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Day 10 – Tai Chi and Chinese Food
Thursday we started the day by dropping off some laundry on the way to the hospital. By the way, the laundry place we go to is pretty awesome. Just $4.00 for a wash, dry and fold. Drop off by noon and you can pick up by 4:00 PM.
At the hospital I had to pay for another blood test that was inadvertently missed from our original list. They could use the same blood sample, but they forgot to charge me for it. And this was one of the important tests so it was necessary to get done. But since we were off on our Artisan excursion on Wednesday our medical facilitator, Diana, took care of it for us. So we arranged to meet her at the hospital to pay her back.
While waiting for her, Ruhi and I stoped in at the little cafe near the entrance to the hospital where I had a tortilla and some water and we discussed some work and blog/vlog stuff.
Then we took a taxi over to Sinfonía Cafe for some more work time. I’ve been working on my side-hustle so having time with some good wifi and a bit of caffeine has been helpful. The time went pretty quick and soon it was time to head over to Parque de la Madre for the Tai Chi class.
There were a lot of new faces in the class today and since the weather was cooperating we practiced in the grassy spot near some benches. That means I was able to participate from afar while sitting on the bench.
Ruhi captured some footage and images so I could get an idea of how I was looking. Also, the 18 Chen form is hard for me to remember so this was some good documentation.
After class we chatted with Maestro about having a ceramics workshop on Sunday and then we ran into Amelia and JP as we were leaving the park and spoke with them for a few minutes.
But the highlight of the evening was where we grabbed dinner. Back in 2023 we ate at a Chinese restaurant called Ta’Lico which was run by a nice Chinese family. And, because I like repeating my experiences, I wanted to head over there again.
Their best dish (according to the husband/chef and wife/host) is the twice cooked pork (回锅肉). It was delicious 2 years ago and it was still good this week. We paired it with some vegetables to offset some of the meat and salt. A great combo.
We had a wonderful conversation with the wife and the whole meal — 2 drinks, rice, and two main dishes, were just $21. Very reasonable.
After a taxi ride home we hit the hay.
Day 11 – Work Sessions
Friday was a working day. I pretty much just sat at our dining room table all day and worked on the computer, so there really isn’t much to say about it.
Ruhi went out in the late morning to pick up our laundry and grabbed a couple empanadas at the Chilean bakery a few doors down.
She also went out to the courtyard area to do some of her own work, but I was pretty much glued to my chair for the whole day. But I will say that I got a lot done and was quite productive, so that is satisfying. 🙂
Day 12 – A Day of Desserts
Pura Vida
After waking up we headed out to a restaurant we found online called Pura Vida (“Pure Life”). We didn’t know much about it but it looked interesting and we were biding our time until a bakery we wanted to visit opened up after 12:00 noon. (More on that in a moment.)
It turns out they had a special brunch buffet on the day we visited. And it was Peruvian food so lots of deliciousness was in store.
It was $12 per person which is a bit high for Cuenca standards, but very reasonable by US AYCE (All You Can Eat) standards.
It wasn’t a HUGE selection but, as Ruhi said after we sat down, there was a good variety of different types of food. She also mentioned that the staff was very welcoming and were very attentive with taking away uses dishes and refilling the cups of coffee.
They gave us some wrist bands to show that we were there for the buffet and sat us at a table right away. A nice spot in the corner near the kitchen.
We were also able to get some eggs to order (scrambled) and Ruhi was nice enough to grab me a plate with a variety of options.
There were a couple of yuca or corn balls (“I’m loco for these corn holes!“), sweet potatoes, some meat with onions and bell peppers on a piece of bread, and some breaded fish. Also a small dish with some tuna fish and what looked like sweet potato mash.
For round two I got some of the rice with veg and meat along with some more of the battered fish. The pico and ahí (spicy sauce) on the side was a good addition.
And we also got a sample of their deserts. Three of them in perfectly small cups so you don’t feel guilty when you go back for seconds.
Of the three options I liked the Suspiros Limeño the best. Smooth, creamy and delicious! The Cheesecake de Lulo was a bit on the tart side for me. And the Leche Asada was basically like a flan, but maybe a bit lighter and more eggy.
After a couple hours we decided to head out towards our next stop. We waved goodbye to the workers/owners and caught a cab to a highly recommended bakery.
Waiting for the Bakery
The bakery, Panasia, didn’t open until noon so we had 30 minutes to kill. We went next door to a little eatery and got some waters and relaxed in their covered outdoor seating. A cute little spot but we weren’t hungry since we just ate.
But, like everywhere in Ecuador right now, they were proudly serving some Colada Morada. (The Andean Blueberry seasonal drink.)
There was also a Christmas themed cafe next door called Yule with the tagline “Siempre es Navidad!” (“It is always Christmas!”). I’m guessing there is a very specific demographic that loves this place. Lots of Chocolate and Peppermint on their menu, most likely.
