RENTING IN CUENCA - WE MOVED AGAIN to Apartment #6!!!!!

One VIEW From our New Apartment Roof Top Terrace!!

Has it really been almost two months since my last BLOG post??
I was going to do a blog post of our Travel Adventure #2, and then #3 - but "Life in Cuenca" changed for us unexpectedly.  It's those "Suddenlies" in life that we don't expect which cause everything we have planned to be on hold (like blogging or traveling) until we deal with what is in front of us.

Our landlord of two years SUDDENLY decided to put some unacceptable restrictions on us as tenants - so we decided to up and move  quickly!!  Well, the last two months have not been an easy transition, in more ways than one - but we've made it through a most difficult move, some personal struggles, and unexpected health issues.

The same day our landlord confronted us with his ridiculous and unacceptable DEMANDS, a friend informed me that she had seen a beautiful apartment in El Centro with the added bonus of a large terrace and a spectacular view overlooking the city. It was becoming available in two weeks, which was perfect timing.  I went with her to see it the very next day (one has to jump on these rare finds), had my absolutely necessary “WOW” experience, and then Bo accompanied me for visit #2.  He, too, liked it!!  Looking back at why we’ve moved so many times, I learned NOT to move again until that “WOW” encounter struck me. 

It was a difficult and exhausting two-day move, not to mention the two weeks of marathon packing - and moving again was not something I was ready for after moving from the States to Cuenca and returning three different times to purge and sell and give it away.  How in the world did we accumulate so much STUFF in a little over two years here?  Yet, as I look around at my beautiful Apartment #6, now all painted and decorated, every treasure has a place, and there really isn't that much in storage.  I don’t go shopping anymore for STUFF since living here and settling in because we have everything we need - just the expenses for daily living. 

It took a month to get our new place completely repainted, scrubbed and cleaned, and everything we own unpacked and put away.  Today, I love being home and enjoying the terrace and view.  I love the earthy colors I chose for this place, and I love having THREE bathrooms - the master bathroom even has a jacuzzi tub!  I love feeling like a princess again and having more room and a place to sit outside and enjoy all my plants.  I mostly love my friend who thought about us when I put out the word to be looking for an El Centro apartment with a sitting terrace area.  She knew it was a fit the moment she saw it.

So, I wanted to post some photos of the transition and the end result - but I mostly wanted to update you on my point of view for finding a rental and the steps I once again took to make sure it was going to be the next "right" move. 

1 - I believe that the best deals come when you can hear about a great place from someone else or see a sign as you walk around Cuenca. I was continually checking Craigslist, reading ads on Gringo Tree and Gringo Post, and looking at signs around El Centro for “Arrienda Departamento.”  I went and looked at several since we knew we wanted to transition to a place with an outdoor sitting area. All of this before our landlord turned on us and caused us to "get out now!!"   
2 - I firmly believe in negotiating the asking monthly rent.  It’s worked for me every time.  This apartment will be $120 more than our last one,  but it is still in the price range we wanted to stay in and offers SO MUCH MORE.  I knew it was renting for $400 to the previous tenant, so I was hoping for the same monthly rent. When I was told it would be $450 because the family hadn’t raised the rent in two years, I pleaded my case (that we could only afford $400 and we would be great long-term renters).  We were thankful the family agreed to $400 so we could stay in our frugal budget.  Yes, I'm so happy!  We signed a 2-year lease to lock in that price.
3 - I still believe that having ones own furniture and decor truly makes it home - for me anyway.  I have my specific taste for decorating and for art - and experiencing living in 4 different apartments the first 4 months of our Cuenca Living that were    already furnished just didn’t cut it for me.  I think back at Apartment #4 where we were paying $500 for furnished.  I’d rather invest in my own furniture and decor so I can call it home.  It certainly doesn’t make a big move to an unfurnished place three flights up easy though, but for me it is worth it. 
4 - I believe that when you know the desired location you want to live and the exact type of place you would enjoy calling home here in Cuenca - you should WAIT and NOT SETTLE for less.  Rentals     are abundant - but that “just right” place is something I had to wait for - and it finally evidenced itself just in time!!  I always say, “God’s timing is PERFECT for those who wait on Him!!”
5 - Be clear on the contract you sign.  Our contract was uncomplicated and clear without any hidden agenda or legal jargon.  I love that we can paint and make changes to upgrade, and our landlady made sure that everything I needed fixed or changed once we moved in was taken care of and paid for. 
6 - Don’t be stuck in a place that doesn’t work anymore. MOVE!  Yes it’s difficult and can be costly - but where you live here in Cuenca is important.  If you can’t call it home and it isn’t a place you enjoy being in, then MOVE!  It’s difficult enough to leave everything familiar and step into a new culture and start all over again.  Make sure you find an apartment or home that brings you joy and peace.  After 5 moves in the first 4 months, living in Apartment #5 for two years, and now our sixth move - I can truly say, “I LOVE OUR NEW RENTAL - It’s perfect for us and now that we're settled in, it’s home!!!” 

