Exploring Ecuador Cuenca and Otavalo

Before heading to the states in December we spent 10 days in Ecuador in Cuenca and Otavalo. Cuenca is the 3rd largest city in Ecuador, and is very charming. The city's colonial architecture includes a rich collection of churches, plazas and buildings, which makes it a very pleasant city to walk around and to see from a bus tour that culminates at the panoramic viewpoint.

Abe had been there 30 years ago and was impressed but not surprised by the extent to which it had grown. The town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In addition Cuenca has 4 rivers running through its valley. We also enjoyed the surrounding area including Parque Nacional El Cajas, an incredible wilderness area northwest of Cuenca.

In Otavalo, a smaller city two hours north of Quito we enjoyed the world-famous market with crafts from all over the region. The emphasis on art can even be seen from the adornments on the lamp posts. We spent Christmas there and the whole town turned out for festive concerts and services on the plaza.

Both cities we visited in Ecuador are officially entered in Jeanne and Abe’s contest for the best climate on Earth - along with Arequipa. They are quite a bit rainier than our Peruvian desert home, but the lush green vistas, especially the checkerboard fields that hug the side of the mountains outside Otavalo are very pleasing to the eye.

We had last been to Ecuador on our honeymoon in 1996, in the Galapagos, and found that on our return it was still the hospitable laid back place we remembered - and with the trash problem well on its way to being solved. Ecuador has been more open than Peru to letting foreigners stay on, and as a result some of the more interesting restaurants and hotels and tour operations are owned by people of varying nationality who chose to live in Ecuador.

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