20 December 2012 • 352 km / 219 mi (map)
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 …
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!
Earlier today, I took a long guided driving/walking tour of the city. Lots of historic buildings to view:
And, of course, a farmers’ market:
We then went to a high point in the city for some panoramic views.
Later we toured a hat factory, where the would-be hats were soaking in some kind of solution:
I love the disembodied legs that make the Ecuadorian sign for pedestrian crossing:
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.
You can see more of my travel stories without having to check back randomly to see if I’ve posted something new.
Thank you for following along!
