2012 Cuenca Perspectives Collage

2012 Cuenca Perspectives Collage
VIVA CUENCA

VIVA CUENCA!

My mission in publishing this blog is first to provide a living history of my settlement and life in Cuenca, and to provide myself and the reader with a journal account delineating my reasons for why I have chosen to settle in Cuenca. Second, the posts are my way of staying in contact with family and friends back in the states, and to provide them with an understanding of a country and culture that most North Americans have little knowledge and awareness. Third, the blog is open to one and all who wish to compare and contrast the experiences of expat bloggers living in Cuenca, so that you can determine whether or not from your perspective Cuenca is an appropriate move for you. Fourth, my blog provides another example of how expats view and interpret life in Cuenca. Ecuadorians and Cuencanos who may read this blog are especially invited to post comments that may enhance all expats understanding and appreciation of Cuneca and its people, or to correct any misinterpretations in my assumptions and perceptions of Cuencano culture. Finally, I hope I can convey the feeling of love and appreciation that grows within me each passing day for this heavenly city nestled in the Andes and its very special people.

Thursday, June 8, 2017

U.S. BABY BOOMER GENTRIFICATION WREAKS HAVOC ON CITY (CUENCA) IN SOCIALIST ECUADOR

http://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2017/06/08/u-s-baby-boomers-gentrifying-socialist-ecuador-threatening-stability-of-its-welfare-state/








U.S. Baby Boomer Gentrification Wreaks Havoc on City in Socialist Ecuador

The small city of Cuenca, Ecuador is struggling to address a growing wave of American “Baby Boomers” who have decided to retire there to take advantage of a socialist welfare state designed for its locals.

U.S. retirees, a recent city study revealed, are also causing conflict in the city, raising real estate prices, demanding English-language service, and threatening to sue locals accustomed to more “casual” business contracts.
In a report this week, the Miami Herald highlights the blissful existence of upper-class white American migrants who have flocked to Cuenca, attracted by retiree blogs and news sites that emphasize the appeal of its temperate weather and inexpensive healthcare and real estate.
“In Cuenca, a city of about 350,000 people, they’ve found robust public transportation, an extensive museum network, solid healthcare and markets bursting with fresh fruits and produce,” the Herald notes. “It’s a place where their two-bedroom, two-and-a-half bath apartment costs less than $400 a month. They’ve found that for about $1,500 a month, they can live a solidly upper-class lifestyle, dining out frequently and traveling.” The newspaper notes that a bus ride for seniors costs $0.12, and medical procedures are orders of magnitude cheaper than they would be at home.
The city commissioned a study on its foreign population in February 2017 that identified the majority of these new Cuencans as “‘baby boomers’ who began retiring in 2010 and… 4 percent of this population, estimated at 78 million, is planning to retire abroad.” North American countries – mostly the U.S. and Canada – make up 93 percent of Cuenca’s foreign population.
Cuenca’s “boomers” are more likely to have been professors before retirement than any other occupations, with “executives” coming in second place. The study delicately notes that many of these individuals “are not interested in being part of a new culture, and are more interested in that the city and its people respond to their needs and demands.”
Paramount among the city’s concerns is that many Americans are demanding Cuencans speak English and creating English-speaking neighborhoods within the city. “There is a large group for which learning a language is outside of their interests and, faced with the frustration of not being able to communicate, express annoyance with Cuencans who do not tend to their demands in English,” the study reads, adding that the city has invested in Spanish and idiomatic dictionaries for the new residents, but this has not solved the problem.
Boomers are also annoyed by “the ‘slowness’ of service” in Ecuador compared to the United States, and the common use of verbal or informal contracts. “Cases have been reported in which retired foreigners suggest a lawsuit against those who have not completed a previously agreed upon work,” the report notes.
In addition to cultural tensions, the study notes that 65 percent of the native Cuencan population is under 35, and many are frustrated that they must pay taxes and invest in the welfare state that foreign retiree migrants are now abusing.
The Herald story, which cites some findings from this study, is the latest trend piece on Cuenca in a crowded genre. The Cuenca study followed years of anecdotal journalism noting the idiosyncratic Boomer wave moving south. The city of Cuenca, in a study published in February, found its foreign population grew 173 percent between 2001 and 2010. By 2012, outlets like the BBC were calling it an American “promised land.” That article traced the Cuenca viral sensation among retiree migrants back to an article on the website Gringo Tree, which in turn noted that the wave of thousands of American ex-pats hitting the city followed the 2009 publication of an article in International Living that described the city as “the top destination in the world to retire.”
At the time, Cuenca’s International Relations Director Dani Jara appeared pleased by the new influx of high spenders to her city. She told BBC, “Tourism we promote, one creates strategies for the medium and long term. But in the case of a migratory phenomenon, that is due to the city conditions. Cuenca has grown throughout its history into a city where one can live well.”
By 2013, Cuenca Mayor Paul Granda was describing the mass migrant wave as “a little complicated for us.” “The city is less accessible to Ecuadorians” due to the wealthy Americans flocking there, he argued to ABC News, noting that average prices of basic goods had increased 40 to 50 percent.
Two years later, Ecuador’s Secretary of the Vice Ministry of Human Mobility was warning of wealthy American “ghettos” threatening the character of Cuenca. “There should not be ghettos forming in zones where Americans live, versus those who live permanently in these places,” Humberto Cordero said. The migration, he urged, “must be regulated.”
Cuenca’s American invasion was not regulated, in part because local businesses and real estate owners preferred selling and renting to Americans. “They care for their spaces and pay what is fair,” Cuencan homeowner MarĂ­a Torres told Ecuador’s El Comercio newspaper last year. She noted that their comfortable economic status and lack of children made for quiet, reliable tenants.
The government has nonetheless continued to express concern over American migrants overrunning the city. New International Relations Director Ana Paulina Crespo told the Herald in this week’s column that “Cuencanos are feeling like strangers in their own city” and emphasized, “Cuenca never wanted to attract retirees… we’re facing lots of problems over how to deal with a phenomenon that we aren’t responsible for creating.”
Follow Frances Martel on Facebook and Twitter.
For those who may wish to peruse the comments section to the Breitbart article, here is the link again:
http://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2017/06/08/u-s-baby-boomers-gentrifying-socialist-ecuador-threatening-stability-of-its-welfare-state/  

