Order from Chaos

The natural order of the universe is chaos. As chaos decreases to achieve order, energy is expended. The measure of this energy is known as entropy. Less chaos means more energy is used up. Since returning from Ecuador, much energy has been used in an attempt to maintain some sense of order amidst the chaos. It will get better!

This is Renee, who is an avid cook and baker and receptionist at daycare. She came yesterday to pick up all the cookbooks that we've acquired through the years. Renee did not want her picture taken after the feat of getting them all in the truck, so I copied her photo from the Stoney Creek website

I think she was overwhelmed by the enormity of the collection. The back of the truck was full when she left.

We also cleaned out the liquor cabinet of all the presents through the years that went unused. Renee was a happy camper when she left.

The chaos continued. There were boxes and stacks of this and that. The goal was to have everything ready for the auction people.

This morning at 7:30, 2 large trucks rolled onto our street. they worked like Trojans carrying furniture. They had obviously done this before. With their actions, the energy increased and the chaos decreased. We had to do nothing except watch, which was good for our backs.

The last truck was packed and ready to go. All of our "stuff" was taken to Lexington for the auction on Saturday.

All of our lives, we've heard, "you can't have too much stuff". You CAN have too much stuff. They are very optimistic that it will be a success. We were told that the web listing for our auction is the most viewed of North Carolina auctions for the week.

We have kept the things that are necessary until our departure. We still have the appliances, our bed, a single bed that Nick uses for window viewing, our computer desks, our computers, and two bar stools. It somehow still seems like a lot of stuff, but, it's much less than there was this morning. There are bins around the walls with our clothes. We will manage with the remaining chaos, because order will come in Cuenca.

Until next time,

Mick and Kathy

The Packing REALLY Begins

Denis and Centhia were here bright and early on Saturday morning to begin the packing. All the things that had been sorted out to be sold were carefullly packed in boxes and placed on the truck to transport to Lexington for the auction. While they packed, I continued to gather things. By the time they had finished, the truck was full..

Mick refused to participate and read his morning paper. He's a very wise man.

On Sunday morning, Mick, Nikolas, and I made the trip to Lexington to drop off everything. We will take another load on Wednesday and then on Thursday, the auction company will bring a couple of trailers down to carry the furniture to Lexington. After Thursday, most of the house will be empty. Hopefully then things will be a little more relaxing. I've told Denis that as chores disappear, she can pick up with the Mexican cooking lessons again. I will hopefully be a decent Mexican cook by the time we return to Cuenca in September.

Until next time,

Mick and Kathy

Pictureless and Handcuffed

Since arriving in Cuenca, the blogs have been specific regarding the progression of business matters required for our permanent stay. Many pictures of everyday life were being held for an entry containing the pictures and explanations. That entry has been nixed.

Our goals for this trip were: 1) find an apartment, 2) purchase those items immediately necessary for Day 1 of our return, 3) leave most of the clothes that we brought down at the new apartment. All of those goals were accomplished. We were elated and love our new home. We brought back far less than we went with. One of the items left in the bodega was the new laptop that Mick purchased just before the trip. He insisted that that would be one less item to bring as a carry on. I had downloaded all the pictures to the computer. Even my precious flash drive is there.

Our trip was wonderful and truly seems surreal. We have met some great new friends. Tuesday we met Brian and Shelley for lunch at Ramypampa. Afterwards, we went to the 10 de Augusto market. The fruits and veggies looked great! This is the market that serves the roast pig that Brian is always talking about. It looked delicious. We then received bus training (I road the bus in DC about 25 years ago and Mick road a bus in Charlotte many years ago to pick up his car at Toyota.

Henry came over late Tuesday afternoon to tell us goodbye. He seemed sad that we were leaving. Mick promised to make him Buffalo wings when we return. He dropped us off at La Vinca, where we were meeing Ed and Tresa for dinner. This was a new restaurant for us. Mick had a pizza and I had ravioli at Tresa's suggestion. You have a choice of sauces and since I've such great difficulty in making a decision, the waiter suggested making the dish a sample. When my plate arrived, there was sectioned off, each with a different sauce. My favorite was the mushroom sauce. It was a great day.

