Visiting an Ecuadorian mercado (market) for the first time can be quite intimidating. First and foremost, there are so many things you have never seen before.
I saw a link to this on one of the Facebook Expat groups and thought it was worth sharing. Two pages, so be sure to click the NEXT PAGE button at the bottom.
While not comprehensive, missing things like piña (pineapple), manzana (apples), more (blackberries) and frutilla (strawberries), it is a good introduction to fruits you might not recognize.
May first, or May Day, here in Ecuador is similar to Labor Day. Not just a day off but a day of protests and marches. In Cuenca there were two groups, one that is pro-Correa, our Presidente, and one anti-Correa.
While we went into El Centro but timed it to be after the parades even though last year there was nothing violent, we wanted to avoid the crowds. But a friend, LT Murphy, captured a great video of the event.
Our normal bus had to take a different route due to road closures for the demonstrations, so we had several blocks to walk to our destination. We saw a lot of folks headed out of El Centro, both by foot and car. We also saw the remnants of the extra police brought in - just in case.
{Sorry for the poor quality of some photos, most were taken with my iPhone 3s. Remember you can click to see a larger image.}
We decided to eat lunch at Cafe de Ñucallacta since we needed to buy coffee beans anyway. This was their first day open in their new location and they were offering an expanded menu. What a treat! Three times the size (or maybe more) than their old location, spread over two rooms, it is now open, airy and bright. The furnishings were quite comfortable and the new menu offered a lot of choices. They even had the WiFi working!
I opted for what they call the Wet Burrito with chicken. A flour tortilla, tomato, black beans, cheese, pico de gallo (although it's not what we typically find in the US), chicken and a special sauce. Absolutely delicious and very filling.
Stu opted for the chicken fajita and enjoyed that as well. The little side dish of hot sauce made him sweat a bit, but he loved it.
They also had a dessert counter. We didn't indulge but it looked tasty.
From there we walked down the stairs where a lot of folks were selling jewelry and bags.
Then over to Parque de la Madre where 24 artisans were showing off their wares. A lot of food products, some household decor, toys, clothing, jewelry - it was a feast for the eyes. I was good and didn't find anything that I couldn't live without so we left empty handed.
We took a walking break in the park, enjoying the sights and sounds of children all around us. One family especially enjoyed rolling down the small hills, their trek started by mom pushing them over.
A bus back home and a few final shots.
We ended up with over 7,000 steps although the day ended up over 10k after a twenty minute walk up to meet new friends who had just arrived in Cuenca. Oh, and although it looked like rain off and on all day, we barely got a drop. A good day for sure!
Sometimes it's hard to figure out what to blog about. Our daily life has fallen into a bit of a routine. We sleep till we wake up, Stu usually by 7am and me by 9am. Breakfast, check emails and Facebook, watch a few videos and then decide what to do the rest of the day. Meet new friends, meet old friends, eat out, take a walk, go shopping.
See? Our day here isn't all that different from retirement in the US. Well, except we spend a LOT less on food. Here are two photos to give you an idea of our fruit and veggie costs when we buy at the mercados.
$7 worth of fruit
$12.55 worth of fruit, veggies, jar of honey and a bag of pasta (not shown)
We are in the rainy season now and this means some amazing sunsets and rainbows. Here are a few of the shots we've taken recently.
This past weekend we had a LOT of rain and the rivers were high and fast. This is a 20x zoom photo of the river 1/2 block from us, the Tomebamba. The Yanancuy was the same in two surrounding towns, Paute and Gauleco, the rivers overflowed their banks and flooded the streets.
Shopping - found this adorable Blue-Footed Boobie mobile/wind chime for $5 in El Centro. Stu hung it just outside our door - no breezes but I love to see it when we come home.
We also finally decided to try some local bagels once we realized they would deliver. Stu couldn't get enough of the smell - cinnamon raisin!
The bagels are really good, even without cream cheese (okay, Stu wants that but I'm fine with butter) and we will be ordering them again.
Well, it actually started on Friday and Sunday I was in bed with a headache all day but a blog title of "Friday and Saturday in Cuenca" didn't sound as good. LOL!
We grabbed a taxi and headed to the gathering spot for those going to the Newcomer Lunch at La Yunta. I had been to the first newcomer lunch at Don Colon's while Stu was in the US, so this was his first. We had eaten at La Yunta on other outings and the choices this time were roast beef with pasta or fish and chips. I had one and Stu had the other, both were delicious as well the two dessert choices.
But the day was really for the families with kids...and there were a bunch! What fun to see them all playing together, riding the horses provided for the day and whacking the piñatas to get the candy.
Here are a few photos, the rest are in our SmugMug album.
We even had an adult Piñata!
We had a blast, meeting friends old and new, barely making it home before the sky let loose. Great day!
Then on Saturday, I had been craving a Cuban sandwich ever since watching the movie "The Chef" (four times). Several folks had told us Domesan restaurant had the best Cuban in town. So off we went....sorry for the bite already taken out of my sandwich, I was hungry!
We went for a walk afterwards, it was a gorgeous day. I had to take a photo of this Royal Enfield - love their classic looks. And of course we had to make a stop at La Fornace for ice cream!
It was good, the French Fries were delicious but it wasn't the traditional Cuban sandwish I enjoyed in Little Havana (Miami) many years ago. According to Wikipedia, this is the contents of a Cuban sandwich:
A coat of yellow mustard is spread on the bread. Then sliced roast pork, glazed ham, Swiss cheese, and thinly-sliced dill pickles are added in layers. Sometimes the pork is marinated in mojo and slow roasted.
Some of the ingredients were missing but I still enjoyed it. In fact, we have plans to return on Tuesday for lunch with some other new folks!
