In my last post I said that I would write all about Ruby Red next, but since we had such limited time to get settled in and make her a home, she’s just not ready for prime time. I’ve decided to wait until we are back at the ranch and can get some good photos before I dive into all the specifics. That said, I will tease with a few photos even though they don’t show her in perfect form. So once we get back and settled, we’ll give a more comprehensive tour of our new rolling home.
Meanwhile, it’s time to catch you up on the goings on of our trip to Ecuador where we are currently staying through February before returning to Paris.
The trip here was not easy. First my sister Shannon drove us the 3-hour trip from the ranch to DFW airport, where we took a late flight to Miami and arrived well after midnight. We got a hotel room because our next flight, to Quito, Ecuador, departed at 10 the next morning. We managed a few hours sleep and a couple more on the flight to Quito. There, we again arrived too late to catch a connecting flight on to Cuenca, so we spent the night at a nearby hostel that I can only describe as “murdery”. It did the trick, but it wasn’t the most aesthetically pleasing place.
We had to taxi to the Quito airport the next morning at 3 a.m. for a 5:20 a.m. flight to Cuenca, which has a flight time of less than an hour. We finally arrived at daybreak. So all in all, it took a long drive, three flights, two overnights and nearly 40 hours to get from the ranch to our airbnb in Cuenca. Hell of a trip!
Cuenca is located in the south-central part of Ecuador and is the country’s third largest city with a population of around 600,000. It is ringed by the Andes mountains which has so far provided us with incredibly gorgeous scenery right outside our door. Cuenca is nestled in a basin, but nonetheless has an elevation of about 8,500 feet. This has caused a few bouts of light-headedness in both Steven (who is kind of prone to these things) and me (who is usually not prone to them at all). As time goes on, we are becoming a bit more adapted.
Our goal while in Cuenca is just to soak up the culture, eat a lot of good food and take it easy. We seem to have been on the go for the past few months so we figured a big slow-down would be a good idea. We arrived the day before New Year’s Eve, which turned out to be fabulous timing. Our friends Bill and Kelly arrived in the evening for their month-long stay. They are in an apartment one floor below us.
On New Year’s Eve day the city was filled with music and colorful parades in every city square and neighborhood. It was just magical to experience all the costumes and festivities, Steven was in photographer’s heaven! At midnight, the skies were lit up with multiple displays of booming fireworks, which we watched from the rooftop terrace right outside the door to our little studio apartment.
As for our accommodations, we are in a four story building with our studio on the rooftop. Bill and Kelly are in a sprawling two-bedroom apartment owned by the same host. In fact, she owns the entire building. Rent in Cuenca is, by American standards, incredibly inexpensive. Our studio is small, but so perfect for our needs. We have a living space, well-stocked kitchen, bedroom and bathroom, high-speed Internet and that gorgeous rooftop terrace. We are paying $265 per month, including the Airbnb fees!. That is not a typo. Bill and Kelly got a killer deal, too.
Because Cuenca is high in the mountains and near the equator, the temps are spring-like year round, mostly in the low 70s during the day and in the 50s at night. In the afternoon when the rain showers come, the temps drop into the 60s, and it is glorious. The amount of daylight never changes, and currently it is summertime. It can get quite warm during mid-day, and the UV index is considered “extreme”. We do not head out until we are slathered in sunscreen and have our hats on our heads.
About four blocks from our apartments is a fabulous covered market filled with fruits, veggies, meats, fish, beans, rice and sweets. It is an amazing place to walk through and shop, but even more so once we discovered how inexpensive everything is…IF you find the right vendor. One day Kelly and I shopped for a dinner of shrimp tacos, and we found a vendor who I like to call the One Dollar Fruit and Veg Lady. It seemed no matter what we bought, the price was one dollar.
Six large, ripe tomatoes. $1
43 juicy limes. $1
Big bag of strawberries $1
Big bag of blackberries $1
Big bag of cherries. $1
You get the picture.
We went to a different vendor for one orange and she charged us 50 cents. We are not going to her again!
Among the best deals at the mercado is the shrimp, which we all agree is among the tastiest we have ever had! I paid $10 for one kilo (2.2 pounds) or 42 beautiful jumbo shrimp. The shrimp in Ecuador is farmed, but it is considered to be among the finest in the world. According to Google, Ecuador’s aquaculture industry is the most advanced and sustainable of its kind, and is top rated among conventional farmed-raised shrimp-producing countries. I can’t say if that’s true, but I can tell you from personal experience (we’ve bought over 3 pounds since our arrival five days ago…) that the shrimp is the best I’ve ever eaten.
Needless to say we are scouring the Internet for shrimp recipes. So far we had shrimp and rice, shrimp tacos and shrimp ceviche. Those shrimp tacos, y’all, mmmmmm! We only managed to get one photo, we gobbled them up so fast!
So that’s an overview of our first few days in Cuenca. We have just scratched the surface, no doubt, and we are looking forward to seeing more of the city and surrounding areas and eating more food.
As mentioned earlier, Steven was in photographer’s heaven while wandering around town on New Year’s Eve. He put together a short video of the day and also documented the journey getting to Cuenca. You can take a look at it here.
Next up: I’m going to do a food post with recipes…maybe.
The fluff stuff must be espumillas!
