Before We Left Cuenca by Star

Yes, mom and I left Cuenca last November and it has been almost a year since I last wrote a post. Since then there have been many changes, many tears, many good-byes, many hellos, many joys... life with mom is never boring! Although we are no longer in Cuenca, we are going to continue writing this blog. I'll soon start telling you about our return to Asheville, but this post is still about Cuenca.

There are many things that we loved about Ecuador, and there are also many things we didn't like so much. Perhaps the worst thing for me was the constant noise of firecrackers going off. Ecuadorians love them and I hate them! Life in Cuenca stopped being fun soon after we moved to Challuabamba because of all the noise. There were too many weeks when the firecrackers started on Thursday and went on through Sunday ALL DAY AND ALL NIGHT LONG! We had chosen to be away from the city because we thought it would be quieter in the country. WRONG!!!!

Mom tried everything to calm me down when the firecrackers would start. She would dressed me up with my Thunder Shirt and put on one of her headbands over my ears. They both helped some even though I looked pretty pathetic. I just couldn't help it. I really get scared with loud noises. Whenever they would start I would go hide under mom's desk and never left her side; I panted and paced and just prayed that they would stop and so did mom. During the night, the only solution was to sleep in the laundry room since it was the only room in the house had didn't have any windows. So from Thursday to Sunday nights mom would pull out the sleeping bag and a couple of pillows from the sofa and the two of us just slept there. Trust me, that was simply no fun but it was the only place we could get some rest and I could feel somewhat safe.

Ecuador is simply a loud country. And, people there really enjoy noise. Mom and I prefer it quiet and heaven to us is to be serenaded by the sound of birds and nature, not firecrackers and loud music. It is just a matter of preferences and ours did not coincide with what most Ecuadorians like.

Just as there were things we didn't like, there were things we loved. Ecuador is a beautiful country and the expansive views and countryside are just spectacular. A few weeks before we came back to the US, we went to El Rancho de Jack. Jack is my friend and his dad is building a house twenty minutes outside of Cuenca in the beautiful countryside. That day was lots of fun. We played and ran freely and enjoyed the horses while our parents feasted in a picnic.

Of course, the day came to an end and we had to ride back to town. Jack and I were pretty tired from all the running around so we slept in the back. I even used Jack as my pillow. That day, life was good in Cuenca!

Some of the Things Mom Loves About Cuenca by Star

There are lots of things mom loves about Cuenca. For example, as you probably well know by now mom loves her veggies and there is a store here that many Expats like. It's called Coopera. It's a cooperative of local farmers and there are several locations around Cuenca. You can find lots of organic fruits and veggies there and we can walk to one of their stores so that makes it fun because I can go. They also have good fresh chickens there that mom gets for me once in a while.

Then, there is ARCA, an animal rescue organization similar to Brother Wolf in Asheville, NC, where I came from. A few weeks ago they had an adoption event in Parque Paraiso, my favorite park. It was a well attended event and we saw several dogs get adopted. There are many people here who love dogs and other animals.

One thing that mom was concerned about when we moved here was that there wouldn't be any recycling in Cuenca. She had even asked a few people and they had said that there wasn't. But when we got here she was pleasantly surprised to find out that not only there is recycling in Cuenca, but that the grocery stores' bags are biodegradable. They also encourage people to reuse them by making them of a material that keeps things really fresh.

Mom has to have her spinach and arugula fix every other day. YUK, I have no idea why she has to do that. But heck, it makes her happy, so that's a good thing... Mom was delighted to find that she can buy organic arugula and spinach at the Supermaxi. From time to time, she even tries to sneak in some of that spinach into my otherwise delicious chicken and pasta dinners. But I have a masterful tongue, and I'm able to find the green stuff and put it aside.

Then, there is Kookaburra which is a cafe mom and dad go to every weekend. Mind you, they could take me with them; but, do they? Nope! Mom and dad always brag about what they eat there. Mom is especially fond of their apple pie. But again, does she bring me some? Nope, she doesn't; the little piggy eats it all and brings me none!

So, there you have it... these are some of the things mom loves about Cuenca. There are some things she doesn't like that much, but I'll share those with you on a later post.

LIVING in Cuenca by Star

I've seen some dead squirrels and birds before, but I had never seen a dead cat or a dead doggie. Friday on our way back from doggie play day, mom and I saw both. The cat had been dead for a while, but we actually saw the doggie take his final breath. There was nothing we could do and mom was so very distraught. I didn't know what to make of it. I wanted to lick them both back to life, but mom wouldn't let me. She told me someone had poisoned them and that this is an unfortunate part of life here in Cuenca. There are many folks who love animals here, but there are as many who don't, and these people poison dogs and cats. She let me know that I have to be extra careful not to pick up anything from the streets. The doggie was just a pup and the kitty was also very young. Mom could not take their images from her mind the entire day. She told me she felt so powerless. Not sure exactly what that means, but I know she was very sad all day.