Just the beginning of our STUFF arriving to our new apartment.

 

 The entire place was originally painted a deep canary yellow - YUCK!  I was so excited to see it transformed with the earthy warm colors I chose.  My painter, Henry, was the best - Maticulous, tidy, and always on time!

 It took days for the painting to end and a couple weeks for things to find its place.  The colors were perfect and I was glad when the painting was finally done!  I can't wait to hang our beautiful art around the apartment.  For now, I just stuck photos where there were existing nails!

I stayed with two warm earthy contrasting colors throughout the entire apartment.

That's our Cozy TV-Movie Cove.  I chose the darker delicious mocha color for this area to contrast the lighter color in the dining-living area.

Outside, the terrace was transformed from a dirty boring white......

 To a golden mustardy color with a carmel-colored trim.

 Beautiful creamy linen curtains came with the apartment.  I'll never close them because we have so much privacy here.  We're the only apartment in the building, and we're up on the third floor.

The Terrace is transformed - and I LOVE IT!!!

 This apartment has such lovely added features, like the beautiful solid wood doors  and floors, and those three sweet stained glass windows at the entrance area.

A glimpse of the changing colors at dusk.

We're enjoying the open spacious feel to this place.

Yes, I LOVE the genuine hardwood floors throughout.....

.....and the huge windows and bright light in this place.

VIEW from our Kitchen Window!!

 I love that we can enter the terrace from the kitchen area, and that we no longer have to suffer white tile in the kitchen.  This one has beautiful reddish tiles.

Oh, and we have a double sink, continual HOT water and great water pressure (brag, brag, brag).  I've died and gone to heaven!

So much storage in this spacious kitchen too. Love showing my beautiful Vega dishes and Oregon Pottery.

 Tea, anyone?  Every feature in this place is so charming!!

The master bedroom is HUGE!  I plan to replace all the white verticles with wooden shades.

Every room has LOTS of closets and drawers for storage too - somthing the other apartment was so lacking.

 My plants are so happy in their new home.....

 .....and we love to sit outside and enjoy them and the beautiful views.

Love the red terra-cota tiles outside too!

 Ahhhh, beautiful Cuenca!

 Who could ask for anything more when it comes to a $400 a month Historic District mini-penthouse????

More of our amazing terrace views -

I'm happy to be home AGAIN!!!

I hope you enjoyed a beginning tour of what is yet to come (I'm still decorating!!!).  For now, we are settled in and resting from two months of unexpected "Suddenlies."  

How many times have you moved since being here?  Do you love your apartment or home?  Or are you just arriving or planning to come with the hope of finding that perfect place?  It's there!  I promise......  Leave your comment and share your experience for our readers to get a glimpse of RENTING IN CUENCA.

PACKING FOR CUENCA ECUADOR - WHAT SHOULD I BRING TO CUENCA?? - This is what we brought back and WHY!!!

We've been back in Cuenca 14 days, and it seems like we never left.  It was worth bringing in those six free 70 pound suitcases and four carry-ons between the two of us (and having to enjoy flying Business Class to do so!!).  Just a few things have made our apartment look, feel, and smell more like "our home" and we don't have to wear the same shoes and t-shirts week after week. 