Yes, you are correct! But since I don’t eat meringue (reminds me of cow spit, ew, which I got from my Mom, who doesn’t like it either!) I am happy Kelly & Bill gave it a go, though. Somebody had to do it! 🙂 There are plenty of other foods here for us to enjoy, though!
That RV is quite an upgrade, space-wise! I’d love to visit Cuenca. Enjoy your stay
Ruby Red feels like a palace! You are not that far from Cuenca, relatively speaking, so come on down! 🙂
Great photos and video! Looks like fun!
Steven says thanks! So far we are having a blast and enjoying ourselves! I think time will fly while we are here!
Wow!! What a beautiful place and with culture! Ruby Red is massive…almost as big as my little two bedroom bungalow lol. Zac has grown into a handsome young man. Loved Steven’s video of travel to Ecuador…had to google where Cuenca was located. Also loved the market full of fruit and veggies. With the rent so cheap/reasonable, I’d love to travel there and stay a month or two. Thank you for your awesome blog post!!
Ruby Red is a mansion compared to Bijou! We can’t wait to get settled in, but first we have a bit more of the world to explore.
And speaking of, you would do well in Cuenca. Not only is it affordable, but there is everything here you help you feel like a local. Language classes, cooking classes, translators, and when you need a touch of home, a huge and very active expat community!
Stunning,awesome,on & on ,lol That Ruby Red is something special too- enjoy.
Isn’t Ruby Red just spectacular? We are so excited to move in and hit the road. It sure was nice to travel in her when we brought her home to the ranch from Florida. I think we’ll get right back into the swing of things without too much trouble. :). Happy New Year!
Looks and sounds like a great cultural experience. You’ll be spoiled with all that fresh and inexpensive food, but at 8500 ft up, you can burn that all off in no time once you get over the vertigo. I suffer from that, too if we change altitude quickly. I spent an entire week loopy in Colorado Springs on a work trip once. Have a grand time and keep those photos coming!
So good to hear from you, Judy! I’ve been thinking of you guys and hoping we can meet up once we are back traveling in the U.S.
Anyway, until then, we are enjoying our time in Cuenca and it’s only been a week. I have never eaten this much shrimp! But I am going to eat some more, so I hope to have my fill by the time we leave in late Feb. 🙂
Happy New Year!
I hope we can meet up, too! We have a great camping spot on our property, but hopefully by then we’ll have a new RV and will be traveling again. Eat some shrimp for me!
Oooh, fab that you’re planning to travel again! Good luck finding your new RV!
Enjoy your time in Ecuador.. we have some Canadian friends living in the same town as you ..
farmer’s market looks awesome !!. Some great deals !!
Thanks, Sue! Everyone knows someone in Cuenca, there is a huge and active expat community here. I am very partial to the markets and fresh foods, so I think I’ll be very happy here. Safe travels to you both!
Well congrats on the Red. I think you will really enjoy it. When I first started following your trip I think you were in a Safari. We also had a Safari. We sold her and then picked up an Allegro Bus. We surely are enjoying the Tiffin. Best wishes. Your digital friend. Jeff and Pat Travasos.
Thank you so much, Jeff. We are really looking forward to getting out on the road in Ruby Red! She’s going to be a wonderful home on wheels for us! Our first motorhome was a Travel Supreme named Scoopy. We loved her, too. 🙂 Thanks for commenting and for the well wishes! Happy New Year to you and Pat!
You’ve certainly had your share of lengthy and “adventurous” international travels – you’re old pros for sure! What a great deal for an extended stay – and that rooftop terrace is perfect! Especially for watching fireworks with friends. The parade and domes are awesome, but that market is the show-stopper. Love, love all the color!!
Ruby Red looks gigantic and beautiful. How fun to have you back in the states this year.
Oh how I am ready to have short adventures! LOL, we can never get back all that time we spend in airports! We can’t wait to swing by your place in Ruby Red!
I followed your posts on Norway and last fall took a 3 week trip there, although not in our RV. It was every bit as beautiful as you described. It was a trip of a lifetime!
Now, your description of Ecuador has me wanting to go there!
Oh, how exciting that you took a trip to beautiful Norway! It was a highlight of our five + years in Europe and I would go back again if given the opportunity! I’m so glad you enjoyed it, too. Ecuador is wonderful, what little we have seen so far. We have a few trips outside the city planned, so we will get a taste of what else is on offer. So far it has been amazing, especially the markets!
I enjoy your posts, thank you.
Thanks for following along and taking time to comment. We really appreciate knowing folks enjoy our posts!
Always enjoy your posts. I travel vicariously with you. I will say, I thought of you two as soon as I heard the news of the turmoil in Ecuador. Hope you are safe.
Yeah, seems we picked a less than stellar time to visit Ecuador! We fell quite safe, though, in Cuenca. The majority of the violence is in the bigger cities, not here. That said, we are being vigilant!
Plan B for your winter sojourn with current crisis or are you sitting it out?
Plan B is to sit tight and ride it out! Unless things really take a turn for the worse, we are probably in one of the best places to be. We are monitoring local news sites and have friends in Quito who are monitoring from there. Even if we wanted to leave, the airports are open only to those who have actual tickets. Locally things seem normal. In fact, we are on our way to the market! (As if we need more veggies, but we can’t resist!)
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