Officially, Kelly and I have lived together longer in our apartment in Ecuador than we did in our apartment in Laurelhurst. And now, once again, we are packing up and moving. Granted, this time around is a lot easier. We have no cars to sell, no apartment to pack up really. We have two huge bags each, and that’s it. People have asked us what we are bringing home, and it’s shockingly little. We bought a few gifts from the market, but at the same time we have both walked through a pair of shoes (Kelly’s re-soling his, I’m throwing mine out), and are leaving some of our more worn clothes behind.
Kelly always jokes about the “light is right” motto when we go hiking or backpacking, but now we seem to be more and more willing to apply it to our lives now. One idea that we had is that everytime we buy something new, like a shirt, we have to throw something away. At first it seemed really drastic to us, but we are starting to realize how little we actually need, and how much more content we are without it. We are going to give it a try this summer; let’s see if we fall on our faces!
We are counting down the days–only 14 left until we take off on June 9th! For our last days in Cuenca, we have been trying to see things with new eyes, playing tourist again. We explored Casa de la Mujer (an artisan shopping mall…kind of), the different plazas and markets around the city, tried out some new Ecuadorian food, visited a music store and played around on a charango, and swapped CDs with the owner. We may be spending too much of our money at Bapu indian food.
We took another trip out to Baños to soak in the thermal baths and the sun, go to the sauna, and get the last cheap massages we will have before we go back home. We are going to try to go to a town a few hours south of Cuenca this weekend, but we are still trying to figure out the details.
Can’t wait to see you all!
1 Comment
June 4, 2009 at 5:44 am
Ahhh- I am also counting down till your return!
Soak up as much of the culture as you can!
I am impressed at your “light is right” motto! For Hiking I would recommend it, but I think it is impressive to add it to your day-to-day lives. Living simply is a great way to live, building your treasures some where else!
I am honestly extatic to see you both! I have some pent-up hugs….
Love you both, keep writing!
Jen