UPDATE: August 2012 - One Year in Cuenca. About Feria Libre. Yes, we have experienced a disconcerting time when shopping there in the middle of the afternoon on a Saturday. A drunk (young guy) kept following us for about 15 minutes. I saw that he had 2 friends with him on the sidelines...we tried to dodge him but he knows Feria Libre better than we do. Finally, Frank turned around and told the man to quit following us and he put up his arms as if to fight with Frank....we just walked away and left the Mercado as quickly as possible that day. We still shop at Feria Libre once a week. Anyway. our recommendations for Feria Libre are posted in an article on this blog, but the two most important things we advise is: go in the mornings and during week days.
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Cuenca Ecuador People
•The Indigenous women carry their babies in a wool blanket made into a hammock on their back (it is the cutest thing you’ve ever seen) Some of them carry them on the front too.
•Ecuadorian women do not smoke. (seriously, I have not seen a woman in Cuenca smoke yet).
UPDATE August 2012: Lived here a year now and I've seen maybe three women smoking.
•Ecuadorian men rarely smoke - Update August 2012...some men do smoke.
•No baggy jeans on the men or women (they like their jeans to fit kind of tight, especially the women)
•Women here are very feminine –they like to dress up and be girly but rarely will you see them wearing a dress
•99% of the women have long hair, which is usually tied back in a pony tail
•99% of the men have short hair, which many like to style with gel
•Rarely do men or women wear shorts
•Women rarely wear clothes that show their cleavage (husbands and boyfriends would not go for that here. It is a much more conservative culture)
•All bus drivers are male
***June 2012 update*** There is a woman bus driver in Cuenca! And she drove the bus pretty good; she was not as jerky with the stick shift as some of the men bus drivers are. LOL.
•All Taxi drivers are male
***Update*** When we were in Salinas we got in a taxi with a female driver. But still have not seen a female taxi driver in Cuenca.
•There are more young married and pregnant women here than anywhere else we have ever been. (they marry young here and start families, which is important to them)
•The People, men and women alike are very laid back and not in a rush (it’s the manana attitude). If this type lifestyle frustrates you then it is advisable to not move to any Latin American culture
•Coastal people and the Andes people do not get along we are told. (We experienced this firsthand one day where the two were bickering and arguing)
•If you ask for directions and even if they don’t know where it is they will give you directions. (It’s best to get a 2nd and even 3rd opinion on a address)
•Ecuadorians don’t want to tell you “no” they can’t do something for you, or “no’ they don’t know where something is
•They always say the formal greeting of “Buenas Dias”, “Buenos Tardes” or Buenos Noches depending on the time of day. They rarely greet you with hola
•Family’s are very close here and walk hand in hand or arm in arm down the street together
•It seems that about 80% of the population has a family run mom and pop type business; they work out of the first floor, and the living quarters are on the 2nd and 3rd floors, some sell the produce they farm, while the rest work in banking, service, and government jobs.
•Women when they dress up prefer to wear slacks or jeans with high heels or boots rather than a dress
•8 out of 10 women do not use purses (I’ve seen back packs and satchels mostly, if they carry any kind of a bag
•Ecuadorians love shoes
•Ecuadorians are friendly and helpful
•Public intoxication is not illegal here so there are drunk people lying in the streets on the sidewalks, and in the parks (don’t look a drunk in the eye or he will beg you for money and follow you all over the place)
•Some men pee in public (There are several public restrooms throughout Cuenca because we use them ourselves) UPDATE August 2012: We've seen several indigenous women peeing right out in public. Their skirt Shields them when they squat.
•Working Ecuadorian people are honest, which is most Ecuadorians. (We’ve witnessed this twice ourselves) Once Frank accidentally gave an indigenous produce seller too much money and she gave us back, and once I dropped a dollar piece on the bus (I didn’t realize it fell out of my pocket when I grabbed the a piece of paper and it rolled three seats back and they gave it back to me.
