Thursday, June 9, 2016

Heidi and I took Monte for a run on the other side of the Yunancay river. There is a park on that side with large open spaces. We let him off his leash and run; I chased him and he ran circles and figure eights around us. He is a fun dog and enjoys playing.

Heidi sat on a big rock by the river and took it all in. The river is lined with trees towering over 100 feet tall, and the rush of the river echos among them. Today, the skies are mostly cloudy, with the occasional burst of sunshine, and the air is cool. I’ve traded my flip flops and board shorts in for tennis shoes and a jacket.

We still don’t have internet. Miriam, our landlady, gave us the password to use hers until ours gets connected, but today it isn’t working. I think she turns her modem off because there are some times during the day we cannot connect no matter what we try.

I think one of the single biggest problems with moving residences in Ecuador is getting wifi connected. Having lived in three “permanent” residences now, I can confirm it is never a quick process. We have been in Cuenca for six weeks and have had to get creative on where and when we can access the net. I’m not sure how many cups of coffee we have drank or how many meals we have eaten just to be somewhere that we can connect. I feel like a gypsy in my constant roaming for a signal.

A phone rang in our apartment. I didn’t even know we had a telephone in here. I wasn’t going to answer it, but then thought what the heck. The man on the other end only spoke Spanish. So my struggle began.

It is funny how I can pick up various words when I hear them, but wouldn’t have been able to remember them to use if I needed them. Basically this guy is from the company that is installing cable for our TV. The installers are coming over now and he wanted to verify I was home and the address I was at. The only English he spoke was at the very end in which he said, “Twenty minutes”.

I thought that meant they would be here in twenty minutes, but guess what? No one showed up. Heidi wondered if I got the conversation right, and maybe I didn’t. I’m not sure, however, what all that talking was about if it wasn’t what I just shared with you. Sometimes I feel like I am in the twilight zone.

A friend of mine Whatsapp’d me and wanted to chat. I have data on my phone that I pay a dear price for, and that is why my Whatsapp works without internet. I told him I needed a wifi connection to have a conversation of any length, and I would call him when I found it. I walked up to Popacuchu’s restaurant which is close by us.

Pete is the owner of Popacuchu’s and I went in and ordered three soups to go. I told Pete I needed to step outside for a phone call. There I stood on the outside of the floor to ceiling glass windows of the restaurant, connecting to Popacuchu’s internet, and talking to me friend.

The road is very busy in front of the restaurant so I had a finger pressed into my open ear, the phone pressed tightly on my other ear, and tried to converse like a normal person relaxing on the couch. Did I say how badly I want my internet set up? When I finished my call, I stepped back into the restaurant, picked up my soup and headed home.

It’s been a good day today and I’m thankful for a comfortable place t0 relax in.

Chau.