Vilcabamba - Mary's still sick, & delightful evening ottherwise

I've just returned from a dinner with our group at a local restaurant. Mary stayed behind due to her persistent cough and the effects of the medicine we're using to control it. We were joined at dinner by a group of 4 local expats, who gave us the inside scoop on living in Ecuador generally and in this community in particular. I'm scheduled for a massage in the morning, then we're on the road back to Cuenca. Then we will leave our group and have several days on our own before starting for home.