Ecuador~ Kindred Travelers

 

     

In our continual quest to find warm weather and ride Paso Fino horses we chose to travel to Vilcabamba, a small Andean village at a lower and warmer elevation just south of Cuenca. As luck would have it we found the warm weather, the Paso Fino horses and the Tanner family again! Score!  

It’s a real treat when traveling is to meet kindred spirits along the way and we had met the Tanners the first time while seeking warmth along the coast of Ecuador a few weeks past. Bill and Jeanne (dad and mom) with daughters

                                  

Rowan 14 and Arden 12 were in the final weeks of their yearlong sojourn in South America.  We swapped stories and poured over their map taking copious notes while we listened to their adventures.

                  

But.....more adventures were still to be had and all but Bill joined us for a 6 hour ride in the Vilcamaba Mountains. We knew it would be great because we had already gone on a 6 hour ride on the Paso Fino horses the day before and were game to go again. 

  

Our guide Jaime knew the mountains like the back of his hand as we scaled and descended several peaks and valleys. 

  

     

On our return Jaime also made sure we also got adequate time to prance in true Paso Fino fashion throughout the town showing off our steeds and skills. We were stellar.

However, truth be told after being on horses for 12 hours over 2 days we were ready for the hot tub and a strong dose of aspirin but it was worth it. We wonder where we will next run into the Tanners?

Ecuador~ Cuenca~ El Tiempo Vuela

Find Ecuador on this Map!

Time flies especially when we are taking the time to enjoy our journey and attempting to learn Spanish as we travel.  It is now month 10 of our 12 month trip in which we hoped to explore most of Central and South America and we are only as far south as Ecuador.

I think we were on North American scheduling when we planned this South American trip. Needless to say scheduling while in South America especially now that we are retired takes on a new meaning.  Instead of racing for a deadline we get to set a pace that fits our needs and desires. Since our desire is to see the rest of South America our schedule has just been extended. This time our planning will be very South American and we will not even think about when we will be returning until it happens.  We’ll know we are on our way home when we are on the plane to Maui. 

                                        

Now, you may be wondering why we are staying so long in Cuenca, a place that is at an 8300 foot elevation and rarely gets over 50 degrees in a home without heat.  No homes in South America have heat just space heaters...brrr! When you have to pull up the alpaca blanket over the down comforter you know it is really cold.

  

So why are we staying here? The answer is…Gloria.

We extended our visa here solely to continue studying with Gloria who is without a doubt the best Spanish teacher either of us has ever had.  Sustantivos, verbos and pluscuamperfecto have never looked so good nor been so fun to explore. Speaking is still a challenge but ‘poco a poco’ we are making ourselves understood. We are both learning so much from her that we’re willing to endure the cold (but not without complaining…)

We found a great apartment in Cuenca’s historic el centro area.  When we enter from the street we leave the city behind and walk into Iza’s magical garden.

 

Iza, our casera (landlady) and friend is another one of the highlights of our life in Cuenca. She is a master gardener, an artist as well as a collector of incredibly fascinating art from all around the world. Our apartment is furnished from the museum of artifacts that were downstairs in her house. She is a bubble of unending energy and laughter and her little dogs Frieda and Shiloh complete the picture. 

                                                   

                          

                                          

Besides studying Spanish we still practice tourism when we can fit it in between daily classes and unending homework. Here Janet is being cleansed of any ‘mal humor’ that may have been lurking; it didn’t work as we both got sick the next week. Maybe we both should have been cleansed!