We’ve heard so much about Cuenca for so long and we’ve heard so much about her loving family. Maria was right…. This is a special place and her family is very loving and welcoming. We are staying in her sisters home which is directly behind her parents home. Cuenca is very charming except for the traffic! The traffic isn’t terribly congested, just disorganized and chaotic. Riding in the car while Maria is driving is similar to riding on Alpengeist at Busch Gardens. Much like Europe, there are lots of roundabouts in Cuenca and getting into and out of each one is a hairraising experience. The setting, however, is spectacular. The city is surrounded by mountains in every direction and you can get up into them in about 15 minutes in any direction. The city is compact but home to about 350,000 people. The old part of the city is a mix of Spainish colonial and more contemporary architecture and the streets generally narrow and paved with cobblestone.
The Arce family lives about 1 mile from the heart of downtown. Their property is about the size of a city lot in Charlottesville (50’x100’) but there are two houses and 3 businesses located on site. The property is walled on all 4 sides and can only be accessed through a series of 2 iron gates with electronically controlled locks and an intercom system. The house we are staying in belongs to Maria’s sister Juany and is accessed through a third iron gate. The who system reminds me of the beginning of the “Get Smart” sitcom that we used to watch when we were kids. I gather security is a concern but we haven’t witnessed or been victim of any type of crime. Every home is secured with a wall and gate so the residential streetscape isn’t exactly inviting. Maria’s father runs a printing business behind the main house. Her oldest Sister Ruth runs a blood lab and her other sister Marcia has a Psychiatric consulting business. Both are located in front of the main house. Between the house and the printing shop there is a courtyard that Maria’s father recently covered with a roof. The floor has been tiled and the area now functions as a large gathering room. The houses are simple and comfortable. On the third floor of the main house, there is an outdoor terrace area and Guinea Pig pen (they’re not pets). Maria notes as we walk through the house that Jesus and Mary are on the walls everywhere, apparently to deter immoral behavior, particularly in the bedrooms.
Being here with Maria is such a blessing. I wish she could travel with us through the rest of South America but her husband isn’t too thrilled with that plan….newlyweds. Maria has shown us all of the historic sites, the “in” places to be, the not-so-safe places to be, she has bargained for us at the markets and fed us new fruits and meats. Thank God for Maria! She is doing a great job of taking care of us (even though we have almost died every time we’ve been in the car with her).
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment