Jump to: Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5
This is a summary of our first 3 days in Cuenca. Since these aren’t travel days it didn’t make sense to give a day-by-day account of us just hanging out and doing some work. Although Day 3 was probably the busiest since we were out all day.
Speaking of which …
Day 3 – October 9, 2025
Our favorite cafe in Cuenca and meeting up with local Tai Chi friends
We slept in after a few days of hectic travel across four airports on two continents. It felt great to get a good night’s sleep and we got ourselves ready and decided to head out towards our favorite cafe, Sinfonía, where we spent a lot of time 2 years ago.
Tigrillo for Brunch
But first we wanted to get something to eat and stopped at a cute little restaurant just around the corner. We opted for some Tigrillo, which you might recall from our Quito experience, is a fried plantain, egg and meat dish. That, along with a coffee, was $4.00 each. And it was quite filling.
Next time we are going to try their almuerzo (lunch) special, which gets you several dishes for just a few dollars. The affordability of food in Ecuador is always a pleasant surprise.
Visiting Sinfonía
After our breakfast (which was closer to a lunch) we walked across the street to Sinfonía, an amazing coffee roaster and cafe that we spent a ton of time at 2 years ago. We had a couple cappuccinos and did some planning, journaling, and things of that nature.
Ruhi also ordered their amazing banana bread, which comes with this fantastic cream cheese butter on top of it. It is better than you imagine it would be.
Tai Chi in the Park
Around 4:00 PM I had to head out to meet up with our old Tai Chi friends who meet in Parque de la Madre, just down the block. Ruhi had a few more things to take care of on her computer so she was going to join us a bit later.
I ran into Wayne and Sandra, two of the teacher’s students who have been training with him the longest, and they said it looked like rain so they were going to start the practice under the cover by the planetarium.
Since I’m on crutches, I sat nearby and did some of the upper body Qi Gong exercises with them. It felt good to move around. After a while the weather started clearing up so we made our way towards another part of the park where we ran into the teacher, Patricio Zuniga, who got them going with basics and form work.
A note about Maestro, I don’t think I’ve ever trained with someone who has a better clarity on the application of Chen Tai Chi. Granted, I haven’t trained with a ton of Chen specialists, and even then I haven’t done a ton of Chen, but he is really impressive. His power generation and fa jing are also super grounded and powerful. I learn a lot just by watching his demonstrations while teaching.
After a while Ruhi came and we all spent a bunch of time reconnecting. It was wonderful to spend time with them again and I plan to come back on Sunday morning for their next class, just so I can observe and maybe do some Qi Gong on the side.
Paradise Restaurant
After class it was time for dinner so we went to a popular spot in the neighborhood, Paradise Restaurant. It is Indian food and one our friends’ favorite places. We got some Biryani and a Lentil dish along with some nan bread. Ruhi also got a Mango Lassi.
Our three plates of food, two sparkling waters and the mango lassi cost a total of $20. That is considered a bit high by Ecuador standards, but this is a pricier part of town, and it is certainly affordable compared to the U.S. where a single plate of food is often $20 or more.
In the evening we went back home where I did some work on this blog and Ruhi rested before an online meeting.
Day 4 – October 10, 2025
Working Online and Watching a Movie
On Saturday morning Ruhi went out to see what she could find at the store, but it turns out that October 10th is the Guayaquil Independence Day so a lot of places were closed and the streets were pretty calm. She hung out at the cafe around the corner while I did some work on the computer.
Staying in and getting things done
Mostly I was working on a business idea I have (nothing to talk about yet, but maybe some day) and organizing some files. Ruhi came back and we ate some of our remaining provisions that we brought from Austin (rice crackers and cashew nuts) and when she went out again the local tienda (shop) was open and she got some fruit, eggs and vegetables for our mid-day meal.
Our AirBnb had a nice balcony where we sat for a bit until we got a bit of rain coming through.
She also got a pedicure at the same place where she got one back in 2023. After eating and taking showers we kept on being “productive” and got in a quick nap before our evening excursion. Where were we going? Well …
Watching Tron: Aries in the Theater
Just on the other side of Parque de la Madre is a mall with a movie theater inside. We saw a movie there the last time we were in town, and since the new Tron movie just came out we decided to see the 9:30 PM showing.
Since the 2D version of the movie was in Spanish (sans subtitles) we opted for the 4D subtitled version. After we got our tickets we had some time to kill and each got some chicken, rice and beans with avocado and egg. At the same time Ecuador was playing Team USA and a lot of people were watching the match.
The HUGE plate of food was just $6.50 each. We were stuffed, but at least the food was healthier than getting a fast food burger.
It was the first time either of us had been to a 4D movie. If you don’t know, it is like a 3D movie, but the chairs move and they have fans, immersive lighting and mist effects. For a movie like this it worked well, but I can imagine it would be really weird when watching something like The Shawshank Redemption.
We got out of the movie around 11:30 PM and walked back home. The streets were calm and it was a bit drizzly. Sort of like a nice spring evening in Seattle. Families were walking around and we got lots of “Buenas Tardes!” greetings as we walked across the park.