BELOW IS MY RESPONSE:
I would like to discuss a few corrections to the above article and to some of the comments in the comment section:
Cuenca is a city of approximately 310,000 people, and its canton (county) population is a little over 600,000 people. There are approximately 7,000 to 9,000 expats (Almost exclusively Americans, Canadians, and Europeans; who hold dual citizenship or who are permanent legal residents.) However, the actual expat population in Cuenca at any given time is approximately 4,000 to 5,000 people. Some expats procured legal residency with the intent of using it on a permanent basis if the political climate from their perspective continued or continues to deteriorate in the United States, but otherwise, continue to live in the U.S. Some expats intended to remain in Cuenca the rest of their lives, but attenuating circumstances changed those plans Some expats spend a few years of their retirement here, and then as they approach their seventies return home to their families. Most of the expats who have permanent residency without actually living in Cuenca the year-round are snow birds, who may live in Cuenca from two to six months during the North American winter months. Therefore, in the city proper where the vast majority of expats live, their total percentage of the population is approximately 1.5 per cent. Hardly, earth-shattering.
I have found it ironic that at times I have be asked by Cuencanos (people born and raised in Cuenca) and particularly by taxi drivers, if I think there are too many Gringos coming to Cuenca. I am never quite sure why they would ask me as a Gringo such a question, but I have always appreciated their openness to raising the question, and their curiosity about my point of view. (First, let me state that in Ecuador, the term Gringo is not used as a pejorative term; and in fact, we expats adopted it for ourselves, and use it as a badge of honor. One of our leading on-line publications is called the "Gringo Post", and we use to have weekly social Gringo Nights in the city, when there was an influx of Gringos, who needed to learn the ropes and acclimate to their new home.) 

