Sunday in Yungilla

Yesterday I went with my friend Charlie and Andres to a small village called Yungilla, about an hour and a half by bus from Cuenca. Yungilla is in a valley, so the climate is hotter and more enjoyable. Some Cuencanos have summer or weekend houses in Yungilla. My friend Andres is from Cuenca, and his family has a weekend house there. Cuenca was cold, grey, and miserable yesterday, so we were more than happy to get out of town for a few hours.

We didn't have a set plan, just to arrive, eat lunch, and walk around. We got in and immediately noticed the heat, something that we don't get a whole lot of in Cuenca. We got to Andres' house where his aunt and uncle were staying. They made us lunch and then we headed out to see the town. It's not a town like you'd imagine back home, but rather like farmland with a house every few kilometers. This allowed us to walk down dirt roads without bothering or being bothered by anyone.

Walking around lazily, we thought we'd be able to get down to the river. Unfortunately, Andres hadn't been there in over a year, and in that time there'd been a lot of development. Suddenly new houses were in the way of the path he used to follow since he was a kid, and we were unable to go the way he knew. Instead, we followed the dirt road around the perimeter of the town, circling back up to where we started.

It was hot, but refreshing to get out of the cold of Cuenca, even if only for a few hours. The only downside is that with such a sudden change in the climate, twice in one day, I now think I have a little bit of a cold. When we got back to his house we had some water and bread, then rested up for a few minutes and headed back to the road to catch a bus into Cuenca.

The sun was setting and we could actually see the different contrasts of color in the sky. I hardly ever see the sunset in Cuenca, though when I do it's pretty dramatic. Getting out of this city even for a few hours, just changing weather, can really help change mentality and morale. I've been extremely bored just sitting around Cuenca for the last 2 weeks, and anything is a welcome change. But knowing that I'm going to be leaving soon, it was a nice day trip, especially since I was able to return to Cuenca at the end of the day.

This is my last full week in Cuenca, and there's a lot of stuff coming up. I want to go to La Mesa one last time. La Mesa is the hole in the wall salsa club that people go to on Wednesday nights. Then on Thursday I'll be celebrating my birthday with a few friends. And on Saturday we'll be having a despedida, or going away party. There's no official plans yet, but I imagine we'll just meet up at a bar somewhere and then head off for some club. And during the days I need to make sure I get paid for my last month of work, then immediatly go and close my bank account. Hopefully that won't be too much of a headache, but I'm not holding my breath. And today marks 1 month until I'll be leaving for Buenos Aires. Time flies.