This was going to be our last night at the AirBnb before changing locations to where we’ll be staying for the next 2 weeks.
Day 5 – October 11, 2025
Leaving our AirBnb
In the morning we started the process of packing up our things to check out of the AirBnb. Fortunately packing is getting pretty easy for us so we were done and ready to go in about 30-45 minutes.
The Turtle Travel Club
For those of you who don’t know, one of the reasons we are in Cuenca is to participate in a “Turtle Travel Leap”, which is a slow travel experience for members of Amelia & JP’s Turtle Travel Club. (You can learn more here.)
During the 2 weeks of the Leap we’ll be staying in a nice apartment along side the Tomebamba River called Apartamentos Otorongo. But we had several hours before we could check in so after leaving our AirBnb we decided to head to a laundería to get some clothes washed.
Waiting for Laundry at a Cafe
The laundry place took our clothes and said to come back after 3:00 PM to pick them up. To do a load of laundry — washed, dried and folded — would be $4.00.
So we went about 2 blocks (along with all bags) to Avenida Loja where there were a lot of small cafes that served traditional Ecuadorian breakfast and lunch fare.
I wasn’t too hungry to start, so Ruhi had breakfast (brunch, really) of some eggs, ham and a croissant with cheese. It also came with a fresh juice and a hot beverage (i.e. coffee with cream). All for $4.50.
We hung out there for about 2 hours. I got hungry a bit later and had a tortilla de yuca (a fried casava patty with cheese inside) and Ruhi had a humita, which is steamed (similar to a Mexican tamale) and made from fresh, ground choclo (corn).
It is typically mixed with other ingredients like cheese, onion, and eggs, and then wrapped in corn husks before being steamed. Unlike Mexican tamales which use dried masa, humitas are made from a fresh corn paste and can be sweet or salty. Ours was a little sweet.
In case you are wondering what the difference between maíz and choclo is (because I sure was), the first one is the general term for corn, while choclo refers specifically to the cob of fresh, tender corn. The main difference is that choclo is corn in its fresh, moist state, and maíz can refer to the dried, mature, and dehydrated kernels.
In other parts of Latin America, other names are used, such as elote (tender cob) or mote (dried, peeled kernels). Thanks Google! 🙂
Unfortunately I didn’t snap a picture. But this won’t be our last humita so you’ll see one soon.
Checking in to Apartamentos Otorongo
After eating we grabbed a cab to our new lodging, Apartamentos Otorongo. We thought we were early, but it turns out check-in was at 2:00 PM, exactly when we arrived.
We met Javier who checked us in. His family owns and runs the facility. He gave us a quick intro to the location (and we spotted a few fellow Turtles!) and then took us to our room. A little bit later his wife dropped off some flowers in a vase, which were beautiful.
After a little bit Ruhi went out to pick up our laundry (it’s just 2 blocks down the way) and I did some unpacking. We had a few hours to kill so we did a bit of work and Ruhi also grabbed a quick nap.
Around 6:30 PM we decided to check out the Vegan restaurant next door for some dinner.
Fratello Vegan Restaurant
The food here was pretty amazing, considering it was 100% vegan. A beautiful little spot with a view of the Tomebamba River. We caught a glimpse of the sunset as we walked over.
For dinner we shared two dishes. One was a salad with mushrooms, avocado and other vegetables, along with some tortilla chips. The other dish was a vegan burger made with Seitan, along with some papas fritos (fried potatoes).
We also had some desert that was fruit-heavy. Oh, and Ruhi had a sparkling water and I had a hot green tea. The whole meal was around $22 for the both of us. Pricey for Cuenca, but affordable for the U.S.
So, there you have it. Three days of our time in Cuenca. After this I’ll be sharing some more blogs of this coming week where we’ll be participating in a few Turtle Leap activities, along with my first meeting with the rheumatologist. I also hope to go back and watch some of the Tai Chi classes, time permitting.
Summary Song – Back in Cuenca
And, once again, I put together a song to summarize what happened over these three days. Enjoy!
Lyrics
It’s the end of the week, y’all.
Time to talk about it.
Let’s go!
Chorus
We’re back in Cuenca! Cuenca, Ecuador!
A wonderful place that we’ve been before
We’re back in Cuenca! Cuenca, Ecuador!
We are back and can’t wait for more
Day Three! (Day three!) And we slept in for days
Went out for lunch, just around the way
A planning session at Sinfonia cafe
A favorite spot, from our previous days
Later on we went to Parque de la Madre
To see our friends who practice Tai Chi
Then Indian food at Paradise Restaurant
And back to the AirBnb
Chorus
Day Four! (Day four!) T.G.I.F.!
A day to decompress
A practice of travel around the world
And bags filled up with less
At night saw a movie on the big screen
Tron Ares in the local cinema chain
A fun diversion for our brains
High altitude, low mental strain
Chorus
Day Five! (Day five!) Saturday for us!
Time to head just up the road
Pack the bags and move our load
To Apartamentos Otorongo!
Starting the next part of our trip
Staying near friends visiting from abroad
We’re all here for some traveling slow
Leaping with the Turtle Travel Club!
Chorus x 2