I always reassure Cuecanos when they ask about the growth of Gringos in Cuenca that many of the Gringos they see in El Centro are often tourists who bring money into the economy, and while many check out Cuenca as a place to retire most will never move here. Quite frankly, while there are expats who would love to see Cuenca become another North American city; many of us are contented with the current level of expat population, and do not by any means want to live in a majority expat population. We came to Cuenca, because we wanted to experience and enjoy a Latin culture.
Obviously, in any society, outsiders to a culture will be viewed as outsiders. Some outsiders may be accepted, more outsiders to a society may be tolerated, too many outsiders to a society will be seen as a threat. The threat is especially seen when outsiders are not willing to assimilate to their new culture, but remain aloof or actually want to change the native culture into their own image and likeness, which is happening today with much of Islam all over Western Europe, and with the deliberate initiation and encouragement of the global elites.
While some Cuecanos are concerned about an influx of foreigners taking over their culture. The numbers have stabilized, and there has not been any genuine net gain in expat population since 2014. People from outside Ecuador continue to arrive; while other continue to leave after visits of months or of living for two or three years in Cuenca, and then decide Cuenca was not for them. Unlike practically every American enclave in various countries throughout the world, Cuenca is unique in that the low numbers of expats have spread throughout the city. You will not find any neighborhood in the city that is majority expat. The article on this count is wrong.  There are no rich enclaves of foreigners, who even come close to making up a majority of any neighborhood in Cuenca.
While some Cuencanos will criticize expats, and their complaints, like many expats who are not willing to learn the language beyond rudimentary levels, are valid; it is also understandable that expats who come from societies like the United States, that are expected to provide language translations to customers in businesses, assume the same should be provided in Cuenca. Most Ecuadorian businesses who deal with a significant number of expats; whether it is the restaurant, legal, or banking industry as three examples, have learned to hire some English speaking employees in Cuenca. The number of young people in Cuenca in recent years have observed that it improves their job prospects by learning English. English language schools strive all over the city, and English is taught extensively with varying degrees of effectiveness throughout many of the schools.
The greatest economic and social impact on the city comes from Ecuadorians who legally or illegally were living in the U.S. and have returned to Ecuador voluntarily or involuntarily. Many have money in their pockets, and have been able to return to Cuenca living a middle class life-style by Ecuadorian and sometimes by American standards. They also bring with them cultural accouterments from North America, which begin to impinge favorably or unfavorably upon the local culture dependent upon one's perspective. These returning Ecuadorians far outnumber the expat counterparts, and therefore, have a much larger impact on price increases and upon cultural changes than the small expat community primarily composed of retired expats .
While it may be true according to the Miami Herald article that the single largest group of expats in Cuenca are academics, they would still make up a small plurality of the total expat population. It is just totally false, when some of the commentators extrapolate from the comment in the Herald article that Cuenca is some kind of retirement haven for Left-wing academics. The expat population is tremendously diverse; politically and economically and culturally.
There are expats here who once were very affluent in the U..S. and were greatly hurt financially by the economic crash of 2008. Many of them were entrepreneurs, stock and commodity investors, or contractors in the construction industry. Others were managers and workers who earned upper-middle class salaries, but were forced into early retirement by the economic retraction. Some of them are still affluent by American standards, but can find they can live an even richer life-style here as they once knew in the U.S. before the economic downturn or before retirement adjusted incomes.
In the last three years, Cuenca has experienced an increase in economic refugees from the United States. These are people who basically have little more on which to live than their social security checks. Many refugees find tight budgets in Ecuador, but easier than trying to survive financially in the U.S. However, some of these folks often do not want to be here, and needless to say, some of them make no effort to hide their animosity, and those who behave in this fashion are resented by both Ecuadorians and expats alike.
Another great myth in this article is the idea that expats can come to Ecuador and live an upper-middle class or lower upper class life-style on $1,500 a month and even travel as well. Absolutely, totally false, especially if we are speaking of a couple. People can find some very middle class apartments on that income, but will be pinching pennies  on an $18,000 annual income. A $30,000 income would be more in line for two to live an American-styled, upper middle class existence for two. Expect the need for an even larger income, if you think that you are going to be a traveling globe trotter while living in Cuenca.
While it is true that Ecuador has a socialist government, so does the United States. The U.S. currently is less socialist only in the sense that unlike Ecuador, it does not have universal health care coverage provided by the government. Even Ecuador's newly inaugurated president, although the leader of the socialist party, sounds like President Trump when talking about less regulations on businesses and lower taxes on businesses to jump-start the economy. Otherwise, the United States in its mixed capitalist economy provides all the social welfare benefits even more extensively than the Ecuadorian economy could afford; not only to the low income, but to the corporate welfare rolls as well.
There are Ecuadorians who understand why President Trump wants to build a wall or at least limit immigration, and especially end illegal immigration. As some of them have mentioned to me, "You would not be allowed to remain in Ecuador if you did not meet our immigration requirements, so why should Ecuadorians expect it to be any different?" Even now, many middle class and professional Venezuelans have been entering Ecuador to escape from the mess the communists have produced in that country. They are competing with Ecuadorians in a tight job market since the collapse of oil prices; and the government is and has been taking action against illegal immigration particularly from Cuba, Columbia, Peru, and now Venezuela.
Of course, many low-income Ecuadorians don't care about the niceties of law, and if they have an opportunity to enter the U.S. to improve their lives for themselves and their family back home; I can't blame them for taking advantage of a country that allows its laws to be flaunted and not enforced. That is up to the American people to elect officials to enforce their laws, and to limit immigration in ways that benefit the people of the United States. Every culture should have a right to protect itself, and every country should have a right to protect its sovereignty. Only White Anglo societies and White European societies are being denied that right in today's world. However, they can only be denied that right, if they themselves continue to elect Cultural Marxists and globalists to governed over them.
One of the biggest contentions in Ecuador has been over the number of expats who came to Ecuador to take advantage of the medical system, particularly when they were not yet old enough to be eligible for Medicare, and then returned to the U.S. after exploiting the medical system in Ecuador. Many expats had serious illnesses, and literally contributed to the bankruptcy of hospital-sponsored insurance programs, and private insurance plans. Many of these programs were somewhat flimsy to begin with, did not have actuarials hired to determine price effectiveness; and it appears that private health insurance companies emerging from this mess of a few years ago may be learning from their mistakes. 
The fact that many medical tourists come to Cuenca to take advantage of the excellent medical and dental programs has been a boon to doctors and those in the medical professions. These same doctors know they can not charge more to the native population, so it is not like it is causing medical expenses to rise in any appreciable way for the general population.
It was the Ecuadorian government's decision to allow expats to be eligible for the Ecuadorian medical insurance program, and expanded the program which originally covered workers to include medical coverage for spouses, children, and preexisting conditions. While all fine and good from a humanitarian point of view, it had added by the end of 2016 a two and a half billion dollar deficit to the insurance program, that many Ecuadorians believe may be jeopardizing their entire social security and pension system.
Recently, the government now requires that expats will need to pay 17.5 percent of their income toward their premium costs, where before they were paying roughly eighty dollars per month for two people. It is only fair, and most expats agree in light of the kind of incomes expats make in comparison to native Ecuadorians. However, such a problem and its concomitant resentment by Ecuadorians was caused by government policy, and not by the expats. Most expats will drop the program, and it appears only about 400 or 500 expats were signed up for the program. The reduction of expats from the program or the higher premiums paid will not be nearly enough to turn the huge deficit in the medical insurance program around, but it is a move in the right direction.
New International Relations Director Ana Paulina Crespo told the Herald in this week’s column that “Cuencanos are feeling like strangers in their own city” and emphasized, “Cuenca never wanted to attract retirees… we’re facing lots of problems over how to deal with a phenomenon that we aren’t responsible for creating.”
Wow, what a statement in a community where expats contribute so much in terms of income, hiring new employees because of the money they spend, restaurants that could not survive without expat trade, hours of expat charity and volunteer service and financial contributions, not to mention an entire expat-Ecuadorian facilitator industry that would dry up overnight, as would the tourist industry and its concomitant services as well. Cuenca can survive without the expats; but there would be some economic injury, and probably some reduction in a wider world perspective culturally as the Cuencanos would become somewhat more isolated, although today the Internet and television mitigates some of that cultural isolation.
I could understand Ana Paulina Crespo's attitude, if there were huge influxes of expats moving into Cuenca, and I could understand her concern if the growth of expats were to dramatically increase again. Nonetheless, only 1.5 percent of the population of Cuenca is expat with no appreciable growth in recent years.  When one considers with what the Cultural Marxists and the Globalist corporations and elites are subjecting North America and Europe to in illegal and refugee immigration growth, it makes her comments hysterically laughable. Under the current circumstances, Crespo's remarks are beyond the pale. I have found the Ecuadorians to be generally very friendly, accepting, and helpful. It's ashamed political appointees like her choose to exploit the differences, and play off the resentments of a handful of the local population.  

