The unofficial web page of the greater Cuenca expat community

Thank you I will.

Like a bloodhound sniffing out a fox on a hunt, I sniffed out the this new pizzeria at Parque Iberia off of Don Bosco. 



I initally thought it might a restaurant for Gringos, but it turns out it is a restaurant managed by a Gringa for everyone.

While scarfing down a slice of pizza a couple of recently arrived immigrants  showed up with their facilitator. 

If there is pizza there has to be cheese in Cuenca.  Please tell me Queso Blanco is not the only cheese option in Cuenca please?  Cheese is the only thing I can't go with out.  I see there is a cheese place in Quito but I can't go to Quito from Cuenca for cheese!

MGLuke wrote:

If there is pizza there has to be cheese in Cuenca.  Please tell me Queso Blanco is not the only cheese option in Cuenca please?  Cheese is the only thing I can't go with out.  I see there is a cheese place in Quito but I can't go to Quito from Cuenca for cheese!

As an economic refugee, my days of good cheese (and wine) are over.  It is mostly queso fresco and box wine.

Here I am being served a piece of queso fresco last night.   My friend had purchased 2 pounds of it for $3.40 at a mercado.

Nards Barley wrote:

MGLuke wrote:

If there is pizza there has to be cheese in Cuenca.  Please tell me Queso Blanco is not the only cheese option in Cuenca please?  Cheese is the only thing I can't go with out.  I see there is a cheese place in Quito but I can't go to Quito from Cuenca for cheese!

As an economic refugee, my days of good cheese (and wine) are over.  It is mostly queso fresco and box wine.

Here I am being served a piece of queso fresco last night.   My friend had purchased 2 pounds of it for $3.40 at a mercado.

[img align=c]https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-imGhZKSBNr8/Vi8MS_foWDI/AAAAAAAACKo/U4-D1zFCrOc/s800-Ic42/upload_-1.jpg[/url]

That certainly is a great economic refugee price, $1.70/lb.  Just means you eat to live as opposed to live to eat.

Now I know what to bring for you on our next trip down. We'll have a wine and cheese party. Got crackers?

Has there been a trial yet? this crime was in March.
(I knew the victim when he lived in New England)

descalzada wrote:

Has there been a trial yet? this crime was in March.
(I knew the victim when he lived in New England)

What crime?
What trial?

I was responding to a post about the murder of Henry Drinker Riley, which occurred on March 23 in Cuenca, on the street 27o Febrero.  He was stabbed, in his home, 25 times.  Daniel Matias V.K was taken into custody the following day.

The original post was the curiousity about the auto-translate of his middle name, Drinker, to Bebedor!  He went by "Steve", but Henry was his legal name.

Have there been any further development on this case?  I searched in both English and Spanish, and found no further news.

I have not heard anymore either on that case.

On a different note I was reading  Domenick's newletter on planting  corn.  My question to Dom is why not try growing some sweet corn instead of Choclo? Maybe you can't, but gringos don't eat Choclo generally.

Nards Barley wrote:

I have not heard anymore either on that case.

On a different note I was reading  Domenick's newletter on planting  corn.  My question to Dom is why not try growing some sweet corn instead of Choclo? Maybe you can't, but gringos don't eat Choclo generally.

Sweet corn, agreed.  Love it!

It seems to be a rarity in these parts, although a few kernels of sweet corn showed up in the vegetable dish I ordered at the chifa last night.

Dom recently posted on his Ecuadorrealestate.org welcome page that stevia will be the first crop he harvests.  It's a healthier-than-sugar sugar substitute common to the Paraguay portion of the Amazon basin.

Dom's site is turning into a farming newsletter.  Five of the first six articles on the welcome page today had to do with his new pre-occupation.

cccmedia in Quito

That would be one seed I would bring down in my sock if possible

Dom writes about what he is doing. Right now it's farming which really interests me, anyway....stevia by the way is all the rage here in Oregon. I use it in all my canning. Much better for you, easily to digest and non cancer causing UNLIKE Splenda.  Stevia is from Paraguay. The leaves are intensely sweet but I could not grow it here in S. Oregon due to our low winter temps.

Bill Clinton didn't make it to Cuenca on his current three-nation tour of Latin America -- Panama, El Salvador and Peru.

But he did sample a Cuenca product along the way.

The former President has been visiting programs and projects that enable "poor" communities to become self-sufficient.