I did get burned out shopping back in the states (believe it or not!!) - probably because I was trying so carefully not to be excessive in the things I brought back with us, and also I was back to watching our budget.  We had spent quite a bit of money on our two months USA trip - eating out, doing our one month cross-country motorcycle adventure, and just being on VACATION without worrying about a budget.  That's what vacations are supposed to be, right?  Well, I can honestly say, "WE VACATIONED!"  It was our splurge of a lifetime, and we have no regrets.  Yet, at some point, we knew we'd have to come back to reality and consider adjusting back to our simplified CUENCA lifestyle and mindset.

I promised somewhat of a list of where  I shopped and what came back with us in those carefully packed and stuffed "Business Class Free Check-In's," so here goes:

1 - I did one 4-hour shopping spree at IKEA! If you don't live near an IKEA, or if you've never been shopping in one, well what can I say?  It was a shopping adrenalin rush and the perfect place for me to find the best household bargains. Actually, it was where I purchased most of our NEEDS.  These included: King Comforter and Duvet, Ikea towels (wish I had gotten one more set), a quality steel knife sharpener, Paper Shade Lamps and Halogen Desk lamps (several - and IKEA sells them already packaged - and they are so inexpensive and lightweight), miscellaneous much-needed kitchen wares, shower curtains, bath mats, and on and on.  Too many miscellanous items to list.  I spent under $500, and it was worth every penny for all I ended up with - quality needs that will make our apartment life more comfortable.  IKEA truly ROCKS!!!!
2 - YANKEE CANDLES AND PIER ONE/BED, BATH, BEYOND SCENTS - How I missed our home smelling like Pier 1 Imports!  I'm a Yankee Candle addict  and now my apartment smells like Pumpkin Apple, , Vanilla Carmel Latte, and Peach Spice.  YUM! (I'm yet to smell a delicious candle in the stores here and they are a bit expensive).
3 - iHOME- Somehow my Bose speakers back home are missing - boo hoo.  So, I agonized over what to buy that would be practical and not take up lots of room.  After several expensive stereo speaker purchases and returns, I ended up buying a small iHome that was on sale for $50.  Talk about compromising - but I'm okay (noticed I said okay) with this.  I'd much rather have my Bose Stereo.  However, this works.  I can charge my iPod while I play my music library, and I also can charge  my iPhone and play music.  I may end up mail ordering another set of speakers (Bose, of course).  We'll see!
4 - iPHONE - Finally, I have my groovy phone.  I've wanted an iPhone with wifi service for a loooong time - and I wasn't coming back to Cuenca without one.  I settled for a G4 because it's all I need (see, that "want" thing is not overcoming me!!) and I was able to find a brand new unlocked iPhone for $220.  Forget about getting one even close to that price in Cuenca!  I'm Happy!  I have to pay attention that I'm not another victim of phone theft.  We're not living here in fear, but we are always paying attention, as much as possible - not letting anyone rub up against us and get in our space - especially on the buses.
4 - iPAD - We hope to do more traveling, and this will take less room instead of dragging along a laptop.  After Bo's PC smashed when we tipped our bike, he has now taken over one of my MacBook Pros, so we can share the iPad as he learns to be an Apple guy.
5 - CLOTHES - Several of the suitcases were packed with clothes - mostly mine.  Ahhhh, to be  back in Cuenca and have shoes, jackets, pretty things, my jewelry, and an actual wardrobe to choose from.  Bo also broke down and bought new clothes (he hates shopping more than anyone I know!!) and also four pair of quality shoes.  He walks for miles and miles every day, and he thinks he's not going to have to buy shoes for two years - Ha!  Comfortable shoes are IMPORTANT if you live here and plan to walk.  As for me, I'm a shoeaholic.  That's one addiction I will never give up.  Yet, here I have probably 1/5 of the shoes I had when I was a working woman back home.  Yet, I'm happy!  I have more than the four pair of shoes I've been wearing for the last 10 months.  Oh, the little things that I so appreciate.  I'm also a used-clothes bargain hunter addict.  So, my wardrobe cost less then $200, and I have TONS of clothes - and I'm having fun wearing them too. Quality clothes in Cuenca will cost you.  I'm too cheap to pay for new clothes, especially at the price they want for the clothes I would buy.  I'm sooooo happy with my St. Vinnie clothes/wardrobe.
