This is Amelia’s second Tribal Fusion Hafla performance in Cuenca Ecuador. She has advanced SOOO much since she started about a year and a half ago. I’m so proud of her ability and self-confidence!
If you’re interested in taking Tribal Fusion Belly Dance lessons, you can contact Julio through his Tribal Fusion House Facebook page.
Amelia’s Solo Tribal Fusion Performance in April 2019 – Cuenca Ecuador
Julio choreographed this solo performance for Amelia after Chinnu asked her to dance at her wedding. This was a practice performance right before we left for our trip to India.
Hopefully you enjoyed our video, and if you did, please LIKE, COMMENT and SHARE it, and SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel. ¡Muchas Gracias y Hasta Luego!
Follow Us on Social Media
Ecuador Cost of Living & Moving Calculator
Grab our Ecuador Cost of Living and Moving Calculator so you can more effectively budget for your move. After you sign-up for our weekly newsletter with expat-relevant news from Ecuador, you’ll get the download link.
The newsletter contains the latest information about covid, travel restrictions & guidelines, government actions, volcanoes, flooding, crime, and more. Basically, anything significant from the prior week that affects expats.
You're not alone! We have a supportive community of current and future expats who are eager to share their experiences, answer questions and provide support to help take the mystery out of your move.
Plus, you'll gain immediate access to dozens of patron-only videos and posts, and your support helps us continue sharing this magical country with you.
We’re back to business as usual here in Cuenca Ecuador after are 4 week trip to Miami, Amsterdam, India and back. This day in the life video gives you a good taste of life here with a Cuenca Ecuador Yanuncay River walk, organic markets, belly dancing and delicious Southern Indian food.
Cuenca Ecuador Yanuncay River Walk
We like to take Daisy for walks along the rivers here in Cuenca, Ecuador. She loves the smells and we love the sights and sounds.
In this video, we ventured south from our house to the Cuenca Ecuador Yanuncay River Trail, then West toward Cajas. At Av. Solano, we crossed the bridge and walked on the south side of the river. We had only walked on this trail one time when we first arrived in Cuenca. We got lost on our way back to Apartamentos Otorongo from Mall Del Río. But the three of us liked it so much on this walk that it’s going to be part of the regular rotation from now on!
We saw this same flowering tree in India! It really is a small world!
Tutto Matto Organic Popup Market
There are several different organic and miscellaneous popup markets (or ferias) that appear on Saturday’s around Cuenca. We videoed the Bumba Market and the Sabatino’s Artisanal Market quite a while ago. Today, we filmed the Tutto Matto Feria that’s a short walk from our house on Solano y Alfonso Moreno Mora.
Franco Organico
We featured Franco Organico in the Sabatino’s Artisanal Market video, and we were happy to see him again today. He sells a variety of delicious organic foods, like peanut butter, vegan fudge brownies, nuts, coffee, fruits, veggies and more. On this trip, we bought peanut butter, fudge, lemongrass, citronella and a few sweet lemons.
Amelia is smelling the citronella (or lemongrass?) in the picture below. We boil them to make tea.
We both tried Franco’s sweet mint and it was amazing. It had a subtle mint flavor, but it was very sweet. He compared it to stevia, which is native to South America.
Kelbert from ArteSana Panadería
Kelbert’s wife makes a variety of delicious vegan breads. We also featured ArteSana in our Bumba Market video.
We’ve been buying their bread for a LOOONG time. Some of these aren’t vegan, so be sure to ask which ones are.
The Tribal Fusion House – Tribal Style Belly Dance
Amelia has been Tribal Fusion belly dancing with Julio at The Tribal Fusion House for over a year. It’s neat to see how much she has improved during that time. She hasn’t been practicing because of our trip to India so she’s a bit rusty in this video. She has several new dances to master before the Hafla next month!
Julio is an amazing instructor (to quote Amelia who says it all the time). He teaches in both Spanish and English, and he offers beginner to advanced level classes. If you would like to give it a try, they’re always looking for new tribe members. The best way to reach Julio is through The Tribal Fusion House Facebook Page.
The New Cathedral in Cuenca, Ecuador
On our walk from The Tribal Fusion House to Namaste India, we stopped to take this picture of The New Cathedral. The recently finished refurbishing the domes and they look FANTASTIC!!! Sometimes it’s hard to believe we live in a city with such incredible architecture.
Dinner at Namaste India
This was our first time back at Namaste India here in Cuenca since we got back from India. We’ve been eating our clean vegan cooking at home to help our bodies recover from a month of eating at restaurants and all the oil-heavy foods. Akhil was very happy to see us. He’s Basil’s brother…see the resemblance?
