The Blessing of the Rivers and Todos Santos Restaurant

Mark and I set out on Thursday for the "blessing of the rivers" near the Broken Bridge and found out that construction abounded. We treaded through muddy streets, hopping over electrical wires and manholes in search of the big celebration. What we found was a group of water worshipers paying homage to the river. Mark and I listened to the chants and decided we probably didn't belong; we simply weren't dressed for the occasion.

Hunger pangs set in and so we climbed the steps to Todos Santos and checked to see if the restaurant was open. It was at that "ify" hour (a quarter to twelve), so we were only slightly disappointed when the hostess said, "We won't be open for another 15 minutes." As we walked out the door with a sigh, the hostess followed us (begging us to come back in).  "We can seat you now," she chimed.

There's nothing like having an entire restaurant to yourself (and I do mean we were the only ones there). That can only mean two things: we were the first customers of the day or it wasn't a very good place to eat. But as I looked around at the well-appointed tables with real cloth napkins and the server with his crisp white shirt, we decided to stay.

When I opened up the menu, I gasped! The prices were a "little" steep (more like gringo prices). While the waiter wasn't looking I snapped a picture of the menu. I'm not sure if you noticed or not, but they snatch that menu away from you fairly quickly, so after I captured my picture we ordered! One of the least expensive things on the menu was pizza ($13.00). Our server explained that it was grande and he was right! Twenty minutes later they served the pizza on a wood plank and it was huge. I had half a slice and Mark had two slices (the rest went into a doggy bag).

It reminded me of the Sicilian pizza that Mark's Nana used to make. For no extra cost you can add five condiments free of charge. We ordered "jamon, queso y champiñones" (ham, cheese and mushrooms). Our server was attentive, but not to the point of "burping us."

Our drinks were served with lots of ice and lime (just the way I like it), and since there's a panaderia on the premises we were served bread with three condiments before our pizza. Yes, it was a bit of carbo loading, so I headed off to water aerobics afterwards so the bread didn't have time to settle on my hips. Our total bill came to $18.00 (including drinks).

Just as we were leaving another couple entered the dining room, so we essentially had the entire place to ourselves. Would we eat there again?  Most definitely, but we would probably do the "uno para dos" thing. Mark and I often split meals and have enough to bring home. We got two more meals out of our pizza!

It's definitely not the cheapest restaurant in town, but the river view, ambiance, service and quality of food was worth it.

We have some time before we head to the coast, so we might try out a few more restaurants that we don't normally go to when we're "working."  Mark and I usually have the $2.25 almuerzo at El Tunel when we're teaching, but this was a nice surprise and made up for the disappointing "River Blessing."  However, I did hear that El Paraiso was where the big celebration took place.

So if you're looking for something different with great brick oven pizza, check out the restaurant at Todos Santos at Calle Larga y Varga Machuca.

Unitl next time...hasta luego!

Technorati Tags: Todos Santos, Restaurants in Cuenca, Living and Retiring in Cuenca, The Best of Living and Retiring in Cuenca

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P.S. I just got word that the documentary film on expats is nearly complete; I'll let you know the air dates for television soon. It was filmed the day after we returned to Cuenca after Dad Pombo's funeral. Needless to say it wasn't the best timing for us! The film will document how foreigners view Ecuador.

Coffee Tree, Money and Books!

One of our favorite places to eat is Coffee Tree (open 24 hours!). Today we enjoyed breakfast (desayuno continental): your choice of coffee, “jugo” (juice), four slices of whole wheat toast, and eggs (prepared the way you like it) for a total of $2.87. Here’s the kicker! If you order the juice alone it’s $2.50, so you might as well have breakfast on the "side"!

It’s a fun place to eat because we always see someone we know or meet someone new. Today we enjoyed both. A “venture capitalist” was talking with his colleagues and he mentioned he never invests in real estate, stocks, bonds, silver or gold. Mark and I looked at each other in amazement and blurted out, “What else is there?”


“International currencies!” 


Mark and I decided we would stick with what we know and let the professionals do what they do best. Anyway, it was an interesting breakfast conversation.


For now, Mark will continue to teach and I’ll keep writing. It’s time to update the book, Living and Retiring in Cuenca: 101 Questions Answered. I’m working on the second edition which will be out in April 2012 with a lot of updates and new information.What started out as a helpful guide to newcomers has ended up being a great way to meet new folks when they come into town. This is one of those weeks and we’re excited for the opportunity to share our journey with others (in person).


