Zoe is beautiful! It's in the heart of downtown in a preserved historic building and is beautifully decorated. Very modern, sheik. There was a decent crowd when we arrived (maybe around 20 people or so) and we did a bit of mingling. Arturo and I were by far the youngest people in the room, but I enjoy talking with people older than me, so I enjoyed the conversations I had. Many people are trying to decide if they would like to move to Cuenca to retire, but many have already taken the plunge. However, it seems that most of the people we met (or read about on their blogs) have moved here recently (within the last 6 months or so). We ended up parking ourselves in the corner with Randy and Karen and talked for 2+ hours. I really enjoy them! They are a wonderful couple!
It was the most "gringos" I have seen in one place since we left the US in May! It was sort of a surreal feeling, but I really had a nice time and would go back.
Around 8:30 I was hungry (I'm 9 months pregnant give me a break!) and decided to head out to Alex and Ricardo's for a pizza dinner and invited Karen and Randy to come with so they could meet some Cuencanos and practice their Spanish. It was such a fun night! I am SO impressed with how much they really work at learning the language and are in to trying to listen to and speak Spanish. Ricardo gave them a tour of the house and we hung out with them and their kids for several hours and then headed home since they had to get up early for a 10 hour drive to the beach (yes, I'm jealous).
We took Karen and Randy on a quick tour of a couple of cafe's with outside sitting areas where Randy might be able to drink coffee and smoke his cigars, and then took them home.
It's now 7:30 on a Saturday morning and I've been up for 2 hours... I had a wonderful cup of coffee made from a chuspa, pan de leche with butter and jam, and have been quietly writing in my blog. It's been a wonderful and rare morning of peace and quiet. I have loved it!
A coffee chuspa (makes quick and excellent coffee!)The workers should be coming soon to work on our room so until next time que tengan un buen fin de semana!
I googled chuspa and I found it to be an Andean bag (they used it for coca leafs:-)). So, making chuspa coffee is like making tea with teabags. Still, it is not the bag but the tea (in our case - coffee) what gives the taste. Being a coffee gourmand (eh!) I wonder what kind of coffee is in that little chupca, is it Ecuadorian , Columbian, Bolivian? By the way, how much is the pound (or kilo) of the best coffee beans on the market?
ReplyDeleteI also wish good health for you and the baby. Nicholas
Hi Nicholas,
ReplyDeleteYes, a chuspa is kind of like making tea with a tea bag. You can use something like cheesecloth or nylon stockings (that's what they used to use here when their chuspas broke). They actually sell the little sock looking filter in the stores. You never clean or wash it so the flavor of the coffee stays and builds. But yes, I would say it is the coffee itself which gives the coffee its flavor (as with tea). We put in Ecuadorian coffee, of course! (we get it from Loja) It is finely ground, think Turkish grind, and costs between $1.50 and $4.00 per pound depending on where you buy it and what type you buy. I think "the best" can vary greatly as there are many small producers in the Loja region who roast their own coffee and sell it for a cheaper price. As I posted in an earlier post many times we buy the green coffee beans from Loja or Macara and roast them ourselves at home in the oven, so there are lots of options! Are you in Ecuador, or where are you located? Let me know if you have any other questions about coffee! Thanks for the kind wishes for me and the baby!
Thank you for a prompt answer. I have visited Ecuador in 2006, Guayaquil, Cuenca, Loja and Vilcabamba. For me, Cuenca is a great place to live. May (my wife) and I plan to move over next year but in November of this year we are going to visit Cuenca for some two weeks. We are from around Houston. And, that you have mentioned the Turkish grind I have, modestly, to admit that I am the best Turkish coffee maker in SouthEast Texas! Take care.
ReplyDeleteP.S. It is not my business, but aren't you going to give birth in the States? Give the child a chance to be president:-)
Hi again Nicholas,
ReplyDeleteThat's great that you and your wife plan on moving here! Do you have friends that have already moved here, or made the decision to move here based on your 2006 visit? Your coffee sounds divine! Do you roast your own?
Although our daughter will be born in EC both my husband and I are US citizens therefore she will also have US citizenship from birth and should have all the same rights as someone born on US soil. It would be like a U.S. missionary or someone who is a U.S. citizen who is traveling traveling having a baby abroad. She will have all of her papers as soon as I'm strong enough to travel to Quito or Guayaquil to get them!
Dear Mrs. Garate, I buy my medium roast Columbian Arabica coffee (there are a light and a dark roast, too) at Phoenicia. This is a delicatessen-groceries shop in Houston, held by a Lebanese gentleman. On one wall there is a picture of him, as a sales boy, in a street shop, in Beirut. So you can see that the guy knows what he is doing.
ReplyDeleteI went to visit Ecuador after reading International Living. But I made up my mind after visiting Cuenca. I like your blog, take care of you and the little princess. Nicholas.