Many gringos as well as Ecuadorians hang out in this park. We even had a woman approach us from Santa Barbara, CA who, as it turns out, had a brother-in-law psychologist in Orange County whom I used to practice with. What are the odds of that happening?
On Thursday night we went to the opera in Cuenca. called "El Elixir De Amor" (The elixir of love) produced by the faculty of Arts of the University of Cuenca in its tenth anniversary. Very nice opera at his opera house:
The opera house itself was not exactly the Orange County Performance Art Center, but the play itself was wonderful, and we got excellent seats for $10 each (top price tickets).
Friday night was "gringo night" at a local restaurant called Zoe's. Two hours of networking while having a cocktail or two.People there were in various stages of transition to life in Ecuador. One couple had just bought a house here today. Other couples have been here for years. Some were just looking, like us. Everyone we talked to seemed to love it here and would not want to live again in the United States.
People' s motives for coming here were varied, but the most common theme was to live better on less money as they retire. Some came down here essentially broke. Some seem fearful that the US economy will collapse and want to be prepared. Others have been very successful and just want a change in life style and scenery. Some are fully retired. Others are "retired" but then start small business here like real estate, or computer repair, or handyman work. I had anticipated having to give up my psychology clinical practice when I moved here, but locals encouraged me to consider setting up a practice in Cuenca to help ex-pats. Not sure what the laws are here to practice psychology: will have to put that on my "to do" list to find out.
Some people rent for a while and others buy property almost instantly. Some bring their furniture and belongings, while others sell everything back home and buy new stuff here. You can ship everything here in 20 or 40 foot containers for $5,000- $12,000, depending on lots of variables. Most people sell their cars in the United States and don't need to buy new ones here because of excellent public transportation, walking (most people lose weight here because of all the extra walking), and the extensive taxi system.
Shopping? We decided to check out a large store-complex called super-maxi.It has a grocery store plus other stores like a California mall.
Prices were not as cheap was we had anticipated. Vegetables and local produced products were very much cheaper, but many American foods (which had to be imported) were actually more expensive than at Cosco's in the US. Locals tell us that groceries are much cheaper at other places, but it was nice to be in an American-style supermarket.
The weather here is pretty much as advertised. Spring-like. It has rained at least a little almost every day, but then the sun often comes out. We typically dress in layers so we are prepared for most anything.
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