The Bowen Knot ⌘: April 2015

Thursday, April 30, 2015

Dan...Surprises Mama and Heather with Roses!

My husband knows how much I love sapphire blue (my birthstone) so he surprised me with a dozen blue roses! Shhhh...He is so loveable, romantic, and sweet.
— feeling loved by Dan Harley Bowen.

Dan also surprised Mama with a dozen Beautiful Roses. He let is slip that they only cost $3.12US (12 Blue Roses) and $3.48US (12 Fancy Roses). Mama was so surprised and happy to get them. She said, "What a Sweet Son-In-Law!" She put them in the glass vase that she bought for Dan. The smell of them is just amazing.

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Review: La Yunta Tienda y Cocina in Zhucay, Azuay, Cuenca, Ecuador

4 Shamrocks for the La Yunta's Cocina (Cocina in English is Kitchen)

and

5 Shamrocks for the La Yunta's Tienda (Tienda in English is Shop)

Directions: Panamericana Sur s/n (km 7)
Telephone: 072 485224
Cell Phone: 09 89 456551
Email: layuntatiendaycocina@gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/la.yunta.3

Yesterday All three of us decided to make the trip to La Yunta. We thought it would be a long drive and out in the middle of nowhere. So into a taxi we went…

Surprise it was under 15 minutes for our ride on it cost us $4.08. A typical taxi from Cuenca costs between $3-5.00US depending on location. It's a very close location.

Mama and Dan

We arrived ready to eat so, off to a table we went. We debated what to get for a while. Finally, we ordered some potato cakes for an appetizer.

Porcion Llapingachos - $1.63US
(Potato Cakes)

All three of us also ordered limonadas to drink. It's a tangy beverage that’s very addictive and refreshing. Its made with limes and/or lemons and what else I haven’t a clue. Some places serve it chilled, some at room temperature. Sometimes its sweetened but most often it's not. Regardless, its delicious!

Jugos Natural Vaso - $1.48US each
Limonada

Heather ordered Hamburguesa con Queso (hamburger with cheese) with Papa's. Mama ordered a Margarita Pizza and then the waitress came back and informed her that they did not have any pizzas. So, Mama switched to a Hamburguesa con Queso with Papa's like Heather. And I ordered Trucha Frita (fried trout)

Mama and I's Dinner: Hamburguesa con Queso w/Papas
$4.51US each meal
(Cheeseburger and Fries)

Dan's Dinner: Trucha Frita (Trout Dinner) - $6.97US

Dan's Dinner: Trucha Frita (Trout Dinner)

The ladies liked the burgers and enjoyed them a lot. Heather thought the burger may have had a seasoning similar to Taco Seasoning in the States. My trout was perfect and local. Its so nice to eat fresh fish that is not farm raised.

After we finished, Heather declared the dessert menu looked to good to pass up. So, we decided to each order different things and share them. We had some difficulty with the language barrier and a gentleman stepped in to help. Turns out he is one of the owners with Soledad his wife.

Jim

What happened next was pretty funny. Jim ended up making four trips into the kitchen only to discover what he thought we could order was unavailable. Finally, we figured out something and got the order.

Torta Mojada de Chocolate
(Chocolate Cake with Ice Cream)
$2.46US

Especial Torta Zanahona y Nuez
(Carrot Cake with Ice Cream)
$2.05US

Dulce de Zapallo con Canela y Panela
(Chuck of Roasted Pumpkin with Ice Cream)
$2.46US

We ordered carrot cake, chocolate cake, and pumpkin pie. All with a scoop of ice cream. What we got was delicious and spot on. Except, the pumpkin pie. There was an error in the menu printing and it is NOT pumpkin pie. Its roasted pumpkin with cinnamon, brown sugar, and butter. Very tasty, savory and sweet. Just not pumpkin pie. LOL

Soledad and Dan

Jim's wife and owner Soledad came over as we finished the dessert and we chatted for a few minutes. She said that La Yunta does offer real pumpkin pies at times but that it's not what the menu is supposed to say. She said it would be corrected that day.