6 - COSMETICS AND HAIR PRODUCTS - Two of my dearest girlfriends are in the beauty field - so I was able to bring back quality products - some for wholesale prices and some for FREE.  I love FREE.  The beauty products Bo and I now have will last us a loooong loooong time (thank you Kay and Patty).  Though Cuenca has lots of beauty supply tiendas, I haven't found the quality of products I'm used to, and Cuenca's cosmetic prices are way up there for anything quality.  If not for my "beauty consultant" girlfriends and the sweet deals we got through them, we would not have gone this route.  We've been getting our shampoos and cosmetic products from iHerb, and that works for us too.
7 - PANS - Bo and I LOVE to cook!  Bo's taken over the kitchen, so he does most of the meals (I now have dish pan hands since I'm the cleanup crew).  We bought an inexpensive $80 set of basic stainless steel cookware when we first arrived here.  After much thought, I decided to only add a large EcoGreen-Non-Stick Fry Pan and a small wok to our cookware.  They were lightweight, inexpensive, and ALL WE NEED!  It's a great contrast to the kitchen cookware we had back in Oregon - A quality stainless steel or cast iron pot or pan of every size, weight, and function.  Not anymore.  Less is more!!!
8 - COFFEE GRINDER, PORCELAIN MELITA FILTERS, BREVILLE ELECTRIC WATER POT - What luxury to be able to heat water instantly for my tea.  What delicious fresh coffee we can make now with our coffee bean grinder.  I love one-cup at a time coffee!  Oh, and if I find myself not timing it right for hot water when washing dishes, I can heat up the Breville quickly and voila!! No greasy dishes!!!  Yes, it's the little things.......
9 - PHOTOS, FRAMES, MATS - For me, this is one of the MOST IMPORTANT things I was missing - my special family photos.  Being a photographer (it's my  passion), I absolutely adore having beautifully framed photography around our home.  So, now I will, once again!  Back home, I did all my own printing, matting, and framing, and our walls displayed like a photography exhibit.  Also, I had lots of beautifully framed family portraits gracing our shelves and walls.  It will be on a much smaller scale here, but soon our apartment will feel more like home because I brought back a small box of memorable pictures.  I also went to Michael's Art Store and chose some large colorful mats and frames that packed nicely.  Fun, fun, fun! Yes, there are amazing framing shops here that are unbelievably affordable for anyone who wants their art or photos framed.  I've used them and will continue to do so.  It's just that I personally enjoy the pleasure of doing it myself - taking the art of photography from beginning to end.
10 - COCONUT OIL - This was one luxury food item I was hauling here, no matter how much they weighed!  To buy Organic, Unrefined, Cold Pressed, Extra-Virgin Coconut Oil in Cuenca is very very expensive, when you can even find it.  Yes, they sell it here, but I haven't seen any label that addresses all of these things in the processing.  Costco had an amazing deal on 54 fl. oz PURE coconut oil for $15 each.  We packed and brought quite a few of those back.  Bo and I cook with it, put it in our tea or coffee, and I do oil pulling (google it!!) in the mornings and also use it as my face and body cream.  If you read about and learn the benefits of daily ingesting coconut oil and oil pulling , you'll see why it was important for me to bring these heavy jars back.  A tiny jar here of coconut oil is $55.  Yikes!!  When I run out of these, I'll go back to ordering my Nutiva Coconut Oil product from iHerb, which is still a lot less per jar and guaranteed PURE.

These are some of the main things that were important to us to bring back from the USA and worth hauling back to Cuenca.

