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Published: September 19th 2009
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Catedral Nuevo
Begun in 1880, its formal name is Catedral de la Inmaculada. It was originally planned to hold 10,000 worshippers, but the designers miscalculated. It's plenty huge though! Hey, people walk a lot faster in Cuenca than they do in Vilcabamba! And they wear suits and ties and 4-inch heels. Funny the things you notice fresh "off the bus." With our village stroll and our gringo jeans and running shoes, we felt like the alien creatures we are in this sophisticated city of half a million.
But it hasn't taken long for us to appreciate this Andean treasure, named a World Cultural Heritage Site by UNESCO. Downtown is charming, with lovely colonial style buildings that have a definite European feel to them. Four rivers meander through the valley floor and add a soothing ambiance to the city, providing parks and grassy, tree-lined walkways—not to mention the clothes washing option.
Last year, on our first visit to Cuenca, Jack and I were staying at a hostal in town when it was time to do something about our collection of dirty laundry. When I asked the hostal owner where we could wash clothes, he took me by the hand, led me outside, and pointed to the river! (I would have done it, too—but the best rocks were already taken). Darn. Instead, we found a boring old Lavenderia, where our
clothes were nicely washed—presumably in a machine—and returned to us the next day by a smiling grandmother.
At 8,300-feet, the climate is cooler and wetter than Vilcabamba, but the stats say it only rains 27-inches a year. The trend the past three days is sunny in the morning, a little rain in the afternoon, and then cool, clear nights.
We stayed in a hostal the first night, but then found a brand new 2-bedrom, 2 bath condo in a 18-story building on the west side of town and near a (bow down in reverence) SUPERMAXI. Now, living in relative proximity to a clean, modern grocery store may not seem like a big deal, but after living in a small Ecuadorian village and shopping at little tiendas (tiny mom and pop stores that can be 12-feet wide) for a month, it's "died and gone to heaven time." You still have the option of buying your fresh fruits and veggies at local markets, but it's really nice to buy meat that's actually refrigerated and fly-free.
Our condo rents for $600 a month, fully furnished and outfitted, found through a rental agency. The owner is a gringo who currently lives
in India. We're the first tenants. New is nice. But yesterday, we had an Ecuadorian taxi driver who lived in New Jersey for several years. He was shocked that the rent was $600 a month and said we shouldn't be paying more than $200 for a place! Clean and newish, asked I? Yes, said he. That may be true... but how to find them as the new kids in town? And, most assuredly, he was probably thinking unfurnished.
One telling note about our new condo... Even though it is just barely completed, the hot water is "iffy" and we were told not to flush paper down the toilets! (A neighbor said it's no problem though). Hard to figure, but that's life in Ecuador.
Hot water and TP issues aside though, if you want to buy instead of renting, nice condos seem to start around $60,000 (although there are ads in the paper for less). Since Cuenca was named 2009's "Number One Retirement Spot in the World" by International Living, the hordes will descend and the prices rise, so don't wait too long to come check it out!
Speaking of real estate... yesterday, the "Live and Invest Overseas"
Shining Shoes in Front of Tutto Freddos
On the main plaza... TF's is a must stop for gelato! Newsletter published an article about real estate practices in Latin America. It warned that there are no regulations in the industry, no MLS, and no experience or training necessary to call yourself a real estate agent.
Worse, it seems that some realtors have the practice of asking sellers what they want for their property and then selling it to unsuspecting buyers for much more and pocketing the difference—often tens of thousands of dollars. On top of that, you might pay a real estate commission to the seller's agent as well as another to your representative, totaling up to 10-percent. Between unfair commissions and skimming off the top, it's no wonder realtors are being chased out of town in some villages and cities in Ecuador!
Some realtors are working to change the image here, but "those who know" say buy directly from the owner if possible. Best approach: rent first, get to know people, look for "Se Vende" signs in windows, find the property you want and negotiate with the seller—getting a translator if necessary—then let an attorney take care of the rest.
Or... just relax and enjoy Cuenca for as long as you can, however you can.
It's a keeper.
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Margaret Van Every
non-member comment
But what about the most important thing?
Katie, What about the cultural life, the soul of any place? Great photos. Margaret