the river

Often as I walk along the Rio Tomebamba going into El Centro, I reach for my phone to take a picture. You see, the river is ever-changing, and because there’s been a lot of rain every single day during the month of March, the river looks mighty powerful. 

People flock to the river for different reasons . . . there are young lovers head-to-head enjoying each other’s company; a few people sitting on benches facing the river are deep in conversation; some folks are reclining on the grass with a book in their hands; teenagers are happily practicing walking on a rope tied to two trees; there are people simply watching the river while slowly licking an ice cream cone; sometimes people are washing their clothes and placing them neatly out to dry in the sun; children are playing and laughing in the water; bicyclists are pedaling by; always there are people meandering with their dogs; police are strolling along the sidewalk; and across the narrow road from the river are people sitting on their terraces, grateful to have a river view. I pay attention to the activity, noticing that down by the Rio Tomebamba, no one ever seems to be in a hurry. 

  This is a photo of Rio Tomebamba in a more isolated area during a quieter time in February. Do you see a woman relaxing on the edge of the water?

The Rio Tomebamba is an important part of life in Cuenca. As I walk along the river, I sometimes wonder about the people who lived here centuries ago, and what their relationship to this well-loved river was.

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“Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it, always work with it, not against it.” – Eckhart Tolle

puro café

There is a place in Cuenca where a delicious cup of coffee and home-made baked goods can be enjoyed in a relaxing outdoor setting with an expansive view. It’s at Puro Café located in back of Todos Santos on Calle Larga. And it’s obvious that Sandra, the owner (she comes from Belgium and her pastries are mighty tasty) loves what she does. 

Last week I asked Sandra how she came upon the space, thinking it must have taken a while to find. “No,” she said, “it was the second place I looked at.”  And I thought, “Good for her; it all flows.”

  

Most people I know order a cup of coffee having milk or cream, cinnamon and chocolate, etc. with a lovely chocolate and cinnamon design added on the top. Lactose intolerant me, orders plain ole Café Americano. Thankfully, Sandra put a stop to that – she prepares Café Americano with chocolate melted in. She said the chocolate won’t melt if it’s more than 55%. And so, the quality of the coffee, the way it’s prepared, along with Ecuador’s well-known chocolate, has nicely elevated Café Americano. 

The next time you’re in Cuenca, Ecuador have a look and a taste.

 The view from Puro Café.


The new cathedral

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I frequently walk pass the New Cathedral in front of Parque Calderon on Benigno Malo. Though today as I passed by I looked at the two women who sit the entire day in front of the Cathedral selling candles of all sizes, on a makeshift table that also holds a large selection of rosary beads, and prayer books. I backtracked, bought two tall white candles. then went up the few steps leading to the Cathedral.

Cuenca was especially noisy today; it felt good to be inside. I stood in the back for a few minutes. People were kneeling and praying, or walking around and admiring. It had been years since I lit a candle in a church. However, I know someone in dire need of prayers, and I believe in miracles. There were quite a few statues along the two sides of the Cathedral, and in front of every statue stood an old-looking tin table holding candles in various sizes and stages of burning. I walked around looking for a statue of Jesus. Found! – it was the last statue on my walk; I lit the two candles and placed them carefully so they wouldn’t fall. Then I prayed for a healing.

After that I walked around. And as I walked I heard the lovely voice of a woman singing loud and clear. I couldn’t detect the direction it was coming from, but I agreed with myself that entering this beautiful Cathedral today was a smart move on my part.

As I was about to leave, I saw a confessional — the one in the photo above. It looked weary and the paths leading to the doors — one for the priests, the other for lay people — were well-worn. I stood there thinking of all the people who entered that confessional, burdened with feelings of having sinned and heavy with guilt. And I thought of the priests who listened, and I wondered how they responded.

I think it’s time to step out into the lovely sunny day.

a quiet presence

This sweet, sweet babe was carefully bundled, and tied to the mother’s body. They were walking in front of me, and I wanted to take a picture of the beauty of this tiny face sleeping so tranquilly.IMG_1907.JPGSo I gently tapped the mother’s shoulder. I was careful when I did this because I can tell it’s sometimes a bit disconcerting to turn around and be face to face with a gringo. I smiled and asked to take a picture of them. The mother was shy, she hesitated, then shook her head yes, and motioned to the baby; she turned her face away from the camera as I took the picture. Muchas gracias, I quickly said, as the mother walked away. I wanted to capture their quiet presence.

