The Bowen Knot ⌘: A Few Scenic Views, Tastes, and Tiendas of Cuenca (Part 1) *Photo Heavy Post*

Monday, April 13, 2015

A Few Scenic Views, Tastes, and Tiendas of Cuenca (Part 1) Photo Heavy Post

We have been really busy out looking at possible apartment/home rentals and The Bowen Knot has fallen behind, yet again. I'm going to try to quickly update and add the photos we have taken in the last few days. Once we get settled into a rental I hope to be able to update regularly, attend local cultural events, go sightseeing to show the landscape, and show more local foods of Ecuador. Please bare with us while we make quick and short updates during this process.

On about or third day here, Mama and I had lunch as The Cuenca Hotel's restaurant Carbón.

We had a Hamburguesa with thick papas. Just Yummy :-)

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We have also found the most amazing coffee! Now everytime we go past the Mercado we run into this great little tienda that our friend Nancy showed us the day we arrived. Thanks, Nancy.

We have also found a wonderful little bakery with really good pastries. They go great with the new coffee we are all become addicted to. LOL There is no name on the bakery, it is near Tia. If you know the name please leave a comment so I can credit them. Thanks :-)

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Tasks...Tasks...and more Tasks!

A big hurdle was getting our cell phone (brought from the USA) unlocked. We brought three phones and it took us going to 3 different places before we finally were able to get one of them unlocked. The other 2 phones that we purchased from Verizon were unable to be unlocked. One had no chip and the other we were told repeated could not be unlocked.

Once the one phone was unlocked we went to Claro to get the phone turned on. Well the Gringo's had not idea we were required to have our US Passport or Cedule (Ecuador ID Card) and a credit card. We always carry a copy of our US Passport but we don't carry our credit cards as this is a ca$h country. So we got Claro's rates and left. The following morning Dan and I headed out to Movistar another service provider to set up with them since we heard from a friend that they offered unlimited calls for only $17.00. Well they had no idea what we were talking about so we footed it to Claro as they ended up having better rate plans.

After we finally got the phone turned on, Dan and I headed to Zuchini's Restaurant for lunch and to get Mama a meal to go.

Zucchini Restaurante (photo taken the following morning we forgot when we were there :)

Dan's Meal part 1 (Beef and Salsa Salad...)

Dan's Meal part 2 (Beans, Rice, and Plantains)

Heather's Meal Pollo, Papas, and Salsa Salad...

It is really an affordable and yummy place to eat.

Dan's and Mama's cost: $7.1426US

Mine cost: $2.2321US

Mama's ToGo Container cost: $0.2232US

I.V.A 12%: $1.1518US

Total: $10.75US

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The food here is wonderful! We have been doing life setup things and the only time we settle down to take pictures is when we have our one sit down meal of the day.

Wow, I am out of order sharing all this stuff! LOL

One afternoon, Dan and I took a walk around the area and these are some of the sights we saw.

The Tia we have been shopping at. Great Prices!

and then we headed over to our friend Nancy's to use her MagicJack telephone to make several much needed phone calls to the United States. While we were there Nancy and Moria were out for the afternoon so Nancy's husband Stephen gave us a tour and then showed us the view from there building and roof. Million dollar views and some cute FurBabies.

Mama had suggested that I take Dan to The Cuenca Hotel's restaurant Carbón. So when we left Nancy's we heading there to get a bite to eat. Her and I had enjoyed our meal there without him while he was in the apartment with the FurBabies. We thought he would really enjoy the food and the place. FYI...He Did!

We both ordered the Hamburguesa Sencilla with Papas and a Giant Limonada. Now this is retirement!!!

Dan's Lunch cost: $4.91US

My Lunch cost: $4.91US

Dan's Drink cost: $1.56US

My Drink cost: $1.56US

I.V.A 12%: $1.55US

Total: $14.50US

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The rest of the Catch-Up, shortly...Then we should be getting close to being about to post events as they happen :-)

Thanks for looking, reading, share of life, and your experiences <3

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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.