Let’s Call This the Beginning!

Hopefully, this will be the first of many posts on our new blog “Los Ganos de Cuenca”. Be sure to click and read the “About Us” page to find out how we discovered and made the decision to retire to Cuenca, Ecuador.

After packing, repacking, distributing and redistributing weight and bulk, here are our 7 checked bags, 2 (large) carry-ons, and 2 personal items.

Our 9 suitcases with all our worldly possessions.

 

Saying goodbye to our friends and family was not easy but we will see them next summer when we come back to visit the US.  And we look forward to visits from family AND friends in Ecuador.

Glenn’s Alaska Airlines frequent flyer miles got us to New York City, where we rested up in brother Gordon’s Manhattan apartment.  For pictures of our time there, go to “Glenn and Mara Gano” Facebook page.  LAN Airlines got us safely to Guayaquil, the largest city in Ecuador, at 4 am on Wednesday, October 8th.

From Guayaquil (at sea level), our driver Freddie conveyed us up through the Cajas Mountains (13,500 elev.) to Cuenca (8,200 elev.) – a 3 1/2 hour trip.  We wish we could have taken a picture of us squished into his small SUV with all of our luggage but well, we were busy being squished into a small SUV with 9+ pieces of luggage.  We arrived in Cuenca, Ecuador on October 8, 2014 at 8:45 am CST.

Our temporary home is this fully furnished and equipped apartment owned by another expat, Dano Austin.  One of the first tasks at hand will be to find a more permanent dwelling.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, we know this blog is pretty short and doesn’t have nearly enough pictures but we promise that there will be a new post soon.  Blogging is a new experience for us so we’ve got to make sure this whole thing works.  Please feel free to comment below and we will respond as quickly as we can.

So here’s what we’ve learned: A lot has changed in the 16 months since we’ve been in Cuenca, to the city and to us, but we still love it!

And here’s what we need to learn: Take an umbrella everytime we leave the apartment!

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