Anyone who is a writer knows that we write because it feeds our soul, not our pocketbook, but I have to say that this little Kindle book has shocked  me. When you consider that the average U.S. book sells less than 250 copies per year and less than 3,000 copies over its lifetime, it’s definitely a cause for celebration when a book sells more than 5,000 copies (only 25,000 books have sold more than that). And, of course, there are always books that sell beyond anyone’s expectations: Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight series is one of them!


This week Living and Retiring in Cuenca surprised me with 1,500 copies being sold since it was published in April 2011. Certainly not a best seller, but it wasn’t intended for that purpose. So this is a personal thank you to all who have purchased it and recommended it to others. As I update the 2012 version, I’m including a list of new businesses and resources. So if you have a business in Cuenca, just drop me an e-mail through my "contact button." 


Today I realized that it’s time to make our list for the States when we return in August. If I had to do it over again, I would have definitely packed more Totes umbrellas, rain gear (especially rain boots in sassy styles and colors), raincoats and less summer stuff. And that Nike jogging suit in black and hot pink that I left behind, I’m still regretting it. Oh, and I would have brought a gallon of Clinique Moisture Surge with me! A note about umbrellas: you need some just for the sun (in pastels preferably) and sturdy ones for the rain--the kind that don't fold up on you in the wind. 

As far as gadgets, I would have definitely packed the rechargeable batteries and a battery recharger (what was I thinking?). And computers...I would definitely rethink my decision to bring my Dell laptop in pearlized pink. Dell parts are difficult to find in Ecuador, so you may want to rethink your computer choices. Apple, Mac, Toshiba, HP or Vaio are available here and so are the parts. Personally, I think pink is better suited for flowers than computers anyway. But thanks to Amazon and Club Correo, I’m still in business!

 If you need to find a new route to the Coffee Tree, the guides are out that include a revision of the bus routes until the "redondel" is completed (in about a year).

Until next time...see you at the Coffee Tree!

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Back to School

When our boys were young, I loved the back-to-school time of year: crisp fall mornings, making sack lunches, and soccer practice every afternoon. Those days are gone, but in their place is life in Cuenca as students with a teacher in the family!

Mark is busy with classes at CEDEI (he's also required to take six hours of Spanish each week), and I’m teaching English at “La Esperanza” (orphanage). It’s all part of our plan to keep our brains functioning into our old age. So far it seems to be working (I think!).

Our goal—for the first two years in Cuenca—is to immerse ourselves in the language and culture as much as possible and we’re about half way there. For us, that means spending more time with Ecuadorians than native-speakers of English which has been difficult, but profitable for our language learning!

On Sunday we spent ten hours with our “adopted” Ecuadorian family which mainly consisted of eating, playing soccer, eating some more, playing soccer until we all dropped and the porch light went out.  Mark and I were in charge of bringing potato salad for 60 people (that’s a lot of potatoes, celery, onions and eggs!). We had hamburgers and hot dogs with all the trimmings and celebrated FOUR birthdays with two chocolate cakes and one candle in the form of a question mark. There were four generations present, including “la abuela” (grandmother) who took me under her wing. Being invited into an Ecuadorian kitchen—to cook with the rest of the clan—was quite an honor and now I’m officially part of “la familia.”

Our new schedule has taken some getting used to and coincided with several writing deadlines so we feel less than “retired.” But we’ve still been able to keep up with our date nights which we celebrated last week at “Mangiare Bene” which gets five stars:  price, value, location, menu selection and authentic Italian cuisine. Because we spent six years in Italy, we’ve been less than impressed with the pasta in Cuenca, but Mangiare came through with flying colors. The kitchen area is open (think Macaroni Grill in the States), so you can see everything being made fresh right before your eyes. I ordered the penne pasta with jumbo shrimp and it was amazing; the pasta was perfect – “al dente.” Our entrees were served with garlic bread and our drinks were on the house!

Mangiare Bene!

We’re back into the swing of things and the weather is even cooperating! It feels like football season in Pennsylvania, complete with cloudy skies and cool mornings. The school buses are running, the kids are back in school, and so are we!

Until next time…hasta luego!

What's Hot and What's Not!

You can get some really hot deals in Cuenca and you don’t have to look too far—like flowers (I never spend more than $1.05 for a bouquet that lasts more than a week (Coral Centro) and a “almuerzo” at a place I’m still not going to mention because it’s worthy of an entire blog. For $2.00 we can enjoy a beverage, appetizer, soup, main meal and dessert on a white starched tablecloth.

Simply amazing!

We realized we can eat out five days a week for $80 a month. Now that’s a hot deal and I couldn’t even begin to buy all the ingredients at SuperMaxi to make even one $2.00 meal at this place.

