Charming Cuenca, Ecuador

 

I discovered Cuenca Ecuador on Househunters International.  I had watched 3 shows involving Ex-pats leaving the USA to seek a cheaper more tranquil way of life in Cuenca.  I have been interested in visiting ever since.  Cuenca the third largest city in Ecuador is a 45-minute flight from Quito and a high altitude of 8400 feet.  It is set in rolling green Switzerland-like mountains and always perpetually in the clouds.  The Ex-pat community has grown to almost 20,000 people who now call Cuenca home.

In the distant mountains is where El Caja National Park is located.

Cuenca was first developed as an Incan trading center called Tomebamba and then rebuilt in grand style by the Spanish.  Today it is renowned for its cultural heritage and popular with artists and poets.  "Cuenca of the Andes or Athens of Ecuador" are two names given to this lovely city of almost 600,000 people who call it home.

The Colonial Historical Center has gained UNESCO World Heritage Status and is a pleasant way to while away a day with numerous stores and restaurants.  The cost of living here is approximately 50% of what it is in the USA.  We both ate lunch and I had a glass of wine and Darren a Coke and we had sparkling water, it cost 13.00 USD.  Ecuador's currency is no longer the Sucre it is USD only now.

We walked to the historical center of Cuenca which took approximately 1 hour.

Along the main road into the center it was lined with numerous statues and parks.

There are 4 rivers that converge and you can stroll along in certain areas.

Old slate stairs up to the Historic district.

Lovely Colonial buildings abound in the Central Historic district.

Traditional Panama Hats and skirts are still worn by many.

Old worn rose marble stairs lead to a church.

Sidewalks are lined with marble, slate or tile.  Roads are beautiful slate tiles.

A few buildings are in disrepair like this one.

San Blas Church is built with rose marble and it's a stand-out.

Schoolgirls in various uniforms.

A beautiful door leads into a church.

Flower shops are popular.

Our view from our suite at the Four Points by Sheraton.  The 3 Blue domes of the Cathedral can be seen from our window.

We headed towards the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception which is a landmark in Cuenca and it a spectacular church inside and out.

The marble floors of the church are quite pretty.

The coolest font that I have ever seen built into the corner of the wall.

Stunning Marble and bronze entryway into the Cathedral.

The outside vestibule walls of the Cathedral entrance were highly ornate.

A look at the Cathedral across Calderon Park.

The Blue domes of the Cathedral behind me.  We ate at a restaurant in this courtyard with stupendous views of the church.

We called it a day and walked home which is uphill.  The next day we walked to the Pumapungo Incan Ruins and Museum which was another hour by foot but we were getting our steps in.  The museum was a collection of political art and voice and also a museum of the history of the Incan and Native people in this area.

We walked along the river to the Museum.

We had to dodge the odd cow-paddy.

But the river area is very pretty and the trees are large.  There is forest area in and around Cuenca which adds to its beauty.

This work of art cracked me up.  There was a fan at one end blowing these silver balloons around.  It is someone's idea of art.

Ancient and large pottery urns were found at the Incan site that we later visited and it resides behind the Museum.

These are two shrunken heads below.  Who knew that they did this?  Ecuadorian Amazonian tribes were still shrinking heads up into the 1960s.  It was actually a sign of respect.  The first shrunken head has its lips sewn shut.  I was completely caught off guard when I saw the shrunken heads and found them super creepy.  There were six examples of shrunken heads in this museum.  Approximately 50% of Ecuador is the Amazon Rainforest.

Below are some pretty pictures of Cuenca taken from the Incan ruins site on top of the hill.

Mamma Duck and her yellow chicks.  From far away the chicks looked like bathtub duckies.

Cuena is beautiful!

Cuenca's average temperature is 16 degrees and is quite moderate.

There are quite a few planned murals all over the city.

We had great views of the 3 Blue domes of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception from our hotel suite windows.

On the last day in Cuenca, we walked up to Mirador de Turi or Turi Lookout.  We had no idea that a whole town existed on top of the mountain.  We walked a heart-attack-inducing amount of steps to get up to the top but it was worth it for the views.

There were some cute little craft shops in Turi and I purchased a Ecuador t-shirt and a pottery tile of the blue domed churches for my wall back home.  I have not purchased a souvenir like this for decades but I wanted to remember Cuenca because it is a beautiful place.

This was the park-lined boulevard that we had walked down to get to the historic district.

Great views of the city and valley.

Cute old church that was just finishing mass when we arrived.

I can see why thousands of people choose to live in Cuenca as an Ex-pat, it is a charming city that is safe, clean and surrounded by beauty.  Who knows maybe someday we will come back?