For Sale: Pre-Measured Chocolate Cake and Carrot Cake

Backside of the mixes and prices (as of today).
Prices are subject to change.
Contact La Yunta for actual current prices.

Regardless, everything was delicious! We learned that some of the desserts are offered in pre-measured mixes so you can make them at home. I think we will be going back often to both eat and shop.

La Yunta also offers a lot of furniture and household decoration. It is all locally made in or around the Cuenca, Ecuador area. And I must say, it is the highest quality locally made crafts we have seen yet. There was so much to see and buy. I think the ladies could have bought the whole store if we had the cash.

On that note, cash gets you a discount. So plan to bring cash and save some money!

We all talked about the food and loved it. The reason for 4 Shamrocks is because many food items on the menu were not available. Mama, wanted Margarita Pizza and Apple Pie. Both things she was craving on the way in the door were not available for her. We had several recommendations from friends and again those items were not available. However, what we did order was yummy. La Yunta got 4 shamrocks for food and 5 shamrocks for the furniture and décorations.

It is a fun place with wonderful, kind, friendly, and helpful owners. Soledad even called us a rural taxi pickup that was able to take all of us and our purchases home for $6.00US. Our family and theirs are now Facebook friends and hopefully soon we will all be getting together to go out to dinner.

Sunday, April 26, 2015

Earthquake in Nepal :-(

Nepal's Coat of Arms

Our Thoughts, Love, and Prayers Goes Out to the Victims and Survivors of the Earthquake in Nepal :-(

We are praying for the victims and survivors of the earthquake. Nepal was one of our families top 5 contenders in our decision process to become expats. It is an amazing part of the world. I still hope one day to see Nepal. We hope and pray any and all trapped victims are found quickly. We pray that the people of Nepal can support and comfort each other during this tragic event.

With Many Prayers and Much Love,

Heather Bowen, Dan Bowen, Candice Gold, and the FurBabies

"The Bowen Knot"

We are not sure which Aid Organizations are trustworthy to help. Here is the link to USA Today Help Nepal post:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2015/04/25/nepal-quake-how-to-help/26361193/

Epicenter

Before and After

Nepal

About Our Blog

Our blog is about a lot of things. Our daily lives, our move to Ecuador, and the vacations we plan to have. Please read and follow our travels through life. We welcome comments! Making friends along the way would also be great. People have described us as being colorful and animated. Our family looks at a glass and always considers it to be half full. We have an easy going attitude. We think things should get accomplished and that in the process you can still have fun. Feel free to come along on our families journey.

The Bowen Knot - Shamrock Rating System

One Shamrock: This indicates the worst service possible. If awarded, it means we would never EVER use the service again. If it was a food establishment the food was barely editable. This means a complete fail with little to no redeeming features. We will never go there ever again.

Two Shamrocks: This is a service that we might consider using again to give it a second chance. But, the experience that we had would normally cause us to award one shamrock if not for some key redeeming features. If it was a food establishment the food was okay, but still sub-par. We didn't like the food. Serious room for improvement exists.

Three Shamrocks: Normal middle of the road service. We might have had some bad or some good but they were offset somewhat. This is service we would use again but we will look for a better provider. If it was a food establishment the food was good. We like it and will return. There might be room for things to get better but it is still a decent meal.

Four Shamrocks: Great service. This is a definitive repeat for us. We like a lot about the service and recommend it. If it was a food establishment the food was excellent. We liked it a lot. We like the place enough to return frequently. There are very few detractors.

Five Shamrocks: Outstanding service. This is service that treats us above and beyond what we think we deserve. We consider this what we would want to find all the time and what we hope all service providers would want to obtain. If it was a food establishment the food was perfect. No issues whatsoever. We loved it and would eat there everyday.