Yesterday after another late breakfast, we wanted to walk so we wandered back down to Vilcabamba. Once again, we walked around the square and sat on different benches under the trees, just trying to get a feel for the place. The scene was pretty much a repeat of the day before. Lots of expats shopping and sitting in the cafes. It is obvious why so many live here. It's such a nice, quiet little town. Surrounding the town are a lot of houses that look fairly new and well kept. They're often the same size as typical new North American houses. A couple we talked to who were looking for real estate for a family member told us that they looked at one nice house that cost $265,000 US. Some of the real estate here is more expensive than we thought. Still, renting is comparatively cheap.
Eventually we bought chocolate croissants at the bakery, 75 cents each and worth every penny. We ate them in the plaza to fortify ourselves for the trek back up the hill. Before we left, we took a look in the church. Again, the building is quite nice but the artwork and statues are gaudy. We saw a statue of Jesus that is as bad as any other that we've seen.
Last night we were joined at dinner by a professor from Atlanta who was teaching psychology in Spanish in Cuenca for a semester as part of a Fullbright Scholarship. Having finished her duties, she was just enjoying some time in Vilcabamba before an expensive trip to the Amazon with a friend. Many of the Americans we talk to here seem disappointed, if not embarrassed, by some of the American foreign policies as well as domestic social policies. Medicare often comes up. Usually, we tell them that although we're proud Canadians, we don't believe that everything that our government does is right either. Every country has room for improvement. And everyone has heard of Rob Ford.
This morning we got up early and were at the restaurant for breakfast before they opened at 7 am. We wanted to eat, check out and be ready for our van ride at 8. For all of our accommodation, food and drinks for the last 4 days, we spent $400 plus another $30 for the van ride from Cuenca. Certainly we're within our goal of spending under $1,000 per week, not that it's critical. We always look at being frugal as enabling us to travel indefinitely if we feel like it. Actually, for our huge stucco palace here we were paying $59 per night while others in the 4 bed dorms were each paying $8.50 per night. We thought it was worth it.
Our van arrived pretty much on time. On this trip there were 9 of us: the driver and his son, two retired guys from Oregon, 2 women from England, 1 woman from Ireland, and us. Once again, the trip was very beautiful through the Andes. At every little roadside stand, there was a pig roasting, presumably for Carnaval.
Our driver was a little more cautious than the one we'd had before. There was only once when he stood on the brakes to avoid an accident. Boring.
When we arrived in Cuenca about 1 pm the 2 Oregon guys joined us at the Molienda Cafe for the almuerzo or set lunch. For $2.50 each we got soup, salad, rice, fried pork and a drink. The set lunch in Ecuador is always a good buy.
After saying goodbye to our Oregon friends, we walked about 5 blocks to our hotel. We're now staying at the Casa San Rafael for 4 nights. It's another old renovated building with the rooms opening off an interior balcony. After we checked in, we noticed that there is a lot of religious art and that the hotel rules prohibit drinking alcohol in the rooms. Oh well, who'll know?
We went for a short walk around Parque Calderon. There doesn't seem to be much happening for Carnaval right downtown. After buying beer, rum and snacks, we have retired to our room, probably for the night.
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