What I decided NOT TO BRING (next trip, maybe!!):

1 - 24" MAC SCREEN - I miss having this large awesome Mac screen as part of my computer setup because it is fabulous when editing my photography.  It also makes a great TV screen for watching movies.  I agonized over this, but it seemed sooooo big and heavy once I pulled it out of storage, I ended up deciding against it.  My 15" laptop screen will have to suffice for now.
2 - TV - Many of our expat friends have purchased and checked in a TV from the states.  Another big decision for us, and here's why we did not go this route:  We do not watch that much TV!  Life here is full, and we find ourselves spending most of our time out and about - just walking - taking long long walks for miles and miles as we explore the city, or spending quality time visiting with friends, dining out with friends,  taking some of the many classes offered, hopping buses to see other areas of Cuenca and Ecuador, even just for day trips, helping expats blog friends that newly arrive by showing them around the city, and on and on.  When we have our down time where we stay home (seems rare sometimes), we read, cook, relax, decorate our apartment, and sometimes we'll just download a NETFLIX movie just to unwind.  Our life here may seem boring to some, but for us it has become richer and fuller.  So, NO TV yet.  We are now set up with a VPN Router which enables us to watch USA TV, and when the time is right, we'll find a small TV for the times we do want to watch it.  Our computers will do.
3 - HERBS and SPICES and FOODS - Bo and I cook!  We eat most of our meals in, not out.  We also mostly eat Paleo - meat, vegetables, and fruit and no processed packaged foods.  If we want any specialty spices or herbs that we cannot find here, we order them from iHerb.  We don't crave peanut butter and all those things I read about that expats write about on the forums causing them withdrawal symptoms because they can't find it here.  Our eating is healthy, simple, and we shop at the open market(s) near us.  Yes, we're alive, we don't have food poisoning, and we love having access to everything we need for our cooking needs 1/2 block from where we live.
4 - SEWING MACHINE AND SUPPLIES - Again, much thought went into this.  I miss my Pfaff machine and my serger.  I had every color thread and piece of sewing equipment and supplies to sew and create beautiful things.  Well, here they sell everything I will want and need when I decide to set up a sewing station.  It just wasn't worth the weight, space, and hassle to bring what I had.  I can just buy it here, and a simple straight stitch machine will suffice.  That may come later.  Right now, I don't have time to sew!
5 - BO'S TOOLS - Oh, how I miss having Bo's tools here.  He could build me anything I needed or wanted - just from a photo.  He did give it great thought, and since we weren't doing a container or pallet, there wasn't a practical or easy way to haul his heavy tools here.  So, we didn't!  Yes, they sell tools here, and they are very expensive for quality.  That mindset that says, "I already own that..." can prevent us from buying what we need here.  Because we still have things in our storage area on our property back home, we do already have that.  But, not here where we need it!  So, we're making do without, or we go and have someone cut us the wood sizes, and Bo is able to put the furniture or shelving together himself.  Our friend continues to lend us his electric drill, and just yesterday, Bo broke down and bought a square.  Woohoo!  How we are still learning to make do.

Well, that's about it for "What we brought back to Cuenca and why!!"  I purchased a corner "desk" work station two days ago - inexpensive and not real wood - but it works.  It's functional, and if and when the time comes to leave here, it will have served its purpose.  If we stay here forever, it will still serve its purpose.  Simple, inexpensive, and functional.  That's my new mindset when I go out to shop and buy.  To have the freedom of less so we can TRAVEL and GO is how we're living now. 

Yes, in two weeks, we've settled back into our tiny Ecuadorian flat in the heart of El Centro, and it's coming along.  We are more comfortable and settled the longer we're here, and continually getting used to that SIMPLIFIED LIFESTYLE.  Do I miss my USA STUFF?  Yes.  But I'm not suffering or miserable.  I'm happy here with less, and it's a process that continues to get easier and easier.  I'm thankful for the trip back home to Oregon and the USA and the carefully thought out decisions we made in what to bring back with us and how to do it.  It was what worked best for us.  Now we're relaxing and enjoying our Cuenca life once again - living here one day at a time!

 ENJOYING CUENCA!

We love being back - surrounded by mountains, majestic skies, and historic buildings and cobbled walkways.....

Upon our return, I loved visiting and hugging one of our favorite vendors, Anita!  She truly missed us.  I buy all my weekly bouquets from her, and she makes me the most amazing array of colorful flowers for just $2 to $3.  If you don't know Anita, you must!  She's precious..... (photo of me and Anita taken by Jvonna)

One of the things I love most about our city are the beautiful colorful flowers.....