That’s all I have to say about those lovely few minutes.

Enjoy a day that’s extraordinary.

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“Eating leisurely is especially important where children are concerned. They are not only assimilating their oatmeal; they are absorbing everything they see and hear. It is a great disservice to try to hurry them through a meal. We need to give them time to ask questions that cannot be answered, to tell stories punctuated by long pauses while they search for a particular word, even to upset a glass of milk, and still get off to school on time; all this is part of a loving breakfast.” – Eknath Easwaran from the Summer 2009 issue of the Blue Mountain Journal, “Learning to Love

a walk in cuenca

IMG_1911.JPG I’m on the most everyone loves walking in Cuenca list. So today I walked from the area of Santa Ines Hospital along Solano, and then crossed over 12 de Abril Avenue to the bridge and saw the lovely Rio Tomebamba flowing by . . .

IMG_1912.JPG and . . . up those many stairs that are sandwiched in between two buildings – such a dark setting – to Calle Larga . . . left on Hermano Miguel to Carolina Bookstore where I had every intention of signing up for Spanish classes, but instead a Robin Sharma book caught my eye, and I conveniently forgot about Spanish. Another night with Duolingo – glad I have it.
www.robinsharma.com
www.duolingo.com

And how was your day?

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There was nowhere to go but everywhere, so just keep on rolling under the stars. – Jack Kerouac

When you know that you’re capable of dealing with whatever comes, you have the only security the world has to offer. – Harry Browne

the power by rhonda byrnes

There’s a lot to say about the CD The Power by Rhonda Byrnes. Listening to it can serve as a clearing out of unnecessary stuff we’ve accumulated in mind, body, emotions. Basically, it’s about being grateful, the power of our imaginations, and finding all the things to love about life.

It’s a joy listening to the stories and quotes, and as we continue to listen, we begin to sense the power in living a life of gratitude, and the fun we can have in using our imaginations and witnessing the results.

It’s raining in Cuenca. The rivers need it, the flowers and trees, too. Rain has a way of contributing to a tranquil day. So, I’m grateful for the rain. I love the rain. I imagine the rivers rapidly flowing once again. I listen to the rain.

How’s your day going?

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We choose our joys and sorrows before we experience them. – Kahlil Gibran

 

comings and goings in ecuador

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In the nine months I’ve lived in Cuenca, I’ve heard stories about expats trying to decide whether to stay or leave, and at Stateside stories of people trying to decide whether to move here, or elsewhere in the world.

It seems more than a few people base their decisions on other people’s experiences; they think that what works for that person will work for them. That’s not necessarily the case. Why would we want to plan our lives by what another person does? Their energy, experiences, memories, likes and dislikes are completely different from our own.

Questioning the lay of the land, etc. is important, then if it seems the right fit, we continue with the lay of the heart. This is another way of pondering what to do . . . because the within has its own wonderful methods of arriving at decisions. Sitting still for a while will welcome an all-important decision-maker – one that knows, one we can trust, one who is eager to assist – if we would just let it play its part, too.

When I look back at the times in my life when I followed someone else’s line of reasoning, and put my own aside, things didn’t flow. Of course it’s a different story when we’re in a helpless state, and unable to figure things out ourselves, on the whole though that’s not usually the case.

Learning self-love is a crucial part of the process, and from there we can go on to learning to trust ourselves. Then we learn to trust Life. It’s a nice way to live.

20140510-180248.jpg Look at the usually tranquil Rio Tomebamba with its waves of water rushing pass – thanks to rain, rain, rain. I like it; it’s so alive.

quiet by susan cain

I found a book at Carolina Bookstore in Cuenca; it’s called Quiet The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking. It’s written by Susan Cain. I don’t think this book could have been written any better. To read it is to have a clear understanding of what it means to be an introvert. And, if you’re an extrovert, you’ll discover things about yourself that will enhance your life; things you never stopped to think about before because you were always so busy. I’m an introvert and, for most of my life, have been surrounded by a lot of extroverts. And, so I say, If you’re an introvert Quiet will rescue you from thinking you’re a bit anti-social. And if you’re an extrovert, Quiet will enhance your life by giving you a chance to take a breather from your daily strivings. So . . . introvert and extrovert, this well-researched, wonderfully interesting, completely absorbing book just might give you both a new lease on life.

Could Quiet possibly be one of the best books extroverts and introverts can give each other – on this special day? Quite possibly, yes.

