Altitude: 8300 feet above sea level (for reference, Denver is a tad over 5000 feet)
Who would ever think you could be CHILLY in South America, slap dab on the equator? Well, add an altitude of 8300 feet with about 75% humidity - and it can get a little chilly in the evenings. Plus the apartment walls are concrete, the floors are tile and the counters are granite. Bedtime and early mornings are a little cold for even me - and I'm always hot.
Not only does that altitude cool things off a bit, it can make catching your breath a challenge sometimes, especially climbing steps or hills. Some people get "altitude sickness" at this altitude, which is when your body doesn't get enough oxygen. It can hit anyone, regardless of the fitness level or age. The main symptom is an extreme throbbing headache. There are some drugs that can help, but immediate relief occurs as soon as the body descends to lower altitudes. Dana and I have both "felt" the effects of the altitude, but nothing too bad.
Our apartment doesn't have any windows, so we don't know what the weather is until we walk out the door. We walked out this morning and it was clear and sunny. If fact, so sunny, we both went back in to apply sunscreen. On the equator, not only does it feel like you are closer to the sun - you are! We walked to the beautiful Park Calderon to plan our day. Within 30-minutes, clouds started rolling in and it looked like it might rain. Pretty typical. If you check Cuenca's weather, you will see rain in the forecast nearly every day. But it's a bit like Florida, where it probably will rain most days, but not very much and not for very long.
Cuenca, Ecuador Weather This Week
Nice and Sunny at the Park when we Arrived
Rain Clouds Moved in Quick
Breakfast this morning was yogurt and granola that we bought yesterday at the grocery store. Around lunch, we walked 3-blocks over and 5-blocks up to a place that we remembered from our last trip that had a good almuerzo (lunch). An almuerzo lunch is typically a "set lunch" that consists of juice, soup, plate of the day, and some type of sweet for desert. They range anywhere from $2.50 to $4 per person.
The place that we went for an almuerzo today is a bit unique. It offers a choice of ten different plates, with bread, fresh-squeezed orange juice, soup or salad, and a dessert - for $3.99. Dana chose Chicken with Mushroom and I had the Fettuccine Alfredo plate.
Juice, Bread, Soup, Lunch Plate and Dessert - $3.99
While eating lunch, we sat next to a window so we could see the street. It started raining and about 15-minutes later we noticed a commotion outside A taxi had hit a bicyclist right outside the restaurant. The bicyclist seemed to be okay, but he and the taxi driver started an argument that I thought was going to come to blows. When the taxi driver was pulling the bicycle from underneath the car, the bicyclist opened the door of the taxi and took the taxi driver's keys. Pretty smart - all the taxis are yellow and look alike. I had read that they often flee the scene of an accident. So the taxi is now sitting in the middle of one of the main roads with no keys. Horns start blaring and traffic starts backing-up as far as we can see. The cars/trucks/buses that can't get by start going berserk. Finally, the bicyclist, limping, jumps into the taxi and moves it out of the way. The traffic was so backed-up, I asked Dana how long she thought it would take the police to arrive. And right on cue, a motorcycle cop (on more of a dirt bike) came down the sidewalk with a siren blaring. Not sure how it all turned out, but is was interesting to watch out the window.
After lunch, we decided to walk to the Mercado, kind of an outdoor market. By then the rain had stopped (it sprinkled for nearly an hour).
It Rains Nearly Everyday - but not very much and not for very long
There are a number of Mercados in Cuenca, ranging from very large to small markets. The one close to our apartment is medium-sized. It's a three story building, with meat on the first floor, vegetables and fruit on the second floor, and something like a "food court" on the 3rd floor (you'll have to see the photos).
Meat and Fish on the First Floor
Fruits and Vegetables on the second floor
The Third Floor - "Food Court" - Food Cooked and Served
There are not many prices posted at the Mercado. Bartering is expected. Some of the Fruits and Vegetables are pre-bagged and sell for $1 a bag. Today was just a exploration trip, we plan to come back and stock-up for our apartment kitchen. Today we bought a bag of strawberries, a bag of grapes and a bag of apples - total $3
$3 of Apples, Strawberries and Grapes from the Mercado
While we were in the park this morning, a couple of American students from Walbash College in Indiana stopped us to tell us they were from the Walbash Glee Club and they were singing at a cathedral across from the park at 7:30pm. Dana and I attended and we had a great time. The Walbash Glee Club was all male - evidently Walbash College is an all-men's school. The singing was fantastic and the acoustics in the cathedral were excellent. Dana has pictures of the cathedral on her phone that she can post tomorrow, but what a beautiful venue (build over a span of 400-years, started in the 1500's and finished in 1923).
Our plan for tomorrow is to ride around on the city buses. It's a little tricky since there seems to be no published route schedule. There is a bit of info on the internet that helps. All bus rides cost .25, and most routes loop around the city - so even if you get on a bus that goes somewhere other than where you thought, you will most often end-up back where you started - thought it might be an hour later. Our plan tomorrow is to end-up at a restaurant called Roux. It's kind of a gringo hangout and they have trivia on Tuesday's nights. We'll have to take a taxi back to the apartment that late, which is about $3.
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