Gabriella worked Wednesday morning. She ironed while we went to California Kitchen for breakfast. We had brought grits, didn't use them all and were going to give them to Ed and Tresa. We were running short on time, so we ran into Woody, who is vacationing for a month with his wife, Janine, across the hall from Ed and Tresa. Woody said that he would drop the grits off for us.

Gabriella helped us take our things to the bodega. The apartment is going to be painted this month. Next month, Gabriella will clean the apartment. Carlos is in charge of the deliveries.

We left Cuenca on Wednesday for Quito. It was clear enough that we could see Cotatpaxi, a grand site. It was also visible from our room at the Hilton Colon. When we return in September, we will overnight again at the Hilton Colon. We were told repeatedly that Nikolas will be permitted to spend the night.

Things were so busy in Cuenca with big picture items that we had no time to check on smaller things. Thursday morning was spent at El Le Jardin Mall. There is a giant Sukasa there. It's similar to a chain that was once in Charlotte, Reading China and More. It had everything and seemed to be of good quality. Sukasa has 300 thread count sheets, good towels, open stock dishware, including Noritake. There are also small appliances, Black and Decker, Oster, Cuisinart, and Kitchen Aid. I was debating about transporting my Kitchen Aid mixer. The decision was made while at Sukasa. A Kitchen Aid stand mixer is almost $900. Microwaves are also expensive, $150-$200+. (I did see one for $93 at Coral Center).

As for electronics, there was not a huge difference in price between there and Best Buy. The difference is not worth wasting crate space to ship a TV and computer.

We left Quito Thursday night, late of course. Delta is NOT ready when you are! Check in went well at the airport, everything was under weight. Each gate has its own security. When we arrived at the gate, Mick was taken aside and searched, hand searched by a female security guard. We thought it strange. She was not inhibited in the least; she put her arms around him from the front and back. She felt his thighs and went up in the groin area, feeling everything. She felt of his butt cheeks. Mick asked if they were getting married. She smiled.

We took a seat and waited for boarding. Just before boarding, a list of names were called, one was Mick's, we went to the counter. Mick was told that he needed to go with the security person because the police were downstairs and wanted to open his luggage. Mick had no choice but to go with him. He was taken through a number of "Authorized Personnel Only" doors. When he reached downstairs where the luggage had been placed, he was handcuffed. Also, as he entered the room, he saw bricks of cocaine being removed from another suitcase, which had a handcuffed person in front of it. There were three other handcuffed people there, all were carrying cocaine. Mick new that when the luggage left our possession that it was clean; however, it had been out of our possession for hours. He just knew that this was going to be an episode from "Locked Up Abroad", starring him.

Mick was on the verge of panic. He was told by a very large black policeman that he was handcuffed for his own safety, as well as the safety of the policeman, who spoke broken English. He was told that the drug dog had picked the suitcase and he was never wrong. Everything was removed from the suitcase. It was checked for false bottoms. Our bottles of medicine were opened, checked, sniffed.

Meanwhile, back at the gate, I was also thinking of what I had seen on "Locked Up Abroad". I waited and waited. The other passengers were boarding, no Mick. The other passengers continued to board, no Mick. I was on the verge of panic. I had wanted to go with him, but was not allowed to do so. My imagination was running rampant. I had decided that if he did not come back, that my only option was to contact the embassy.

Before the boarding was complete, I saw Mick entering the gate area. He told me what had happened and how unnerving it was. He was at their mercy. The police finally conceded that the dog had made a mistake. The clothes were put back in the suitcase, it was locked and Mick was released.

We got to Charlotte on Friday morning. Nikolas had just been groomed and was elated to see Mommy and Daddy. Denis and Centhia came and unpacked for us. It was a wonderful time and we already miss Cuenca. Our new home awaits us.

Until next time,
Mick and Kathy

Wow! What a Day!

