Los Jordan Polings Vamos al Ecuador

Delicious chocolate croissants and cinnamon roles from Taita                                                           Last March, Brynna and I went to visit my good friend, Alana, and her family in Taos, New Mexico. Alana is one of the most intentional human beings I know -- and definitely the most organized. During our visit, Alana shared with me that her 2022 New Year's Resolution was a bit non-traditional: this year, Alana was going to actively work on being more indulgent.  I was immediately intrigued. Most resolutions involve people depriving themselves of something (e.g. sugar, ice cream) and/or requiring something of themselves (e.g. working out three times per week, calling their mom more frequently). This notion of increasing my own indulgence resonated with me.  Alana and I share a few common characteristics -- unfortunatel...

Dillon, Brynna, and I had the opportunity to go on an urban mural tour yesterday afternoon in Cuenca, sponsored by La Alianza Francesa during their 5th Annual Festival de Culturas Urbanas (Festival of Urban Culture). We were sad that Jonah was feeling under the weather and couldn't join us because he's our official family artist. But we enjoyed all the murals and took lots of pictures, per Brynna, "in case Jonah wants to draw any of them." Enjoy        This was our view of Cuenca as we wandered through Barrio el Vecino This one was our favorite, representation of Cuenca on the Mercado 10 de Agosto

Almuerzo today in Cuenca at our favorite place The Spanish word  almuerzo , directly translated into English, means lunch. But most Ecuadorians do not do lunch like Americans do lunch. Ecuador is not a world of scarf-it-down, in-transit PB&J, grilled cheese, or pre-made salads, and it is definitely not something to be crammed into a quick break between work or school.   Almuerzo  is the largest and most important meal of the day in Ecuador.  Most school schedules are based on getting students and teachers home for  almuerzo  -- school runs 7:30am -12:30pm --  and work schedules and business hours ensure that workers get adequate time to consume  almuerzo,  ideally followed by a  siesta . While, sadly, the two hour lunch break and accompanying siesta seems to be fading for many Ecuadorian workers,  almuerzos  remain the standard.  Certainly my family and friends in La Josefina eat  almuerzo  at ...

"UCLA" Toucan (Couvier's Toucan): check out his blue and yellow markings. Go Bruins! Cuenca's Amaru Zoológico Bioparque is probably the coolest zoo we have ever visited -- okay, maybe tied with the Jaguar Rescue Center (JRC), a center for injured animals on the eastern coast of Costa Rica. JRC was amazing because of the sheer number of adorable baby sloths and monkeys and how close we were able to get to them. Amaru is just as special for a number of other reasons. My kids were literally vibrating the entire visit, and Dillon took over 180 photos before my phone died.                                               Amaru is tucked up in the hills on the outskirts of Cuenca, and its winding paths through the animal enclosures are closer to a moderate hike than a stroll through a typical US zoo. Ecuador has so much biodiversity that the overwhelming ma...

To ward off accusations of sugarcoating this living-in-Ecuador experience, I am recording a brief but terrible interlude of traveler's diarrhea and vomiting that wrecked our family today. I have no idea how we managed to get sick -- Cuenca is famous in Ecuador for its potable water and safe food --  but 4 out of 5 of us (Jonah excepted) spent a pretty miserable 16-20 hours in our one and only bathroom. Some of us spent more time on our knees, others on our bottoms, but for all it was pretty terrible. Thank goodness for a well-flushing toilet, a lined garbage can, and a comfy apartment with internet. All three kids have been in their jammies all day, Paul and I completely neglected our one well child, who spent the day reading his graphic novels and eating mandarin oranges. And right now about 5:30pm, it seems like we may all actually survive.

There is so much cool street art in Cuenca, and like bird watching, my eye is getting more attuned at spotting the cool pieces thanks in large part to my resident artist, Jonah, who has a knack for all things visual. You definitely could walk around the city all day and find new and beautiful art, some formally sanctioned, others graffiti-style. It's amazing how much art enhances a city. I'll spare you my writing for this one. I think the art speaks well enough for itself.