We went into town this morning to visit Sandy at the travel agency. We actually went there yesterday but we got there during siesta time and the office was closed for 2 hours till 2.30 and we didn't want to wait. Lee had given us her name and she was super nice and really helpful. She had loads of information for us about tours and activities around Cuenca and also further afield. We had decided that we weren't going to be able to make it to the Galapagos as it was just too expensive but after talking to Sandy it looks like we'll get to go after all. She also has some really cool looking trips into the Amazon, and she can also book everything for us to go to Peru to vosot Machu Pichu. All we have to do is decide where and when we want to go and find the money to pay for it all. I am very excited that we'll actually get to go to the Galapagos, I want to see the giant tortoise and the boobies. Sandy is going to email us the info we need and then we just have to go back next week and book whatever we want.
After spending over an hour with Sandy we went to the California Kitchen to have lunch and also because the last time we were there the owner had told us that Friday was cheesecake day. We had a nice lunch but unfortunately they hadn't made the cheesecake, I guess we'll have to go back next week.
We found a really lush chocolate shop while we were wandering about; they make all the chocolates at the store and they were lovely. If you are all very good I'll bring some home when we come; I can't guarantee what they'll be as I don't know what the lady was saying was in them, but they were good, especially the Baileys (I understood that) and the Gengibre flavours. We also found a florist that we haven't come across before and Mike bought me a bouquet of flowers. Don't panic he's not getting soft in his old age, they only cost $1.50. It's weird that the more we walk around the more things we discover that we've missed on previous walks. It's because when everything is closed up it all looks the same, metal shutters or heavy wooden doors with no signs to indicate what's behind them.
We stopped off at the market to get some veggies on the way home and got a whole bagful for $4.00. I can't get over how cheap fruit and veg are here, I bought 14 bananas for $1, 3 huge avocados for $1, and a bagful of strawberries for $0.50. We don't haggle at the market (I mean Mike doesn't) even though we have been told we are supposed to, but when they are asking $0.60 for a giant head of lettuce how do you tell them you want it for less?
We have decided to not buy anymore baked goods. There are little stores all over the place that sell everything from bread to cookies to empanadas and they all look lovely and smell even better, but they never taste as good as they look. All the baked goods here are super dry, especially the bread rolls, and the cheese empanadas that we have bought from several different places hardly have any queso in them. The only thing that we have found that is tasty are some little butter cookies but only when they are bought from this one particular location. All the others we've tried are either burnt, dry or have coconut in them (not Mike's favourite). No doubt we'll keep looking for the perfect baked good though in spite of me saying we are done buying them, the smell is irresistible.

Mike:They can keep their little cookies!