Wow! What a day! So much was accomplished in such a short time. We hired the services of Carlos Machuca to help us today and without his help, everything would not have gotten done. Gabriella, our housekeeper while we've been in here, (she is also going to clean the apartment before we return and also work for us after we return) came for the morning. Carlos picked us up about 8:30.

The first stop was the Banco Pinchincha. We've been so busy that we had not opened our account. Omar Bermeo Bravo is the person that handles the expats. Our attorney failed to tell us that we needed two forms of picture ID; the passport was not enough. Fortunately, we had both brought our driver's license. Omar had to have color copies of the passports and DL's, which they don't do. Carlos ran to a copy center to take care of it. The bank took much longer than anticipated. This is Omar.


By the time we finished with the bank, it was lunch time. We picked up Gabriella and Carlos picked the restaurant. Shopping was going to be after lunch and that included getting cleaning supplies.

We went to La Parrillada, which is the BEST restaurant that we've been to Cuenca, of course, you must be a true carnivore. The meat is brought to the table on a little charcoal grill. We indulged in picanha, chorizo, baked potatoes, and salad. You're also brought dishes of their sauces, which were great.

This is Gabriella, Mick, and Carlos, you can see the grill on the table. After dining, we went to Coral Center, which is an Ecuadorian Walmart, to purchase a multitude of cleaning supplies and a cheap set of dishes to manage until we select a pattern at either Artesa or Yancapuchi. After all that, we were on our way to look for appliances. We had already received quotes at a couple of places in El Centro. We ended up at Almacenes Chordeleg, it is Cuenca's Best Buy. Prices can be negotiated and we bought an Indurama refridgerator, and LG washer and dryer.

Our preference is a front loader washer, which they had both LG and Whirlpool. The problem is that we haven't seen HE detergents; therefore, we went with a top loader.

Below is the dryer. We're very happy with the appliances that we purchased. LG has a longer warranty on parts and labor than Whirlpool.

This is Max, who assisted with our purchases. He is also a cousin of Carlos.

Mick is signing the papers, with Max and Carlos in the background.

The next item on the agenda was a bed. Carol and George, of California Kitchen and who are also going to be our neighbors, suggested Dormizariato. We went there and dealt with the owner, Rene Baculima. The story is located at Presidente Cordova and Tomas Ordonez. He also designs furniture and has a factory. We purchased a king size orthopedic mattress for a mere fraction of what we paid last year in the Charlotte. Below is a picture of the bed that we selected. Rene is going to make night stands to go with the bed.

This is a picture of Rene. He is very willing to negotiate and likes to use English phrases. Rene also threw in 2 pillows with the deal.

We will be leaving this incredible city tomorrow, to return in September. In our absence, the apartment will be painted. Gabriella will clean it and our purchases will be delivered. Everything on our to-do list was accomplished. Wow! What a day!

Until next time,
Mick and Kathy

The Perfect Day

On Friday, we planned to take an excursion out of Cuenca to the Inca ruins, Ingapirca. We had been introduced to a guide, Carlos Machuca, who was highly recommended by friends. Carlos is actually an engineer, who has worked as a tour guide for about 15 years for the park service, a private company, and now as an independent. He is extremely knowledgable, very cordial, and having been an exchange student to the West Indies, has great English. Carlos is at your disposal and will stop according to your wishes.

On the way to Ingapirca, there is a short stretch of small pork restaurants. When you first see it, it looks somewhat surreal; then you realize what's taking place. The pig is mounted on blocks and a fellow is cooking the skin with a blow torch. As the skin cooks, the drippings fall to the surface below and he is continuously basting the skin with a paint brush as he continues to cook it.

As it cooks, the woman is carving the cascarito, the skin, to be served. She's carving it off the rump first.

After the pig has been completely skinned, the meat is cut into chunks. Water is added for the pork to continue cooking, at this point, the pork is called sancocho.

After the water has cooked out, it begins to fry in its own fat to become frittata, which is absolutely scrumptious.

Little bits of it are also added to corn and fried. This is called tostados. It is also very delicious.

