Cuenca: Delightful and Enchanting

I have received emails from friends and family back home, who wonder what are my overall impressions of Cuenca, and do I like it here. Granted I've only been here in the city for four days now, but I have already done quite a bit of exploring. Therefore,I will share my initial impressions with you.

No doubt the weather is grand, and even more so when placed in the context that July in Cuenca would be the equivalency of the middle of January back home in Chicago. Yesterday was quite warm. Today began raining and cloudy. It was the first time I had to wear my jacket, which was over a short sleeve shirt and I was quite comfortable. Cuenca, much like we have back home, has its share of rain showers, scattered showers, or showers that are brief or prolonged. To date, I have not experienced any thunder and lightning storms. I will need to ask someone if Cuenca has such storms. However, I understand that all day drizzle and rain is seldom. Although it remained cloudy all day, it had not rained anymore after the early morning hours. What was also surprising was that it felt warmer in the evening than it did during the day.

Just as the rains in Chicago make everything very green, and contribute to keeping much of the haze out of the air when we get those rains. The rains in Cuenca produce the same refreshing effect. The vegetation is vividly green, the showers cleanse the city, and everything just stands out to ones sight in Cuenca. It truly is a city where a cloudy day or not, unless the mountains tops are enveloped in fog, you can see forever. The cars undergo strict emissions standards. Unfortunately, the public buses do not, and there are many buses in Cuenca. If the buses were required to follow strict emission standards, I would not be surprised if Cuenca would have the best large city air quality in the world. Cuenca is the cultural center of Ecuador, so there is little industrial pollution. Possibly, being high in the Andes is another contributing factor for its clean air. Some people take a few days to adjust to the higher altitude in Cuenca, but that was not a problem for me. I find myself naturally taking in deep breaths of air, because the air has such a clean quality to it. My lungs behave as if I have given them a great gift, and my entire body feels invigorated.

Cuenca is also the only place in Ecuador where the water is not polluted to any measurable degree, and where gringos can drink the water directly from the tap. I have always liked Lake Michigan water, and from my experiences found it to be among the best tasting tap water in the United States. Some people I am told have problems adjusting to the water in Cuenca, because of its high mineral content. I did not experience that problem, and find the water to be the best I've ever had. There is no fluoride placed in the water. I have read a number of medical accounts that attribute fluoride as a contributor to plaque build up in coronary arteries, as well as contributing to alzheimer disease. I don't need either. Cuenca water is pure tasting, and free of any kind of aftertaste.

Cuenca sits in a basin and is surrounded by elevated land and mountains, which provides a beautiful setting. In some ways, Cuenca reminds me of the main island of Hawaii minus the oceans, Waikiki, and central Honolulu with it gleaming glass shrouded high rises. As one moves away from the ocean side, and eventually over to the least settle side of the island opposite Waikiki one gets a real feel for the typical homes of Honolulu and the natural beauty of the hills and sandy beaches. This is the part of Honolulu, minus the beaches, that reminds me of Cuenca. The tallest buildings in Cuenca are only eight to ten stories tall, and that is a relatively new construction phenomena.

The mountains, the low lying nebulous clouds that almost form a dome over the city; I can almost feel as if I can reach out and touch any one of these flawless acts of creation. The light of the equatorial sun, which can be masked behind the large dark clouds when it is about to rain, can enhance the light reflected on the city's buildings at different times of the day--a reflection that gives an entirely new mood and atmosphere to the city. From the vantage point of my condo balcony,the houses and buildings under these atmospheric conditions appear like little dioramas. The city does not follow a simple grid pattern, and parts of it is hilly. Streets oftentimes curve and meander. As evening approaches, and dusk sets in, the street lights appear to flicker as if they were lanterns which gives an enchanting feeling to the night time city

The mountains are most inspiring, and continuously changing as the lighting of different times of the day give an entirely new look and feel to what I see. From greens, to reflected streaks of sun light, to bold black hills that are sometimes blended with grays. Each moment speaks to the ever changing perspectives of the mountain views. As I snap photos with my camera, I fear that my lens is not capturing all the subtle shadings and moods of the mountains that I see with my naked eye. I guess you will just have to come to Cuenca to capture the experience of which words can only hint. There is also much more to what makes Cuenca so exceptional besides its biosphere, but that will be for another day.

