This is my attempt at a panorama from an overlook I walk past every day on my way to school. The view starts from the Southeast and moves to the SouthWest. The name Cuenca means basin or bowl in the Canari language which were the people the Incas marched up and conquered from Peru. Their are two Ande mountain ranges (with many 20,000 ft. volcanoes) running parrallel to each other and North-South. Inbetween them is a large valley and within that is the basin of Cuence (8,000 ft.). So, these surrounding foothills you see in the distance are a little higher than the city. There are four rivers that come down from these surrounding mountains and hills that run through the city. 
I mentioned in an earlier post I had purched a beautiful hat which I still haven't worn yet. You can spot all the touristos by the new hats they're wearing. I'm saving mine. This is the hat museum. They're called Monti Christi's, not Panama hats.
Here's the esplanade we walk down and up everyday to go to the school. One of my students is a businessman leaving shortly on a buying trip to China and he wanted some private lessons in English. It wouldn't have been to Kosher to do that on the side and he wanted more hours than I could give him, so I gave him to Jo. It's called an intercambia. She talks to him in Spanish and he talks to her in English. Also, my young bride was accepted to the Teaching English as a Foreign Language school here and will begin her matriculation in June. It will be an intensive, hard month and a half, but I know she can pull it off. And we'll make two paychecks and be making about an 1/8 of what we used to...oh well, the beans are sure good.
Here's one of the local indigenous women (with a full load) wearing her village's particular hat.
And here's an Ice Cream bike vendor pushing his wares up out of the ravine where the river runs towards the city center.
If the switchback grade of the road is too severe for you, then there are always the stairs.
This is the Rio Tomebamba which we have the most contact with going to and from school.
This is the main entrance to the soccer stadium. I went to my first match last Sunday and it was fun and interesting. Of course, I'll enjoy it more when I figure out the rules.
The lower structure with lots of windows looking down on the river is the Inca Bar where we go to watch things like the Superbowl and Winter Olympics. Next up is the World Cup which kicks off on June 11 with USA vs. England. Quite a few of my fellow teachers here are Britts, so the action is getting hot and heavy. Above the Inca is the Hotel where we first stayed when we arrived until we could find an apartment.
Zoom in and you'll notice what the locals use for washers and dryers...large, round rocks and the river bank.
Did you notice the dark threatening clouds in most of the previous pictures? Well, the bottom opened up while we were over by the stadium and we sat in a bar for 2 hours to wait out the torrential downpour. This is what the river looked like after it stopped raining...brown, high and roaring. When its running this strong you can hear large, trash can size boulders clicking like pool balls down in the river as they get swept to the sea.
Jo has some very nice images from our trip to the coast during Carnival (Mardi gras) and I've almost got her off her A-- enough to give them to me for posting on this blog :)Just kidding!
These were just some of my Happy Snappies for you to look at. Finals are in two weeks and I should be done with school on March 20. Then we get two and half weeks off to go exploring.
So, hasta la bye-bye for now and thanks for all your emails.
They are usually the highlight of our days.
It's all good, here in the Eco-Hood, and we certainly hope you are good as well.
Chowder,
Tony
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