South America Days 24 and 25: Cuenca, Ecuador

Yesterday I flew down to the mountain city of Cuenca. Today I took a guided tour of the city. Lots of fun scenes to share!

Before departing Quito, I walked around the city a bit. Unlike in the US, the school year in Ecuador aligns with the calendar year, so there were lots of end-of-school ceremonies and parades with very well-dressed little ones.

After a short flight to Cuenca, I walked around a bit …

San Blas, Cuenca, Ecuador

I almost made it through dinner tonight entirely in Spanish. Then I stumbled on something and the waitress just immediately switched to (perfectly fluent) English. Sigh. Game over.

Later, my hotel placed a bit of Christmas cheer on my door!

Hotel Santa Lucia, Cuenca, Ecuador

Earlier today, I took a long guided driving/walking tour of the city. Lots of historic buildings to view:

Parque San Sebastian, Cuenca, Ecuador

Cuenca, Ecuador

Cuenca, Ecuador

Cuenca, Ecuador

And, of course, a farmers’ market:

Mercado 10 de Agosto, Cuenca, Ecuador

Mercado 10 de Agosto, Cuenca, Ecuador

Something Old, Something New · Plaza de San Francisco, Cuenca, Ecuador

We then went to a high point in the city for some panoramic views.

Cuenca, Ecuador

Later we toured a hat factory, where the would-be hats were soaking in some kind of solution:

Homero Ortega Hats, Cuenca, Ecuador

Homero Ortega Hats, Cuenca, Ecuador

Homero Ortega Hats, Cuenca, Ecuador

I love the disembodied legs that make the Ecuadorian sign for pedestrian crossing:

Cruce · Cuenca, Ecuador

Cuenca’s old city retains a lot of its historical flavor, both in its building and also in its people. I especially enjoyed the chollas, older women of the traditional communities surrounding Cuenca who come into the city to sell various handmade goods and produce. I regret that I didn’t quite capture a suitable picture of a cholla. (A few that I saw were reluctant to have photos taken.) The woman above was working in a market, but wasn’t quite dressed in that traditional style.