In Panama, he tried on some hats and looked inside one.

"I'll be darned," he said.  "Made in Cuenca, Ecuador."

Mr. Clinton apparently was unaware that such hats originated in Ecuador's coastal towns hundreds of years ago and were eventually exported to Panama and other countries.  One of his predecessors, Teddy Roosevelt, popularized "Panama hats" when he had his picture taken wearing one at a construction site of the Panama Canal.

Mr. Clinton also tried out some cigars in El Salvador, including El Presidente and El Gigante.  The latter is Spanish for "the giant one."


Source on Clinton material:  The Cuenca Highlife website, which currently has a photo on its welcome page of Clinton trying on the sombrero in Panama.  www.cuencahighlife.com ...
Ecuador hat angle courtesy of Wikipedia.

Nards,
Sup ????
Still in lovely Playas, where they do indeed have sweet corn at the local super market. I never came across it in Cuenca, but it is available here. < not available in Mercado's > So, evidently, it is able to grow in Ecuador.
Hope all is well.
ZenSPIKE

ZenSPIKE wrote:

Nards,
Sup ????
Still in lovely Playas, where they do indeed have sweet corn at the local super market. I never came across it in Cuenca, but it is available here. < not available in Mercado's > So, evidently, it is able to grow in Ecuador.
Hope all is well.
ZenSPIKE

Zenner,
I just met an expat in Cuenca building a house in a planned community of Playas.  He splits time between Ecuador and the U.S.  I asked him why he chose Playas, since it is characterized by some as a dirty village appeal with little appeal (I haven't been there myself).   He said it was because Playas is the closest beach town to the Guayaquil International Airport. He says he can get to Playas in an hour from the airport.   He also said that they will be builiding a new airport that will put Playas 45 minutes from the airport. He also said there is a mall in Playas with pretty good shopping. According to him, Playas has a lot of potential.

The frugals latest post is quite a shocker.

The Frugals who have posted innumerable youtube videos over the past four years on their shopping excursions to Feria Libre have pronounced the following:

We rarely go to Feria Libre outdoor Mercado anymore; it’s just not worth it.

Apparently they only buy carrots, beets and beans from Feria Libre since they generally can do as well or better buying from Corral Centro.

There was a time they would poke fun at expats who bought groceries at Supermaxi and they have come full circle:

Amazingly, we have found the best meat prices at Supermaxi.  They have the best prices on ground meat and some of the chicken in all of Cuenca!! And, it doesn’t smell, it’s not sitting out collecting flies; it is packaged real nice and refrigerated! We’re not big meat eaters anyway, but when we buy meat, Supermaxi is where we buy it.

I also remember a time when the frugals poked fun at expats who ate at Gringo eateries, but their position has evolved on that point as well, and can be spotted at various Gringo hotspots from time to time.

Well, having spent the last 20 days in Playas, I'll give a bit of my insight.
It, for the most part, is not as refined as, say Cuenca. There are many un improved streets. But, there is a ton of infra structure going on. New roads being paved, new water/ sewer lines going in and the like.
The main strip has numerous Mercado's, and all the basic necessities, hardware, pharmacies, etc.
I can also attest to the medical services, firsthand. Yesterday, while playing tennis  < what the hell was I thinking? > I did a face plant. Split my chin open quite nicely. One of the maintenance men at our building became quite concerned, and offered to accompany us to the emergency clinic. Upon arrival, although it was still fairly early, there was a pretty good line up. Well, I was holding a totally blood soaked white tee shirt to my chin, and they took me right in. I received 4 deep stitches and 5 topical ones. Total time, about 45 minutes. I had no I.D. with me, but some cash. They sent me to the pharmacy for pain and anti infection meds. When asked regarding charges? No charge... free. A gringo with no identification no less.
In the end, along the stretch of beach we're on, there are multi million dollar private homes. There is, as mentioned, a beautiful up scale mall, the weather so far has been absolutely fantastic. Would I live here full time? Nope. But for me, a great place to buy a Snow Bird residence.
So Nards, jump on a bus to GYE., where you can jump on a one hour shuttle and check it out. There is a hotel, right on the beach for $ 40.00 per night, though I'm sure just off the beach, much cheaper. My friend stayed in town for $ 23.00 a night. < double occupancy >
Regards,
ZenSPIKE
Ps. took a Tuk Tuk trip of about 3 miles yesterday after shopping. 50  cents

ZenSPIKE wrote:

