WE SHOULD'VE STUCK WITH WOOD!

Jeff and I couldn’t wait. Wednesday was our fifth anniversary, and we figured we’d do something especially fun and romantic. We went online to look for local boutique hotels with spa treatments. What could be better than a wee bit of pampering?

Fortunately for us, there’s a little town called Baños just ten minutes away known for its natural thermal pools. We’d already visited one of the spas in that area, a wonderful place called Piedra de Agua. With volcanic mud baths, steam boxes, turkish baths, thermal pools and full-body massages, we’ve happily gone twice now - once with guests and another time on our own.

The downside of Piedra de Agua is that it doesn’t have a hotel. But right next door is the Hosteria Duran, a well-known older place that was one of the first to build a business around the thermal pools. So what the heck, we thought. Let’s go! 

The write-ups on Trip Advisor were very good, as was their website. It’s touted as a 4-out-of 5 star hotel, so I envisioned a quaint place with lots of character. We even went for the “wedding plan” - room with fireplace, complimentary fruit plate, and the choice of lunch or dinner. Such romance!

When we arrived in the late afternoon, we were whisked up to our room by a doorman clearly in a rush. He opened the door and left quickly. Our hearts sank. It wasn’t a terrible room, but it was definitely lifeless. A dreary day outside, it felt even drearier in the room. It was also freezing in there, but at least we had a fireplace, right? But then I looked at the stack of wood. We’d need a lot more to get us through the night if we started now.

Okay, so now what do we do? We had just passed the pool at the center of the courtyard. Empty. It was being cleaned, and it would be ready for the morning. All-righty, then. What else is there? We requested a tour of the grounds to learn about all the amenities. Our guide pointed out the racquetball and tennis courts. Oh, and turkish baths. Aha! we thought. That’s something. Still following, we were surprised to be being led across the parking lot. Oh, God, I thought. I’ll have to traipse across this parking lot in my bathing suit? Yeah, like that’s gonna happen. And without flip-flops, too. Lovely. 

The “baths” were located adjacent to the public (read: not romantic!!) thermal pools. Cold little white-tiled cubicles reminiscent of high school locker rooms, thermal water cascaded from a pipe jutting from the wall. The water filled into a little standing tub that could be plugged and sat in. Oh, joy.

Jeff and I looked at each other. Should we do it? By this time we’d figured we were here and paying for it, so went back to the room to change. Thankfully they’d left a couple of threadbare bathrobes and two towels. Oh, and I had just picked up a pair of flip-flops for $3.50 at the kiosk near the public pool. We were good to go. I guess.

In the so-called baths lavished with old chipped tile, we stepped down a couple of stairs into the cascading shower of steaming hot water. Once filled, we dared to sit down. It took seconds for my skin to itch like crazy and my eye contacts to blur. Oh, I was really loving this now. Jeff and I couldn’t help but laugh. This was insane!

So there we went again, traipsing back through the parking lot, soggy and chilled. We must’ve been especially entertaining to the group of curious schoolchildren now frolicking in the public pool. By the time we reached the room, we had both had it. We felt about as romantic as a wall. Should we leave? Yep. We have a much nicer home with fabulous views of the river and mountains. We’d be crazy to stay.

We packed up, and gave the news to the desk clerk. Though we’d only been there less than two hours, we were going to be charged the full rate, which didn’t make us happy. Thankfully the manager came in, and simply let us go. 

How could we explain how bad the experience was to us? Were we being typical demanding foreigners? I don’t think so. We’re both pretty easy going, but this one just let us down. So we left, had drinks and laughs at home with dear friends, and went on to a romantic evening and dinner at our favorite restaurant here called Tiestos. Our only regret? Not having stuck with the traditional gift of wood for the fifth anniversary. Who knows? I could’ve gotten a cool cutting board and Jeff could’ve gotten some shelves or something(!) Oh, well. Better anniversary planning next time!

ALL RIGHT, NOW WHAT?

One of the major questions friends have is “What the heck do you do all day?” We’re not alone, I’m sure - it’s definitely a question most retirees end up attempting to answer at some point. ATTEMPTING - that’s the operative word. 

First of all, let me be clear. This article isn’t just for retirees or those at the verge of considering taking that leap. It’s really all about daily life, no matter what stage you’re in. What do YOU do all day? 

Back in the States, it seemed all I could do to keep the balls up in the air. The biggest challenge was mental exhaustion - trying to deal (at least adequately) with the million different aspects of my job as a school principal. Thank God I never had kids. I can’t even begin to imagine holding it together then. God Bless working moms. I would’ve caved, I swear.

Then Jeff and I decided to go for a “simpler life”, selling everything we owned to head to Costa Rica. HA! Retired or not, we were surprised to find ourselves constantly running every minute. Okay, so a major factor was that everything took so long to accomplish there. If you went to the bank, electric, or telephone company, you brought a book. You spent half your life waiting. The other half was spent scrambling back to the same places to just get whatever it was done. The running joke there was that “three time’s the charm”. Nothing ever got accomplished the first trip round. Or the second. They always managed to ask for some obscure document you never had (and had to go elsewhere 3 more times to get), or their systems were down, or some other such nonsense. Patience. We learned the art of patience there.

In addition to trying to beat the systems, we were never at a loss for something to do. The house needed an endless amount of care and updates, which kept Jeff busy all the time. Then he got into building a workshop and garage, and later a boat, which then led him into charter fishing. Never a dull moment. And of course, with my being able to speak spanish, I was right in there with him. Go, go, go, all the time.

It’s different here in Cuenca. We no longer have a house to maintain, nor boats or workshops to build. As you know from other posts, we’ve spent the first few months running everywhere to find just the right furniture, and also to establish bank accounts, utility services, etc. (processes that are SO much easier here!) Then we got into decorating the terraces with furniture and flowers. But what’s to come next? How will we fill our days?

