Cuenca, Ecuador: Perceptions, Misconceptions and a Third Look

During our exploratory visit to Cuenca, we wrote a post about "Preconceptions, Misconceptions and New Viewpoints". In January 2014 we updated our thoughts in this post, "Perceptions, Misconceptions and Living Here". I thought it was time for another review so here is "Perceptions, Misconceptions and a Third Look".

1. Noise, pollution and traffic
   We notice the noise less and less all the time, I guess we have adapted to city life. The sporadic building alarm behind our new apartment bothers us the most (well, it bothers Stu).
   
   The traffic hasn't changed much, we still walk a lot as well as take the bus.
   
   Pollution is worse due to the construction for the Tranvia and our new location close to it. We expect 2015 to be the worst since construction will expand into El Centro.
    
2. Conservative dress
   I now feel quite comfortable in jeans and a t-shirt when going out but I have also added more solid color shirts (not blouses) and a couple pairs of Duluth Trading pants. Stu has done the same. We still wear athletic shoes most of the time although I love my Ariat slip-ons for days when I'm not walking a lot.
   
   We are seeing more and more casual dress in the teens, even shorts, so I anticipate the continuing trend towards this as those teens grow up.
    
3. Bad Coffee
   Very rarely do we get served bad coffee here. We love the coffee in the restaurants and love the dark roast beans we get at a local shop, Nucallacta.
    
4. Weather
   We still love the weather here and in our new apartment with almost wall-to-wall windows, even an overcast day doesn't seem gloomy. But we know the weather isn't for everyone. It can be a bit cool at times and of course the temperature FEELS warmer or cooler at times due to the altitude.
    
5. Stray Dogs
   Not much has changed here although there are several more rescue groups for dogs. Cats aren't seen as much...mostly with expats. We have seen more locals treating dogs as pets rather than an alarm system. We sometimes wonder if these are part of the influx of Ecuadorians returning from the US and Spain.
    
6. Finding our way around
   We're doing much better, the addresses make sense to us now and we can finally pronounce most of the street names. Of course, we still never remember the address of places we see...thank goodness we have friends that do!
    
7. Language Barrier
   This will be a continual learning process. Our two weeks of Spanish class helped and we both plan to keep working from our notes and workbooks (as well as using the online resources). I get compliments on my pronounciation, even when I'm not sure what I'm saying. So I guess that's a good thing.
    
8. Safety/Security
   We really don't worry about this, as we've stated before, we use common sense when we are out and about. Since we are now in an 8 floor building, we have security at the entrance 24/7. We still don't go out a lot in the evenings, but then we didn't do that in the US either.
    
9. Graffiti vs Street Murals
   We continue to see new murals around town and enjoy snapping photos of them. They are constantly changing. The tagging type graffiti continues but it also moves. Some of it has an artisitic quality, others, not so much. Part of city life...sigh.
    
10. Street/Road Condition & Pedestrians (Walking)
    Nothing has changed here, it's still dangerous to be a pedestrian and you have to continually watch where you walk as well as watch the traffic. But we have had several folks motion us to cross in front of their cars and we even had a bus driver do so. We thank them gratefully!

What we love about Ecuador...this list hasn't changed from our first post other than the addition of #10. Oh, and the list is in no particular order, that would be hard to do. There is something for everyone here in Ecuador whether you plan to vacation or retire. Give it a try!

1. The People 
2. The Greenery
3. The Climate 
4. The Fresh Fruits & Vegetables 
5. The Lack of Stress 
6. The Little Shops  & Markets
7. The Artisans 
8. The Family 
9. The Country 
10. The Diversity

Needless to say, we still love living here. This year we plan to take a mini-trip every month, out to a surrounding town or tourist attraction. We will continue to expand our Spanish vocabulary (grammar and tense are at the bottom of our list). We see something new and interesting daily, whether from our apartment window or traveling around town. Life is good! C'mon on down for a visit...

Never a dull moment....

It was supposed to be a quiet day - take the bus into El Centro, visit some friends to see their new place and buy a handmade Christmas ornament, grab lunch (el almuerzo) at Don Colon and then walk to Rotary Market to see if we could pick up a couple of small shelves.

The sun was shining with a nice breeze, the bus came quickly and we settled in for what should have been a short bus ride. While at a traffic light just pas the Las Americas roundabout, I heard a siren. Looking out the window I saw a policeman on a motorcycle chasing a man - both weaving in and out/around the cars waiting at the light. They cross the street and both charge up the sidewalk beside the bus.

