There’s no place like home. I decided to start my series of mini-blog posts about favorite spots in Cuenca in the place where I spend the most time – especially now that I’m preparing lectures and lab assignments.

The view from my room, looking east toward the hills.

A number of people have asked what my living conditions are like. Well, as you can see, I’m pretty comfortable. From my room, I have a great view of fruit trees and chickens in people’s backyards, and in the distance, I can watch the sun rise over the mountains dotted with cell-phone towers (that is, on the rare occasion that it’s not too cloudy in the morning).

My cozy room. The fact that I have so few books and notes with me means that my office is always in order!

I’m a 25 minute walk from the center of town, 25 minutes in the other direction to a big, modern shopping mall, and a 5 minute walk from a heavily-used river trail.

Afternoon tea and pastry, courtesy of Charito. This homemade pastry consisted of bananas, cheese, eggs, a little sugar, and probably some other stuff baked to perfection.

In the evenings, when I’m tired, and still trying to get some work done, Charito brings me tea and crackers, or a pastry. Life is good! And, I should mention, because many have asked, the tap water in Cuenca is fine to drink. I’ve been here 5 weeks and no problems. Apparently the water comes directly from the mountains. It’s agua puro. This means that I have no qualms about eating fruit, ordering salads, or any of the 100 different flavors of freshly pressed juices available everywhere. However, I have been told to drink only bottled water if I leave the city.