Random Thoughts on Six Months in Ecuador

On December 1, we stepped off a plane from Quito and started our new life in Ecuador.  We've had our ups and downs during these six months, but I believe that things are going our way now and that our lives will be great, especially once we can move to our property in La Paz.

So, the random thoughts I'm having today:

Toilet paper is not flushed in Ecuador.  In each bathroom, there is a waste receptacle to put used TP in.  It took some getting used to, and I still flush once in a while, but disposing of it isn't really a problem.  The plumbing here isn't vented like it is in the US and the sewage treatment plants can't handle TP anyway.  And here we have scented TP, something that disappeared in the US a long time ago.

It helps that trash pickup, at least here in Cuenca, occurs three times a week.  The bags of trash go out to the curb, and city employees pick them up.  Recyclables go in a blue bag.  Other trash goes in any color bag you happen to have.

I don't think that anyone in Cuenca has trained as a butcher.  The meat here is fine, but it is not cut the way it is in the US.  It is expensive, too, or at least it seems to be to me, but we tenderize the tougher cuts and we are okay.  Chicken is very expensive, relative to the cost of other meats, and the chickens for sale in the stores are older than those you would buy in the US.

High altitude cooking continues to be a challenge.  We are at about 8000 feet (we are surrounded by mountains, so it seems that we aren't so high) so water boils at a lower temperature.  It takes longer to cook vegetables, rice, pasta, and other such foods, and one has to be careful when making a meat-based soup because the meat might not get to a safe temperature.  Cooking dry beans can take many hours.  I'm going to invest in a pressure cooker and a crock pot as soon as I can.

There is cheddar cheese here.  It isn't very good, by our standards.  Ray loves cheese, and the lack of it has been a challenge; it was his major source of dairy.  However, he's found a substitute: ice cream, which is very good here.

It is hard to find cat-related supplies here.  Dog supplies, not such a problem.  We, of course, have a cat.

Mocosa

We'll be getting a dog soon.

I didn't think I'd get used to not having a car of my own.  I have.  We have a car, but we don't use it in the city.  If I buy something too big or too heavy to take home on the bus, I hail a cab.  There are always cabs around the large shopping centers (unless it's raining) and there are many cruising the streets of the city. I have ridden in cabs more often since I have been here than I had in my life before coming here.  But most of the time, I walk or take the bus.

The cold season has started in earnest here.  Time to buy some sweaters -- houses and apartments tend not to have central heating -- and continue my search for a shoe store that sells shoes for my big, fat feet.  I may have to break down and order from the US.  Fortunately, Ecuador's post office (Correos del Ecuador) has a service called Correos Club -- a shopping and shipping service.  Members have merchandise shipped to Florida and Correos Club ships it to Ecuador for a very reasonable rate. It's inexpensive to belong ($11.20 a year) and shipping is cheaper than it would be otherwise.  I ordered some things from Amazon -- I qualified for free shipping to Florida and it cost me $12.88 to get it from Florida here.  And they delivered it to the apartment.

Until next time, be well.

The Blue Domes of the New Cathedral, Cuenca