Cuenca

Douglas is feeling much better, hooray. So yesterday we decided to leave Baños, that cute little town of cafes just like the Naam in Vancouver, and head south to Cuenca. We estimated it would take us about 4 or maybe 5 hours to get here, based on Lonely Planet bus times, but we weren´t counting on the tiny little goat track that crossed the foggy Andes. It was a hard day of driving. The road to Cuenca only got paved in the 60´s, and I don´t think it´s been paved since. Add to that the fog, which was sometimes so thick we thought we might be upside down or maybe driving straight up the side of the mountain. It was completely disorienting. The few moments when the fog cleared were like revelations - we sat straight up, with wide eyes and remembered that we were really in the world, and not transported to some weird foggy dimension.

The trip was worth it, though. Cuenca is a truly charming city. It´s the 3rd biggest in Ecuador, but it´s really not very big. It has a lot of intact colonial architecture, and the folks here are very fashion-conscious. There seems to be a big artist community, too. I´ve seen lots of graphic design storefronts. All in all we like it. There´s some really tasty food here, too. We just had lunch at a Colombian place. Arepas (which are like thick corn tortillas, very crisp on the outside) with fried eggs, and a plantain that was totally flattened out, fried, and topped with avocado, fried tomatoes, and a bit of salty cheese. Delicious.

Unfortunately, we´re having some trouble with the van. The bushing on the right front wheel is worn, and so the wheel is a bit wobbly and makes a funny noise. Gr. We´re having a lot of trouble finding the right part, too. It´s been the usual odyssey. We got bounced around from little repair shop to little repair shop, and finally found the VW dealership. Of course they didn´t have anything for such an old car as ours, and seemed to want us to leave as quickly as possible. I think they were worried we would tarnish their image. They directed us to some more small shops, who directed us to a guy who has a VW workshop in his backyard. He told us he could fabricate a part for us, but Douglas is skeptical. Someone else told us there´s a guy who specializes in Westfalias in Guayaquil, so we might be going back to visit the iguanas. Douglas is calling them right now. Guayaquil´s not too far, though, and we liked it, so it wouldn´t be so bad. It´s not even really that much out of the way. If they have the right part, I think we´ll be off.

And, a personal triumph - I´m about a third of the way through Harry Potter number 2 in Spanish!!! It gets a little easier to read every time I pick it up. I still need a dictionary by my side, of course. And I spend most of my time reading English books. But I´m determined to finish it before the end of the trip.

Speaking of books, we found a really excellent book exchange/used book store in dontown Cuenca. It's called ABC Books, and is run by a former English teacher, an expat American. They have an absolutely amazing selection - this might be the best bookstore we've found on the whole trip. They're right near the flower market - check them out.