However, there will always be politicians who will scapegoat a group for that politician's political advantage, when that claim is unfair. There will always be nativists who will fear the unknown and the different. There will always be people who will resent out of envy and jealousy those who have more than they do. It's human nature. There will always be news media who attempt to exploit differences and engender conflict, as the Western media has done since Obama was elected president and continue to do so today. In the end, it will all play out, however it is to play out, like everything else in life and throughout history.


Sunday, February 12, 2017

AJI ROCOTO TRANSFORMS INTO LA CILINDRADA

Last year I posted a post on Aji Rocoto, a gourmet Peruvian restaurant, which opened in Cuenca in 2015.  Due to the economic slow-down, and the closing of the airport for a couple of months in 2016; the tourist trade was hit hard, and so were many restaurants. Aji Rocoto became one of those casualties, as its chef and owner, Michael Wagner, closed the restaurant, and opened in a new location with a rethought dinner venue.

If you would like to read about Chef Michael, a graduate of Cordon Bleu Academy in Lima, Peru, and his culinary arts; here is the previous post:

http://cuencaperspectivesbyjim.blogspot.com/search/label/Aji%20Rocoto%20Restaurante  
  
Transformation Number One

Michael moved his location from El Centro to the south-side of the city.  The transformation became a new restaurant,  Aji Rocoto had transformed into La Cilindrada Restaurant, which is located at 3-47 Avenida Roberto Crespo (cross street from Luis Moreno Mora; next to the Honda Motorcycle dealership), approximately one block from the stadium.  

Transformation Number Two

This transformation is a change in concept, as Michael now offers at reasonable prices a main-room restaurant of smoked and grilled meats, costillas, hamburgers, sandwiches quesadillas, and a daily executive amuerzo.  In the evening, Michael also offers a daily dinner special as well to his regular menu items.  

Having eaten lunch with friends at La Cilindrada, we all agreed that it is great food for casual-dining. Michael uses high quality meats, and flavors them only as Michael can do.  The hamburger I ate was substantial and of high quality beef.  No fill in this burger. Definitely, one of the best burgers in Cuenca.  Even the fries are exceptional.

If, on the other hand, you are wondering, "but what about all those fantastical dishes Michael prepared at Aji Rocoto?"  Do not fear, they are yours yet to enjoy, if you are willing to call Michael and reserve a seating in advance, and let him know what dishes you would like him to prepare.  Chef Michael even has a private room that can handle a capacity of ten people.

To make reservations for Michael's gourmet meals, the La Cilindrada's telephone numbers are:

099-044-8248  or  099-946-6241

You can also email Michael at 

michaelwagner77@hotmail.com


If you are wondering, "but I don't recall the names of some of my favorite dishes", or "I never had the chance to savor Michael's Aji Rocoto's dinners", Michael can guide you through menu choices to your liking when you make your reservation.

Transformation Number Three

Michael very soon will be opening at La Cilindrada a covered-patio adjoining the restaurant where European-style breakfasts will be served.  The photos of the dishes were mouth-watering.  I envy anyone who lives anywhere in the vicinity of La Cilindrada.  I would be eating there every day.  I will share more with you shortly, when this concept restaurant is in full-swing. The patio will also include home-made condiments that can be purchased as well.

Transformation Number Four

Michael at some future date, hopefully this year, will also be opening a beer garden in the front of his restaurant that will serve crafted beers, and the specially-made treats and appetizers to go along with your crafted-beer choices as well.

