I must apologize for being away so long, but it’s been awfully hard to put pen to paper lately. We’ve been in an “Explore Ecuador” mode recently, and I wanted to delay writing until I could tell you more about what we’ve been up to.
Since settling in so nicely into the city, Jeff and I realized there was a huge itch needing to be scratched. It’s easy for me to keep busy doing all kinds of things in and out of the apartment, but Jeff was starting to get bored and antsy. He’s the kind that wakes up ready to sink his teeth into designing, fixing, or building something. You know ~ a “project guy”. And here he was, stuck in a brand new place requiring none of those things. So, we thought. What should we do about it?
One of the things that kept coming up - even before we’d arrived - was to eventually have a little getaway place in the “campo”, or countryside. Some place with a cool climate, good water source, and most importantly, a trout pond to serve as the cherry on top. So that’s where we’ve been. Traveling around the Ecuadorean countryside, trying to find a little piece of heaven where Jeff can be as productive as he wants to be and I can get into the fresh clean air and gardening. Ah, but where?
The first thing we agreed on is not to give up our place here in Cuenca. We’ve made a lovely home here, and have been incredibly fortunate to have made wonderful friends so quickly. I especially enjoy the social life here, and all the entertainment options that the city provides. That means we didn’t want to go to far to get away. Thankfully it’s easy enough to do because the countryside can be just minutes away. In fact, many native “Cuencanos” have just that very thing - a small farm or property to spend weekends. And lucky for us, they are very willing to share their secret.
Which was the second thing we agreed on. We wanted to keep our search low key by simply putting out the word to people we know. No real estate agents ~ just inside scoops. If it led us to something, great. And if not, that was fine, too. Before long we were led to many different places to explore. I love that. Such is life here. Just say the word and everyone seems to be willing to help.
Anyway, I digress. After checking out places farther away such as Vilcabamba, Loja, and the Yunguilla Valley just to be sure, we narrowed our scope and came back closer to the city. We’d found a lovely farm overlooking Cuenca just above the tiny town of Chiquintad, but alas, it was pure pasture and had very few trees. We explored Cumbe, Tarqui, Paute and Chordeleg. Lovely all, but no score yet. That is, until a friend took us up to a lovely hacienda outside and above a town called Nabón. Driving in, it felt like New England where we were raised. Tall pines and cypresses covered the land. We immediately envisioned our little cabin, sweeping mountain and valley views below, and fireplace roaring at night. 10,800 feet up in the air, a pure eagle’s nest. Not a sound to be heard but the wind. And then there were all the other surprises - trout ponds, horses, and even a deer that greeted us. It even has a lovely name, Hacienda Zhimpali (pronounced Sheempali). Unfortunately the owner isn’t sure what it’s Quechua indian name means. Oh, well.
Anyway, so that’s where I’ve been. And now we have our best friends visiting from Costa Rica, who of all things, are looking for their perfect paradise here, too. Sure hope we can help them find it!
