TheExpatJournals.com

From the first time I visited Cuenca and even more so now, it felt/feels far more like being in a European city than being in Latin America. It’s not just the cobblestone streets, colonial architecture, the abundance of shops and boutiques in town, the large malls, the many suburbs nor modern condos. There’s something else I can’t quite capture in words yet, but sure do feel inside where words are meaningless.

When I moved to Panama, it was all foreign which in turned made it all a great big adventure. Coming to Cuenca is more like coming to a culture that is familiar. Part of it could be that it seems like most of Cuenca is middle class. I watch people jog in the mornings, see the many SUV’s and the sheer number of jewelry shops in town makes me wonder who buys it all. As someone pointed out to me when visiting, I don’t see the sort of ’slums’ easy to spot just outside nice neighborhoods in Panama City. It is like a peaceful colonial city in a bowl between mountains, again, a world unto its own. Granted, what you will find are cows grazing in a 200 meter lot next to a modern villa or Indian ladies leading their herd of six to graze on park grass each day. On the coast, that’s even more prevalent and it seems you have to be more careful of hitting a pig crossing the street than a dog. You will also see lots of houses with sides of exposed concrete block, be it the gray/white color we’re accustomed to or the red they have so much of here. In any event, it is common to see a house exterior that looks unfinished.

I look across the river to the beautiful grounds of the beautiful house I’m about to move into and again, consider it a gift to have found the place. The owner’s told me they felt that way about finding me. The gentleman is 80 years old and though I don’t remember it, he told me when I first passed, I smiled and offered up a ‘Buenas tardes’ and he thought to himself, “Who is this friendly gringa?” The words he used in Spanish were far more complimentary than that simple summation in English. It didn’t take us long to begin joking in Spanish. I love the fact that now, even if my Spanish is still considerably lacking, I actually can joke in Spanish.

Anyway, what is occurring to me this morning is that living here offers calm, peace…AH!! It’s gentle here. That’s the underbelly I couldn’t put into words. This is a gentle place. It’s not spectacular like a jungle or ocean view nor is harsh like the price of admission tends to be to live in places one might describe as spectacular. Yesterday afternoon, about 5:30, the afternoon showers had passed and the sun was lower in the sky and the color cast on everything was hyperreal. I really should have taken a picture as I’m not sure that happens consistantly, but everything was as though it was put through some filter that made it all more intense than normal in the most beautiful way. Every visible shade of green, pink, blue, grey, purples, golds and even the white clouds were richer…like the difference between some local brand of housepaint versus the subtle richness of Ralph Lauren paint colors. I thought it was just about the most beautiful sunlight I had ever seen. And I didn’t take a picture.

I’ve been so busy with the practical details of getting set up to live here that any internal creative elements have been set aside. This was a very hard move, but the other side is this charming calm, this place of ease and beauty that I honestly thought could only be available in the US. I seriously considered moving back to the US. The ease of doing things, the familiarity of ‘how’ to do things beckoned with the promise of a mental rest, a lack of being taxed on levels that leave no room for peace. And after the hell Panama became for me, I wanted that kind of mental peace more than anything in the world.

Gentle elegance. It’s not just gentle here, it’s elegant. Perhaps it’s just my own luck, but this couple already have the electricity, the water, the cable tv, and even the telephone set up so those aren’t hoops I’m going to have to jump through. It’s all done. I get to move in and move on and that is a day I’ve waited a long time for.

I hate to say it and yet I think it’s part of what makes Cuenca so easy and so desirable, but the culture here feels very white or at least very middle class. Granted, the indigenous population is abundant, but the primary culture here must be of European descent as it’s all pretty white. Sure, the tight polyester loud salsa is evident, but you have to seek it out rather than being unable to get away from it. Being white here does not equal being rich like it does in Panama where the line between the haves and have nots tends to be justifiably and stereotypically drawn with the color of your face. Simply put, lineage here equals lots of white skin even if the eyes are near black.

I watched a Porta sponsored program on local television the other day. It was being aired in Guayaquil which is far closer in culture to Panama City from all I can tell. No, the high rises don’t exist and it’s on a large river rather than the sea, but downtown does have some beautiful old buildings and with a population of 3 million, the shopping is abundant. But the heat of that city is like the heat of Panama City and along with that comes the vivid presence of the salsa and skin culture. I remember thinking that the provocative way women dress in Panama could only be associated with prostitutes in the US. The lack of that here in Cuenca makes me wonder if maybe it’s quite simply an issue of climate?

People wear more sweaters than halter tops here, more sensible shoes or sneakers than strappy sandals. Things, including fashion, are one of the most noticeable ways it’s obvious the culture is different up here where the climate warrants a down comforter most nights and yet from noon until the sun begins to set, shorts and flip flops would frequently be your most comfortable choice of attire. The fact that people have fireplaces and yet need to cover their skylights with curtains to keep the intensity of the daytime sun at bay sort of sums up the climate.

And there’s a very strange anomaly here that still just doesn’t add up. Though there’s a noticeable lack of humidity (especially relative to Panama), there’s still an abundance of wild bromeliads (orchids). There are those giant stout types of palms with ‘trunks’ you can’t begin to reach around that up until now, I associated with large riverbanks and flooding. In short, things grow here that I thought only thrived in hot, humid environments. And yes, there are hummingbirds but being in the city, there doesn’t seem to be an overwhelming bird population. There are many cultivated green spaces in Cuenca, but unlike every area in Panama, no one has to work hard to keep the jungle from reclaiming civilization. That, too, is more like the US. You simply keep parks and gardens maintained, not battle it out with nature. And perhaps one of the simplest things that continues to draw a European/UK comparison is that there are so many traffic circles, aka, roundabouts, called redondels. Those are very common here.

Rushing mountain rivers lined with giant eucalyptus trees in large green boundaries, an abundance of flowers and flowering trees, bougainvillea (veranera), cobblestone streets lined with preserved colonial architecture, modern villas and red tiled roofs, mountains on the horizon of every vista, hot afternoons and wonderfully cool nights, palms and pines, plazas and modern malls…it’s a city, a climate, and a population that is somehow familiar and easy on the mind.

Another wonderful aspect of Cuenca is how art, artistry and culture are actually valued here. Cuenca has long been known as the cultural center of the country and so quirky/bohemian artists are supported, even celebrated, as opposed to being some cause the rich must occasionally contribute to. And the tradition of fine artistry continues in works of wood, iron, ceramics, silver and of course, the finest Panama hat in the world. I’m sure by now everyone knows that Panama hats are actually from Ecuador, not Panama. Some are so fine here, like the Wounan baskets, they will hold water without leaking. I have heard that you can pay 5 figures for the finest made.

I went to the main market on Sunday afternoon for the first time and was amazed to find the fantastic handmade palm fiber rugs / mats so readily available. A 4′ x 6′ rug will run about $8. Practical baskets used for everything from shopping to stools are cheap and readily available as well. Copper, iron, silver and taqua are all forged or carved into a variety of items at remarkably low prices. From this perspective, it’s fun to shop for all these handmade items and here, there are many bargains.