The locals are craning their necks for a view, we're now on the wrong side of the bus to see much. Siren blaring loudly, the culprit charges ONTO OUR BUS via the open rear door and heads to the front. Behind him is the policeman. They reach the front of the bus and the fight/struggle starts.

At this point we opt to get off the bus, not knowing what might happen next. A gunfight? Getting slugged by a stray fist? A few steps off the bus and backup arrives - police in cars and on motorcycles. We glance back, there are 5-6 officers holding the perpetrator (of what, we have no idea). I hadn't wanted to take a photo while on the bus but I quickly grabbed this photo.

Needless to say, the rest of the day was anti-climatic! We caught another bus down the road a bit, getting off in El Centro and finishing the walk to our friends' Kathy & Sara's new place. Well, not so new anymore, but the first time I'd seen it. Stu was there for his last furniture refinishing class which was before they truly moved in. After a tour (their terrace view is spectacular) and some great chit-chat, I picked out one of the ornaments that Kathy had been making. I love the patchwork look to it and it will be a great addition to our eventual cabin in the woods.

From there was walked to one of our favorite lunch spots, Don Colón's restaurant where we worked to find someone heading to the US in the next week or so, Don needed a letter mailed. That done, lunch consumed, coffee enjoyed and we headed out on a leisurely walk to Rotary Market where we easily found the little shelves we wanted.

Here are a couple other photos I snapped while walking El Centro...

So all in all an interesting day! How was yours?

P.S. Do we worry about crime? Check out this post: Crime in Ecuador

Crime in Ecuador

A hot topic is crime in Latin America, for us in Ecuador and specifically, Cuenca. We've all seen the grisly headlines about drug cartels and homicides. We've read about date rape drugs and other used in robberies.

But what is the reality of living here in Cuenca? We have met over 100 expats and are online friends with many more. Have any of them experienced crime personally? The truth and sad fact is, yes, some of them have.

Most of these have been crimes of opportunity - pockets picked, cell phones left sitting on the edge of a table, backpacks not secured on a packed bus. There are a few stories of face-to-face robberies, many of them at night with the victim a bit inebriated or unaware of their surroundings.

Cuenca is not a small town even though it may feel that way at times. We have learned to not carry a lot of cash, use the ATMs inside the banks or the bigger malls, keep our wallets where we can feel them, never carry original copies of our passports (not needed now that we have our cedulas of which we carry laminated copies), NEVER flash a lot of money or wear expensive watches or jewelry. It's all pretty much common sense. Expensive cameras, laptops, tablets and cell phones are primary targets but we have heard of women having their earrings snatched.

Are we targeted as gringos? At times, partially because we are known to have more money than the locals. But we have also talked to many locals who have been victims as well. Home invasions to happen, especially to those not adequately prepared. One victim's wife opened the gate to someone who was looking for his chicken he claimed had flown over their fence. She opened the gate and she was rushed by three men. They have since installed a video camera, this would have prevented the crime. Another was robbed at gunpoint and wrote about it here. He accepts some of the blame but it did destroy their feeling of security for some time.

Homes are built in enclaves of one or more, behind locked gates with the tops wired with electricity or walls with broken bottles embedded. No enclave, then you will see barred windows and heavily padlocked doors. Dogs are guards and alarms here, not so much pets.

Here in Cuenca we don't have a problem with "gypsy" cabs or cab kidnappings as Guayaquil and Quito do (in those cities always have the hotel call a cab for you and learn the markings of a licensed, registered cab). In Cuenca the majority of the cabs have webcams AND had a little red button that calls ECU-911. Yes, there is a 911 service here, in fact the husband of the gal that runs my favorite beauty salon, works for ECU-911. We have never felt unsafe in a Cuenca taxi or on the bus but we are very aware of our belongings when on the bus.

Do we worry incessantly about this? Absolutely not! But we are aware. If we go out at night, we use a taxi. We avoid the buses when they are very crowded. If we plan to attend an event with a lot of people, we carry as little as possible with us and even have an old cell phone we can use as a throwaway. We try to keep extra money hidden, just have a couple of ones and maybe a ten or twenty to hand over. We avoid unpopulated areas when walking, especially at dawn or dusk. We have never felt threatened but we also are constantly aware of our surroundings.

July 14, 2014 ARTICLE: Former criminologist discusses crime in Cuenca

 Poverty is the mother of crime.

Marcus Aurelius