Happy Valentine’s Day and ¡Feliz Día de la Amistad! (Day of Friendship in Latin America) to all you introverts and extroverts!

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It’s just an experience

I’ve been in Ecuador for almost six months; so much has happened in that time, though . . . one incident set the pace for the next few months. Four days after arriving in Cuenca, Toshi, my very nice and very helpful son-in-law who came with me for five days, and I were at the Rotary Plaza. He was ahead of me; I was standing still, we were looking around, trying to decide where to have lunch. Suddenly, I was flat on my face. Oh, what a sight! I’ll spare the details. People thought I had tripped because gringoes here seem to be good at that . . . the sidewalks are decorated with fairly large holes (just the right size for the ball of a foot), or protrusions, and when looking up at the beautiful architecture, or at shops while walking, or in conversation and not noticing a 14″ high curb . . . a fall might be the order of the day.

So, there I was bleeding, holding a piece of my front tooth, and absolutely dumbfounded as to what had just happened. Do you remember Christopher Reeves as Superman? He’s wearing his big S outfit and ready for action, then in a flash, SWOOSH! he’s in the air, arms straight ahead. Me, too! -though, in a flash, SWOOSH! I was flat on the ground, arms straight in back of me.

“Were you pushed? Did you trip? Do you have altitude sickness?” – “No. No. And No.” Then “What happened?” – That was the question that gnawed at me. “What the heck happened?” – I asked myself as I sat on the curb, dazed.

Then Toshi and I took a waiting taxi to the apartment where I’d been living for three days in El Centro. When we arrived, we saw Jorge, my landlord, in front of his store. He looked at me, and soon Toshi and I were in his car going to Bolivar Clinic where the inside of my lip was stitched! It was an ouch! hour. Jorge slipped out of the Clinic once and returned with an English-speaking friend from Loja. After stitching was completed, we drove to the old Military hospital across from the Rio Tomebamba for X-rays. I spoke no Spanish; therefore, was not part of the conversation with the doctors. Shortly after we returned to my apartment, a few quarts of tapioca soup prepared by Jorge’s lovely wife, Susana, were brought to me. Since I could barely open my mouth, it was perfect. And, in case you’re wondering, tapioca soup is ever so comforting. Jorge’s son, Steven, who speaks English, said that Susana prepares tapioca soup whenever anyone is sick. A few days later, another few quarts of soup came my way.

And two days later Toshi left for the States with a promise to not tell family about my temporary new look. In the weeks to come, Steven accompanied me to doctor appointments – always saying, with a smile, “No worries.”

It was a time to heal and read, and while I was doing that, a sentence made me stop: “Treat everything that happens to you as an experience. Don’t judge it as good or bad. It’s just an experience.” Those words grabbed my attention, and made me snap out of thinking, “What the heck happened?” And to stop reliving, and wanting to figure out, that accident- so important because those thoughts take energy away from healing.

Then I began remembering the kindness and help that came my way after that “experience.” Before I arrived in Ecuador, I’d read that Ecuadorian people are friendly and helpful; experience tells me that that would be an understatement. They really do “go the extra mile” if that’s what’s needed. Jorge, Susana, Steven, and the Casa Britanica Cuenca staff, I thank you!

20140126-144710.jpg the neighborhood where I lived and learned and healed. Oh, yes!

It’s a gorgeous day in Cuenca. Where you are, too?

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“Eventually you will come to understand that love heals everything,and love is all there is.” – Gary Zukav

“Worrying will never change the outcome.” Gregg Braden

“Life is an adventure. Dare it.” – Soulseeds

Peas

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A wide bucket of peas, once overflowing, for un dolar y cincuenta centanos. When I asked for half a bucket, the woman at Mercado 10 de Agosto shook her head. I decided to not pursue the matter. I do that a lot since it’s tricky to discuss anything when at the level of using only the simplest of words in the language. That’s okay, peas are great for snacks, in sauces, soups, salads, and they won’t spoil quickly. Especially these because they’re so fresh. The one drawback was lugging them around El Centro. That’s not a complaint though, only a fact; a bucketful of peas tend to be heavy. Am I going to complain about anything after just watching the trailer from A Place At The Table with Jeff Bridges at www.UPWORTHY.com? I think not. I’m grateful for that bucketful of peas for $1.50.(^_^)

I’m wishing you all the loveliest of evenings.