Aloha Everyone,
The two hours bus tour of old and new Cuenca started and finished at the Plaza Calderon, the park in front of the New Cathedral. This indeed was a sentimental journey for us. J.J. and I kept on pointing at familiar streets, museums, churches, buildings and landscapes asking each other, "Remember that is where we had our best lunch 7 years ago...” We both confirmed to one another that our memories of Cuenca is still sharp.
One of my favorite rivers in the Americas is Rio Tomebamba. It is still flowing with active energy which often is lacking in some rivers around the world due to climate change.
30 minutes stop at the top of a hill gave J.J. and me a coffee break and a chance to enjoy the panoramic views of Cuenca below. $5 per person touring fare was worthwhile.
Tonight we found a sports bar just a few minutes walk from our hotel. I asked for a banana split without any ice cream or whipped cream or nuts or chocolate sauce. In other words, just a banana. J.J.’s Asian-style pasta looked and tasted like a Chinese noodle dish. We were both satisfied.
When I mentioned to Jeff on the phone that the restaurant charged me only 40 cents for my banana spit (sans everything but the banana), he thought that I should’ve been charge $4.50, the full cost of a banana split. I laughed. It is different in Ecuador.
Aloha -- Cathi