I always have fresh flowers in my apartment because they are so affordable here!!

Ahhhh, and the majestic churches and historic buildings.....

Every corner, every block has the most beautiful historic architecture.....

.....and the colorful cobbled brick streets and sidewalks add to the flavor of this historic town.

Old and weathered walls and rooftops......

Colorful walls, windows and doorways......

Fabulous Iced Creamy Frappuccinos (made with love at Cafe Nuccallacta)......

Working people, city people......

Beautiful colorful childen playing in the streets.....

Parque Calderon - a place to sit and relax and enjoy the city people walking by....

Cuenca, a city full of people that love desserts, ice cream, and lots of sweets......

An artist sketches his work on this historic corner by a shoe repair store.  Grafitti on the walls is a regular thing in this city.

As we walk through our neighborhood streets each day.....

......and we stop to rest along the way......

.......I always smile and say to myself, "What's not to love about Cuenca?????"

YES, IT'S GOOD TO BE HOME!

BUYING FURNITURE AND APPLIANCES IN CUENCA - Apartment #5 Update - AND MORE!!

It's been two weeks since we found our small unfurnished Ecuadorian apartment, moved in, shopped and bought furnishings , and we continue now in what will be a long and carefully and frugally planned out process of making our Ecuadorian flat "our home."  During this move I came down with a flu/bronchial infection, and the timing for that was not helpful.  Because I couldn't just lounge in a place with furniture and appliances and sip hot tea and chicken soup for a few days, all the necessary activity and stress to move and get out of apartment #4 seemed to delay my healing process.  Not good!!  After two long weeks of no energy, today I feel my energetic self, and for this I am grateful.  I am sitting in our partially furnished and comfortable living room listening to the buses zooming by, car alarms going off, taxis and cars honking, market and vendor activity noise along the street below, while admiring the beautiful white majestic clouds and blue skies this warm and beautiful morning.  We have much to be thankful for.  All our needs are being met, we continue to meet wonderful people every day, and we both are enjoying being in a flat that has WINDOWS all around us.

Okay, so here's the update:
1 - CLEANING DEPOSIT - When we moved into Apartment #4, we had to pay a $500 deposit which we were told was refundable, providing we left things in the condition in which we received it.  That was not going to be difficult to accomplish since our landlady did not have the apartment cleaned when we moved in, promising she would send her hired cleaner later that afternoon.  She wanted us out of apartment #3 (in the same building) because she had quickly rented it and now wanted to get that one cleaned for the soon-to-arrive new renters.  Well, to make a long story short (oh how long these stories can be), her cleaner never showed up for us.  So, we transferred into a dirty apartment with no clean bedding or towels, and guess who cleaned for two days?  Bo and I just did what we had to do and graciously moved on.  So, fast forward!  Here we were, ready to move out end of March to Apartment #5, and we thoughtfully gave our landlady written notice reminding her we needed our $500 deposit back before we exited.  A couple days later I received a phone call from our landlady ordering us to be out of our paid for apartment two days early on the 29th because it would take that much time to get it cleaned and ready for the next tenants coming in on April 1st.  I informed her that we would not be doing that because we were paid up through midnight of March 31st and we also needed our deposit back before we left.  She lit up on me and began to scream in Spanish (these are times I wish I didn't speak or understand the language) telling me we had to leave now because she had someone coming in and it was the law!  I finally had to tell her to stop screaming at me and to be quiet so I could talk.  Of course I knew she was trying to bully me, so I firmly stated, "We will not be leaving until March 31st, and if we do not receive our deposit back, we will be staying another month (which would have worked out just fine for us because it would give us a month to get our new place painted, furnished, and move-in ready), and then I hung up on her when she began screaming again.   Bo ended up e-mailing her son (who speaks English) and told him that from now on we would not be communicating with his mother because of her bullying tactics, and if they wanted us out by the end of the month he had to bring us the refundable deposit.  In the end, we did receive our deposit back on Sunday the 31st, by the son, and we were out by 4 pm, giving them enough time to get it ready for the new renters.  We were both surprised that our landlady turned on us the way she did since we consider ourselves excellent renters to have, but we are thankful that we did not buckle under her bullying and lies.