Then Saturday was a day of discovery for all of us. We woke up early as usual and had to wait till the rain stopped, which was close to 8 AM. The sun even came out around 8:30 although there were too many clouds around for us to really believe it was going to stay for long. However, we hoped it would. At any rate, mom has this thing about trying new routes. I am happy with our routines; but mom is another story. It must be the Gemini in her. So, we decided to humor her and let her choose the way.

We started in a familiar route by the University of Azuay, and it was there where it all started for mom -- a continuation of yesterday. This huge beautiful tree had been taken down, a eucalyptus that was as tall as a 10 story building. Mom examined the tree for apparent disease, as if she knew what she was doing, and then decided to ask a man who had obviously taken part in the murder of this tree, why the tree had to come down. Once the man understood what mom was asking (which took a few tries by mom and a few minutes for the man to process mom's question) she finds out that the tree was leaning against some electric wires. Mom was very distraught because it was a gorgeous tree.

As our eyes examined the body of the tree and followed the fallen limbs which had dropped on the Yanuncay river, there it was hung on a rock, a white and black cow which had drowned. This was even more upsetting for mom who dealt with her distress by going on and on to me about why I shouldn't get close to the river. She should know better by now, I don't get close to that river even if you pay pay me with a big juicy bone. But that's the problem with being a dog, I can't say much back, so mom goes on. However, with my strong powers of observation, I have develop a new skill --the ability to translate words into noise which can be easily dismissed by focusing my attention on something else. Mom says that this is a general male skill, I think it should be genderless, since it can be quite helpful. So mom goes on and I go frolicking around minding my own thoughts.

We continue our walk at this point taking a different path than we've ever had before, this time by the side of the Tarqui river.

First there was no path and we had to find one which was not really easy to do. We finally got to a place where we could make our way to the street. However, we had to come really close to a house, more like a shack, really. This is the place where the cows that feed by our house and by the river close to us live. Probably, this is house of the cow that drowned. And, where there is livestock, there are dogs. These aren't your happy go lucky street dogs kind, these are mean watch dogs who are serious about doing a good job guarding the animals on their watch. Mom panics and, to be honest, I don't like it a bit. We sent dad in the front to hush the dogs away, and we crossed the street and quickened our step always looking back. Of course the dogs also crossed the street and came after us, but just to let us know we weren't welcome. I get it, I get it, gee whiz!

We continued our walk. This isn't the nicest of neighborhoods. There are mostly car related businesses, no sidewalks, and shacks where nice people live, but which also translate into loose dogs that make mom nervous. After maneuvering through most of this community we get a few yards from two very upset dogs. They lived on the last shack on that road, and their job was to take care of the chickens, which were not only on the right side of the street, but also on the left. Dogs being on the right side, we decide to cross the street, but we soon realized that this is where most of the hens and their chicks were, so here come the dogs letting us know we better watch it. I knew these dogs meant business and so did mom, but the aroma of chicken droppings was so alluring that mom had a real hard time getting me to move fast away from the dogs.

We finally made it away from that road. Phew! We landed so to speak in a beautiful park that mom wants to get a picture of share with you when she fixes her camera. It has a huge metal sculpture of a nativity scene. We go on. Mom wants to go one way, dad the other ... this happens often. Dad wins and we entered this very interesting neighborhood called La Isla (The Island). There is a pack of dogs that want nothing to do with me, so mom thinks she can breathe. Yet these dogs do something I've never seen before. They chase cars! Whoopee! Does that look like fun or what! Mom goes absolutely crazy every time a car comes down the road... dogs chase; mom covers her eyes; drivers go by, wave and laugh at mom; dad's embarrassed; I want to join the dogs in their chase; mom pulls my lead, scolds me and tells me that chasing cars is dangerous. We do this for three blocks or so until we pass the dogs and mom can regain consciousness again, breathe and relax the lead. Good now I can breathe too.

We find that this is a beautiful neighborhood, but we missed the significance of the name. 'Hey guys an island may not have an exit... dah!!!!'. So we walked for a while until, of course, the rain started to bless us with its drops and we couldn't find a way out, so we had to retrace our steps the long way.

Yet, the walk back was uneventful although wet. We came back to the University and there was a graduation ceremony going on so there were lots of happy people, lots of cars and lots of commotion. The fallen tree was been sawed into pieces and the cow was still laying across the rock in the middle of the river. I found a piece of the tree to play with and attack like I love to do with sticks. I found that Eucalyptus is very soft making it a great chewing wood. Mom watched me with a smile on her face as I played with the stick for a while.

