Jean Lehman came over -- first we had lunch at the new little cafe 1/2 block from us -- $2 almuerzo....chicken soup, piece of beef, rice, salad & beans plus juice and popcorn appetizer ....Brought home 2 lunches for Yolanda and Juan Gabriel and they thought it was good....
After they finished eating we went to the Mercado with our wheeled shopping carts.....Yolanda showed us places we had never been before and boy did we load up!
The spices are inside the El Arenal Mercado
Yolanda with her neighbor who grows a few things to sell...
Sometimes it's hard to get a good smiling picture - they are very shy..
Bought onions from this happy gal....
We took our time and walked all over .... at times I felt we should have dropped bread crumbs to find our way out, but we had Yolanda and she knows the mercado like the back of her hand....
For me ( and Jean too ) this is one of the best things about living in Cuenca....just love to shop and talk and laugh with the people...the extraordinary people of Ecuador....simple, kind, loving, honest (I dropped a nickel and an old lady walking by told me and pointed to where it had fallen) I have never felt anything but "at home" with them and lucky to be around them.... Sometimes GRINGOS come down here with an attitude and start complaining about being charged too much, or "Gringo Pricing" ... well, I have never experienced that...as a matter of fact my Cuencana neighbors joke about taking me along to bargain for them because I get the best prices -- I think you try to make a friend whom they want to deal with and the rest is easy!
When we got home Yolanda started washing everything and putting it away, and Jean and I opened a bottle of wine....We sipped wine and talked and talked.....she is so easy to talk to, and very kind and understanding and a good judge of people....
And while this may not sound very exciting or even interesting, for us it was delightful, and another good learning experience....
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This morning Susana came over - I was still in my nightgown but we had coffee and visited....she asked if I needed to go to the bank but I didn't....then I asked her if she wanted me to go so I could make the deposit for her...she did.....the banks here are usually very crowded and you have to wait a long time, but they have a special line for senior citizens so I quickly got dressed and we drove to the bank....
As I stood in line I noticed a beautiful picture on the wall -- Our Lady of the Sacred Heart!! Amazing to see in a bank, but it's not unusual here!! How I love being surrounded by people who love the Lord and his Blessed Mother - no wonder I feel so at home in this country!
After the bank Susana wanted me to see some furniture she wants to buy, so we went to Coloneal -- it's THE place to shop for very nice furniture.... Susana wants a chest for her entry and these would fit the bill...
This is hand painted
This is fabric covered...
Prices are too high for the quality so I called Michel Blanchard....Michel is a good friend who is French Canadian, a man of many talents and the most fabulous sense of humor....He was a model in New Work, studied design at Parson's School of Design (THE DESIGN SCHOOL) --- And tells the most hilarious story about being Elizabeth Taylor's bartender one Christmas! ......Michel and his partner Ashley Rogers are building a big business here in Real Estate, etc....They even have their own radio show!! Anyway Michel knows so many people here who make furniture and decorator items.... I don't want Susana to overspend on inferior quality furniture....
Their web site is terrific....Check it out....
Yolanda went to pick up the jalapenos I had ordered from Linda Chase...and I asked her to stop at EL PAN FRANCES.....was very disappointed that the croissants weren't really like the French...they put cheese inside here....no gracias! But got a loaf of French bread to eat with the potato soup I had made -- not bad...
The landlord came by to repair the wall that the neighbor messed up building his wall....long story..... Jaime wants to cut down the big tree in front and plant an avocado tree....I said no, and then Bertha came out of her house, she told him it was too close to the house....the roots from the tree (which gets huge) will damage the house...so we agreed he can plant a lemon tree.... He gets excited and wants to plant a bunch of trees -- the yard is too small, and I want FLOWERS....Tomorrow we'll talk some more....
And now it's time to sign off on another lovely day in beautiful Cuenca
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