Well, having spent the last 20 days in Playas, I'll give a bit of my insight.
It, for the most part, is not as refined as, say Cuenca. There are many un improved streets. But, there is a ton of infra structure going on. New roads being paved, new water/ sewer lines going in and the like.
The main strip has numerous Mercado's, and all the basic necessities, hardware, pharmacies, etc.
I can also attest to the medical services, firsthand. Yesterday, while playing tennis  < what the hell was I thinking? > I did a face plant. Split my chin open quite nicely. One of the maintenance men at our building became quite concerned, and offered to accompany us to the emergency clinic. Upon arrival, although it was still fairly early, there was a pretty good line up. Well, I was holding a totally blood soaked white tee shirt to my chin, and they took me right in. I received 4 deep stitches and 5 topical ones. Total time, about 45 minutes. I had no I.D. with me, but some cash. They sent me to the pharmacy for pain and anti infection meds. When asked regarding charges? No charge... free. A gringo with no identification no less.
In the end, along the stretch of beach we're on, there are multi million dollar private homes. There is, as mentioned, a beautiful up scale mall, the weather so far has been absolutely fantastic. Would I live here full time? Nope. But for me, a great place to buy a Snow Bird residence.
So Nards, jump on a bus to GYE., where you can jump on a one hour shuttle and check it out. There is a hotel, right on the beach for $ 40.00 per night, though I'm sure just off the beach, much cheaper. My friend stayed in town for $ 23.00 a night. < double occupancy >
Regards,
ZenSPIKE
Ps. took a Tuk Tuk trip of about 3 miles yesterday after shopping. 50  cents

Good report, being a snow bird is an admirable title.  Hope your tennis game picks up.

ZenSPIKE wrote:

There is a hotel, right on the beach for $ 40.00 per night, though I'm sure just off the beach, much cheaper. My friend stayed in town for $ 23.00 a night. < double occupancy >

Hey Zen, could you provided the names of these hotel's, etc?

I have some relatives coming to visit in December and would like an inexpensive place to stay.

Thanks muchly

For those who like following the "inside baseball" at Gringo Tree and/or Hearts of Gold,  there is a heated discussion going on at this thread, including partipcipation by the founder;

Of course in my continued desire to be relevant, I contributed a comment.

http://www.cuencahighlife.com/its-chari … pproaches/

Nards Barley wrote:

For those who like following the "inside baseball" at Gringo Tree and/or Hearts of Gold,  there is a heated discussion going on at this thread, including partipcipation by the founder;

Of course in my continued desire to be relevant, I contributed a comment.

http://www.cuencahighlife.com/its-chari … pproaches/

I always ask charities to see their form 990 for the most recent fiscal year.  If that is not available I want to know what percentage of revenues go to program expenses, administrative expenses and fund raising.  Many that solicit contributions on the phone spend less than 10% of their revenues in program services.  Best to give directly to the recipients, cutting out the middle man is always more cost effective

Gosh that sounds painful. I hope you are healing and taking it easy with the racket...

Great your doing well on the beach!  Thanks for the info.  I thought it more complicated & longer trip than what you state.  Hope your chin gets heal soon so you can play more tennis!  I am going white water rafting Saturday in Banos and wandering what the hell I am thinking off?  You only live once, but I am like a cat w/9 lives.
I am not sure what # I am on.  Feel better.  Martha

Mike,
I'll look into it tomorrow and get back to you.

Actually, yeah. It was pretty painful. Worse today of course. Don't know if I fractured my jaw. I didn't mention it at the clinic, cuz I'm leaving for Minnesota day after tomorrow. If it's an issue, I'll have it checked out stateside. Just didn't want to interfere with my flight.
The tennis racket is hung up... where it can't hurt me again. Never More !!!
Hope you are well.

ZenSPIKE wrote:

Actually, yeah. It was pretty painful. Worse today of course. Don't know if I fractured my jaw. I didn't mention it at the clinic, cuz I'm leaving for Minnesota day after tomorrow. If it's an issue, I'll have it checked out stateside. Just didn't want to interfere with my flight.
The tennis racket is hung up... where it can't hurt me again. Never More !!!
Hope you are well.

Going back to see the FIRST PLACE VIKINGS!
Have a great trip.

We drove our car from Cuenca Central. Took 4.5 hours, with stops along the way. My friends lady friend often takes the bus right at the GYE terminal, and takes her about an hour into Playas.
Mind you, most Ecuadorians make the drive down in about 3.5 hours. Hmmm??
Thanks for the well wishes.

