Cuenca = pretty freaking awesome place. I woke up this morning and switched hostels to a place where I have my own room for $6, free wifi, a kitcken to cook in, and a killer view of the city and some mountains. Today was pretty relaxed. I would say I walked about 8-10 miles around the city today just soaking it up. It wasn't named a UNESCO world heritage site for just anything. The colonial buildings of and dozens of churches and parks make it easy to spend a good three hours just wandering and taking it all in. It is kind of a fairytale place in a country where poverty in the cities and countryside is still widespread. There is very, very little crime, great climate, and good restaurants. Hell, you can even drink the water here!! I guess a ton of expats choose to retire here, and I can really see why.
 |
| Cuenca from el Rio Tomebamba |
 |
| Catedral Nueva |
My first meal of the day wasn't so much like a breakfast but a hearty dinner (as you can tell I like to talk a lot about the foods I am eating). I went down to the market where the owner of the hostel suggested for me to go. For $1.50, I got what you see below.
 |
| Meat, beans, rice, salad |
 |
| Red onions, Ahi, limes |
NUTS! The icing on the cake is the ahi. It is a spicy type of tomato and pepper based sauce that has onions and some other spices that pretty much every Ecuadorian restaurant puts out to go along with the meal. It, along with thinly sliced red onions, make it heaven.
Like I said, I did a lot of walking and visited a few contemporary art museums. They were decent, but nothing spectacular. In the afternoon, the rain finally came. It was the first time that I had been rained on here yet, which is pretty darn lucky seeing as it is winter and the rainy season. I was thinking about hanging at the hostel for the afternoon and reading, but I decided to venture out to the city's overlook (mirador Turi)...not before heading back to the market of course for a blackberry "batido" - pretty much just blackberries blended with a fatty milk and some sugar. Delicious, of course. I also picked up some vegetables and pasta from the market to make sure dinner. I walked the 4K, the last 25 minutes of it uphill, to the mirador. It was definitely worth the trip up for the complete view of the city. Thankfully, there is a bus that runs right to it, so I avoided the long walk down in the rain.
 |
| Smallish-looking Panorama view from mirador |
It is crazy, but going out to eat is actually about the same price as buying food at the market to cook for myself. The main difference is the health factor. I am the first to admit that I love some fatty fast foods, but I also like some veg in my life too. Here, going out means a lot of rice, beans, meat, and maybe some carrot salad. Granted, I don't usually go for the fried stuff, but there are still a ton of carbs and fat. Not so good on the 6 pack abs, so I cooked up some pasta with green beans, avocado, tomato, pepper, onion, and lime juice for dinner. It was pretty good, and all for the tune of about $1.50.
 |
| Fruit and Veggies at the market |
Now that I am thinking about it, you really can go out to eat in the U.S. for cheaper than going to buy groceries for...IF you are buying healthy groceries. Take, for example, one of my favorites: the $5 big box at Taco Bell. Those things weigh in at over 1,000 calories easy per meal. Yet, its only five bucks. Good luck getting the same number of healthy calories at the grocery store for that price. I bought three apples the last time I was there and it set me back $2.50. Add in some whole wheat pasta, salad, and tomatoes and wham bam thank you ma'am you have a $10 grocery bill. The health insurance bill costs more in the long run the Taco Bell way, but who is really thinking of that? No wonder Americans, especially those on a tight budget, are a lot more obese than a heck of a lot of other countries. Sorry for the tangent, I have become a little bit of an agricultural economist since studying it!
Anyway, tomorrow it is up to an EARLY start at 6AM to get ready to head out to Parque Nacional Cajas for a day of hiking. Hopefully getting out there early will keep me from getting too wet and cold. Apparently it snows out there this time of year every once in a while. Back to winter, am I crazy?! I have heard the hiking and views are worth it.
"I would walk 500 miles and I would walk 500 hundred more." - The Pretenders
I don't think I'll make it to 500 miles this trip, but I love walking and hiking.
Oh, I almost forgot, I found Texas Chicken, a chain we frequented in Quito!
I agree with your tangent, Luke. And surprisingly, eating healthy isn't all that expensive, but people hate to cook. That's the huge issue. For my family of five, I spend between 100-160 a week on groceries (more expensive if I go to Giant Eagle over Trader Joe's,) and manage to cook us meals every night off that. Not too shabby.
ReplyDeleteHmm...that is really not that much for a week for the 5 of you. I am surprised that Giant Eagle is more expensive than Trader Joe...I love that place. I guess thinking about it, I have gone there, gotten some great stuff, and not paid that much for it.
ReplyDelete