Night lights of Cuenca

Last Saturday night here in Cuenca Ecuador, we went up to Turi where one can see those many sunsets that I was recently talking about here from a really cool perspective, how cool your asking right? What my mom had suggested earlier that day before the sunset for us to go see something that even she and (Poppi) Chuck have NEVER DONE EITHER, so whatever it was it would be new to all of us. "It was to see all of the town of Cuenca light up at night" Once up there Petra and Paige got to experience a form of true Ecuadorian fast food better known as Cheloupas. As we were waiting for the sun to set I had brought both of my cameras with me and at first I was thinking wouldn't this look great as movie as well?, little did I know that later tonight I would use the movie cam of mine anyhow. Here is what I got from the top of Turi as the lights came on as darkness fell,,, ,as to what did I used my movie cam on later is that we went to where got those slippers for the girls and had more food and they got to be in those whatchamycallits "Hamsters Balls" which I will also post soon on youtube as well as "the pony riders" one from the weekend.

Cuenca bus tour and more.....

Hey everyone,
Hello once again from Cuenca Ecuador this morning (Poppi) Chuck and I went and followed through on a promise to these two princesses from yesterday. What it was, is to take them on the Double Decker bus tour of Cuenca, everyone went to bed earlier than we have on this relaxing Vacation so far last night which wasn't really busy or was it? We got over to the other house at a little after seven twenty and they were finishing their breakfast of Rice Crispy (like Ecuador version) at least one was ready to go....and the one finishing her breakfast checked on her sister was raring to go too. Mimi decided NOT to go with us this time for she was going to be working on planning for tonight's dinner, we got taxi and went to where "the pony riders"part of the park from yesterday. When the time Chuck had talked to the bus tour driver came and went with no bus showing up he decided to go across the way and get his shoes shined. Petra upon seeing this decided that she too would love to have her pretty shine back in her

own shoes as well.We then headed over to a building that is adjacent to the park that I have only seen from the outside always before now, it's where Cuenca holds court cases above but on the bottom it is a opera stage and also has this beautiful shrine after seeing this and still not knowing when the bus was coming we all decided to have a second breakfast at a small bed and breakfast place a few blocks away where the girls were telling me and (Poppi) their Precy Jackson/Lord of the rings tales with something about making a more detailed movie version of a orphanage story that their older sister Parris came up with and somehow in the mix of storytelling Paige seen here, came up with a Trigonometric answer to a story she was telling about a bird's wing color it was like this "See that window pane over there well if you take it and divide it by the letter A,12 which the window pane was in and times it by x,4 you have the color I'm talking about for the bird's wing, which was Aquila green. She has just turned ten a few days before Mimi and Poppi brought them here to Ecuador, by the way.We then went souvenir shopping in that part of town where they have stuff mostly handmade or being really neat in every way, unfortunately all of us expect Poppi had no moolha with us at the time but I'm sure the girls will pay him back before we leave for home again. Still not sure what time the bus tour started we went back over to touring information area and found out the tour started at eleven am it was ten twenty so we went into the cathedral for a few minutes or at least I did and I got a few more shots than just this , where mass was just gathering. When then caught the tour bus and this was my third attempt at using my movie cam but definitely not the last of the day (boy I hope the tour will come out mostly okay but I just have a fear it's all zoomed up to much, but we will see I guess? when I put it on you know where....) After the tour we went out for ice cream and I filmed the girls doing a windy day skit, then we went DVD shopping for the classic movie "GREASE" then we to a taxi home and enjoyed some hamburgers with Brian and Shelly oh yes and their dog Freddy I also helped the girls out with a skit of theirs called "the elevator".

Walking all around Cuenca and horses in the park

Hey all,
Before I go all out with more from Cuenca Ecuador today I want share with you all, that earlier this morning I was dreaming. The context of this dream from what I can remember was a get together with some high school friends at someone's house that I 'm not aware of from back during our high school days at HANDFORD HIGH, with some recent times somehow intertwined, and the reason why this is because later this year is the class of "1991"twentieth reunion over this summer. Today however is about my excising with it being my first Sunday in Ecuador this morning Chuck and I walked (which means I really got to used my pedometer in a foreign setting) from their new place (which will be including a full posting hopefully while I'm still here in Ecuador....and if not that's okay to....) which is about four blocks away. We saw a race of some sort weather it was a running/walking or a bicyclists was unknown to us Chuck had happen to point out through that a huge sponsor was a Ecuadorian water company by the name of VIVANE. When we got to the church known Sal Del swan this where vendors come to sell flowers today we were met up with my folks friends Rich & Nancy at the time we got to a bench and less than ten minutes later (Mimi) my mother and the princesses known as Paige and Petra showed up in a taxi. We all then walked to a famous restaurant down here called the

,along the way the Rich's Nancy spotted the Virgin Mary

on top of a building roof.
After breakfast at the Kookaburra which you can see here everyone enjoyed his or her own meal with great joy, Rich and Nancy went about doing their things for Sunday and declined a tour with us on the Cuencan bus tour which starts by this main cathedral

,yet before going over to where the bus tour starts we wanted the girls to have their photos

taken with the horses. NO Not real ones but still fun to have

your picture
with all the same. While my mom took photos of them with here digital camera, I have happen to have made a mini movie of the event which I hope to post to youtube at the same time of posting this or when I get back to Richland Washington when I happen to be heading home in a couple of Fridays from now. Yet this is my first actual test with this movie cam so please bear with me as I learn more of it's various functions, finally after all of that excitement we still missed that tour bus even though Chuck had asked the driver if there were any more for today from what he could understand from him they start tomorrow at eight am.

