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!
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