May 15, 2013 - Welcome to my blog

Welcome class to your daily blog. Each day you will blog in your trip journal based on the "trip" we took the day before back in time. You will record things you learned, things you could have done, what your environment looks like, sights,smells, food, clothing, culture, ceremonies, and any other items you would like to blog on from the day before. Make sure you add me as your friend so you get credit for your blog! Have fun, sit back, and enjoy the ride!

Apr 27, 2013 - Farewell Parties for Carmen, Ed, and Bruce

The visit to Cuenca by my friends from St. Petersburg, Carmen and Ed Greenwell, is just about over. Bruce Stone will also be leaving to return to Hudson FL on Monday. Louis Mangel had a housewarming and going-away party for all today. Louis has moved in to La Casona a beautiful building in the historic district of Cuenca called Casona Grande. This four-story mansion has been owned for about 100 years by the Calderon family. Its period furnishings were a lovely backdrop to an afternoon cocktail gathering. The next day, Sunday the 28th, we...

Apr 25, 2013 - A Day in the Country with Ernest Hemingway

David Blampied once again mesmerized us with his transformation into Ernest Hemingway for his one-man show. This time we enjoyed lunch in the country at Bambu Restaurant in Yunguilla Valley. Afterwards we visited with Don Marsh at his hacienda in La Union. We were less than 2 hours from Cuenca in a much warmer climate in the Valley. I spent a very pleasant day in the country with friends.

Apr 24, 2013 - Quito, Ecuador

@@@@@@@ KAPOORS ON THE ROAD We found it necessary to make the trek into Quito from the new airport yet again, because we weren’t able to find any flights that would take us from Lima and on to Central America without an overnight stay in Ecuador. It was a bit of a pain because the airport is so very new that there aren’t any hotels established nearby. The airport is only 20km from the city, but an old bridge provides a near-perfect bottleneck for traffic and it can take up to two hours to travel the distance during the busiest times of the...

Apr 20, 2013 - Vilcabamba Valley of Longevity

On this trip to Vilcabamba, the Valley of Longevity, we assembled the biggest group of friends yet. There were 10 of us in a chartered van ($18 per person) for the four-hour ride to Loja and beyond to the Izhcayluma Resort in Vilcabamba. We arrived on Saturday and left at noon on Tuesday. It was just long enough for everyone to pursue their interests, whether they were hiking, playing billiards, lounging at the pool, or taking advantage of spa services. www.izhcayluma.com

Apr 16, 2013 - John Quinones of ABC TV Is In Town

ABC Nightly News was in town to film a segment on life for expats in Cuenca. I had the pleasure of having a drink with John Quinones who not only has his own show called, "What Would You Do?" but also is part of the ABC Nightly News with Diane Sawyer. I hope to catch the show on his Cuenca visit when it airs in about a month. We met at Di Bacco Italian Restaurant on Tuesday night for our usual gringo happy hour but this week was much more interesting than usual. www.dibaccorestaurantcuenca.com

Apr 8, 2013 - Barbara Hood and Richard Zapata Arrive

I met Barbara Hood from Louisville in Cuenca last year when she was here on vacation. This year she has returned with her husband Dick Zapata and her nephew Rob Hood from Arkansas. Rob brought along his daughters Sarabeth and Caroline. The family will rent my downstairs apartment for the next 3 months while they get to know Ecuador.

Apr 3, 2013 - My 66th Birthday Celebrations

April 3rd is a big celebraton for me every year and this year the date was no exception. I turned 66 with many fiestas to mark the occasion. First, we had a cake with candles for me at happy hour at DiBacco Italian Restaurant on Tuesday night. The next day was a luncheon of steak Uruguay-style with five of my friends at El Churrua. Finally, Charlie Schultz hosted a big party for my 66th year on his roof-top deck in the historic centro.

Mar 27, 2013 - Week 26 - Cotopaxi, Banos, Misahualli (Ecuador)

Our first day in Latacunga we awoke and ate a lovely breakfast in the hostel courtyard before being picked up by our guide (along with a really weird Dutch guy) for a trip to the south face of Volcan Cotopaxi. The trip started with a 2 hour drive to a refuge at 3,500m with spectacular views over the valley. From there we hiked for about an hour and a half to 4,800m alongside a canyon carved by the lava from previous eruptions. The volcano has destroyed Latacunga 3 times over the years and as a result, the town that was initially founded at...

Mar 26, 2013 - Eric Langenderfer Arrives

Eric Langenderfer and Lisa Cornelius came to visit from Denver. They stayed a week but unfortunately spent most of their time shopping for kitchen appliances and window treatments for the condo Eric owns here in Cuenca. While he was here, he found tenants who signed a one-year lease on the condo. Maybe on the next visit he will be able to show Lisa a few more of the sights around Ecuador.

Mar 25, 2013 - Manic Monday

@@@@@@@ KAPOORS ON THE ROAD I chose to call this entry ‘Manic Monday’, because after such a long period of being relatively inactive due to feeling slightly under the weather, we ended up packing a great deal into one day. We set off rather early (for us) in order to get to the tourist office at Plaza Grande in the historical centre. We had made a pervious attempt to purchase train tickets on the newly restored rail line from Quito to El Boliche, but arrived only to find that the ticket office closed at 2:00pm on Saturdays. We had been...

Mar 23, 2013 - Teleférico

@@@@@@@ BACKGROUND Here is an excerpt from the Lonely Planet - Ecuador chapter on Quito: For spectacular views over Quito’s mountainous landscape, hop aboard this sky tram that takes passengers on a 2.5km ride up the flanks of Volcán Pichincha to the top of Cruz Loma. Once you’re at the top (a mere 4100m), you can hike to the summit of Rucu Pichincha (4680m), about a three-hour hike for fit walkers. You can also hire horses, which are about 500m from the upper station. Don’t attempt the trip to Rucu Pichincha until you’ve acclimatized in...