The drive to Ingapirca is spectacular. The scenery is truly beyond words. Along the way, there were interesting sights, which were part of everyday life. Below is a horse that was tied by the road, the saddle is carved of wood.

On Fridays, there is an animal market, in the US, the markets are at usually at auction. Here, it's just a market. These people are returning from the market.

Friday is apparently also laundry day. We passed a number of people doing their laundray in the river.

Carlos and Mick wanted to help with the laundry, but they were discouraged from doing so.

After the laundry is done, it must be hung to dry. Most of the clothes on the line are the elaborate skirts that the women wear.

When we get to town, we see the remains of the animal market.

The young lady below is one of the Canari people. You can tell by her hat that she is unmarried. If the balls are in front she is single. Married women wear the balls on the back of the hat.

If you have ever been to any of the Maya or Aztec ruins of Mexico, or to Machu Pichu in Peru, Ingapirca is very anticlimatic. It is small in comparison to the previous mentioned ruins, but it represents a blend of two cultures, the Inca and the Canari. Below is the Temple of the Sun.

The grounds have a heard of llamas that assist in yard maintenance.

Below is a guanto bush. The bloom has medicinal qualities. It has a tranquilizing effect.

In the foreground are the bases of storage buildings for food. In the back is the Temple of the Moon.

We had lunch at Posada Ingapirca. At one time, it was a hacienda. The restaurant is surrounded by hedges of geraniums. In the Carolinas, geraniums are good for only a season. These were very old plants.

The restaurant was extremely quaint and the food was delicious. Below is the diining room.

Much farming is done in the area surrounding Cuenca. This is evident on the drive to Ingapirca. Corn and potatoes are huge crops and part of the daily diet. This farmer plows with oxen. Many of the small farmers can be seen on the hillside cultivating with hoes.

After returning to Cuenca, we met friends at Zoe's for Gringo night. Having never been, we felt that we should go. It was noisy, but one of those things, like Ingapirca, that as a newcomer, should be done once. Dinner followed a Mediterraneo restaurant. It was a good evening.

The trip to Ingapirca is worth the trip, if only for the drive. You catch a glimpse at the daily lives of the local farming community, which includes the breath-taking vistas. It was the perfect day, just one of many to come with our new lives in Ecuador.

Until next time,

Mick and Kathy

Where Are the Apartments?

We came to Cuenca with the idea that the streets of Cuenca are lined with perfect apartments. That thought is idealistically in a perfect world. We have had the help of two Cuencans, who have both said that apartments are fewer and fewer. For those who are planning to relocate to Cuenca, we recommend the help of either of those two.

Henry Abril is a student at the university, majoring in hotel adminstration. His English is excellent in that he was an exchange student to the US. Henry is very willing to help. We sent Henry the criteria for our ideal apartment, when we met him, we gave him an initial fee of $100. Upon signing the papers, he received another $100. For an additional $100, he will assist with the purchase of appliances and furniture. Henry has his own car and is very accommodating. He can be contacted by either phone or e-mail.

Other apartments were shown to us by Martha Abril (no relation, it's a common name). Martha's English is excellent also, having lived in New York for a number of years. Her office is located on the second floor of the same building as California Kitchen, at Borrero 12-08 and Sanurima. One of the apartments was located in La Palermo, which is prime real estate, others were not so good, but there was a wide variety. Martha offers a variety of other services for those relocating.

After several days of searching, Henry came up with the perfect apartment for us. Above is the entrance. It is located in the Tres Puentes section of Cuenca on Avenida Primero de Mayo.

It is located on the top floor of Edificio Vista al Rio and has an enormous terrace. The terrace over looks the Yanuncay River in front, with views of the Cajas in the distance.

Above are views as you enter, followed by a look down the hall.

From the terrace, you can also see the top of the cathedral at Parque Calderon. Below is the view of the Cajas and the river.

Below is the view from the front of the terrace.

The apartment is exactly what we wanted. It has sky lights in the bathrooms, office, and laundry room which is separate. The terrace is huge with inviting views of the mountains and river. It is in a great area. Nick is accepted in the building. What more could we want?

Until next time,

Mick and Kathy