Transformation Number Five

Eventually, Micheal intends to re-open Aji Rocoto on the second floor of La Cinlindrada, as he completes his various concept restaurants on-site. It will have a similar, upscale ambiance for those of you who enjoyed the original Aji Rocoto. Michael is as exceptionally creative and as passionate with his planning of his dining concepts and rooms, as he is with the aesthetic appeal of the tastes and appearance of his Aji Rocoto dishes.

Below is the link to La Cinlindrada's Facebook page, which will give you not only reviews, but photos of the dishes offered, and directions to the restaurant.  The restaurant is currently open from noon until 4:00 p.m., and from 6:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m. seven days a week.  Once the breakfast patio opens, hours will be extended from earlier in the morning, and the restaurant will remain open all day until 10:00 p.m.

Also, you can find on Facebook the latest on what Michael is offering in the way of planned evening dinners. For example, Michael had forty in attendance for a seafood paella dinner one evening, in which he prepared the paella and his guests were able to observe how the dish was grilled and prepared. Michael is planning another paella dinner evening in March as well. On Valentine Day, there are also two special dinner selections offered for the love-birds. All of these events are and will be announced on Facebook as they have or will be scheduled.

https://www.facebook.com/LaCilindradaCuenca/

Tuesday, October 4, 2016

LONDON AND AMSTERDAM IN PHOTOS--SUMMER 2016

Oh joy!  I may actually get this album posted. From the middle of July until the middle of August, I spent three weeks in London, and one week in Amsterdam.  Here are the photos with some narrative writing.  This is the third and final post related to my travel:

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipNL9sVQZu7jGgIO4WDPTlsueSByCOW6DuYPZv_lmX_hiRhfDihE7OLlMLszTPtt5g?key=VVc1dGtwNVZibVNZXzNScTVHMnM0emlqVDNuR2ZR

Sunday, September 25, 2016

LONDON

I arrived in London after a short shuttle flight from the Amsterdam Airport to the London Heathrow Airport.  Flying into London took me over the English countryside.  I was amazed at all the open land.  Much of it being used for agrarian purposes. England, not the United Kingdom, but England, itself--minus Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales is approximately half the size of little Ecuador. Yet the population of Ecuador (16,300,000)  is proportionately less than one-sixth the population of England (53,000,000) relative to size.  England is basically the size of Alabama, which has a population of five million.  So you can understand why, with such population density, I was surprised to see so much open space once I flew over the countryside, and later would travel by train outside the London metro area.





My other reason for emphasizing the smallness of England, is the fact that it played such an enormous role in world history.  This little island-country was able to put together the largest empire in the world, so large that it was said that, "The sun never set on the British empire". Some part of the far-flung empire was always experiencing the rising of the sun. 


The Anglos and the Saxons were Germanic in origin, and were among the first tribes to settle in England, which is why English culture is referred to as the Anglo-Saxon culture.

The Romans first set-upped their frontier outposts among the tribal groups of England.  Bath, England, which I visited along with nearby Bristol, has the best preserved-excavated ruins of the Roman era.  With the collapse of Rome, England found itself dealing with incursions of various Viking groups.  The Danes, in particular, had the biggest impact upon England at that time.  The Normans from France would control England and most of Great Britain about 1,000 A.D., which had a big impact upon the way in which the English language developed. The Normans also introduced French feudalism into England. 


The English would eventually develop into a modern nation-state with the Rise of Henry VII and his Tudor dynasty.  Under Henry VIII's daughter, Elizabeth I, England would become "Mistress of the Sea" with the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1688--a title it would possess until the end of World War II when the U.S. Navy became the world's naval power.  During the reign of Elizabeth, under the leadership of Sir Francis Drake, the English expedition was the first of its kind to circumnavigate the earth, an accomplishment first achieved by Magellan, a Portuguese explorer. William Shakespeare also lived, wrote, and died during the Elizabethan period.  From thence on, the British would dominate the French who suffered one embarrassing defeat after another over centuries of warfare, until the twentieth century when the French were at the mercy of the Germans in both World War I and World War II.



The British Empire, like all the European empires began to unravel after the Second World War. Today, Great Britain attempts to maintain its own sovereignty in a struggle for survival against the European Union and the world globalists.



PERSONAL OBSERVATIONS



I found the Anglo-Brits with whom I dealt to be a very polite and patient people.  I was amazed whether they were wait-staff, bus drivers, or security attendants at all of the public building sites--all were very helpful.  The bus drivers, for example, did not rush to get to their next destination, but took time to provide directions. Even if it was necessary to repeat part of the directions to me, they did so without ever showing a hint of irritation, and before the driver would begin the bus to move to its next stop.  The security and guards at all the areas where I needed to engage them, never showed impatience even though they were most likely asked the same questions  by the multitudinous numbers of tourists repeatedly day in and day out.



The buses were very clean, hybrids, and in part battery-operated, as they came to a silent halt whenever they came to a complete stop. The patience of the drivers, the lack of constant bus lurching, and the air and relatively noise pollution-free buses made me yearn for the day that the political will and economic means would make such public transportation a reality in Cuenca. Almost all the buses in London were double-decked, a few actually were two elongated coaches joined together, as I often saw in cities like Chicago.