We had the Aloo Mutter, which is Potato and Peas in Onion Tomato gravy. We also had plain naan and steamed rice. We typically order the same entree because they make them special for us without oil.
Hopefully you enjoyed our Day In The Life video, and if you did, please LIKE, COMMENT and SHARE it, and SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel. ¡Muchas Gracias y Hasta Luego!
Follow Us on Social Media
Ecuador Cost of Living & Moving Calculator
Grab our Ecuador Cost of Living and Moving Calculator so you can more effectively budget for your move. After you sign-up for our weekly newsletter with expat-relevant news from Ecuador, you’ll get the download link.
The newsletter contains the latest information about covid, travel restrictions & guidelines, government actions, volcanoes, flooding, crime, and more. Basically, anything significant from the prior week that affects expats.
You're not alone! We have a supportive community of current and future expats who are eager to share their experiences, answer questions and provide support to help take the mystery out of your move.
Plus, you'll gain immediate access to dozens of patron-only videos and posts, and your support helps us continue sharing this magical country with you.
https://ameliaandjp.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Ep-107-Cuenca-Sunny-Saturday-v2.jpg7201280JPhttps://ameliaandjp.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Amelia-JP-Unconventional-Logo.jpgJP2019-05-21 14:00:542019-06-09 13:24:24Cuenca Ecuador Yanuncay River Walk // Day In The Life (Episode 107)
This is a fun day in the life video! We took a short walk to some neighborhood shops to start the day, but we ended the day with some sweat inducing Indian Food in Cuenca Ecuador.
In the afternoon, Amelia went to Tribal Fusion for belly dancing class and we ended up at Namaste India for dinner. We had planned on grabbing a pizza para llevar (for takeout) at Fratello, but Amelia and I miscommunicated our plans and they were closed by the time Amelia finished up with belly dancing.
People & Places
Panadería Del Día – El Vergel – Cuenca Ecuador
Panadería Del Día was a relatively new panadería (bakery) in our neighborhood (El Vergel). It was only a few blocks from our house, but now it’s closed. That’s a common occurrence here in Cuenca Ecuador. Several food related businesses have come and gone in the short time we’ve lived here.
Déjame Que Te Cuente Chocolatería – Cuenca Ecuador
Amelia always likes to have some chocolate in the house. And Déjame Que Te Cuente Chocolatería (chocolate shop) near our house has amazing vegan chocolate, like these Ecuadorian Leyenda Chocolate bars.
Amelia loves these vegan marzipan chocolates, but at $1.30/piece, they’re a little pricey for my taste.
Look At the Gringo!
On my way to meet Amelia at her belly dancing class, I was spotted by a group of Ecuadorians. Despite Cuenca being home to roughly 10,000 gringos, we still get lots of looks. As a white male from the US, it is a bit odd to be a minority for the first time in my life.
Amelia is 5 feet tall with dark skin, dark eyes and dark hair. She could easily pass for an Ecuadorian. Me? Not so much. I’m 6 inches taller than the average male, bald head, pale skin and blue-green eyes. I feel like I’m on display everytime I walk somewhere.
Tomebamba Riverwalk – Cuenca Ecuador
This cobblestone path along the Tomebamba River is what sells a lot of people on Cuenca when they come to visit. It’s lush and green with lots of blooming flowers year-round.
It’s common to see beautiful young couples snuggling on the grass embankment or kissing on the benches. It’s a little bit of paradise running through the center of Cuenca.
Universidad de Cuenca
La Universidad de Cuenca is now over 150 years old. It’s located on Doce de Abril across from the Tomebamba River. Lots of young Ecuadorians can be seen running to and from the campus at all hours. This is where our tour guide, Wilson, went to school to learn Ecuadorian national tourism. You met him in our 3-part vlog about San Bartolomé, Chordeleg and Gualaceo.
The Tribal Fusion House – Cuenca Ecuador
Amelia takes belly dancing lessons at The Tribal Fusion House here in Cuenca. Like most things in Ecuador and Latin America in general, time is flexible. Her class often starts late and always ends late.
Amelia and I had discussed grabbing a pizza from Fratello Vegan after her class para llevar (for takeout), but I guess I misunderstood her. I was supposed to go get the pizza before they closed and wait for her there. Since her class ran 35 minutes late, Fratello was closed by the time she got out….
