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We thought we'd stay longer on the coast of Ecuador but the heat forced us back into the mountains. However there was a problem - out of 5 roads leading to Cuenca, 3 were blocked due to landslides and road damage caused by heavy rain and we got to see it first hand! We drove up and over 3,000 metres and hit a massive storm in Biblián. The 6 lane Panamerican Highway was turned into a raging river in a very short time! I chose the middle lane where the water level seemed lower and drove slowly through. I had our windscreen wipers on full speed and could barely see, whereas others raced through without lights!
Getting into Cuenca wasn't easy either as there were road closures and diversions but we finally got to Tu Parada in Cuenca, a new campground for us. Miriam, the host, welcomed us and showed us the facilities. We parked on a concrete area inside the property, at the side of the main house. It's $5 per person per night with a dump station and kitchen. Laundry costs $5 per load. We can use a downstairs room for a hot shower for the first few nights until the camping area shower is ready.
Miriam also took us out to show us where the local fruit and veg shops are, supermarket, bakery and a restaurant nearby which we tried out after a wonderful hot shower - a luxury for us. The restaurant was really good. Kirsten had a loaded hamburger and I had chicken and chips. Yum!
We really enjoyed Cuenca when we were here for Christmas and New Year 2019/ 2020. This time we stayed for 3 weeks and enjoyed checking out the city centre again, finding new restaurants and bakeries. We never found the yummy Berliners, custard filled donuts, but we got a long list of things sorted out. We managed to find a new battery for Kirsten's really old iphone. Amazing! So we tried getting a new battery for our 10 year old computer and also found one. Wow, we really thought we'd have to get them from Europe! We also found German style bread so Kirsten was happy, bought new socks which we desperately needed and got Kirsten's sandals repaired which she would need later on. (Explanation comes later in the report!)
We found a dentist to clean our teeth but that wasn't so amazing. Kirsten only needed a couple of small fillings to mend holes - only took 5 minutes, no anaesthetic or anything. But he didn't do my teeth very well. In fact he cut my lip twice trying to clean them which he didn't do very well and then tried to tell me that my veneers needed replacing which would cost $900. No thanks, not when he cut my lip during a routine cleaning!
Miriam gave us a recommendation for her dentist. So a few hours later we walked 4km to get there. The dentist took a quick look - I mean literally! I opened my mouth, he peered inside, said everything was fine and I just needed them cleaned!! But I'd just had them cleaned!! Hmm. I asked if he was sure. Big mistake!!! Then he got his daughter to come and translate into English. I needed aesthetic work on my veneers. I needed crowns which would cost $1200 and take two weeks!! I decided not to get my teeth cleaned twice in one day (!!) and said I'd think about the crowns. We know a dentist in Paraguay and I'll go there on our way to our storage place in Uruguay.
We spent a lot of time working out which route we would take south to Uruguay and working out what we wanted to see in Peru. We did profiles to work out where the high passes were and work out where our overnight spots would be. It meant being inside a lot but that was because it rained on 16 out of 22 days that we were there!! Well, it's rainy season so we expected it. Unfortunately our football team also played badly so our chances of being promoted into the top league went out of the window.
We dodged the showers and went up into the observation tower for great views above the city, and walked along the river on various days. We found a new falafel restaurant which was really good, went to two different Chinese and even stumbled upon a parade a week before Good Friday on our way back from the second dentist! So maybe it was worth going for a second opinion after all! There were lots of floats with different music bands and dancers. One was an all female rock group playing "She's a maniac" from the film Flashdance. It came out in 1983 which is our era so we danced and sang along. The female dancers, wearing punk style clothes, were good too.
On my sixtieth birthday we got up at 6-30am to watch our football team lose again. Not a good start to the day. We needn't have bothered getting up. But ... at least the day got better. I decided we'd go out for a posh meal at the Hotel Victoria - fitting for a Brit! We got out the only good clothes we have here which were the clothes we'd worn for my niece's wedding in 2019. This is where the shoe repair comes in because the sole of one of Kirsten's sandals had come off during the wedding 3 years ago. She could hardly go for a posh meal in a dress wearing hiking boots!!
It was fun getting out the clothes which had been buried in the bottom of a storage area and dressing up again. I even wore earrings and a necklace!! Well, I'll only be 60 once! We walked into town and down to the hotel which overlooks the river. The male receptionist saw me coming and dashed to open the door for me. Ooh, that doesn't normally happen but that's probably because our normal clothes are looking very worn after such a long pandemic!!