The subway, known as The Tube, is a magnificent means of transportation, relatively easy to use, and can whisk people rapidly to whatever destination they chose in London.  The transfers are relatively easy, no additional expense; and I bought an Oyster card, where I can put as much funds as I wanted on the card, since no cash is handled either on the buses or by The Tube. There were no long waiting periods.  I never waited more than seven minutes, and it was not unusual to have the next train pull-up a couple of minutes after the last one pulled-out.


I was surprised to discover that I always had to make sure I caught the last subway home, since the system shuts down at 12:30 a.m. As a graduate student at New York University in the late 70's, the city subways operated all night, albeit with fewer scheduled arrivals and departures at night. I assumed that London with a population of about 200,000 more people than the Big Apple would operate its subway system on a twenty-four hour system. Ironically, the weekend after I left, the city officials were to experiment with all-night subway service.  If successful, around-the-clock service would be implemented full-time, which would result in an additional 2,000 jobs created. It was projected that more tourists, as well as Londoners from the outskirts of the city might spend more time and more money in Central London as well.  I must admit, however, I would not want to live in London and ride the congested subways on a daily basis.


Another characteristic I noticed about both the Brits and the Dutch is that generally they have nowhere near the weight problems of Americans, and they do dress better.  The Dutch are also suppose to be the tallest people on average in the world.  The suits that men wear in London, all appeared to be tailored, no off-the-racks, or sports coats as such.


One of the reasons, the Anglo-Brits and Dutch have their weight under control may be because of the focus of many of the population who choose to eat natural foods, and find ways to spice food without high caloric dishes.  Most importantly, fast-food exists primarily for the tourists especially from the U.S.  Few Anglo-Brits and European-Dutch eat at such places with any frequency.


The above photo is an example of at least three major chains in London, which are coffee houses where a customer can buy hermetically-sealed sandwiches in different loaves, with meats or vegetarian, with tasty low-cal natural dressings and spices.  They were always very delicious and very fresh.  The sides, as well, included various salads, yogurts, and bean and grain combinations. Always only fresh juices were served, free of sugars and not watered down.

Finally, another great cultural trait of the Londoners are their love of the pubs. The pubs are just everywhere in the city.  Many of them centuries old.  The are breath-takingly beautiful. The carved wood-paneled walls, the intricate carvings on the ceilings, the elaborate wood-carved bars--all of which would cost a fortune to duplicate in the U.S. or England today.  I wanted to do a blog post just of the pubs, but google photos lost almost all of these pictures.

Various Londoners did explain to me that the pubs are dying.  As hard as it is to believe, I was told there use to be far more pubs. The entire family made a day of it on Sundays, much like the colonial taverns in the U.S. With Anglo-Brits also moving toward becoming a minority population in London, more pubs are fated to disappear with time.  My young friends tell me that it is the older Brits who usually drink ale these days.  The younger Brits prefer stout and beer.  We hoisted a lot of pints almost nightly while I was in London, and I was pleased that as many as ten to twelve beers were offered on draft.



To the right of the photo of John, you can see the beauty and elaborate designs of a pub ceiling in London.

John was my first Spanish tutor when I first came to Cuenca, Ecuador.  He was raised in Spain, and had come to live with his grandmother near Machala, Ecuador before he spent some time in Cuenca.  He has dual citizenship in both Spain and Ecuador, and is now also a legal resident of Great Britain. While in Cuenca his friend, Daniel, had visited Cuenca from London. John was an exchange student living with Daniel's family in Liverpool when they were both high school students. John moved to London in 2014.  He was the perfect tour guide, and made my time in London so much easier and interesting.  As a retired educator, one of my enjoyments in Cuenca has been the opportunity to have young friends as well as older friends, something which is very difficult to do in the U.S. where an age-segregation mentality is so ingrained.  I also appreciate the friends and contacts like John and Daniel that can exist across the miles.






Not everything in London is natural foods.  London is considered to be the most international city in the world.  Every kind of ethnic food in the world is being prepared somewhere in London.  Above is a photo of a small chain of Italian restaurants called Cafe Concerto.  Impressively-designed like something out of Paris in the 1800's.  The food was very good, and the desserts and pastries were decadently awesome, both to the eyes and to the taste.












They would just melt in our mouths, and John and I made at least three trips to Cafe Concerto.










GOOGLE PHOTOS


My next post will present all my photos that Google Photos put in a pre-designed album, which incredibly is all of London and Amsterdam in one album.  I can only tell you that I abhor, detest, and deplore Google Photos.  Oh, did I mention that I also hate them.  I struggled with Picasa for sometime, and just as I was very comfortable using it, Google Photos had to buy-out Picasa. Google Photos completely replaced all the formatting with a totally new program, which bludgeoned me with completely having to learn how to do everything from scratch. This was last year with my photos from my travels in Italy, some of which Google Photo lost.