Dude....
You won't believe this. My son has got tickets to the Green Bay game. Corporate Best Buy box. What a sweet home  coming gift. < obviously, he's with BB >

ZenSPIKE wrote:

Dude....
You won't believe this. My son has got tickets to the Green Bay game. Corporate Best Buy box. What a sweet home  coming gift. < obviously, he's with BB >

WOW, game of the year.  Best of luck Purple People Eaters.

Purple People Eaters....
Can you imagine, number one rated defense in the NFL ? What a turn around. Offence has a long way to go, but AP has been filling that hole. Leading the league in rushing ,by a healthy margin ,after a few shaky games after his comeback. 203 yards last week.

Hey Mike,
Sorry for the late response. I was unable to get to the city center to get the names of the more reasonably priced hotels, but, the one right on the beach is named Paradise Beach Hotel. It is $ 40.00 a night for double occupancy. Not real fancy, but very clean, and again, right on the ocean. Couldn't find a nicer location on the beach.
Regards,
ZenSPIKE

A Ecuadorian friend of mine was giving me a ride to El Centro and asked me if wanted to stop for an ice cream at the best ice cream shop in Cuenca.   I asked if we are going to Tutto Freddos which is considered the best ice cream by the Gringo Community.

He said "hell no". We are going to "Helados La Tienda"

During the rest of the ride I was thinking about how many scoops I would order, whether I wanted a cone or a cup, and what toppings I would put on it.  I also wondered whether they would have mint chip or coffee ice cream which I don´t think I have found anywhere.

So we park and approach the store which seemed like a typical ice cream parlor except for minimal seating.



As I approached the counter I quickly realized there were no glass cases showcasing the product.  There were no fancy menus showing banana splits or sundaes.   Just a piece of paper hanging that listed the flavors for that day hanging on a post.  So I ordered the first choice on the list and the employee grabbed it out of the freezer.  It cost $1.20

Here it is. It was quite good.  I subsequently learned that there are resellers throughout town in various restaurants and stores.

I may have a scoop folks which I need your help to get to the bottom of:

Over at Cuenca Highlife today I left the following comment for this article on its first year anniversary:

Odd that there is no reference to deke Castlemen in this article.  Maybe there was a falling out of associates? Let the speculation begin.

This comment appears to have been moderated, which raises the red flag further. While editors come and go from news publications, there is usually an announcement. In this case there is complete silence.

An excellent point raised in the comment section of this article.

Lorenzo • 4 months ago
"Expats", that is funny: Ecuadorians are called "immigrants" wherever they go
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Arthur Rimbaud  Lorenzo • 6 hours ago
Agreed. I find the term annoying. I prefer to be considered as someone arriving in a new place rather than simply absenting myself from another.
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I favor discontinuing the use of  the word "expat" in favor of either "traveler",  "immigrant" or "refugee".

Since the website name was just changed from expat-blog.com to expat.com a few weeks ago after months of preparation, it's probably too soon to ask the Home Office to consider making it refugee.com

cccmedia in Quito

Nards Barley wrote:

An excellent point raised in the comment section of this article.

Lorenzo • 4 months ago
"Expats", that is funny: Ecuadorians are called "immigrants" wherever they go
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Arthur Rimbaud  Lorenzo • 6 hours ago
Agreed. I find the term annoying. I prefer to be considered as someone arriving in a new place rather than simply absenting myself from another.
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I favor discontinuing the use of  the word "expat" in favor of either "traveler",  "immigrant" or "refugee".

One would think one could only become an expat by taking up a new citizenship and renouncing the old, hence the "ex".

expat  A person taking up residency in another country.  (The Urban Dictionary)

expatriate  An expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person temporarily or permanently residing as an immigrant in a country other than that of their citizenship.  From the Latin terms ex meaning "out of" and patria:  country or fatherland.  (Wikipedia)


                     .

Lorenzo • 4 months ago
"Expats", that is funny: Ecuadorians are called "immigrants" wherever they go

It's a "color of your skin" thing, I assume. Western Europeans and North Americans tend to be called "expats" while people from other parts of the world and who have darker skin are called "immigrants". Personally, I prefer to be called a vagabond or traveller, even though those have negative connotations in some places.

Please refer to me as Gypsy from This day forward.