Sunday, June 26, 2011

Another exciting day in Ecuador!  When we got up, it was raining, after all, this is supposed to be the dry season :-).  The dampness causes the temp to feel much colder than the 60 degrees it was when we got up.

After a nice breakfast, we read our emails and kinda hung out until 10:00 a.m. when we met Juan and Diane Moreno.  We went to their house - the one they bought that was shown on House Hunters International.  It is very nice and becoming even nicer as they bought the lot next door and about doubled their property.  They have built a very nice covered patio area.  We saw, perhaps, one of the largest hummingbirds we've ever seen; tried to get a picture but it always fed on the opposite side of the feeder from us.

We then drove (Juan doing it!) to Gualaceo (wa-la-say-o) where we went to the fresh air market. We walked around for a little bit and bought a fruit called chirimoya (perhaps not pretty to look at but sweet).  While driving around town, Juan's brother called; he and his wife are here from San Francisco (?), CA. - they arrived yesterday and stayed in Gualaceo with friends.  We met them in the town square then went to lunch at the Rancho Lindo restaurant (a private home that is converted to a restaurant on the weekend).  We ate a tamale for appetizer then a main course of chicken stew - it's not like a stew Americans are accustomed to, it was delicious!

We then went to Chordeleg (chore-de-lay), the jewelry capital of this area.  Jenny took advantage of the prices and permitted me to get her birthday present early (she's so thoughtful that way)!  She also got an early birthday/ anniversary/ Christmas (whichever comes first!) from Gary Adams (our Sunday School teacher) to his wife, Becky!  BTW Becky, I was not involved in selecting the item!  I found a very pretty pair of earrings for Jenny (different from the set she had already gotten, that I had nothing to do with) but they were too 'dangly' for her.  She did select a gorgeous pair of earrings and matching necklace w/silver diamond cut chain - won't discuss the ridiculously low price I paid!  Oh, while walking around the square (every town has a square!),  we looked at a pair of earrings for which the lady wanted $49.  After a bit of bargaining by Diane (she's great!), the lady came down to $35.  She entered that amount in the calculator and said she'd hold them until we went back.  I took her calculator, erased her number, then entered $30 - she said too low (I guess that's what she said for it was in Spanish and I did not understand), then she entered $32!  I'm a great negotiator, yes! LOL.  We didn't get them though because Jenny determined them to be too heavy for her ears.

We also met one of Juan's cousins, who is the preist of the local Catholic church then went inside his church.

After a very informative (Juan is a native Cuencano but lived many years in Minnesota and now lives half the year in Orlando, Florida) day with two very sweet and dear people, we came back to our hostal, rested a bit then went to dinner in the town square, at Raymipampa's. 

Jenny had Plato Tipico, a typical Ecuadorian dish of fried pork, black sausage (morilla) (cabbage and rice stuffed inside a sausage - the taste kinda like an egg roll), traditional white cooked corn (kinda like our hominy) with egg, potatoe patty and salad (mixed beans & peas) and avacado on the side. Cost = $6.50!

I had the Churrasco - grilled fillet of beef in sauce, with fried eggs, french fries, rice and vegetables (actually the same salad Jenny had), and avacado on the side (I gave it to Jenny since I do not like them).  Cost = $6.00.  We also each had a capuchino to warm us up because it's cold! Oh, that's right, it IS winter here! :-)

We walked around the square; they were geared up for another night of Corpus Christi.  Jenny met and talked to an indigedous (indian), dressed to the hilt in his traditional outfit; quite stunning.  He permitted me to take a picture of him and Jenny.

We are taking pictures!  Oh, when at the market in Gualaceo, we did ask one lady who had a very pretty girl if we could take a picture; she first said no but then said we could if we would give her the picture.  Could not figure out how to do that one since ours is a digital camera and I had no printer!  Perhaps she remembers the old polaroid!

Its' still an exciting educational experience; Ecuador is amazing!  I know Juan loves it because he talked a lot about his Cuenca and his Ecuador.  We did drive near his boyhood home.

Jenny is out (asleep)! so I'd better get outa here and put her to bed!

Buenos noches, mi familia y amigos.