While I was waiting, I did get some good pictures and videos, though. Like this shot of the street outside The Tribal Fusion House. Doesn’t it look like a photo from a history book?
This tiny compact car pulled up while I was waiting and 8 people got out of it. EIGHT PEOPLE! Two kids in the very back, 3 people in the middle and 3 in the front. It was like watching a clown car empty!
One thing that’s a lot different here in Ecuador are the traffic laws…or at least how people follow them. It’s rare to see a carseat and children often ride on their parents’ lap in the front seat, or stand up in the backseat. You know, like how we used to roll as kids back in the 70’s and earlier.
Namaste India Restaurant – Indian Food Cuenca Ecuador
Namaste India is one of our favorite restaurants in Cuenca. They have a large “vegetable” section on their menu and most of the items are vegan. Just make sure to tell your server that you’re vegan and ask them not to use any animal products. They’re happy to oblige.
Chinnumol is the hostess and server at the restaurant. She is so sweet and helpful! Part of the reason we love Namaste India so much is because of Chinnu and the other people who work there. They’re all so friendly and happy that we always leave in a good mood. Plus, they have Bollywood music videos up on the big screen and they always elicit a smile!
If you go to Namaste India, be sure to tell them the vegan gringos Amelia And JP sent you. They have the best Indian Food in Cuenca Ecuador!
Share the Love
We hope you enjoyed our adventures in Cuenca, Ecuador today. Please remember to like, comment and share our video, and also subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you’d like us to make a video about something specific or if you have questions, please let us know in the comments.
Follow Us on Social Media
Ecuador Cost of Living & Moving Calculator
Grab our Ecuador Cost of Living and Moving Calculator so you can more effectively budget for your move. After you sign-up for our weekly newsletter with expat-relevant news from Ecuador, you’ll get the download link.
The newsletter contains the latest information about covid, travel restrictions & guidelines, government actions, volcanoes, flooding, crime, and more. Basically, anything significant from the prior week that affects expats.
You're not alone! We have a supportive community of current and future expats who are eager to share their experiences, answer questions and provide support to help take the mystery out of your move.
Plus, you'll gain immediate access to dozens of patron-only videos and posts, and your support helps us continue sharing this magical country with you.
la mantequilla – the butter
Sí, cuatro – Yes, four
Buenos días – Good morning
Muy picante – Very spicy
Muy delicioso – Very delicious
¡Dios Mío! – OMG! (Oh my God!)
Chocolatería – Chocolate Shop
Déjame Que te Cuente Chocolatería – Let Me Tell You Chocolate Shop
Muy raro – Very rare/strange
https://ameliaandjp.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Ep-24-A-Day-In-The-Life-Cuenca-Ecuador.jpg7201280JPhttps://ameliaandjp.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Amelia-JP-Unconventional-Logo.jpgJP2018-11-08 12:00:182019-06-09 18:35:58The Half Moon Can’t Tell Time + Sweat Inducing Indian Food Cuenca Ecuador (Episode 24)
We may request cookies to be set on your device. We use cookies to let us know when you visit our websites, how you interact with us, to enrich your user experience, and to customize your relationship with our website.
Click on the different category headings to find out more. You can also change some of your preferences. Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer.
Essential Website Cookies
These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features.
Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refuseing them will have impact how our site functions. You always can block or delete cookies by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website. But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site.
We fully respect if you want to refuse cookies but to avoid asking you again and again kindly allow us to store a cookie for that. You are free to opt out any time or opt in for other cookies to get a better experience. If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain.
We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. Due to security reasons we are not able to show or modify cookies from other domains. You can check these in your browser security settings.
Google Analytics Cookies
These cookies collect information that is used either in aggregate form to help us understand how our website is being used or how effective our marketing campaigns are, or to help us customize our website and application for you in order to enhance your experience.
If you do not want that we track your visit to our site you can disable tracking in your browser here:
Other external services
We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps, and external Video providers. Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. Changes will take effect once you reload the page.
Google Webfont Settings:
Google Map Settings:
Google reCaptcha Settings:
Vimeo and Youtube video embeds:
Other cookies
The following cookies are also needed - You can choose if you want to allow them:
Privacy Policy
You can read about our cookies and privacy settings in detail on our Privacy Policy Page.
Grab our Ecuador Cost of Living and Moving Calculator so you can more effectively budget for your move. After you sign-up for our weekly newsletter with expat-relevant news from Ecuador, you’ll get the download link.
You're not alone! We have a supportive community of current and future expats who are eager to share their experiences, answer questions and provide support to help take the mystery out of your move.