This year, I cannot believe that Google Photo completely changed their program again, and it's worse.  First, it lost approximately 150 of my photos.  It can take days for the upload of photos to be completed, and it took weeks before their album of London and Amsterdam were composited into one album--over 450 photos.  At least last year, Google Photos had the sense to break-up my trip to Italy into multiple albums.  Furthermore, the photos it chose not to use appeared last year above the albums, where it was easy to drag them into place wherever I wanted them to be, if I chose to add them to the album.  This year, the photos not used in the album are in a different window, and I still don't know how to bring them into the album, since everything I have done to date has been a failed attempt.

The above is just the tip of the iceberg; but you the reader, get the idea.  I know some of the problems are with me.  However, I have wasted so much time that the process has been all agony, and no ecstasy.  I would never recommend Google Photos to anyone. 


With my next-and-last post on my travel, I apologize for so many photos that will be  in one setting.  Peruse them quickly, or make a number of trips to the site and view them periodically. Hopefully, if you wish to see a larger photo, you may be able to click on the photo and enlarge its size.  However, I am not making any promises.

Tuesday, September 6, 2016

A EUROPEAN HOLIDAY: LONDON AND AMSTERDAM: INTRODUCTION

Traveling is fun.  I can't say enough good things about it. It's been such a thrill for me to visit places that over my life-time I studied from books, viewed in photos, or experienced from television programming and the movies.  I've always been restless, and I've always been curious about almost everything.  Traveling has given me a chance to experience so many different climates and topographies from all over the world--the plant, animal, and weather variations that can never be fully appreciated any other way than to be in the midst of them.  There has been no end to  all the types of people who have crossed my path from all the numerous cultures I have visited who proved so very mind-expanding. The acquaintances and friendships that result from traveling and living abroad; some which were enjoyed momentarily, others which developed into longer friendships is a major plus from traveling.  I am so glad that my openness to new experiences, my love of history, my search for what makes people tick, and my wonderment at why cultures develop as they do; have given me the opportunity to enjoy such an incredible myriad of people, cuisines, languages, and art-forms--all of which I experienced only because I could and chose to travel.

Software programs today bring the outside world into our living room in ways that when I was a youth were unimaginable. Yet, software programs have some distance to go before they can create a virtual world that equates with our mind and our bodies to simulate anything close to actually experiencing the tastes, sounds, smells, touch, and stimulated-feeling conjured from such experiences when we travel. Ultimately, if it were not for my experiences in traveling, I currently would not be living in Cuenca, Ecuador, which would be the biggest miss of my life.

In the distant past, I traveled to what proved for me to be indelibly conscious-raising experiences in the Far East and India in ways I could never have imagined.  In recent years I ventured into parts of South America, and last year I devoted a month to a fabulous trip to Italy. This year, I wanted to travel to something different from Latin American and Mediterranean cultures.  Off I went for three weeks to London, and a week in Amsterdam. Since my one month visit to Italy last year was the first time I traveled to somewhere which was more than just a layover in an European airport, I was looking forward to the continuation of my exploration of Europe and what it had to offer.

I would encourage anyone who is approaching retirement, and has the financial and physical wherewithal and yen to travel, do so while you can. None of us can predict when unexpected health issues may arise. Even if one's health is still good at seventy, one's energy levels continue to dissipate with age, particularly when needed for strenuous and/or long-term traveling.

I handled my month of traveling relatively fine. However, despite six to twelve miles of walking every day for almost all but four or five days of my vacation--and I have the walking-city of Cuenca to thank for my mileage endurance--it does get tiring to have to deal with all the minutia of traveling: Do I have everything. Am I forgetting anything? Is everything logistically-related covered? OMG, the frustration of getting Internets, GPS's, Uber pickups, etc, etc, etc all working, and my brain working with them.  The minutia can really take a toll on a guy my age. So not every minute of traveling is enjoyable, but the beauty of returning and resting from a vacation as the dross falls away, and what I most remember are those aha moments.

As I said, I am restless, and I knew there was no way I could make an eleven hour flight from Guayaquil to Amsterdam and then another additional one hour flight to London without going stark-raving mad in a claustrophobic coach seat. I traveled business with KLM, the Dutch airline, which I was surprised to discover has a slew of flights out of Ecuador to Europe, many of which are non-stop.  I was so happy to learn I could take a non-stop flight, and avoid the Miami Airport, and all of its logistical nightmares. 

The KLM flight attendants were the best.  The ladies were conscientious, and the service was outstanding.  I enjoyed my flight to and from Amsterdam as one of the highlights of my trip, which is the last thing I thought I would ever say about any flight. I actually slept on a flight.  I don't sleep on flights, no matter how long they are.  I could not believe I slept for four entire hours.  I would have slept longer, if the attendants hadn't served breakfast at 4:00 a.m. in the morning Quito time, but which was already 10:00 a.m. Amsterdam time. 

The movie selections were great, with a large array of films from which to choose.  I watched them on the back of the seat in front of me with every genre offered. Before I knew it, with all the seating and leg-room space in Business Class, and the ability to lay out my seat like a bed, take off my shoes, and indulge in some good quality drinks (I hadn't had Chavis Regal in years); the flight felt like it was over in half the time.  