The apartment we are now in did not require a cleaning deposit.  Friends of ours who are also renting told us that they were required to pay a $250 cleaning deposit, but they negotiated that down to $100.  Other friends rented an apartment that required a $750 deposit, and they received back $430 of it several months later, after many e-mails back and forth trying to reason with their former landlord that the things he told them were not left in the condition in which they received the apartment were already not working.  All this to say, renting is a new journey for us.  I have owned a home since I was 20 years young.  Renting in another country where everything is different, including the language and communication barrier, makes things even more complicated.  We are thankful to be in a different apartment with a different landlord and no cleaning deposit to fight for.

2 - APPLIANCES - When we purchased our appliances, we were promised by Mr. Salesman-Of-My-Word that our appliances would be delivered that evening.  I reiterated three different times and ways what he was promising us, and he assured me he was a man of my word," and I believed him (which is why Bo calls me Polly - short for Pollyanna).  Well, by 8 pm that evening we received a phone call from a woman informing us that they were not going to be able to deliver the appliances because of some confusion.  No longer "Polly," I told her this was not acceptable since we were promised an evening delivery and if the appliances did not arrive tonight we would be expecting a complete refund the following day when we visited their store.  She quickly told me she would see what she could do.  At 9:30 pm, Mr. Salesman-Of-My-Word showed up with one of the store honchos and our stove, but no refrigerator and lots of excuses.  I proceeded to tell them that I would not be recommending their store to any of the many ex-pats I already knew or continue to meet because they did not keep their word to me.  They continued to explain that there was a mix-up and they could bring the refrigerator the following day - what time?  They also told us that they would bring the stove's propane tank hook up and install it free of charge as their way of making things right.  I told them they had to come at 8:30 am because we had other appointments throughout the day (assuming they would be at least 2 hours later).  The next day, at 8:00 am, they promptly arrived with our refrigerator and also hooked up our stove to working order.  Mr. Salesman-Of-My-Word apologized for all the inconvenience and we shook hands and they parted ways.  Though I will not be recommending this appliance store to anyone, I do feel they did their best to make things right - and in the end, we love these quality appliances we purchased from them.

3 - FURNITURE - Bo and I visited every furniture store in El Centro looking for comfortable and inexpensive furniture, but to no avail.  We took a bus and went out to the industrial area of Cuenca after hearing that we could surely find something there, but still nothing.  We were both of the mindset that we would find something eventually that we would both see and say, "This is it!"  Since we have always had the same taste in home decor, I figured this would be an easy task.  Yes, we could have designed what we wanted and had it custom made, but this wasn't a route we wanted to take.  For us, it's keeping it simple:  finding what we like, purchasing it, and having it delivered now!  In the end, we couldn't find anything that we liked or would work in our rectangular-shaped living room, so we finally gave up looking just to take a break.  I never thought I would dislike shopping so much or say, "I'm done looking!"  Feeling ill, having to walk everywhere or ride the bus, and not being able to relate to the Ecuadorian style of furniture left us both drained and discouraged.  There are ex-pats who have plenty of money in their pockets to go out and buy whatever they want.  Then, there are ex-pats like us, a couple purposing to live here budget-conscious, frugally, and buying things to meet our needs not our wants.  We've already lived the lifestyle of "wants" for years - having everything we want.  When we left the USA to live in Ecuador, it was to simplify our lives and not live the same.  Well, after a few days of NO SHOPPING rest, we got together with an ex-pat couple who have become special friends of ours.  They, too, had recently rented an unfurnished place, and because they cannot speak any Spanish, they asked me if I would go with them to look for bedding and furniture and help them communicate with the shop people.  After they made their bedding purchase, they took Bo and me to a 5 story furniture store in El Centro where we spent several hours together looking at EVERYTHING!  It was here that Bo and I both decided on our living room set.  Is it something I would have bought in Oregon?  No!  But, when we saw it, we knew it was right for our Ecuadorian flat.  We also found a fabulous wardrobe for our bedroom, since none of the bedrooms in our apartment have closets. Our friends also found their living room set.  Our salesman was a delight, and he was also delighted to have a double sale.  He brought us chocolates and wine while we sat and made our deals.  It truly was a wonderful memory for all of us.  That evening, just as promised, our furniture was delivered.  When two delivery people arrived in a mini-truck with a 5 piece living room set and a three piece huge wardrobe tied to the bed, Bo and I were laughing and in awe as we looked over our terrace below.  This was enough furniture to fill a moving truck - but not here in Ecuador.  Nothing was scratched or damaged, and our salesman who never does deliveries) was one of the two delivery guys because they only had one delivery person available and he said "I gave you my word I'd have it here tonight."  These two guys humped this furniture in 7 or 8 trips up four flights of stairs, and they were sweating and got a real workout.  Our salesman's integrity and promptness to deliver our goods was a nice ending to a long and discouraging furniture hunt.  We love our living room set and are now enjoying the simple comforts of home that so many people take for granted.  I would recommend this salesman and furniture store to anyone in a heartbeat, and Bo and I plan to return to this store when we're ready to buy more furniture. 

