It's been a good week.

   It has been a good week. Then, they have all been pretty good since we came to Ecuador. I have to say I do recommend retirement. I read today, on line, about a man who is following the example of the dust bowl era and moving west. I might suggest looking to the south, the far south that is. I'm not to sure about those who need to find a job, but for those of us who are retired (I love that word) this has been a good place so far.

The theatre entrance is in "Mall del Rio"

Snacks are cheap 2 popcorn, 2 sodas, 2 hotdogs about $10

  On Wednesday we went to the movies. Wednesday is 2 for 1 day so the cost was $4.50 for us both.This is our second time and it is pretty good. The theater is more modern than we thought it would be and while watching the film we both had the thought  "can you believe we are watching an english language film while living in the Andes"?
  The first film we saw was "The Hereafter" with Matt Damon. If you have seen the movie you know that parts of the dialogue is in french. Well, when the subtitles are in spanish we have no clue what they are talking about for part of the film. Fortunately, I don't think they will be throwing in a 3rd language all the time.

  Joan has been taking classes in weaving and she started with things like scarves but she has now graduated to doing more advanced things such as the Poncho in the picture below. I don't know anything about weaving but it seems to me she is doing a good job and catching on quickly. I'm hoping she can weave a sweatshirt for me I can't find one here in my size.

The proud weaver

Students cleaning up their school

The "Dona Piedad" restaurant

 Mick and Kathy Wesson are kind enough to pick Joan and I up in the morning. Kathy is a weaver too. So they go to weaving and Mick and I run errands (of great importance, as I explained before) and then we go to the "coffee tree" where we hold meetings of the old f**ts club of South America. Today,the students of the "colegio"  in the church next to the coffee tree were putting in some time and elbow grease cleaning up the side of the church that some "idiots" had spray painted with graffiti.  This is the second effort in the last two weeks to remove the damage. The first time was by city workers who didn't get it all removed.

  Mick and I left the coffe tree and went to a restaurant he had been taken to by Ecuadorian friends. The  Dona Piedad restaurant doesn't look like much from the outside and the inside is not an inviting site and only has about 4 stools for seating, but the pork sandwich they serve is really a treat. The pork is piled on to a hamburger bun and is delicious. There is a "aji" sauce available which is spicey but not unbearably hot if that is what you want but for me the sauce smothered the taste of the pork that was just terrific. The sandwich is only $1.20 and is served with a coconut milk drink that is also very good.
 

It ain't a Big Mac but it's good

inside the restaurant

I am told the line is down the block if you get to the restaurant after 1 pm. The restaurant is said to be famous throughout Ecuador and has been in business for 50 years. The restaurant is on Juan Jaramillo just off the corner of Miguel Angel Estrella.
Every day we find something new in our new home town. It is an exciting adventure.
Hasta Pronto
Dale and Joan