Howard's Blog: October 2014

Monday, October 27, 2014

50th Birthday

Today I celebrated my 50th birthday. I wanted to keep it low key. The day started out with my usual breakfast; yogurt, granola, and fruit.

Then, we met up with friends at a local restaurant called Popacuchu. My BBQ chicken, bacon, and provolone cheese panini was delicious. But not as delicious as the chocolate mousse filled eclair. No picture of the eclair. I devoured it immediately.

Tonight, I'm relaxing at home, with Mike, thinking about how good life is and how blessed I am. Here's to another 50 years, cheers!

Thursday, October 23, 2014

Cuenca After Dark

A few pictures of Cuenca's historic district at night.

Trout Fishing

Earlier this week we were asked by our neighbor and landlady if we wanted to go trout fishing with them in Cajas National Park which is just outside the city center of Cuenca. The purpose of the trip was to catch trout for the landlady's sister's restaurant she owns here. It took about twenty minutes to get to the fish hatchery. The scenery along the way was beautiful.

This is the place. It's located right at the base of the Cajas (Mountains).

We walked down a few steps and this is what we saw behind the building. Notice the little black & white dots just at the base of the mountain? Those are cows.

This is the main fishing pond.

The area around it was very nice. You can see below some of the ponds where the trout are raised before being placed in the main fishing pond.

Then we fished ...

We caught a total of forty fish in about an hour.

After fishing, we drove maybe a mile, to a lodge called Dos Chorreras. It is a very pretty place. It is nestled right up against a mountain.

Look at the huge trout in the pond.

This is inside the restaurant. You can see how the surrounding mountain was incorporated in the decor. They definately brought the outside, in.

This is the gift shop.

We were then given the opportunity to view one of the rooms. This particular room sleeps six and rents for $280.00, per night.

More pictures of the property.

This was not a planned trip. I think the last minute invite made this unexpected excersion even more special. Cuenca, and the surrounding area, has so much to offer. Moving to Ecuador was the right decision for us. We fit right in with the locals and ex-pats alike. Our curious personalities and brave spirits enable us to get out and explore this beautiful country!

Oh, and the fish? They were delicious. Mike and I kept three, John and Malena kept a few, the rest went to the restaurant. We are looking forward to our next fishing adventure.