Buses and Propane – the gaseous vapors of Cuenca

The blue buses—at 25 cents a ride (exact change, por favor) --  deliver people all over the city and are a dominant part of Cuenca.  In the morning, it’s not unusual to see an indigenous woman sitting with her basket full of fruits/veggies ready for the market.  You also see many “estudiantes” on the bus, and every time they click through the bus entrance with their card, a recorded female voice says “estudiante.”  Then there are the gringos (no names mentioned), trying to figure out if they are on the right bus line, and there are a multitude of others who know what they are doing.  

There are 28 bus lines at the moment, and there are probably three to four buses per line, so one does not have to wait longer than ten minutes for a ride.  However, you have to know the bus routes so you can choose your entry and exit points.   As good as they are, there is a downside.   .  Look out for the buses!  They dominate the street traffic, and the drivers are aggressive.  They also provide a layer of diesel fuel soot that seems to permeate everywhere.  See pics.

Blue buses dominate the traffic along with yellow taxis.

Buses serve passengers along Pres. Cordova St.

Note the diesel exhaust

Propane is the fuel in the homes and businesses.  See the pic in our house – one container to run the propane stove and  clothes dryer and the other to provide heated water.  It’s hot water on demand – turn the faucet on and the propane heater kicks in.  The propane providers drive their vehicles slowly down the streets – honking their horns.  People come out with the empty containers, and the exchange is made. Filled containers are inexpensive (from our viewpoint) – two dollars.

One tank for the hot water and the other for the stove and clothes dryer.

 

Honk! Honk! Need Propane?

This propane tank deliverer can access the tight places.

Domingo Gringo

Here is a brief report on Domingo Gringo (Gringo Sunday) at the Inca Bar and Bistro (see pic of Julie in front of the place).  The bar is owned and run by an American who grew up in a military family (lived in many places).  The bar is between the Tomebamba River and a very steep cliff and thus has a scenic placement with an outdoor patio facing the river and an upstairs bar with a back yard  by the cliff.  The place is a gathering spot for Americans and Canadians on Sunday afternoons and reportedly is a gathering place for younger folk in the evening. 

Julie at Domingo Gringo at the Inca Bar

However, this last Sunday was atypical as the bar was showing the Packer & Bear game via an internet site received via Wi-Fi (with the TV being the monitor). The view of the game was a bit herky/jerky, but there was much interest (see pics).  Those not interested in the actual details of the game visited outside as did Harold and Julie.  See pic of Harold with some members of the group, and note that the sign in the background that says “El Barranco” – which means “The Cliff” .)

Harold with back yard group

Bear/Packer/NFL fans in the lounge area

Bar group during the game

MUSEUMS in Cuenca:

Here is the scope of our museum stalking thus far:

(1) PANAMA HATS – originate in Ecuador, NOT Panama!  The PANAMA HAT MUSEUM is at most a ½ hour stop, but it’s a fun stop.  They have an English-speaking person who will explain the process to you, explaining the difference between a $200 Panama Hat and a $15 hat (it’s the closeness of the weave).  You can crumple and fold the expensive hats, but you have to be somewhat careful with the cheaper ones.  They also have indigenous crafts people weaving, and once weaved, the hats are shaped by being placed in a hot molds at least three times.  Then for completion and decoration, they go to a group of women who put on the finishing touches.  We didn’t buy any hats, but we will.  You can also dress up in native clothes, including the hats, and have your picture taken, and the view from the upper level of the museum is spectacular. 

 

 (2)    MUSEO DE LAS CULTURAS ABORIGENES:  This museum shows you the cultural artifacts of about 20 pre-Hispanic cultures going back as far as 13,000 BC.  There is a section for many of the cultures of  Ecuador, and along with a little write-up, you can see the metal, pottery, and stone artifacts.  We were amazed at the sophistication of the pieces.  This museum also has quite a nice gift shop with a variety of Ecuadorian items.