I admit I enjoyed being spoiled, and certainly recognized why the European and American elites are so out-of-touch with everyday people.  This was only business class, imagine how out-of-touch these elites are with their own private jets, etc.  I must admit, however, that Air Italia last year, had the best cuisine I have ever had with any airline I've used. Unfortunately, the Italians have such a terrible reputation for losing passengers' luggage.  Nevertheless, I wouldn't hesitate for a second to fly KLM again.

NEXT:  MERRY OLE ENGLAND




Flying high above the clouds with KLM Dutch Airlines:  (You may notice me with my harp and halo on the center right cloud--okay corny, but what do you expect from a free-read blog.)



Friday, August 26, 2016

VISITING CUENCA: A FIRST TIME EXPERIENCE

Dear Readers,

I haven't posted in quite awhile, and my deep appreciation goes out to the number of people who have emailed me in just the last two weeks alone. Some of them are friends, but most are people I neither know, nor with whom I had any previous contact. These are readers of Cuenca Perspectives by Jim who wondered if I was all right, and why they have not seen any new postings in months. First I appreciate, your interest in my blog posts, and your expressions of support and value that you have found in my writings.  Although the numbers of my international blog audience is quite high, I had no idea so many people are regular readers who look forward to new postings. Second, mass problems with photo program changes, the usual Internet snafus, along with the time it takes to plan a one month trip to Europe, and all the other everyday minutia of life has left me with little time and even less motivation to post.

In the meantime, while touring London for three weeks, and Amsterdam for a week, and just returning a couple of days ago; prior to and while I was gone, my cousin's son, Sam, had spent three months in northern Ecuador living with an Ecuadorian family in a language immersion program.  Sam's father, John, arrived in Ecuador to visit and travel with Sam at the time that I was traveling in Europe. As a result, our paths did not cross.  With John's permission, I have pasted his email written to me during his trip to Ecuador and to Cuenca. Sometimes, for someone like me who has now lived in Ecuador for almost  five-and-a-half years, it is nice to experience Ecuador through the eyes of someone like my cousin, who is  visiting this charming country for the first time:

Dear Jim,
As you can imagine, it was a tremendous disappointment to discover that you would be elsewhere during my trip to Ecuador. But I assure you that my trip was still a thrill. Sam and I did end up visiting Cuenca, flying in Sunday morning and out again Wednesday morning. It’s about as different from Quito as Akron is from New York City, but what a gem. We did some exploring Sunday morning and afternoon after checking into the Casa San Rafael, about four blocks east of the cathedral square. We did some exploring, went to a few museums, and had a terrific dinner before returning to the square where a military band dressed in full fatigues and berets played some outstanding salsa music. (At least I think it was salsa; it’s difficult for me to distinguish between some of the Latin American music genres.) These gents were pretty stern looking, but could they play!


The San Francisco market was in full swing on Sunday and the days following. We even took the bus tour that covered most of the western portion of the city including a stopover at the church atop Camino a Turi. All in all, it’s easy to understand why you find the city and area so appealing. I even bought a panama hat at the hat museum on the bluff overlooking the Riobamba. I wore a generous dose of sunscreen, but the panama was added protection for my ear lobes--and pretty snappy to boot. 


I’m intrigued by some of the shops I saw in Cuenca (as well as Quito) that appear to retail in almost every consumer durable on the market. I like the fact that appliance dealers also find a way to work motorcycles, cotton candy machines and ice cream dispensers into their inventory. During our Monday walkabout we stumbled across a luthier working in his street-front workshop making charangos, fiddles and guitars. That night I got it in my head that I should go back and purchase a charango from him. Sam and I returned the next day and I simply couldn’t bring myself to pull the trigger on a purchase; first, I don’t play a charango (yet) and second, I was concerned how I might bring it back safely on the plane. C’est la vie. 


We didn’t take you up on the suggestion to hire a guide around Cuenca since I’m happiest when just wandering around exploring and watching. But Sam did arrange for a guide to take us around Quito’s old town and markets and (a day after returning from Cuenca) to the Otavalo region. In the end, the sights, sounds and topography were overwhelming, and the seven days went by way too quickly. I want to return with Robin next time. BTW, Sam’s command of Spanish is pretty impressive and, based on my brief experience there, I wondered how you are able to get by in the day-to-day with what you have described as a minimum of Spanish-language ability. I think you are selling yourself short. Neither Cuenca or Quito struck me as easy to negotiate on your own without at least some Spanish ability. In the meantime I hope your trip was fun. And we will meet again; if not in Ecuador then on some water slide in the Dells.

Vayas con Dios Muchacho

John


Dear John,

In response, to your statement about my language skills.  My Spanish is decent. You are right.  One needs some Spanish skills to navigate one's way just through daily shopping, let alone reaching a moderate conversational level.   However, for the five-and-a-half years that I have been in Ecuador, my language skills should be at least highly competent if not fluent, and that is not the case. However, I continue to work on increasing my language ability.  Sam, no doubt, has learned much, as he is learning a new language the most effective way one can by total immersion.  Learning a new language is a great deal of work for beginners.  Something, that people who wish to relocate abroad should give very serious consideration.

Glad that you and Sam enjoyed your time in Ecuador, and look forward, John, to the day you bring Robin with you.