair chunk of change and they weren't giving money away then either)) as a BIG 8 CPA and an analyst for a huge company ...

That four-fold difference would have been VERY significant.

Perhaps not that many folks find the minutiae as interesting as you do.

Also, consider that some folks might be turned off by the petty cheap shot artists and their "craft" ...

    Carlos   aka "ElGringoBueno" 

PS  Not trying to BUST YOUR HUMP, just sayin' ... 

PPS  Unless your King is tryin' to pump up his stats (that's SO American, btw), a lot of what you're sharing "amongst friends" might be best shared as PM's to keep the stuff of more general interest more visible and more easily accessed.   Again, just sayin' ...

GringoBueno wrote:

Mugs,

If we're looking at stats, the best digital indicator of the usefulness of these threads might be the ratio of "views" to "posts" ...

I did that a day or so ago and the ratio for "the King of Kwenca" thread is about 31 views per post and its competiton gets about 124 views per post.

Now, back when I was paid 6 figures annually (in the prior century that was a fair chunk of change and they weren't giving money away then either)) as a BIG 8 CPA and an analyst for a huge company ...

That four-fold difference would have been VERY significant.

Perhaps not that many folks find the minutiae as interesting as you do.

Also, consider that some folks might be turned off by the petty cheap shot artists and their "craft" ...

    Carlos   aka "ElGringoBueno" 

PS  Not trying to BUST YOUR HUMP, just sayin' ... 

PPS  Unless your King is tryin' to pump up his stats (that's SO American, btw), a lot of what you're sharing "amongst friends" might be best shared as PM's to keep the stuff of more general interest more visible and more easily accessed.   Again, just sayin' ...

Keep those views and posts coming.

GringoBueno wrote:

Yesterday 05:36:16
At the risk of assisting "Nards" with his stats by contributing one last time ...

GringoBueno wrote:

Today 05:03:59
If we're looking at stats ...

I guess it was just a campaign promise.

BobH wrote:

GringoBueno wrote:

Yesterday 05:36:16
At the risk of assisting "Nards" with his stats by contributing one last time ...

GringoBueno wrote:

Today 05:03:59
If we're looking at stats ...

I guess it was just a campaign promise.

It's how they did things last century at Deloitte and Douche.

I am afraid I don't have fresh minutiae today, but for the sake of meeting quota, I have three anecdotes, all originating from my lunches at Fabianos over the past month.

1. I met a woman from Texas who moved to Cuenca a few months ago. She told she has a wonderful 3 bedroom apartment that she rented using the Frugal's apartment finder service for around $350. She told me that she believes the Frugals are doing God's work.  I thought that was a pretty good endorsement for their service.

2. I met a woman who is suing her neighbor, an Australian expat, for ruining her Apple laptop computer, after he threw water into her balcony because her dogs were barking. She says they hadn't barked all day and only barked after a skirmish with the cat. The cost of her attorney is $200 which she thought was high, but seems reasonable to me.

3.I overheard a conversation between a man and a woman. The woman had only been in Cuenca 4 days. I heard the man say at least three times that he is on a mayor's committee with Lee Dubs and that they may teaching a class. I didn't hear what the topic of the class would be, but I imagine it will be on cultural sensitivity. I suspect the only people attending the class will be people who already consider themselves culturally sensitive.

P.S.
If anyone from Cuenca Highlife wants to do a story on "Ugly Australians" let me know, because I think I have the email for the woman whose laptop was ruined. I am guessing, however, a story on "Ugly Australians" would not be consistent with the Huffington Post editorial line.

Always entertaining and informative.

I went by the immigration office today to ask about what is involved in exchanging my money-based investor's visa for a real-estate based investor's visa.

The guy at the desk said there is no procedure for doing an exchange. I would simply need to start the process over again.

I have got to decide if it is worth the hassle and the $300 fee, or whether I should wait until I can apply for citizenship in a couple or so years.

One thing about the process that would be simplified is I wouldn't need to get my police report from the United States. At least I wouldn't think so.

Zenspike,

Do these stools look familiar? I got them delivered today along with that table.  The stools were $35 a piece and the tablet was $100. However, I am not sure I got what I was expecting with that table since I thought the surface was going to be metal, and instead it appears to be a particle board with a laminate top. I have my doubts that is going to withstand the rain and sun.

To boot, he delivered the wrong size bed in the wrong color. Anyway, I already knew their attention to detail was lacking based on the fact they delivered the wrong bed to you as well.

Anyway, I am not worried about it since I am sure they will make it right.



Quoto met.

I took a pair of pants and shorts for alteration, but my usual place was closed, so I thought maybe they may have gone out of business.

So, I found this place on Tarqui just north of Simon Bolivar.



They are going to charge me $4 per item, I think. She had me put the pants on so she could take my measurement.  6 centimeters (2.4 inches was the calculation for the first pair. She is going to take in some off the leg as well.  Apparently she can't take some in on the legs with a pair of shorts, since it would impair my access to the pockets.

Later, I walked by my curtain store and they were closed as well.

Then, later after reading this article from El Tiempo, I learned that today is Guayaquil's Independence Day.

If you listen to the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball games in Spanish you are listening to Jaime Jarrin, born 12/10/35 raised and educated in Quito.  He has been doing Dodger games in Spanish since 1958, and is in the Hall of Fame along with Vin Scully, who has been announcing Dodger games in English since they were in Brooklyn in 1949.  He was the official interpreter for Fernando Valenzuela in 1980-1981, and Fernando is now his Spanish broadcast partner.  So next time you are watching the Cardinals beat the Dodgers you might want to hit the SAP button and improve your baseball Spanish.

Born in Cuenca, F. Javier Cevallos has been President of Kutztown University in Pennsylvania since 2002.  He received his bachelor's degree from the University of Puerto Rico in 1976 and did his graduate studies in Illinois.  He is married to French Canadian folk singer Josee Vachon and they have two children.

I have researched Ecuadorian immigration to the USA and come up with the following information:
Most of the people born in Ecuador now living in the USA are in the greater New York City area, with about 10% living in the Miami Florida area.  The 25 locations with the highest percentage of the population born in Ecuador, according to the census, are all in New York and New Jersey, along with Danberry, Connecticut.  The highest percentage is Sleepy Hollow, NY, with 10.4% born in Ecuador.  Number 25 is Guttenberg, NJ with 2.9%.  Queens has 4.7% but the biggest total population with over 100,000 inhabitants born in Ecuador.

Cuenca is often mentioned as the place to which so many USA citizens expat themselves, but even the highest estimates of expat population in Cuenca are considerably under the 25th largest Ecuadorian community in the USA percentage-wise.  Perhaps these figures indicate that there is some truth to the idea that 7 times as many Ecuadorians are returning home as there are expats arriving to fuel inflation.  How big a Mets fan would you have to be to prefer to retire in Queens rather than Cuenca or any place in Eduador?  Have you seen the movie Coming To America?

I always knew you were a man of high taste.
Good to chat yesterday.
Stay Well,
Neil
Ps. I wonder if you used a marine varnish to seal up the particle board? Couple a coats should do it.