•We have never yet experienced any petty theft of our personal items (we’re very careful and diligent though and we always use the buddy system. You’re less apt to be mugged or taken advantage of when there are two of you. We recommend women to not walk anywhere alone.
UPDATE 2012: In July 2012 a Cuenca expat woman was stabbed on a popular walking trail at 10:am while she was walking or jogging along the path. She went to the hospital and had to have more than 10 stitches.
•Violent crime is rare in Cuenca
•They say petty crime is on the rise and is a problem (see our post about
how not to be a target of crime in Cuenca)
•Banks and big service businesses like ETAPA Internet all have manned guards with sawed off shot guns standing watch
•When you go grocery shopping you must take off your back pack and satchels and give them to a person who holds them for you. (they give you a number and when you are done shopping, give them your number and you can have your bag back)
•Cuenca is quite artsy (there are lots of artisans here such as painters, potters, craftsmen, craftswomen, musical, dance, blanket making, sewing, basketry, etc.
* A traditional Ecuadorian food is called Cuye or better known as Guinea pig
*Eggs are not refrigerated and do not need to be refrigerated
*Some of the milk does not spoil, even when it is not refrigerated for several days!
*They love chicken here and the chicken is the best tasting chicken we have ever had, no kidding! The eggs also are very good
*Burger King and KFC is the two fast foods here
*Ecuadorians will respect you more if you bargain with them
*Wearing holey jeans is not trendy here in Cuenca; it is rarely seen
Update: March 2013...we've been here almost 2 years now and there are more holey jeans now, but it still a minority of people.
*Ecuadorians do not wear bright, flashy, striped, flowery, or colorful clothing. They stick to the darker solid, neutral colors of browns, greys, blacks, and blues
*They love sports, especially soccer (futboll)
*Lots of young people go to the many Internet cafe's and use the computer (it costs 60 cents and hour)They love Facebook and YouTube
•There will be more things added to this post as we observe them
Thank you for your blog. I am really enjoying it.
ReplyDeleteIt is a pleasure, as I sit here working in my cubicle in the U. S., to learn about another culture through your eyes. Your post has made me wonder about the sounds and smells of the city. Are there boom boxes or loud music, either from passing cars or shops? Is it stinky from the public urination? Is there a floral scent in the air? I'm also curious about the public restrooms: are they clean, and are there toilets or just a drain in the floor, as I found in Paris? Is it like Mexico, where you have to throw the tp in the trash because the septic system is bad? And one more, any thoughts about doing laundry there? My questions would be inappropriate at a dinner party, and I'm a little reluctanct to ask, but this is what I am curious about. You have been so forthcoming with practical information, I hope you don't mind my asking plumbing and sanitation questions. Thank you. (and thank you for your observations about smoking in public)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Nancy! We really enjoy being a part of Cuenca and letting others who are thinking of moving here know what the REAL Cuenca is like.
ReplyDeleteI really like all of your questions and I will answer each and every one of them in an upcoming blog post. I will say this about one of your questions. Yes, It is like Mexico where you have to throw your TP in the trash. But newer construction outside of the colonial sections, you don't have to do that.
All five of us put the TP down our toilets (3 toilets) and never yet have had any overflow problems. I think I read somewhere that this only needs to be done in the older buildings, and especially downtown.
Be looking for an upcoming post about the restrooms here! LOL
Angie :-)
I am enjoying your blog very much. I used to visit Ecuador on business in the 60s and 70s and have been back on holidays several time, the last was in 2007. I am a 70 year old widower planning on moving to Cuenca in 2012. Although I will probably have a look at Cotacachi and Loja which are lower and little warmer, but I like cities. I will rent for some period until I decide where to plant myself. I enjoy people and will be coming sans wife or significant other, just my two 4 legged children. I wonder how easy it is to meet Ecuadorian women? I am reasonably healthy for an old fart and don't have to travel with a drugstore, I don't take anything except a little wine or beer. I am taking Spanish lessons so I should be able to do more than order off a menu.