And then there’s the not so hot deals…you know…when you get the Gringo price for something you wouldn’t pay that much for in America. I have finally realized that I need to take matters into my own hands regarding my hair. Mark can’t relate to my dilemma because he’s “sin cabello.” Probably a good thing. In the States, I had no problem: shampoo, trim and highlights would set me back $30. I had been with the same person for nearly 20 years, so I guess I got the “faithful” client discount.

Not here. I can’t get out of “la pelaqueria” for less than $65. I’m sorry, but I can eat out for a month on that kind of money. I’m trying to get back to my natural color (whatever that is) and I just can’t seem to communicate in Spanish or English exactly what it is that I want. I’ve gone from blonde, to brunette to a redhead in a matter of hours. Yes, it was their “goof” and I still paid for it. Maybe I need a "varita de virtud" -- (Spanish word for the day!).

It seems that anything that has to do with beauty is going to cost you in Cuenca, except maybe a $5.00 manicure. The women here always look so put together and now I know their secret: They go to the stylist to have their hair done, their makeup put on and they’re not even going to meet the public! I brought a stash of mascara with me from the States because I heard it was expensive here (and they were right). Maybelline Big Lash may set you back $14.00 (anything imported carries the I.V.A. tax). So if you’re moving to Cuenca, be sure to stock up on your favorite makeup items. Yes, they do sell Avon here!

Another hot item for those traveling through Cuenca is the availability of prescription drugs that don’t need a prescription. I’m not sure if you can call Retin-A or Renova a prescription drug, but I know that my medical insurance in the States sure wouldn’t pay for it. Actually, it’s supposed to make the wrinkles disappear, but I think you have to start using it before you actually get them. The price for Retin-A is $11.00 and it’s sold over the counter at many of the pharmacies in Cuenca.

And then there’s something that happens to all of us in a foreign land where we live somewhere between guilt and thankfulness, especially when a craving for Mexican food takes over. We were going to have pizza with some friends at Chicago Pizza and right next door was “El Pedregal Azteca.” We found out that we weren’t the only Gringos on the block craving Mexican because within a matter of minutes, the entire place filled up. I watched as they made tortillas (hecho a mano). I give this place a 4-star rating.

Next time, reflections on Carnaval (a not so hot holiday for me!).



Until next time…hasta luego!



El Pedregal Azteca
Gran Colombia 10-29 y Padre Aguirre
Cuenca, Ecuador
(across from Santa Domingo Plaza)



Guacamole Dip



Hecho a mano -- tortillas!

The prices are decent.

One of the dining rooms -- love the blue!

Did someone say "tacos"?

Sucre Sale Cafe

One of the best things about living in Cuenca is discovering new places to eat. One such find happened on Saturday. We had passed by Sucre Sale Café many times during our trips to Parque Calderon and said, “We need to have lunch there!” On Saturday, we enjoyed "almuerzo" with a friend who was visiting Cuenca for a few days.
I’ve been to Paris several times and always fell in love with the food (noticed by my bathroom scales when I returned to the States!). If you like crepes, you will appreciate what Thomas Bacle (owner and chef) can create.

My hubby had chocolate crepes and I had the best Quiche Lorraine I've ever tasted. I found myself “licking” the plate and begged for seconds. Of course, I also helped myself to Mark’s chocolate crepes while he guarded the other half of his plate with a fork and knife!

If that wasn’t enough, we shared another dessert—“ Moelleux au chocolat." How can I describe a baby volcano gushing with warm chocolate? It was deceiving—at first glance— because it looked so innocent; a little round cake served with three apple slices on the side. With one touch of the fork, the warm chocolate "exploded" and mixed with the vanilla sauce. To say that it was amazing would be an understatement. I’m not sure how Chef Bacle pulled it off, but it was absolutely incredible. Mark and I had a fork fight—trying to keep one another from taking the last bite!

The best part was the bill! With Quiche Lorraine, salad, crepes, Moelleux au chocolat and two drinks, our total came to less than $9.00. It wasn’t just the great food, it was the ambiance. I felt for a moment that I was back in Paris, but speaking Spanish instead of French!

The owners of Sucre Sale Café will welcome you with the best that France has to offer while you’re in Cuenca!

Until next time….Bienvenue!




Sucre Sale Café
Luis Cordero 8-74 y Sucre
Cuenca, Ecuador

P.S. Sucre Sale Cafe is also pet friendly! We bring Mocha along in his sporty dog carrier. While he enjoys his bone, we munch on our lunch.