Cuenca 10 Year Anniversary!

Good-NESS – whodda thought? Who’d have thought that this life-long wanderlust would still be tucked upon the same 8,400+ foot pile of Andean rock – 10 years later?

A decade ago (not surprisingly) the halls here at TL were chock-full of posts about all the new things I was discovering here in my new home in Cuenca. But after about 12 months, it seems those tales became fewer and further between – replaced with my many other international travels (like Easter Island, Cuba, and of course those luscious Galapagos Islands off the coast of Ecuador).

But a 10th anniversary is something that kinda demands attention in one’s life, so I just thought I’d press the “pause” button on my usual life here at Casa Rio Vista – and spend a day or two reminiscing… reviewing some of the early TL posts from my first days here in Cuenca.

First, let’s step back and consider how I ended up here in the first place. More than a dozen years ago I opted to jump ship from my native land, sell most everything I owned, and head to Vietnam – a country on the other side of the globe, that I’d never stepped foot in, knew utterly nobody, and of course didn’t speak a word of the language. No doubt a bit daunting for many, but the truth is – for me, that’s precisely what I was after: a new (and uber-challenging) chapter in my lifelong love of exploring the globe.

I didn’t know if I’d love living outside my native land – or hate it, and come screaming back to my beloved Seattle. But oh my…

Instead, I found that I ADORED the challenges of – not just visiting – but living perpetually in a foreign land. Every blessed day a new adventure in confronting strange new customs, foods, and a steady stream of new foreign faces – all babbling in a language I couldn’t understand (much less speak).

Just sippin’ yak milk tea in a Mongolian yurt…

That I also managed to explore no fewer than 12 new countries on that side of the globe while I was at it (incl. Australia, Nepal, Myanmar and Mongolia, along with gawking at Pygmy Elephants in Malaysian Borneo and wild Orangutans in Sumatra) – was merely frosting on the cake! 😉

In short – moving across oceans to live perpetually as an expat turned out to suit me to a T. I thrived on the challenges of living in Asia, and I LOVED living in Vietnam. Um, with but a single wrinkle in the adventure: Language. In particular, the confounding Vietnamese language with no fewer than *6* insufferable “tones”.

Now there are many comfy expat enclaves in the World (incl. here in Cuenca) where expats cluster tightly together for years on end – speaking only English and never learning but a handful of words in the local language. But for me… that’s living in an “expat bubble”, and I don’t choose to live in foreign countries – only to hang out with “folks just like me”.

So, once I knew that I loved expatting in general, and that I’d be doing it for the rest of my life – it became paramount that I find a country in the world where I could halfway learn the local language – within um… my lifetime. And of course I’d spent many years running tours in Costa Rica, so I had at least a rudimentary brush with the Spanish language and knew it was waaay easier to learn than Vietnamese. So… w/ a bit of Googling from my blissful home at L’Auberge Ami in Dalat, Vietnam – suffice, Cuenca, Ecuador (w/ its mild climate and medium size) looked like a good bet for my next “home”.

And so it was! I arrived in Cuenca on 12 February 2014, and – not only did I immediately fall madly in LOVE with this amazing Andean city of ~500,000, but…

Top Reasons Why I (still!) adore Cuenca

1. Climate – nice ‘n TEMPERATE. No blizzards nor sweaty, humid heat. Just boatloads of sunshine, and mild “winters” with occasional thunderstorms mixed with… did I mention… blazing Equatorial sunshine most every blessed day?
2. Drop-dead GORGEOUS – 4 gurgling rivers, 52 churches, 200+ urban parks, centuries old colonial architecture, cobbled streets, red-tiled rooftops – simply STUNNING at every turn.
3. Warm, friendly people (who kindly excuse/gently correct me on my Spanish grammar).
4. Muy “tranquillo” culture – none of this hurry-hurry, competitive, work, work, work culture like in my native land.
5. Absolutely NO BUGS!! Shoot, Dulce and I are THRILLED when (the annual) stray fly shows up to entertain us here at Casa Rio Vista. 😉

Seriously. with a lifetime of traveling the globe (50+ countries and counting) even I’m amazed that somehow li’l ol’ Cuenca suits me so very well. In short, the best way I can describe it is: It’s like living in Tuscany, Italy – at HALF the cost!

So here’s a toast to my uber-luck in somehow finding the PERFECT spot on the Planet for me: Cuenca, Ecuador.

The splendor of Parque Calderon – and my beloved “El Centro”.

And to mark this 10 year anniversary, I’ve dropped below, but a small sample of pics over the past decade of my life here in Cuenca:

My first Cuenca apartment – OMG, a KITCHEN (after 2+ years in Asia without one!)

First ever Cuenca Easter egg hunt along the Rio Tomebamba that I helped organize – attended by a mix of both Ecuadorian and expat kids.

Celebrating my birthday at Piedra de Agua spa – covered in MUD!

My favorite “lady” (Mila) at my neighborhood Mercado 9 de Octubre

Enjoying a traditional spiritual “cleansing” from the indigenous ladies at Rotary Market.

My first taste of “fanesca” the traditional Easter soup.

Visiting charming little artisanal towns (like Chordeleg, Gualaceo and Sig Sig) just an hour or so bus ride from Cuenca.

August, 2014 – my PERMANENT Ecuador visa – yay!!!

My first New Year’s Eve in Cuenca – one of the many “castillos” (wooden towers laden with fireworks), burning “managote” effigies in the streets, and eating 12 grapes as the clock counts down to midnight.

Gawking at those famous Galapagos tortoises on Santa Cruz Island.

Gazing at the ancient Inca “Temple of the Sun” at Ingapirca – just outside of Cuenca.

Noodling out (rare) grocery store finds like this U.S. comfort food…

My first taste of “cuy” (a.k.a. guinea pig!) Hadta try it, yes? No worse than the silkworms I ate in Thailand, nor the mopani worms I had at one of the finest restaurants in South Africa. Suffice, it tasted like chicken (but a good bit dry for my taste).

The Plaza de Flores (voted best outdoor flower market in the World by National Geographic) – a dozen long-stemmed roses: $3!

And my walk-down-memory-lane here in Cuenca, surely wouldn’t be complete without a nod (and pic, natch!) to my dearest furry companion, “Dulce” (Spanish for “sweet”).

My beloved pal “Dulce” – as a wee stray kitten in 2014

Now all grown up 10 years later here at Casa Rio Vista in Cuenca!

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Trust that there’s lots more memories rolling ’round my head on this 10 year anniversary – of the many happy days I’ve lived here on this Andean mountain-top. And as a lass that’s now lived in 5 different foreign countries (France, Italy, Vietnam, Thailand, and Ecuador), I can tell you that living in a foreign land surely ain’t for the faint-hearted. Nonetheless, for me – hanging out here is pretty much pure B.L.I.S.S.

In short, it honestly doesn’t get any better than Cuenca, and I’m grateful every. blessed. day. that I somehow managed to make my way here (and was wise enough to settle down and STAY PUT!)