Monday 6 August 2012
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9:30 Centro Historico Cuenca
Time to leave
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by Glenn Specht via Facebook
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9:57 I am sitting in the visa office…early…about an hour early.
I had a great day yesterday with my photowalk in Cuenca. The 6 people who were there were great and we might have got an image or two… The weather was great.
I like Cuenca. It is difficult to get a overall impression from the couple of days or times I have been here, but it does seem a bit cooler then Loja…. But the sun shines more…
The old town is amazing with the buildings.
It is touristy but not by much. It has a great feel. The people I meet, both gringo and local, were all friendly.
Cuenca is on my return visit list, not just for visa trips.
Saturday 4 August 2012
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8:39 Up at 6 to catch a bus to Cuenca  Now 3 to 5 hours on the bus.
It is interesting that when people in Ecuador talk about how long it takes to go someplace they always have a range.  This is to allow for rock slides, cattle on the road or maybe a festival along the way
I have spent the past couple of weeks helping Ecuadorian English teachers prepare for a TOEFL exam. I feel sorry for them. The level they are expected to achieve in English is very high.
One of the problems is that some of the teachers from “the provinces” are the only people who know any English so they loose what language skills they had.
One of these teachers mentioned that they finally got the Internet 2 years ago.Â
In one of my classes there is a teacher who always wears a parka. It is common for people to wear sweaters and coats, the outside temperature is the inside temperature, but a parka when it is 20 seems excessive…. Until I found out she teaches in the amazon.
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13:35 Cueca
https://m.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=10151035120055674&id=504670673
by Glenn Specht via Facebook
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14:38 Settled in to a nice hotel… A little more then I wanted to spend bit less then I budgeted ($44) for two nights.
My first impression while walking around…. I like cueca. Will have to see if this feeling continues. The old buildings here are amazing. Now time for a late lunch. Chicken of course.
Thursday 2 August 2012
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16:12 A gorgeous day in loja today… High blue sky…. No clouds in the sky in the am… By late pm clouds are starting to come over the peaks, but it is still warm. If the weather was always like this, this place would be much more enjoyable.
I have to be in Cuenca for Monday to pick up my visa, so I plan to go for the weekend. Leave early sat which should give me time to start to explore the city. It is larger then loja and there seems to be more going on. There is a large expat community there as well.
I have arranged a photo walk for Sunday. It will be interesting to see and meet new people