Street Walking in Cuenca

As my plane arrived in Cuenca, I had my jacket out in preparation for the 60 degree weather I was anticipating. Folks, keep in mind that I am in the Southern Hemisphere near the Equator. We are in the middle of winter here. Well, I certainly did not need my coat. It felt like 85-90 degrees outside, without the humidity we experience in Chicago. The temperatures may have been in the 70's from what I can ascertain from the weather links, which would be unusually warm for this time of year. The average temperature in Cuenca in July is in the upper 50's, the average high temperature is about 63 and the average low is in the upper 40's. The temperature averages throughout the year do not vary more than five degrees warmer than the winter averages for July and August.

I have heard Cuenca weather referred to as perpetually spring-like. However, with the intensity of the sun, when it is not being hidden by clouds; temperatures in the 60's feel a great deal warmer than what we are accustomed to back home. The 60's feel more like back home when it is raining here. Temperatures vary widely throughout the day. Today was not as warm as yesterday and more cloudy, but still a nice day. I have not worn my jacket either day, although by evening a jacket is needed. If this is winter Cuenca-style, I'm lovin it!

Yesterday was very busy for me. I was picked up at the airport by Pablo, who works for Cuenca Real Estate through whom I am renting a condo in what is referred to as a new part of the city, as opposed to the colonial part of the city, which is in walking distance of my residence. Pablo was very helpful. I had no problem finding my way to the Maxi-store about four blocks from where I am residing. People refer to it as a Walmart-like store, but I find it more the size of a large supermarket back home, with about the same offerings one would find in a supermarket.

After I delivered my groceries back to the condo, I headed in the opposite direction toward the downtown and colonial section, which was about a mile walk. I had no problems finding the Information Center and procuring a map of Quenca. I then walked over to Cuenca Real Estate where I met Chela, who handled my transaction for rental through email and PayPal. Despite some early misunderstandings in communication in our use of PayPal, we were able to clear that problem up and eventually finalize the rental transaction. If anyone is planning on coming to Cuenca for an extended stay, I would recommend them to you. I know anxiety levels can arise, when transmitting funds to a foreign country to businesses of which we know little. The people at Cuenca Real Estate can be trusted, and they are well established in Cuenca.

On my way back from town, I stopped at a pizza restaurant to order a personal pizza. The restaurant was of neighborhood vintage, one that we would refer to back home as "a hole in the wall" type of eatery. The couple working there may have been husband and wife. She was obviously very pregnant and well into her final month or two. Neither spoke English. I sat at the counter, although there were tables to the back of the restaurant, where one young couple enjoyed their pizza and each others company. From my vantage point, I watched the lady take the flour out of a vat the size of a barrel and run it through some dough processor, which she turned by hand. The oven was located right next to her. Luckily, for me I can read Spanish much better than I can speak it. I was able to point to the individualized pizza from the menu on the wall, and the selection of toppings I wanted. For only $1.50, I had an individualized pizza that was delicioso. The crust was between a deep-dish and a thin crust. It was light and flaky. The toppings of pepperoni, salami, a vegetable I couldn't identify, and queso cheese made for a very tantalizing feast. It was surprising how good pizza can be with queso cheese. You can bet I will be visiting their eatery frequently. I don't know its name, but I will have no problem finding it. Believe me, their pizza would have no problem competing with Chicago's finest.

The sidewalks along the streets are quite narrow as are most of the streets. Sometimes the walks are so narrow only one person can walk by, while the other must step into the street. The walkways can be cobble-stone or just concrete that needs fixing. While I definitely have to watch where I am walking, it becomes difficult for me. I am always looking around absorbing everything in sight. As I walk along I see old homes, new homes, nicely painted homes, and structures not so nicely painted and in need of work. All of these structures side by side in the same neighborhood.

It is interesting to be in a city of 600,000, that bustles and yet has a small town feeling to it. A bus goes down the street, and along the way there are chickens and roosters--large chickens and roosters. In fact, at one spot along the walkway, the roosters greatly outnumbered the chickens. I imagined those roosters must make for a rather noisy time in the neighborhood,which goes beyond the simply early sunrise crowing. I pass every kind of business--some that seem to operate out of the front of their homes to serve the needs of the local neighborhood population, some are restaurants, some are small businesses that employ a craft of one kind or another. Then there are the shops where you can enter and select your own coffin, as the very colorful coffins are stacked vertically in racks along the wall. Then there will be goats. Yes generally in small front yards. Live lawn ornaments. The modern and the traditional--the urban and the rural--coming together to make the present. This is Cuenca.