Days 9-10: Cuenca y Muchas Fotos !!!

This weekend, Carlos took Keke and I to Cuenca. Cuenca is a small city in the Highlands of Ecuador that is inhabited by 276,000 people. It is known for being a major destination that many expats and elderly people move to and retire in. Before arriving, everyone told me their favorite city in Ecuador is Cuenca and now I understand why. To me, it is almost perfect. Because of it´s location in the mountains, the climate is spring-like and the weather is very cool. The locals sometimes call the weather loco because you can get all types of weather in one day, rainy, cold, sunny, etc. When we went, the weather was chilly at night but warmer in the day. Additionally, the city is very calm and quiet, unlike Guayaquil where you hear a horn beeping every 30 seconds. The traffic is light and pedestrians have rights here, the opposite of Guayaquil where there is a strong possibility you may get hit by a bus if you don't look twice. Moreover, the city has a lot of European and Colonial influences, but it is more modernized. There are parks, stores, beautiful buildings and cobblestone streets. There are also churches at almost every corner.  The people are very friendly and I think it is more safe than Guayaquil. I never felt threatened or uncomfortable walking through the streets during the day or at night. Don't get me wrong, I love Guayaquil and there is a lot to do, but I love Cuenca more. Additionally, it is very clean and quiet. Even the stray dogs are clean and friendly. I knew I was in a good place when I saw people let their dogs off the leash and play in the open park. It was just crazy how beautiful and cute this place was. Cuenca is definitely somewhere I would buy a vacation home in.

Parque Calderón (Calderon Park)

Parque Calderón is in the heart of Cuenca and everyone knows where it is. It is surrounded by city streets, stores, and banks. During the day, you can take pictures with famous Saint Bernard's and at night you can find musical entertainment.



Plaza de las Flores

Plaza de las Flores is a spot many people go to buy flowers and take pictures.

Catedral Nueva (New Cathedral)/ Catedral de la Inmaculada Concepción (Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception)

You can see the cathedral from where we were (the building in the background with the blue tops). We were in a plaza where there were many bars and stores.



Mirador de Turi (Overlook of Turi)

We got to see Cuenca in its entirety. Cuenca is the 3rd largest city in Ecuador and is surrounded by mountains on all sides. It is a beautiful city with many things to offer.

Pumapungo Park and Ethnographic Museum

Pumapungo Park is a historic museum that tells the history of Cuenca and the indigenous people. We learned about the different inhabitants of Cuenca and also got to walk through the Incan Ruins. The Incas left an imprint of their culture on all of Ecuador, but mostly Cuenca. 

In front of the Incan Ruins

I had a mini photo shoot. The scenery was too beautiful.





                                                                                                   

Tomebamba River

Cuenca means "a basin made by a confluence of rivers." There are 4 rivers in Cuenca and they are the Tomebamba, Yununcay, Tarqui, and the Machangara. These rivers flow from the Amazon River Basin and are very important in Cuenca. The Tomebamba is a river named after in Incas and defines the boundaries of Cuenca on the south side.



Banco de Azuay

While taking these pictures, I had no idea this was a bank; I just thought it was pretty. But this is a bank that was built in 1913 and stopped operating in 1999. Now it stands as a symbol of modernization in Cuenca.



Food

Cuenca has a lot of food to offer. A famous dish is locro de papas which is a cheesy soup with potato and avocado. Canelazo is also a drink known in Cuenca. It is served hot and has cinnamon, orange flavor, and aguardiente (sugar cane alcohol). It is famous in Cuenca because it helps with altitude sickness. Cuenca also has the best bread ever. The bread is freshly baked and very cheap. We bought $5 worth of different types of bread and it was great.

Locro de papas and tomate arbol juice

Canelazo

Desserts from a bakery

$5 worth of bread

Lunch special of the day

                                             

Shots of Canelazo!

Carlos, Keke and I at Monday Blues

Extra Scenery

The Tomebamba River

The Ride

The ride to Cuenca took 3 and a half hours. We drove through many small towns and through the mountains. The scenery was beautiful, but the drive was also very scary. At one point, the fog was so thick you could not even see the road. I was grateful to have gotten to Cuenca and back to Guayaquil safely.