4 - PAINTING - We paid our Apartment #5 rent on the 26th of March so we would have time to get it painted before moving in.  We do not do white walls, and every wall in this apartment was WHITE!!  El Maestro painter met with us and told us he and his helper could come that Saturday at 7 am and have most of the rooms painted that day.  On Saturday, Bo was at the apartment at 7 am, and El Maestro painter arrived alone at 8 am to meet with Bo (after Bo called me on my sickbed and told me to call him), then said he was stepping out first for a cup of coffee and never returned.  Who does this?  Because I was so ill and in bed both Friday and Saturday, my Bo had to take on the task of painting all alone since we would be moving in Sunday.  He painted over 12 hours on Saturday and made a small dent in our 3 bedroom apartment (oh, how he hurt the next day).  On Sunday,  I crawled out of bed and began to pack our suitcases, and only by the grace of God and help from our neighbor friends did we get everything moved into our partially painted flat with only a bed to sleep in.  El Maestro painter did show up during the week to do some other work on the apartment for our landlord, but never a word was spoken as to why he disappeared.  Some things are best left alone!  To date, our apartment is two-thirds painted.  The colors are vibrant, rich, and earthy.  Bo and I never looked for another painter.  We continued the project ourselves, and on Sunday, five of our Ecuadorian friends stopped in at different times - three of them taking on the task of helping us paint.  So, once again, with a lot of help from our friends, we continue to accomplish the things that need to get done.

Patience certainly is our lesson as we continue to live in Cuenca.  Patience for things to happen - little things.  Like having one of the damaged bedroom floors finished which was promised before we moved in, or having some personal articles that belonged to the previous renter removed before we moved in, or the ancient stove that our landlord promised to have taken out before we took possession of the apartment.  I have been promised kitchen shelves and cabinets in our sparse Ecuadorian kitchen.  There's an ugly window between our kitchen and hallway entrance that was also going to be taken out.  Our landlord was sending someone to re-clean our many glass doors and windows after more work was done to make them slide more efficiently.  Still, to date none of these things have been done.  It's as though everything has stopped this week, yet Bo and I continue on.  SLOWLY but surely, we know these tasks will finally be done.  When?  When our landlord gets it handled or when we get it handled ourselves?  That's going to be another story......

For now, life is sweet, slow-paced, and once again we are a bit settled in.  I'm now looking for a reliable handyperson who can install curtain rod tubing along our ceiling so I can have curtains made and we can have a sense of privacy.  One task at a time, one day at a time.  Always hoping for reliable and efficient help. This is how we are learning to live our new life in Cuenca.

Yes, We still love Living in Cuenca!

A SNEAK PREVIEW OF APT #5 BEFORE PICTURES....

White walls have got to go!

Bedroom walls are slowly being transformed....

So much to paint, and the task has become ours....

We love the wall-to-wall windows and the view.....

More color and work ahead to transform our modest Ecuadorian kitchen.....

Living room before we painted and furnished - Now our Living Room has colorful walls and comfortable Ecuadorian furniture.  Next project - sheer curtains.  More photos and updates to come.....