Matt and his new friend from Cuenca Ecuador

Hey all
Yes I still admit that I'm half way around the world in a place known as Cuenca Ecuador, but I can say as well I have made a new friend here. Yet I can't say it's a girlfriend in anyway, (although that would still be nice there would be the ever lasting complexity language barrier that would be for a long while anyway in the way) no this friend happens to be Chuck and Nancy's Cuenca son in sorts.Wait....Say that again pretty please they have a son in Ecuador with them that they don't know of.....besides yours truly?.....Well no NOT REALLY! It would seem that how this friend of theirs is like a son is that he works at repairing electronics (specifically computers similar to the son Micheal who works with sound systems repairs) Yet his name is Jose Cortez and yesterday after that French toast breakfast we had at the girls cabin, Poppi (Chuck) went to meet Jose at the boys cabin to repair our computer and see what was wrong with their tv and DVD player. About a half hour later Jose called the girls Cabin Mimi (mom) answered, she told me the phone call was for me, Jose asked me if I'd like to see a movie, I of course agreed. We were gonna see the "Pirates of the carbine" in 3D at mall, but first we met up with him and Chuck at the park in downtown Cuenca where we had a few bench pictures with me and the girls. Jose and I parted from them and went our own merry way at a little after noon, we went hat shopping for both of us and browsing for some DVDs before going to the movie only to find out once we got there it was in Spanish only (NO ENGLISH: subtitles), so we decided instead on "Beyond A REASONABLE Doubt" which stars Micheal Douglas and was in English with Spanish subtitles on the trailers we saw TRANSFORMERS 3, and CARS 2. Before the movie started we went to a internet cafe after the film walked to parts of Cuenca,,

I had never been to before, we then took a taxi back to the girls cabin where Paige,Poppi, and Petra performed a skit from their older brother Joshua's camp from a few years ago.

Visiting folks favorite Pizza Parlor before they move to Quito Ecuador

Hey all,
Yesterday we were all still getting use to Cuenca time of all that ventured here to Ecuador. Mom and Petra & Paige are staying at the place I showed all of you last year in the post entitled "My parents place in Ecuador" with Mimi, while Popi (Chuck) and uncle Matt are in their other place which is just across town in my time here I will post about it's outlook which is very nice I gotta say. Today though is about getting to go out for pizza at a little after one p.m. and for me seeing a lot but not all of the friends my folks have made here in Cuecna and, (NO DON'T MISTAKE the title of this post it is NOT my or Petra or Paige parents/grandparents who are moving to the capital of Ecuador.) Rather it is the owner of the pizza parlor Pablo who is moving to be with his family (hopefully everyone seen here

,which includes Paige & Petra would love seen him continue a pizza parlor there as well). Hear is a foot note to Merri the girls mother, were really outspoken at this pizza parlor we had at least three different conversations going at once.We then went slipper shopping and food shopping at the mall called Mall Del Rio and store we visited was the Coral for both the girls cabin and the boys cabin, in fact I smell the cooking of eggs and French toast.....

Now for that promised Ecuadorian sunset

It is finally here is all I can say, I can say is that with me promising for over two and half years to get a Ecuadorian sunset on my digital camera has finally happen. How is that your all asking yourselves right?, don't your folks who do live in Ecuador live in a hole where you can't get any type of picture like that....well the answer to that very question is no and yes no really they don't reside in a hole at all in fact if you go to my two thousand and ten posting entitled "My Parents place in Ecuador" you can see I have shared how reassuring their (then new place is) especially to assure myself of their safety. It has happen that they have done what most ex-pats in Ecuador do and that is brought a place to make a bit of money by owning a place that they can rent out to future incoming ex-pats or Ecuadorian people whoever they maybe? (more on what this new place looks like in a future posting, yet I can also say it is very nice for it is where Chuck and I am staying this time around. And yet I have been here in Cuenca for only two days and here are the type of sunsets I have gotten to ,, snap shots of and all that I can tell you is I wish I could get one for every night of the next two weeks! Although I also foresee two small problems one being I will eventually will get accommodated to Ecuador time, and number two I will be having so much of a fun time just relaxing and having things to do with my family and their many friends.

Arrvial in Cuenca safe and sound

So very sorry about forgetting to post at all yesterday, it was a VERY LONG day and night with transverse time changing all THAT given time of flight time. We started at 4 p.m. on Tuesday see that entry right below this one! When we were in the plane from Seattle no one really got any zzz?, I may have just a little, on the Florida one in the night to (I WAS, that got a fair amount) this morning from Florida to Guayaquail Ecuador I was the one who got most of the sleep I will have to ask Petra & Paige for sure though because I saw them out just we were entering Ecuador. Chuck called the regular van service that we use to get to Cuenca (or rather he had to recall them while we were getting our bags into the country for they were here in Cuenca, thinking we were waiting to go to Guayaquail's international airport) thanks Lordis for that call. We then took a four hour trip to Cuenca, (anyone wanna call Gillian for a boat tour maybe not since that was really a three hour tour) After having a chicken dinner we Chuck and I went to their other house which isn't far really just a few blocks away, on this trip sometime I will show you that place as I did their current place.