Spent this morning catching up on reading, both leisure and work-related. I also spent a lot of time on the computer answering tons of emails from well-wishing friends, sending out emails to the many friends that I wish I had had time to talk to personally and say goodbye before I left, and answering Skype calls. For those of you who wonder what the best way to reach me is, I can tell you that calling my Skype number (USA 512.961.8557) is the easiest and lowest cost way. I talked to quite a few friends today effortlessly.
This evening, I went out on a long walk to look at another apartment. The experience can best be described as very interesting. I walked about 2 kilometers North from my hotel along a very nice street to a district called Gonzelez Suarez. This area is known for its new, mid-to-high rise condos where the cab drivers have told me the 'people with money' live. Every building is gleaming and new. At this point, my odyssey began and the landlord of the apartment I was seeking gave me directions that can best be described as sketchy.
She told me to turn right at the first street past the Hotel Quito, which I did. I then began a steep descent down a cobblestone street that curved downward toward a beautiful valley. Along the way, with many switchbacks, I saw little shops and snack bars and taverns. There was not a road sign to be found, which explains why the directions I got did not reference such.
Instead, I was told to 'look for a green building on the right next to a yellow building.' And to 'follow the curve that bends to the left.' I continued following this sort of roadmap until I arrived at the 'two buildings next to each other, one green and one yellow.' This is where I was admonished to 'follow the stairs that run between the two buildings, through two set of doors, down the stairs, and ring the bell.'
After doing all of that, I was greeted by a charming 80-something year old woman, member of an indigenous group here in Ecuador, who is the caretaker for the property. She showed me through a rambling compound/commune that consists of 18 separate 'casitas.' All looked charming and rustic: brick and tile floors, interior brick walls, fireplaces as the only source of heat, and furnishings that looked like they were out of a cabin Thoreau would have lived in. I learned that the area I was in is a blend of very poor locals and artsy Bohemian/academic types. Sounds perfect as far as a place to drink coffee or beer, but the apartments may be just a little too primitive and off the beaten path. The thought of climbing the cobblestone streets on a daily basis in a suit seems problematic. Also, the units have no modern conveniences or luxuries. There are no washers or dryers and the bathrooms are bare bones. For example, the shower curtain in one place had a wire clothes hanger rigged to hold the span up. The furniture shows the ravages of time --the sagging cushions of the large butts that have sat on them laboring over research papers and the claw marks of the angry cats that have taken their frustration out on the easy chair as their owners sipped absinthe. And the mattresses. I would have to find a very reliable hygienic barrier before I'd dare lie down on the beds I saw!
Still and all the views from the units were amazing and the units are more the style that I like --think Santa Fe, NM adobe instead of Miami, FL condo. If only I could find a place with Ecuadorian style that is nice and clean with a washer and dryer! Well, I guess I'll keep looking. I suspect, however, that I will wind up in a condo. It seems the Quito upwardly mobile professions value those much more than the artsy, Bohemian places I would like. All of the people at the office have told me where the 'it' places that I should live are, so it is pretty clear they see me in a new, gleaming condo. Also, since Latin America is very status-conscious (in that respect it does remind me of LA or Dallas), they have made it clear that I need to be at the 'right' address. We'll see what I find during the upcoming week. I'll keep you all posted.
Until then, I have given you some photos of the beautiful church (La Iglesia de Guápulo), which is down in the valley at the end of the cobblestoned road I meandered down in search of an apartment ...and a photo of an indigenous woman who looks just like the charming and talkative lady who showed me the cute apartment I doubt I'll be living in. Now, as the band plays at the wedding in the hotel patio 13 floor below, I'm off to relive a scene from Wedding Crashers. Details to follow tomorrow.
Henry David Thoreau?
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