Panasia
At noon we made our way around the corner to Panasia. Our friend Gracie (who you may remember from a few days ago) recommended it. She said a couple from China opened it up. The wife had graduated from the Cordon Bleu Academy specializing in cakes and pastries, and the husband, Kai, studied fine arts at Penn State.
The decor was minimalist, elegant, and comfortable. We sat down in a nice corner table and got a couple coffee drinks (Americano for me, Cappuccino for Ruhi), and shared two deserts: a mochi (filled with bananas and cream) and a cream puff (filled, naturally, with cream).
I’m not expert on French pastries, but I am an expert on being blown away by good food. This was no exception. Their cream was some of the lightest, fluffiest, and more subtle I’ve ever had.
Ruhi agreed that the deserts were next level. She liked how subtle the flavors were — not too sweet and not too overbearing. Sometimes cream puffs can be a bit over the top, but these were wonderfully elegant.
We had a chance to chat with Kai. We were looking to pick something up to share with the Turtle Travel Club members on Monday during the group lunch. Monday is also Ruhi’s birthday so we thought sharing some pastries with everyone would be a nice treat.
And, since we were going to Bahá’í Feast in the evening, we also ordered 20 cream puffs to take with us and share. They were just $1.45 each, which is a steal considering the quality.
Kai was nice enough to give us a great pot of Jasmine tea while we sat at our table and got some work done. In fact, I’m writing this sentence right now as we’re sitting in Panasia with our cups of tea.
But since we’re sitting staring at the display case, I also got a muffin with cheese to share with Ruhi. It was sort of a corn bread muffin, and it was light, warm, fluffy and delicious.
Bahá’í Feast
Soon enough 4:30 PM rolled around so we got our 20 cream puffs from the fridge and caught a taxi to the home where the Feast of ‘Ilm was to be held.
When we arrived we were greeted by some of the friends we had met 2 years ago and were invited inside the house. Ruhi put the cream puffs put into the fridge and we said hello to more folks as they filtered in.
Feast was great. Very uplifting. And both Ruhi and I were amazed at how much of the Spanish we could understand. It was probably due to many of the phrasing of things being similar in Baha’i communication and literature between English and Spanish. But also because we could read along on the TV screen when someone was speaking.
After the devotional and administative portions of Feast we had the social portion and our cream puffs seemed to be a hit. The nice man sitting next to me asked me several times where we got them and what their hours were. He was planning to go there the next day to pick some up.
Towards the end of the evening a young man, Jonnathan Alvear (‘FLYER’ on Tiktok), performed a rap and song which was really great. When I get around to posting this whole trip on my vlog I’ll include it in there. So, you have to wait to hear it, but if you go to his TikTok you can probably find more of his work.
We grabbed a taxi back, but the bridge across the river was blocked off. And, as the (somewhat disgruntled) taxi driver made his way through the central historical district, more and more streets were closed off. Finally we had to go all the way to the west of town to cross over and we found out the reason for the road closures was a foot race along Av. 12 de Abril, which is right where Apartmentos Otorongo is located.
The race had all ages, sizes, abilities, and species (several dogs were racing with their humans). It was fun to cheer them on before we went into the complex.
So, that was the last 3 days in Cuenca. Saturday was definitely the busiest of the three, but it’s been fun regardless.
Here is another song to wrap things up:
Today’s Song: A Few More Days in Cuenca
Lyrics:
Chorus:
A few more days in Cuenca (in Cuenca)
A few more days of vida tranquila
A few more days in Cuenca (in Cuenca)
A few more days sin tanta intriga
A few more days in Cuenca (in Cuenca)
A few more days of the calm life
A few more days in Cuenca (in Cuenca)
A few more days without the strife
Thursday came and we headed out
To run some errands in town
Stop at the hospital before Sinfonía
For a work session, sin agonía
Then time for Tai Chi in the park
New faces, practicing hard
After class we changed the hood
To Ta’Lico for some Chinese food
Chorus
Friday was a day for working
Staying in. Laptop lurking.
Ruhi got our laundry while I typed.
Chilean empanadas. worth the hype.
Building a blog, preparing the vlog
Ruhi took a picture of the dog
dinner at home. Super delish.
Then to bed. Dreams to wish.
Chorus
Saturday was a day of desserts
First stop. Pura Vida. Totally worth.
Peruvian dishes. Delicious fishes.
Fulfilled our culinary wishes
Then to Panasia for some puffs
Filled with cream. Just enough.
Coffee and tea and a muffin with cheese
The best desserts you could ever see
So good we grabbed twenty to go
Heading to Feast just down the road
Met our friends for a spiritual fest
Cuenca is simply the best
Chorus
Oh, A few more days,
a few more days, a few more.
A few more days, a few more days,
Sin tanta intriga
A few more days, a few more days,
A few more days, a few more days,
A few more days in Cuenca (in Cuenca)
A few more days of vida tranquila
A few more days in Cuenca (in Cuenca)
A few more days sin tanta intriga