 (3)   MUSEO PUMAPUNGO was a real eye-opener about the sophistication of the Inca culture before the Spaniards arrived.  Cuenca was originally called TOMEBAMBA, but since Tupac Yupangui was born there (one of the last Inca kings), he built a spectacular city to honor himself and to challenge the magnificence of Cuzco, Peru.  The name was changed to PUMAPUNGO when Tupac rebuilt it.  The museum includes the excavation of the original archeological site out back.  Fascinating, and we both left having a tremendous appreciation for the Inca lifestyle previous to the Spaniards coming.  The interior of the museum includes displays of many of Ecuador’s various cultures, including dress, jewelry, etc.  – equally fascinating.

And one more bit of trivia – some think that the city of Tomebamba (present day Cuenca) was the original city of gold (El Dorado) sought after by the Spaniards and others.

Harold in front of replica building which would have housed some of the 200 women who worked for the religious community.

Julie in front of the terraced hillside with the religious and government sites on top of the hill.

Another view of terraced hillside from the gardens below.

Irrigation canal

Accomplishments during our first week in Cuenca

Here is the scope of what we have been doing during our first week in Cuenca:

• Walked and walked and walked around Cuenca to see where things are located and to get our spatial bearings.

• Walked from our apartment to the “centro” on 3 different routes.

• Learned a bit more about where to buy food in our immediate vicinity and have stocked up a BIT. 

• Learned to use the Cuenca bus system (25 cents per ride anywhere in the city), and we’ve taken the bus a few times and arrived at our desired location (whew).

• Learned how to ask a taxi driver “how much to get to . . . “ and to use the taxis (no tipping unless the taxi driver carries some bags for you).

• Signed up for Spanish classes and have taken the first couple of them.

• Checked out some of the food and artisan markets in town.

• Made arrangements to go to Galapagos the first week in February.

• Made arrangements with a travel agent to do some tours in the immediate vicinity of Cuenca.

• Gone to three ex-pat social events and met tons of cool people from all over the US and Canada.

• Slept and ate (sometimes at home, sometimes at restaurants -- the eating, that is).

• Had intestinal distress once (Julie)

• Gone out running a couple of times (Harold)

Our Casa & Our Vecindad (House and Neighborhood)

These are the people in our neighborhood. . . .  Well, we haven’t really met anyone yet except a woman in the next building and the security man, but we are making a serious attempt to get to know the neighborhood.   

 Our apartment is in a complex known as Altamira II (I think it means High View).  The “II” would indicate that there is a “I” and that complex is next door.  We have one flight of stairs to enter our apartment which is good because there are five floors in the building, and there is no elevator.  The complex is in the shape of a letter “U” with the interior of the “U” used for parking vehicles and the entrance to the “U” is gated with 24-hour security people.  Our bedrooms overlook this courtyard and our kitchen and dining room views are of the hill side below us.

Altamira II - our casa

Small park across the street from Altamira II

 

Since we are in a basin and we are basically on a large hillside,  we look down on a car dealer from our kitchen window (see pic), and when on the street in front of the dealer,  you can see our apartment above (see pic).  Of course, there are people that are looking down at us (see pic of “casa grandes” on the hills above us).

View from our kitchen window includes a car dealer.

 

 

Altamira II from below

"Casa Grandes" that look down at us

 Cuenca has four rivers flowing through this basin and the long name for Cuenca is “Santa Ana de los Quatro Rios de Cuenca” where “Cuenca” means the “confluence” of four rivers.  The main river is the Tomebamba which is a short walk from our casa – see pic of Julie by the Tomebamba.

Julie and the Rio Tomebamba

 

Very close to us (1/4 of a block) there is the “Punto” (Point) restaurant/bakery/butcher shop, and then about two blocks away, we have the SUPERMAXI in a shopping center.  However access to the Supermaxi for pedestrians is a challenge since between us and the store is the “Avenida de las Américas” which is a very busy thoroughfare.  Oh well, we navigate it anyway – quickly!

Punto - a bakery, meat counter and deli - very close

Small shopping mall with a large grocery store - but a challenge for us to get there