Well, now that we’ve graduated to a real vehicle, our plan is to go exploring the country.


 The everyday things are pretty much taken care of, and there’s only so much you can do to keep busy in an apartment. This blog is one thing that has kept me busy and gives me purpose. But as you may have noticed it’s already being ignored a bit, thanks to our being able to hop into the pickup and discover this beautiful country we’re living in. So get ready to explore along with us. We’ll take you right along. 

¡VIVA ECUADOR!

                    

UNDER OUR FEET WHERE NO GRASS GROWS Settling into Cuenca part two

"Frenetic" is the word that definitely defines the next stage of settling into our new home here.  The brand new three-bed apartment overlooking the river Tomebamba was fantastic, and even included terraces off of every room. But excited as we were, it didn't take long for us to be overwhelmed by the daunting prospect of having to fill it all. No appliances, no furniture, bedding - not even basic kitchen tools. Yikes!

So off we went, pounding the pavement. Thankfully, the wide variety of furniture stores here are ready and waiting to fit any taste or budget. Jeff and I literally put on miles each day, hemming and hawing, discussing and deciding. Between taxi cabs willing to be stuffed to the gills and home deliveries, somehow it all worked out. And then once the big items were out of the way, the next phase was to decorate. I needed rugs. Wall art. Vases, candles, and adornments. All to complete what felt like an empty shell. I needed it to feel like home, and I needed it now. It's a girl-thing, I'd explain. You can see my husband's rolling eyes, can't you?


For him, the next step was all about getting wheels. He couldn't wait to hop onto a bike to explore the city and its outskirts. All the walking and taxi riding was okay, but wheels meant freedom. Woohoo! So we purchased two bikes, and I'd join him once in awhile. Call me a wimp, but I was much less up for battling the insanity of the traffic (and nasty bus fumes) of the Centro than he was. He'd go like a banshee through the sidewalks and streets,  joyriding to his heart's content. Me? Give me Sunday mornings riding along the lovely river's bike paths ~ in peace and safety. Sad. Where is my sense of adventure?

Ah, but not long after that, we learned about a motorcycle friends had up for sale. They'd decided to get scooters instead, so naturally, Jeff jumped at this great opportunity. Now we could have even more freedom! So now you can picture typical wimpy me, right? Yep. Eyes shut tight, praying as we wove through lanes of crazy-driving taxis, buses, and cars, my arms clutching and nails digging ever more deeply into      his sides. Aarrgh! Biker Chick I'm not.

So while I went back to my "nesting" stage, Jeff was able to go exploring, which made us both happy. But oh, that wasn't to last, either. We still had the terraces to furnish and decorate.  Gardening is Jeff's thing, so off we went on the bike to seek out furniture, planters and flowers. He would drive home, and I'd take the loot back home in a taxi. Always an adventure!

What we've found most amazing is that things did finally start settling down. Friends would come to dinner and comment at how "homey" and lived-in the place is, marveling how short a time it took. We definitely feel totally comfortable and grateful for how it all turned out. But now what's next? How do we fill our days and nights? Looks like a Part Three's 
                                           coming up...

SETTLING INTO CUENCA: A LOOK BACK part one

We’ve been here in Cuenca a little over five months now, and I'm looking back at the move and its distinct phases. We’ve accomplished so much in such a short time! It wasn’t always easy, and definitely frustrating sometimes. But all in all, this city has become our home, and has been for us from the get-go. 

Once we’d done all our research and made the decision to come down, it took both luck and determination to make it happen. We’d been itching to move on from Costa Rica, and had all but lost hope. Then the house sold, and we kicked into high gear to close the loose ends of that chapter. Our “stuff” was purged yet again, bank and service accounts closed, the stressful property sale completed, and sadly, good-bye parties were held with friends. All that with the other foot excitedly on the way into the future.

Now essentially homeless, we headed back to the States in between to spend a fantastic month-plus of quality time with friends and family. Still, we had to get serious to prep for arrival here. Six-month visas needed to be arranged, and all the necessary documents to apply for Ecuadorian residency had to be gathered, notarized and apostilled (certified). Were we getting the right info from the internet? Would we have it altogether by the time we left? We ran around from Connecticut down to Miami, but eventually got it all done (not without tons of stress, I might add). And then the next question was where we'd stay when we landed. We decided on an inn instead of a temporary apartment, one thing we probably would have done differently. It felt great to have that vacation/tourist feel for our new adventure, but an apartment would probably have been a more economical and comfortable move.

Initially we arrived in Quito and stayed for a couple of days. The historic district is fun to explore, and the walking helped to acclimate us a bit to the elevation. Dull headaches and heavy breathing aside, we were fine. Another thing we had to do while we were there was to check in with the Ministry of Exterior in order to have our visas registered in the country (not required for three month tourist visas). A few friends had never been told this, and they ended up being forced to return to Quito from Cuenca to do take care of this for their residency application.

Once here, everything moved like lightning. The hotel was centrally located, making it easy to meet people there or on the cobblestone streets. Most were incredibly eager to share their stories and information as to where to go and how to get things done.  Determined to find an apartment quickly, Voila! the opportunity presented itself in Marvin. Here we were on a double decker city tour bus, and a ten-month veteran “Grincano”  referred us to the woman who’d found him his place. Maribel was an angel. Not only had she coined that clever Gringo/Cuencano moniker, but she also made magic happen as promised and put us into  brand new fabulous condo by December 1. So what if we had a rental contract and no furniture. We were on our way! 

Stay tuned for Part 2 of the look back at settling into Cuenca. If you’re thinking about coming down to stay, I hope you find a few informational tidbits helpful. You never know!