Monday, February 28, 2011

BLUE and RED Cuenca

We know, it's silly, but sometimes we need a theme for our walks around town.  We tend to walk the same routes, so much that we practically have the street trip-hazards memorized!  (Well, 'memorized' until it changes again.)

As we walked with our cameras the last few days we made a game of it, deciding to go for the BLUE. 

Choosing BLUE is, in itself, a funny choice for Cuenca. 

One of the most remarkable sights when we first flew into Cuenca, was the fact that Cuenca really is a RED city...our first impression was RED, with all the RED tile roofs.  But, there seems to be more BLUE that catches the eye on the ground, for us. 


BLUE buildings, the glorious BLUE skies on a clear day, the famous BLUE domes of the New Cathedral, BLUE jeans everywhere and so much more.

Everyone seems to have that love-hate relationship with the BLUE buses.








Folks love the transportation part, hate the stinky/pollution part.












Another form of BLUE transport!  Probably more fun than the buses.













Here are some more pictures from our BLUE walks:

Rich's new friend in a BLUE dress.

A fun BLUE building out near the airport across from Kywi, a hardware store.












Other days, more BLUE buildings.

(Actually, some buildings are all glass, reflecting the BLUE skies.)

























A BLUE school along Av Solano.


A favorite wall hanging.
Another picture of the famous BLUE domes at the New Cathedral.  Some BLUE sky, too.


Since Nancy's camera usually jerks to the RED side, as some friends already know!,  here are a few of her latest pictures...RED and a little BLUE.



















Edificio Fragata...can you see the fragata (frigate) bird with the RED throat at the top of the sign? 





We love all the rainbow colors of Cuenca, so maybe we'll decide to focus on the other colors next walks...always yet another simple way to entertain ourselves!



Maybe more red, maybe green, lots of green here...or pink and purple for Mom!

Friday, February 25, 2011

More Fun Pictures Around Cuenca

A little this and that...

Here are a couple shots from our porch.  (We're 10 stories up.) 

We're looking down on a house below.  If you were at street level, all you'd notice are the unassuming gates.











You can see the Nursery School and all the toys in the front yard.  We often hear the children's sweet little voices as they sing, once again, the Barney Song!

EdificioTerrazza and the river in the background.








Pretty flowers growing wild!  These are in a lot next to the Edificio Amazonas across the street from us.













In bloom!



More gorgeous flowers at the flower market.


Yellow roses for our friends in Texas!



These are fun trash bins! 
Many shops have them outside.

As an aside: a reader asked off-blog if the streets of Cuenca were *really* clean...We're happy to report that street cleaners are working everywhere.

The only areas that aren't all that clean are those where folks forget the garbage pick-up schedule and they put out their garbage early or late on the streets. Roving dogs and rats from the river will make a mess with the garbage until it's cleaned up by the workers.



A recent early Sunday, another race on blocked off streets.  Reminded us of the Hayes Street Hill climb during the Bay to Breakers race in San Francisco!  Runners were doing just fine with the steep road up to Calle Larga.









No one seemed to mind the steep run at all (except us, as we were breathing deeply for them!)











Love all the street art!

















So much more artistic and creative than run-of-the-mill graffiti and 'tagging'.












At a construction site downtown.


On a roll-down door.

















Another kitty for Art and Ruth...

















  Betty Boop is also here in Cuenca!
(This is a shop window at the Fragata building.)














Another old church we pass by frequently.  One of 52 churches in Cuenca.














Street vendor outside the new Cathedral.

















Old, restored pharmacy off the Square.
This is where we sometimes stop for a 'soda'.

The 'sodas' are very fizzy and full of good stuff, like vitamins and minerals and herbs.








A display at CIDAP museum...note the dolls spinning at the bottom of the picture.
















Pretty garden in bloom outside CIDAP.












Here is a 'white' crowd at the Square.  It was the end of a march against crime, and all who marched were asked to wear white shirts in solidarity.  Lots of school kids taking part.










More school children in uniforms.  The kids were just getting out of school.










One more shot, for those asking about 'communications' in Cuenca...More pics later.


-------------
Besides walking, we've been having some maintenance jobs done on our apt at Los Pinos this week.  We've been inspired by some of our friends who have some projects in the works, too. 
Painters have been here sprucing up the upstairs office, guest room and the baths.  A plumber came in to fix a toilet; it was broken for awhile, but we just turned off the water and got on the plumber's busy schedule...we have 5 toilets here in the apt, so not a problem to wait.    An electrician came to fix a couple light fixtures, also.  A gentleman picked up our area rugs from the living room to have them cleaned.  They will be returned in about 8 days or so.
We got a bid on new carpet for the upstairs.  Wow, the bid is spendy!  We're also going to look at getting a bid next week for maybe wood floors instead.  We hear wood is cheaper than carpet, but we'll see...

Almost all done. 
Nice to check all the Los Pinos jobs off on the list.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Azogues Animal Market Pictures

This is part 2 of our Azogues trip.  Fabian took so many fun pictures of the animals, we had to do the blog post in 2 parts, in order to share more.

We loved the market!







For those in need of muck boots...and, believe us, you will need them if you visit any of the animal markets!...You can buy a pair at the SF Market in Cuenca. 

Choice of black or bright yellow, a couple different heights and several sizes.  Rich, and his size 13 feet, even found some there.  We paid $8/pair.  They look pretty much like the ones we bought for the ranch....














A very handsome dude!  With a good bath, he'd be beautiful.













As we walked through the market area, we were up close and personal with the animals.  Some 'talked' to us, some leaned on us, some sniffed and licked us!  We wished we could have taken them all home.

There are no pens at this market (or at the one in Cuenca).  The people and all the animals mingle in a large area. Some are tethered, but most are not.  Maybe a rope to keep the animal close to the selling family, sometimes no rope.  Usually no muzzle either, so you have to be careful walking around so you don't get hurt.

Lots of cute babies. 





























A nice purchase.
This little calf was just days old.  Mom and baby were being sold as a pair.  The cute little girl above was minding the sheep for her parents.  Everyone in the family has a job at the market.
Intense sun that day.  Don't forget your hat!



All kinds of rural life-related stuff on sale.  This red car is packed with a grass purchase to take home.

Another fine purchase above.

There is crazy parking in a small lot at the entrance.
 Lots of trucks and people loading/unloading.  Many animal vehicles inside the market, too.  If you drive, be prepared for chaos.  Might be easier to park a ways up the road and walk in.

Another fun day in the Country!

(See previous post for the other Asogues activities.)