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Published: April 19th 2011
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After the extended stay in Quito it was time to get our arses in gear and get a move on, so Cuenca was decided apon as our next stop, I was excited to see the avenue of volcanoes as is aptly named the route between the two cities that on a fine day has beautiful views of five of Ecuador's many volcanoes, or so I'm told.
We left early with Flota Imbubura bus ($10) and took off into the clouds, The weather was terrible and frankly all we saw was fog and sheets of torrential rain, I was so disappointed but after raving on about crazy bus drivers in my last blog I was surprised and happy to find that the driver of this bus was very careful, He had to be, visibility was all but a few feet, As a result of the weather we arrived in Cuenca after 11 hours instead of the usual 9, I must say we were glad to be there, The bathroom on the bus was stinking and its ripe aroma filled the bus for the whole of the journey, I felt even my clothes smelt of stale pee.
We got a taxi
ride to the old town from the terminal ($2.50) and our kindly driver recommended a hotel called Milan one block from the main plaza, It was comfortable with a powerful hot shower and comfy bed. We changed and went in search of dinner, after walking around for about five minutes we were soaked to the skin, freezing cold and downright miserable so we choose the next place we found ate quickly and headed back to get warm and sleep.
Early the following morning we rose to a clearer day and a chance to see the city, It really is beautiful, Reputed to be the prettiest city in Ecuador it lived up to that reputation with its gorgeous colonial buildings and windy streets which we wandered through at a leisurely pace.
We happened across a small zoo not far from the centre of town which housed spiders (tarantulas) snakes, turtles and a big croc called Francis, Amanda who guided us through was very informed and it was an interesting half hour. Francis was to be moved soon to a croc park as he had outgrown the facility. John who had kept snakes in previous years assured me that their
environment was adequate and they seemed happy enough, The place is called Amaru Zoo and is situated on Benidigo Malo right on the river, admission was $2.50.
We went in search of the museo de Banco Central as we knew there were some ruins within its walls. The bank and the museum are owned by the Ecuadorian military, situated on Calle Larga near Av Huayna Capac. (the free city maps you can pick up in your hostel are wrong as the building is 4 more blocks west than shown on the map)
Admission is free, there are 3 floors and the ruins at the back of the building.
The first floor houses artifacts from all over Ecuador. I found it particularly interesting as it takes each provence and shows the dress agriculture food ect from that provence. As anyone who has been to Ecuador will know you see numerous people in different types of dress hats hairstyles ect and this collection helps you place indigenous groups to the areas from which they come. There is a very interesting exhibition of shrunken heads.
In the basement floor there is an exhibit of Ecuadorian currency.
On the ground floor
they are currently showing an exhibit called Ruta de Aguas. This is a beautiful collections of photos from the 40s/50s/60s from around the waterways and coastal regions of the country. Exhibiting is the works of Jorge Anhalzer (1959- ) Rolf bloomberg (1912-1996) and Karl T Goldschmid (1896-1982) I loved Jorge Anhalzer work as he took many of his photos from a hang glider and the results are wonderful, some appearing abstract with the reflection of clouds on lakes next to marshy shorelines, the mind is tricked for a moment while you figure it out.
Around the back of the building is the ruins, they are mostly just foundations but you can make out the general layout. Beyond this is a wonderful garden full of native plants and vegetables. Apparently the Incas constructed the gardens by lining up certain constellations to the surrounding peaks. Like Moray in peru it is also an ecosystem of its own with each specie of plant, planted in certain areas of the garden which would have the most potential for that plants growth and productivity. Either way its very pretty, the aroma of flowers is overwhelming and it's teeming with butterflies and birds. Nearby is
some little ponds with a variety of wildlife said to have been constructed by one of the Inca kings in the area as a tribute to his mother. Further along is a aviary housing multiple parakeets, Magaws and a couple of wonderfully animated toucans which made me long for a pint of guinness. It was a very relaxing way to spend the morning.
As we left to go back to the centre of town another storm rolled in and it started lashing, we sought refuge in a restaurant named Cafe de Flor (Comida Mexicana) situated on Calle Larga. John's burrito had 1 pound of pork in it for the sum of $5 . Waiting out the storm we chatted to the friendly owner called Fernando.
We stopped for a coffee in El Cafecito and met an Irish guy who convinced us to meet his pals at a nearby bar for happy hour, There was a huge crowd of Irish, Scottish, American and local folks around the table and we had a great laugh, We arranged to meet again in Mancora and headed home after some dodgy salsa dancing.
Next stop Vilcabamba.
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