November 6, 2010

Out for breakfast.  I added scrambled eggs and Gala added poached eggs, both were great.  We went back to hotel and checked emails while our room was being cleaned.  Laundry from the other day arrived and we knew we had everything for packing for our flight back to Quito tomorrow.

Gala and I wanted to visit the Kookaburra Cafe and passed up the normal flights of stairs for a third one about 4 blocks further west.  It was fewer steps and less of an incline.  We found the restaurant and ventured further into Centro waiting for the lunch hour.  We revisited Mercado 10 de Agosto to see the meats, produce and people.  We were in the chicken area and noticed a few chickens split open with everything showing.  There were several round yellow/golden and orange objects and we could not identify them.  A fellow from New Orleans was behind us and let us know they were undeveloped eggs, and yes you can eat them!

Bottle rockets for sale

Pots and pans for sale

Butcher tools

These fish were 2-4 feet

These were 3-5 feet

Made it back to the Kookaburra and Gala wanted a bacon. lettuce, avocado and mayo on toasted brown bread.  I chose the tamale and ordered dos cerveza, por favor.  We met the owners, Chris & Jenny who were from Australia.  We had a great lunch and good conversation with them.  There was a masseuse in the lobby giving back rubs for $5.  She gave us her business card and said she gave full body massages in her condo for $20.  We, later, took a tour of this area to see where condos were for rent/sale.

Sign in Banos at Kookaburra, we had a similar sign in our hotel

We went back to the Central park area and decided to purchase a flower arrangement in the Flower Market.  Gala struck up a conversation with a man who has been living in New York for 19 yrs.  He was home to see his family before returning to NY.  He helped her negotiate a reduced price for the arrangement she wanted.  On the way back we stopped at the INCA Lounge & Bistro to use Banos and have a cerveza.  We watched part of a jazz special on TV then returned to the hotel and sat on the terrace listening to a touring exercise group that were set up on the closed off streets so locals could keep in shape, all free according to desk clerk on a weekly basis.

Wall art along river walk on way back to hotel

Puppies near the westerly stairs

Exercising in the streets of Cuenca on Sunday

We decided to take a taxi tour of the residential areas.  It was a business card we picked up at the Kookaburra.  "Call Angel" for an English speaking tour guide.  He arrived and we were off to 6-7 areas he recommended.  Mostly mixed dwellings of Gringos and Ecuadorians.  Some nice looking places to consider.  We asked him to deliver us to the California Cafe after about 2 hours of enjoyable conversation and scenery.

Ecualyptus trees in near by parks

Light fixture in the California Kitchen

We met George and Carol, the owners, and settled in for another meal.  Gala ordered a white wine and I asked for a red (house wine, please).  Gala asked for a salad and pineapple upside down cake.  I went for the cheeseburger, fries and cerveza.  Gala also ordered a cup of coffee and a pound to go after she tried it.  We walked home and during our walk down the steps met a couple from Prince George, British Columbia who had been here for 15 months and loved the place.