Cuenca

Beam me up Scotty. That’s what it felt like to land in Cuenca. After a few weeks on the coast, jumping on the bus and landing in Cuenca was major culture shock. Why the mountain towns and cities are so different (i.e., clean) than coastal areas of Ecuador, we don’t know. They just are. It’s like two different countries. Similar to Quito, only friendlier and more approachable, Cuenca is a model colonial city: clean, beautiful, and enjoyable. The coast: nice beaches, but why all the dirt and grim? And, can you please pick up at least some of the dog s__t!!

 So Cuenca, population ~half a million, elevation 2530 m. A UNESCO world heritage site, it dates back to the 1500s and arrival of the Spanish conquistadors. When the Spanish arrived they found the original Inca city destroyed to keep it from falling into their hands. Seems to be a pattern here. That, of course, didn’t stop the Spanish who built their city on top of the ruins, et voila, today we have a magnificent colonial city right out of a European vacation brochure. From all accounts, and judging by the 10,000 or so expats living here, it’s the place to be in Ecuador if cities are your scene. Even more so than Quito, if you’re looking for a cheap European holiday, think Cuenca.

The city is marked by the classic pattern of a large beautiful church or cathedral on every second corner. The running joke among gringos in this part of the world is whether or not you have enough pictures of churches yet. I think we do J But you know, you just don’t get tired of walking around the streets, which is the thing to do here. A close second to the churches are bars, restaurants, and cafes. We even had an evening out at a microbrewery Irish Pub which could pull its weight anywhere. At $2.25 for a huge tall glass of Irish red ale, it’s downtown Vancouver for a quarter the price. But really, that’s the down side of cities for us. There are just too many ways to spend money!

Speaking of money, unbeknownst to us, we hit Cuenca on a Friday afternoon of a long weekend overlapping an Independence Day holiday here. To us every day is the same and we had no idea the city would basically be “full”. Upon arrival we were slammed for getting a room. All the usual dirtbag backpacker places were full, and we spent the afternoon walking the streets and repeating the phrase we usually only use once a day: ¿tiene un habitacion? (do you have a room?).  Nope nope nope. After 15 or so places, we realized we had to up the ante and splurge for a $60/night room. There goes our daily budget up in flames. Oh well, that’s what credit cards are for. But, having a real hotel room with a real bed, real furniture, real towels, and being able to drink water from the tap (first time in Ecuador) was a treat. And the complementary desayuno executivo (executive breakfast) was a nice touch. Felt like we were on a business trip J

Back on the bus and back to Guayaquil today. Wow, we are still reeling from the difference between the mountains and the coast. Two different countries for sure. OK, tomorrow we ride! From here we are a few days from the border and the beaches of northern Peru. We have heard rumors that a beach town called Mancora is always sunny. We’ll believe it when we see it. Amy will believe it when she’s lying on the sand in her bikini (which hasn’t been used in 3 months). If all goes according to plan, the next post should be from Peru. Chao.