Our Family Adventures 2018 / 2019

Saturday is our day to explore, but lately we have had a lot of rain, so since Saturday looked like another very wet day we started our day out at another Panama Hat Museum. This time we wanted to try to learn a bit more about the weaving process. I had found on Facebook that there are a few places in Cuenca where you can learn the art of weaving straw, unfortunately the web page did not give much info....so exploring we went! Maija making a sunflower out of toquilla straw, Terran and Maija actually started to get the hang of weaving

This is a post by Terran....our resident train enthusiast. Waiting to get on the new train The TRANVIA is a new train in Cuenca, and right now they are still testing it, but around the end of April it'll be running for the public. On Thursday I got to ride it, at first we were walking around the area where the trains were, and we run into the train wash, basically like a car wash, but just for trains. We then followed the train tracks that came out of the train wash, and they led to the main station, we asked if they still had tickets for the test runs, but they said they were all out! So then we went to the first station, and they said they could led us on without tickets, and it was free! When the trains run for the public,it'll cost $0.35/ride. They said the test run would take around an hour, but to me it felt more like 30 minutes (...this is Monica and it was an hour...lol). The train took us all around Cuenca, and we actually waited for a second train to come, be...

Getting out in nature is great, and we were fortunate to have this opportunity today. Thursday morning Wyatt received an email from a friend saying “ Wyatt and Monica, I realize it's very short notice, but it's a beautiful morning. Would today work for you to go hiking in the Cajas?”.....Yes, please! Wyatt worked out the details with his job, and off we were to El Cajas National Park. El Cajas is a national park about 30 Km from Cuenca, it has around 270 lakes, and lagoons. It is so densely green, it reminded of those movies about the Congo, and I thought at any minute a gorilla would jump out and say hello.  To the left Susan and Gordon Foreman, to the right; Maija, Terran, and Wyatt at the trail head. Since El Cajas is actually pretty high in altitude it is actually a little chilly there, nothing like Calgary in the winter, more like a cool fall day in Calgary. The highest point in El Cajas is around 4450 m, so not quite Rainbow mountain near Cusco, but pretty high....

Today was our first full Saturday in Cuenca. Most afternoons we go downtown, and explore a little, but this Saturday we were able to spend most of the day out and about. We started our day by visiting the Catedral of the Inmaculada Conception. This Cathedral is relatively new, it dates back to the late 1880's, and it features three beautiful giant blue and white glazed domes. I think this cathedral is perhaps the largest one we have seen in South America, in fact I read that when the Cathedral was first constructed, it could house 9000 of the 10000 inhabitants of Cuenca. A view of the Cuenca Cathedral from Plaza San Francisco

Maija And Terran Gazette March 26th 2019 Panama Hats, Not From Panama! This is breaking news! In a recent discovery, our journalists have found that the famous Panama hats are not really from Panama! They are actually made in Ecuador! In a museum here in Ecuador they also took many pictures of trying on hats! Trying On Hats Traditional hats... With some not so traditional (pink) touches and cowboy touches too... And stranger still... Now with bow! Only $35 USD! Get it now!   What? Riding hat? I NEED to come to Ecuador. No, not a single store in Ecuador has JUST one thing. That is obviously unreasonable. Taylor Swift? In Ecuador? I think not. Optical Illusion version. Swirly. For impressing friends. Funnel. For rainstorms. Call me Hat Girl. Or maybe. This is about the size of Terran here. Why a feather at the end? Don't know. Probably an "Inca Tradition" Well, t...

Since arriving in Cuenca we have been catching up on school work, and getting settled so we have only explored a little in the afternoon. but so far from what we have seen, Cuenca is a beautiful city. Ever since we started thinking about this trip Cuenca was in our radar, we have read that it is a safe, and beautiful city, and from the little bit of exploring we have done the rumors are true.  View of one of the domes of the New Cathedral of Cuenca

Sunday we attended our local church here in Cuenca, one of the many reason why I love to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is that wherever we go we find community. We started planning this trip over a year ago, and part of my research of where to go, and what to do during our trip involved joining many expats Facebook groups. One of these many groups was Cuenca Expats, and I remember asking if there was anyone familiar with the LDS community in Cuenca. well I got a hit! I made a friend, and we have been corresponding for a while. She was helpful in telling me about the church here in Cuenca, giving me advise about housing, and many other questions. I should have send Nancy a message when we arrived in Cuenca, lucky for me, and to my happy surprise Nancy was one of the first people I saw at church on Sunday! Lunch in Nancy and Chuck's beautiful backyard (Nancy and Chuck are standing in the back)

Friday was our last night in Loja.  To celebrate we went to Mama Lola's restaurant, and then went to a free symphony concert with a guest cellist.  More on that later. Mama Lola's serves traditional Ecuadorian food, including cuy (which Maija refused), various fried pork, chicken, etc.

Loja has been our concert city, almost every night we have enjoyed classical, Latin, Pasillos, folklore.... well a plethora of music genres. But last night's concert just blew me away. A few days ago we purchased tickets to a Queen tribute concert, we figured $10/person for a concert you can't go wrong...and it did not disappoint!

So, we went to the Loja Zoo. Daddy said (you can quote him on this) "Don't be to excited, it is probably all ducks and cats and goats". Well, he was mistaken (kind of). Orchid at the Zoo