The service at the restaurant was very attentive and we shared a delicious prawn cocktail as a starter. I had rack of lamb for main course but was a bit too bloody so it had to be sent back and Kirsten's sirloin steak was a bit chewy but the accompaniments were very tasty. The desert plate was to die for - pecan pie, passion fruit cheesecake, brownie and blueberry ice cream that looked like a mouse with 2 chocolate eyes and and 2 biscuit ears! It cost way more than we've paid in the last 3 years but we were splashing out for my birthday and we thoroughly enjoyed it. On the way back we checked out a very popular chocolate cafe but, unfortunately, we were too stuffed to eat anything else!
Another really good thing about Cuenca was that we could get our booster Covid injection without any problems. The nurse giving the injections at the local clinic was actually a dentist giving up her spare time so it wasn't really a surprise that she didn't know how to aspirate! You don't aspirate for teeth!!! All we needed to do was to explain what it was and how to do it and she agreed. Super! We got AstraZeneca again because we've done really well with it so far and didn't have any side effects.
On the same day Curt and Snow arrived in their RV. Kirsten sort of knows them because she watches their YouTube channel! Their motorhome is huge! Another motorhome arrived the next day, on Good Friday, and caused a bit of a problem. Firstly it had large letters on the back "Funeraria" which means funeral car!! It parked on the road outside so we didn't even realise it was a motorhome until they plugged in and there was a bright yellow electric cable running from it, across the pavement and under the large double doors into the inside of the camping area.
Just as we were leaving to go and watch a parade, Miriam told us the "funeral" motorhome wanted us all to move so they could drive in and park in the corner beside us. Curt and Snow would have to drive out and so would we because the camping area is so narrow. Normally it wouldn't be a problem but they'd waited all day before saying anything and now it was dark they wanted us all to move!! Not possible because Curt and Snow weren't there. They'd already gone into town for the parade, plus I didn't think there was room next to us, even if we squeezed into the corner. We didn't want to miss the parade either.
After sending WhatsApps to Curt and Snow and discussing everything with Miriam, the whole thing was cancelled and we dashed off into town. We found Snow and Curt in a restaurant where they could watch the parade, to give them the latest update and only just got back out onto the street as the parade was approaching.
It was more like three processions, each with a Jesus figure carrying the cross and several roman soldiers with whips. It was very loud and, unfortunately, raining. The procession went along the main street and into the cathedral. It was very different to Guatemala where there were huge, heavy floats carried along the streets over extremely intricate and colourful "carpets". Maybe it was different here because of the pandemic. Ecuador has only just opened up again and there wouldn't have been time for all the necessary preparations.
In the early hours of the following morning we got woken up by loud banging. It was coming from a rented apartment on the first floor of a building next to the camping area. We found out later that the occupants just packed up and left at 2am without telling the landlord!! Why am I mentioning this? Because of their dog who I nicknamed Bonkers. Every day for the last 2 weeks we'd hear him going ... you guessed it ... bonkers. It sounded like he was trying to get out of a cage, growling whilst biting and tugging a piece of rope or material. It would happen at least three times a day and go on for around 10 minutes!! It was going to be quiet without him!!
There weren't any parades on the rest of the weekend even though we looked online, asked several people, and went out on foot looking! The funeral parlour left Easter weekend but then returned the day after Snow and Curt left. They parked in front of us. Not a problem but we were leaving the following day! They still hadn't said a word to us. After 22 days it was time to leave Cuenca. We'd really enjoyed it but it was time to drive 7,000km in around 6 weeks to our storage place in Uruguay. Peru had finally opened its land borders and we needed to get going.
There was just one problem - the funeral parlour was blocking our exit and Miriam told us they'd left in a taxi that morning to go to Guayaquil for 8 days!!! What!! You've got to be kidding!! Nope! Apparently the owners are millionaires and have a business that's got nothing to do with funerals, but there was some kind of emergency so they'd just given the keys to Miriam and left!! Brilliant! So now it was down to me to drive the funeral parlour out onto the road, drive our motorhome out and then reverse the funeral parlour back in!! Which is exactly what I did. Miriam was extremely relieved that neither she nor her husband had to drive it because they've never driven motorhomes before!
We have since recommended Miriams campground to anyone heading to Cuenca and we also signed a new camper board for her. She presented us with a commemorative glass. Thanks Miriam, we'll stay in touch.
We did our shopping at the local supermarket and drove 13km north to the propane plant. They couldn't fill up our bottle because the person who normally does foreign bottles wouldn't be there until tomorrow. We drove to another place but they don't do it either. However, they said we could stay on their parking area for the night and the next morning we returned to the plant to get our bottle filled.