ReplyDeleteHasta Luego
Hi Michael.
ReplyDeleteGlad you're enjoying the blog. As for meeting women, can't help you there, been married for thirty years to the wonderful wife of my youth. Having said that, Ecuador, and Cuenca in particular is very family oriented. I'm sure if you intend to love and respect a woman God will provide....
Frank
Angie & Frank:
ReplyDeleteI also am enjoying your blog & videos. I find myself checking my email to discover what new sights, smells and sounds you are discovering about Cuenca. Apart from the Roman Catholic church, what other church groups have you found in Cuenca?
Glad you're enjoying the blog.
ReplyDeleteA quick scan of the Cuenca yellow pages only yielded two church organizations listed, but as you can see from the videos, and if I'm reading you correctly the Catholic presence is prevalent everywhere. Further, the organization we have interacted with, upon being asked if they are Catholic, simply answered no. We didn't ask their denomination, and they didn't volunteer. Which is just as well with us, because we don't happen to favor any particular denomination. Sorry to be so vague, but that's the only information we have. We were asked one evening while enjoying festivities in the square where we were from and what our religious belief was, in English!!! We told her we are Christian, and she welcomed us to the city. Although she didn't mention who she was, I got the sense she was some kind of church official, probably Catholic, since the festivities were being put on by the Catholic church. So to summarize, we get the sense that any of the particular Christian sectarian beliefs would be welcome.
Are there boom boxes or loud music, either from passing cars or shops?
ReplyDeleteA.) No. But there are car alarms and fireworks (a lot!)
Is it stinky from the public urination?
A.) Well, yes when someone has recently urinated but this is pretty infrequent. It's more surprising than it is a problem.
Is there a floral scent in the air?
A.) No. Surprisingly, there's also not a pine smell in the air. I guess that's because the trees in the mountains aren't pines (duh) but we were expecting that smell.
I'm also curious about the public restrooms: are they clean, and are there toilets or just a drain in the floor, as I found in Paris?
A.) It depends. For the most part the bathrooms are *cleaner* than in the U.S.! But if you're in a poor neighborhood you might find a somewhat dirty bathroom with a hole in the floor.
Is it like Mexico, where you have to throw the tp in the trash because the septic system is bad?
A.) As someone else said, we just put the tp in the toilet anyway, and never had an issue, and our place *was* in an old part of town (across the river from the historic district). What's weird is that people did put their tp in wastebaskets, but it never smelled.
And one more, any thoughts about doing laundry there?
A.) Well they have Washers and Dryers just like they do here. Although, dryers are for the wealthy. When we did a short term rental it had a clothes washer but not a dryer. We got used to hanging up clothes to dry. The good part is that it's really, really cheap to have your laundry washed, dried and folded for you. I think it was $.50/lb in Cuenca, less in smaller towns.
I have been to Cuenca 14 plus years ago and I have good memories of it. I was working with a Christian ministry and visited many Evangelical churches and English schools. I loved Cuenca. I was amazed at the number of foreigners in the city. I would love to bring my family to Cuenca one day.
ReplyDeleteGreat place to bring your family Hope you can get your family down here. Let us know when you're coming...Thanks for commenting...
ReplyDeleteIt is very hard to meet a girl, when going out on weekend to popular Calle Larga.
ReplyDeleteSinge girls do not go out here.You will see only couples.
I´ll add one more: people LOVE to honk their horns, sometimes even before the light turns green. After living and working in Toronto, Canada for 10 years, where NOBODY honks, I still find this habit incredibly annoying - I mean, it´s not like I can fly over the car in front of me! However, despite the honking, I've yet to see true road rage on the streets of Cuenca, unlike on some highways in Canada.
ReplyDeleteLOL...I know it! Thank you for your insight and contribution.
Delete