We got home and I slept while mom and dad went out to meet new friends. They came back talking about the great time they had. I was happy for them.

Later that day mom was talking to dad about the richness and fullness of the day we've had. Mom had her philosopher's hat on and although I couldn't understand much of what she was saying, I always enjoy it when she talks like that because she puts her emotions aside, and it is peaceful.

She told dad: "you know; dogs and cats are killed, and trees are taken down every day in the world; every day there are cows that die and people who mourn them; there is suffering in this world and somehow in the States I can close my eyes and not see it; not participate. I don't watch the news, so I'm protected. 

I can't run away from life here. It hits me at all times. There is no place to hide. Life is full here. Suffering is all around me and so is joy and laughter. love and fear, health and disease, life and death, light and darkness... my nice quiet protected life in the US is over. Yet, I'm starting to embrace the richness and fullness of life here in Cuenca. A vibrant lesson every day... It's as if I'm Siddhartha leaving the castle for the first time."


With that last sentence she totally lost me and I fell asleep thinking of the lessons learned that day as mom continued to blab. 

Mom and her Veggies!!! by Star

"This land is so fertile" my mom says. I have no idea what she means, but it must have something to do with her veggies! In one of our first walks after we arrived in Cuenca, we went by a building that mom called the old Ma Bell of Ecuador: Etapa. Right next to this building there is a farm; yes a farm in the middle of the city. Both, building and farm are as close as you can get to the bank of one the four rivers of Cuenca, the Yanuncay river. "Look at the size of the cabbage...OMG," mom says every time we go by this farm which is everyday!!!

Today is Thursday and mom discovered last week that every Thursday there are two ladies that set a small fresh veggie stall within two blocks from our house. As we were coming back home from our long walk and before reaching the ladies, we went by the farm. You would have thought mom had won the lottery or something. She was so happy when she found that the farmer was selling today, and she immediately bought some Swiss Chard and beets, all for $1. She was in heaven..."This is truly farm to table" she told me. I have no idea what she was talking about. But she was happy, so I knew it was something good.

Then we stopped at the stall by the house and she bought some carrots and other veggies that will probably end up in my chicken tomorrow.

And so, today was a happy day for my mom! It doesn't take much to make her happy as long as she has me and her veggies.... and I am glad.

Chickens are Different in Cuenca by Star

Yes, chickens are definitely different in Cuenca. I think they're tastier, but mom, being a vegetarian, doesn't partake of the delicious chickens, so she has to take my word for it. I have no idea why these chickens taste so much better, but, trust me, they do. Mom has been cooking for me for a long time. My favorite meal is chicken, even with the disguised veggies she adds to it. So I'm what you would call a chicken connoisseur.

Mom brags about the rich taste of the tomatoes, avocados, other fruits and all the veggie she eats; but for me, it's the chickens!

We were walking the other day and we saw some chickens. The poor things were eating Styrofoam!!! Mom had her camera so I asked her for proof to show you. Mom felt bad for the chicks, I felt bad for me!

Is that what I've been eating? OMG! No much nutrition on that, is there? I'm better off with Purina or cardboard! Mom explained to me that those chickens were not the ones I eat. I felt better.

Chickens in Cuenca look about the same. Here is one in the pot before mom cooked it for me.

See, no much different than a chicken from back at home ... except that chickens here include their heads in the package.

When mom was getting ready to cook the first chicken for me here in Cuenca, I heard a loud "Uhhhh... Yikes!" I came running into the kitchen and she was beside herself. I thought: 'It's just a chicken head, mom! It's probably quite tasty.' But she refused to cook it for me and it went into the trash. I knew mom loved me a lot, but now I know she really, really loves me. She has to look at the chicken head every time she cooks for me, and I know she would rather not do that.

'A Dog's Life in Cuenca' by Star

Hello again! I finally was able to take the computer away from mom. Sometimes that's nearly impossible, its as if the keyboard is glued to her hands! And, I got so much to share with y' all. Okay, so let's get to it!

Cuenca is really exciting for a doggie like me. I had no idea that a place could be as noisy, have so many cars, so many dogs, and so many people... Mom says that this is nothing, but when you come from Asheville, NC where you may see a total of five cars during your walks, a bunch of squirrels and cats, and a handful of folks walking their dogs, Cuenca is a BIG city.

Yes, we live in the city now and I find it thrilling... so many different smells! I love to go by the rivers because people bring cows to eat grass there. I like to eat grass too, but I don't smell like a cow nor do I look like one. I wonder if one day I eat as much grass as those things do, if my poop would be as big as theirs! I better don't find out, mom won't like that.

