I chose to stop posting on social media for a variety of reasons, but we do use Facebook as a way to get to know a city before visiting. It is also a great way to meet people in the places we visit. Through Ecuador and Cuenca-specific Facebook groups, we met people and families that live in Cuenca. This allowed us to hit the ground running when we arrived.
The boys got to have playdates. We spent the afternoon at Parque Guzho with a family with two boys, Thomas and Paul. The boys climbed hills and played on the playground. We also lost a soccer ball in the river and the boys bonded over getting it out. Their parents own a lovely restaurant called La Yunta. They also sell local arts and crafts at the restaurant. We ended up eating dinner there, and it was delicious.
We attended a kickball game at Parque Paraíso that we found out about through Facebook. We met several other families, both ex-pat and Ecuadorian. We ended up spending the rest of the afternoon with our new friends Cami, Tommy, and their son Jason. We had a delicious barbecue lunch near Parque La Madre.
We love that there are parks all over the city. Lucas and Henry are almost too old to play on playgrounds, but it is nice to be able to stretch our legs in a green space. Many parks also have workout equipment that the boys enjoy using.
We like to play sports. Even when we travel, we find ways of staying active. We brought tennis and pickleball racquets with us on our travels. Michael found a pickleball league in Cuenca on Facebook before we arrived. Lucas, Henry, and Michael play pickleball several times a week. They are so dedicated that they make their own pickelball court at the park near our house.
Tennis courts are a 10-minute walk from our Airbnb at El Coliseo Jefferson Perez Quezada. Cuenca is in the highlands of Ecuador at about 2,560 meters (8,400 feet) above sea level. The tennis balls we brought with us bounce very high because of the altitude. We played tennis a few times, and Lucas and Henry took tennis lessons.
We also discovered a Friday frisbee group. The group is a bunch of old gringos (their words, not mine) who meet every Friday to throw the frisbee around. Lucas, Henry, and Michael had fun throwing the frisbee around, and we had great conversations with several ex-pats.
Facebook is also how we found our wonderful Spanish teachers Gaby and Christian. We each took three hours of Spanish lessons per week. Gaby and Christian are great teachers. They even invited us to their church for a Christmas service.
Facebook is a useful research tool to help you make the most out of your travels. We recommend using Facebook groups to help plan trips, even if the trips are short. By joining Ecuador specific Facebook groups before our trip, we were able to spend more time doing fun activities, and we got to meet a lot of wonderful people.
