MUSIC, ART, BIRTHDAYS, GUN FIRE & WINE GLASSES IN CUENCA

 We were happy to hear that the Kookabura was having a music gathering in their courtyard, showcasing a young musician who plays around here locally. Jeni, the owner of Kookaburas loves Leonard Coen, so the musican played his music as well as his own works. It was a wonderful time and the place was packed.

I was happy to note that some brought their children for some early music appreciation......

 We were also intrigued by the Peruvian artists tucked away in a small alcove. Jeni & Chris has seen them trying to sell their wares in the dark in front of a local restaurant. They invited them to attend the gathering in the hopes they might have a more appreciative audience... they did. We bought two wall hangings of impecialbe detail, and a present for our daughter.

Most folks by the time they reach middle age are not too excited about birthdays. I LOVE birthdays, especially mine. Forturnately for Randy this translates into me making a big deal about his as well. Randy would rather just ignore them, but that's beside the point.

Randy has been drooling over a certain Teak cutting board in the local Sucas store. Randy gave up all his favorite cooking boards when we moved here with our 5 suitcases, so his birthday was a natural time to "pull out the stops" and get him one. He had a big smile on his face and proudly carried it home to be inagurated immedately with his Shun knives, chopping away at veggies.

 And then Randy was surprised by our sweet landlady who made him a Chocolate tort with a berry filling.
it was marvelously decadent!

As you may have heard there was a major todo in Quito, which resulted in President Correa being held captive by the National Police. There was a gun battle and Correa was rescued, and the Police upheaval was put down. Here in Cuenca it was rather quiet. I was very stressed in that our friend was upset, and he is Ecuadorian. He advised us to go home, as this seemed to be getting more serious. Again, here in Cuenca it was not like Quito. Our only notice was demonstations in favor of Correa and the total absense of the police. Some stores closed down in case people decided to go to the dark side and begin robbing. Later in the evening our landlord brought up a tiny tv that had rabbit ears so we could watch the fighting in Quito as it unfolded. It was all very sad, and for those who live here they have told us that this is very unprecedented.
Today all is back to normal. The police are working and people are going about their daily lives.

We went out today to make color/laminated copies of our offical cards and documents for our residency here. Most everyone carries copies so if lost or "lifted" we still have the originals at home. While we were out and about we meandered down a street and low and behold we found wine glasses that were perfect!  Wine drinking is not that big here in Ecuador, and those stores carrying wine glasses are those with a "lip" at the top. So there they were, at least 4 different styles and heights without a lip, all in Bohemian glass from Czechoslovakia. We got six and are very happy to say that they are great! 

 We had someone ask us "What is it about Cuenca or even Ecuador that you like? "Its backwards, dirty, and poor".. "why would you want to retire here?" Our response was Really? Just because a country has a different way of doing things does not mean its backwards. As far as dirty, there are people 7 days a week working on keeping the roads and sidewalks clean. I ride the buses every day and I have yet to "smell" any dirty person. This is truly a poor country, and there is definitely a differences of class here. But all of those folks who we call poor are hard working and proud of what they have. They have the idea that their family is more important than how fancy their house or landscaping is. "Things" don't seem to be so important, its their family and taking care of those in their extended families who are in need. So to me this is a very rich country, because they know whats important.