The first time I saw a cow really up close was on the way here during one of mom's famous pee stops. I was walking a bit and all of the sudden we went around a corner and there was this huge beast. I had to bark to let dad know not to get any closer. Sometimes he is a bit blind, you know, so I had to help him. That big smelly thing just looked at me and said nothing. Turned around and went on eating grass. So, from then on I figured cows may be big and smelly, but they are harmless, so now I can get really close to them by the river and I don't have to bark. But, I still watch them closely; these things are really big and I still don't have any idea how fast they can run. I've asked mom to take a picture so I can share with you. She promised to do that in the next day or two.

We walk a lot here in Cuenca. We don't have a car so rain or shine we walk. We walk to town center almost every day to pick up dad from school. That's a 45 minute walk one way. When we get back I simply sleep for hours until I'm either hungry or ready for another walk. I have a great life, but I've come to understand that this is not the case for many other dogs here.

I'm fascinated by the life of dogs in Cuenca. There seem to be four types of dogs: those who live in the streets and are homeless, those who have homes, but are allowed to roam the streets all day, those who live in homes, but have the job of guarding the house, and those who, like me, are the rulers of the household.

Here I am with a street dog doing the smelling dance.

Of the many dogs that live in the streets very few look hungry. People feed them even if they are not their dogs. In general dogs seem to be a bit afraid of people, yet appear to get along among themselves just fine. Of course, there are always some exceptions. The day after we got here we went for a walk around the neighborhood and this one dog went after this other dog running with his mouth open and then bit him in the butt. Mom, observing all of this mess, expertly avoided the scene by turning on a street and we both ran like the chickens we are. Dad kept coming behind us saying not to worry; but I'm with mom, better safe than sorry! We've seen the dog that bit the other one around and he seems harmless. Who knows what really happened. He appears to like me but I prefer to keep my distance, at least for now. Mom calls him "the mean one" but she's already got a soft spot for that dog.

Here is the same dog, you see he doesn't look hungry. I am so glad.

I worry about mom as I know her well. I'm sure she'll soon start feeding these street dogs, although they don't appear to be hungry, and they'll start to hang around here. And then she'll fall in love with one or the other and soon enough we'll have a pack. Thank God for dad, he'll be able to keep things sane around here, and keep mom on a leash, so to speak.

I've learned to be very careful when walking the streets. You would think it's because of the cars, but it's not. Every other house around here has one ferocious dog or more who launch at me and my parents as we walk by. These guys are crazy and have no manners. It seems to me that the street dogs are much better off, at least they are not neurotic like the ones who have been given the task of guarding the house. Most of these dogs are not allowed in the house and their job is to bark at the sight of any person; and, of course, that goes for other dogs as well. This weekend mom and I were taken by surprise. It was pretty quiet since it was Sunday and we were just strolling through a neighborhood street when all of the sudden this one dog launched at this metal gate... BANG!!! Boy, that must have hurt! Mom and I jumped so high we almost landed on the middle of the street. We both looked at each other in disbelieve at the craziness of this dog.  Now, I've learned that I must be vigilant of gates and I have learned to smell aggression of dogs.  Some of these dogs are just putting on a show, but others really mean business... so my keen smell was quickly trained to determined which is which before approaching certain homes. Who would have known that walking the sidewalks on the side of the street would be much safer ... at least I can see the cars! These dogs need to get a life!

These two dogs scared the lights out of me the other day. Mom was able to take a picture because they were going after another dog.

The last group of dogs are just like me, they rule the household. I met one of them around the street. His name is Hugo and he is really cute. These dogs are usually pure bred and small. They smell good and are well behaved. Like me, they seem to understand how good they have it. I've noticed something different though. See, I do my business in my yard and mom or dad pick up after me. However, these dogs are allowed out every morning and afternoon without a leash, they go do their business in the park or any green area close by and then they go home. I am not sure what to think about that... Between the street dogs and these guys, walking on any grass around here is quite the challenge; we have to always watch out for the mines.

There are very few cats here. I miss cats. I really, really like cats. I had a friend cat baptized The Hungry One  by my mom who came every morning and evening to get fed and to play with me; I really miss her.

There are no squirrels here either. I've never been much of a squirrel chaser knowing full well I could never catch those things; but they were fun to watch. I guess I have to be content with the street dogs and the cows.

Oh no! We just had to go out to buy bread for tomorrow around the corner and guess what? The "mean dog" saw mom and read the neon sign on her forehead "sucker" .... yes, she did it... she gave him half a loaf of her bread!!! You know what's gonna happen now. They'll be all lined up in the morning. Oh well, what are you gonna do?