About the time for us to be “On the Road Again….” Our Ecuadorian 3-month visa expires on Jan 21, 2010 (as seen on the right).
While visa options exist, I definitely want to visit Peru and probably Machu Pechu (correct spelling is Machu Picchu). We may stay in Peru for approx 2 months and then return to Cuenca for some weeks before continuing on to Quito and flying back to Portland on April 18, 2010.
Because the Ecuadorian government is fining people $200USD who leave Ecuador after their visa expires, we will be leaving Cuenca on Tuesday, Jan 19th (one week from today) and then have two days for our journey south to the border. It is a 4-5 hours bus ride from Cuenca to Machala. We may stay the overnight. Depends upon when we arrive.
We will then take the… (now this is when the internet in the local area was unavailable during the late afternoon and evening). Between internet outages (which are fairly rare) and power outages, it is sometimes hard to compose new posts.
I started this post Tuesday evening and am finishing it Friday around noon.
For weeks, I’ve been staring at a similar weather forecast – rain, rain and more rain. However, that has not been our experience here in Cuenca, Ecuador!
For you all who want additional information regarding living in Ecuador, I recommend Lori’s blog, 
Yup, it’s been a good day, now time to relax and enjoy some ice cream. Except the ice cream doesn’t melt here — it is something like ‘dream whip’.
“At an altitude of 2,550 meters (7,650 feet) above sea level, Cuenca enjoys a mild climate and a fabulous geographic position. Cuenca has the placid atmosphere of a small city, both deeply religious and artistic.”
So, it seems that here in Ecuador, you are paying almost $38/mo for a guaranteed 12.8Kb, $65/mo for a guaranteed 25.6Kb and almost $80/mo for 51.2Kb during peak hours. When are peak hours? Generally from 8:30am to 5pm or 6pm. Minus the 3 to 4 hours of electrical power outage every weekday and internet gets quite expensive here in Ecuador.
November 3rd was Cuenca’s Independence Day. It is a major town in Ecuador, south of Quito.
