Blogs from Cuenca, South, Ecuador, South America
April 3rd 2012
31/3- 1/4/2012 Loja For øyeblikket sitter vi på et veldig bra hotellrom i Loja. Hotellet heter Bombuscaro, et stilig middelklassehotell som ligger sentralt til Parque Central. Vi leste at de billigste hotellene ikke var mye å skryte av i denne byen. Rommet kostet $ 50 (etter pruting) inklusive frokostbuffé. Vi gleder oss! Frokosten i morges var ikke mye å skryte av, en kopp kaffe og en skive med avokado på en hjørnekafé før vi tok en drosje til buss-stasjonen. Loja er bare et stopp på vegen til Cuenca, en by 5 timer med buss videre nordover. Vi busser videre i morgen kl. 9. Bussturen i dag tok 9 timer, inkludert grensepasseringen, og det var i grunnen lang nok tid på svingete veger i en lokalbuss (gode seter, forresten). Grensepasseringen holdt på å ende i ... read more
March 29th 2012
Friday 23rd March - Cuenca Cuenca was indeed an attractive city having not been sure on first site and it has a nice laid back feel to it which encouraged us to book an extra night at our hostel. We went in search of crafts markets looking for more souvenirs but only managed to find people selling pots and pans. Having lashed out on a 20 dollar meal at Cafe Austira the day before we decided to take the rough with the smooth and indulged in a couple of bread rolls each for dinner laced with layer upon layer of ham and caked in mayo and finished off nicely with a sprinkling of cheesy crisps. The daughter of the hostel owner who often worked the reception, treated us to a glimpse of her life by telling ... read more
January 26th 2012
All the festivities of the recent months winding down, after New Year's we started to prepare for the next chapter of our journey in Peru. Our friend Robert and the Evans family from California Kitchen threw us a wonderful farewell dinner, and there was a fun, if rainy, street festival for Epiphany. While sorry to say goodbye to our friends and Cuenca, we felt ready to move on. But first, we had some unfinished business. The Galapagos Islands are by far the biggest tourist attraction in Ecuador, known for both their natural beauty and historical importance. They're also by far the most expensive. However, thanks to Chris' work with IntoLatinAmerica.Com, we were able to visit them without paying full frieght. On Monday night, we headed down to Quayaquil, only to have our heart broken when we ... read more
January 20th 2012
Surrounded by countryside and farmland; this city is ripe with cobblestone streets, colonial architecture, and pine trees. Cuenca, Ecuador sits at about 2500 meters above sea level. Circa the equator; Cuenca is blessed with a temperate climate...45 - 70 degrees Fahrenheit (7 - 21 degrees Celsius). With a population of about half a million; Cuenca has the perks of a big city without a "big city feel." Small town folks. Peoplen here seem friendly and inviting. I'm alone now. My travelling buddy heads to the coast while I break for the mountains. I find comfort here. Cuenca. Cuenca it is. From what I read it is beautiful. I can't tell yet. It is 3am and I'm sitting in a hostel...awaiting sunrise. I close my eyes for a bit. Wake up, feet on cold concrete, head ... read more
January 10th 2012
Yesterday we got to Cuenca after an 8 hour bus ride, and got settled into a sweet 100+ year old hotel room with a balcony overlooking this square and the cathedral of the immaculate concepcion....we went inside it just a few minutes ago and it was absolutely gorgeous....huge!! reminds me of st peters basilica in rome...easy to tell that faith is of great importance to people here, and all throughout ecuador for that matter. the architecture here is something else, up and down every street old colonial buildings with these verandas and parks all over. we´ll take lots of pictures. the plan is to head south to vilcabamba tomorrow which is a small town (after our time in baños we both want to be out of the city and in the country). vilcabamba is the city ... read more
January 1st 2012
So, this is the New Year. After all the eating and revelry of Christmas, we had a few days of rest before another party weekend came upon us. Like most of the world, New Year's Eve in Cuenca is an excuse to celebrate with friends and families. But, of course, there are a few unique traditions. During the day, the streets were brimming with people. One of the big traditions is shooting fireworks and burning effigies at midnight (or, really, all day). Rather than burning in anger, however, the effigies are supposed to bring good luck for whoever they represent for the coming year (burning away of the old, rebirth, that sort of thing). People paraded around town with plaster figures tied to their dashboard, their roofs, their truck cabs. Smurfs were particularly popular, but plenty ... read more
December 29th 2011
As is does every December, the holiday season smacked us in the face again, but this year, it lacked a certain winter chill. We missed celebrating with our family and friends in Los Angeles/Park City, New Jersey, and Chicago, but it was pretty incredible to experience Christmas in new part of the world. By the end of Christmas night, we found ourselves making a list of other places where we want to spend Christmas. We started things North American style. Christmas cookies don’t seem to be a big tradition here, but Chris had to indulge in holiday baking so she had some friends over for a Christmas cookie-baking marathon. (Justin snuck off to the bar to watch football that day, but was happy to eat the results later that night). Jen brought family recipes. Susie brought ... read more
From Montañita to Las Montanas
Published: December 19th 2011South America » Ecuador » South » Cuenca
December 19th 2011
Ok. Where to begin. I left Canoa, and beelined it to Montanita, a small surf town to the south. Upon arriving in Montanita, I was a bit shocked. Canoa, the place I had just been, was laid back, quiet, and in a word, TRANQUILO. I went from this environment to what I could only describe as ¨the Aspen of Ecuador.¨ Techno music blared from over-priced restaurants, and I was unfortunate enough to score a hostel downtown, immediately next to the Gym, which blared such classic Ecuadorian groups as Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Rage Against the Machine. The Rasta vibe was highly present with dreadlocks worn like trophies, and the smell of marijuana in the air. Everyone had something to sell. Dresses. Necklaces. Hammocks. You name it. Was I still in Ecuador? I thought not. This was ... read more
December 9th 2011
Leaving our slacking days in Máncora behind, we booked a bus to go the Ecuadorian city Cuenca. We were told to go to the "Cifa International Terminal" in town to catch the bus and being in Peru, the so-called terminal turned out to be someone's house. We sat with a couple people in the hallway, while the rest of the passengers had to wait outside. There was nobody around to give us any information so when the bus didn't show up, this became more and more of a joke. After an hour, the bus finally arrived and we were on our way to the border after all. We went to the bordertown Aguas Verdes and got our exit stamps in Peru without any problems despite the temporary passports, changed our remaining soles into US dollars, the ... read more
November 29th 2011
Well, hopefully you weren't waiting breathlessly. Yes, we were able to get back to Ecuador (legally). No matter what anybody tells you, if you do it in a certain order, you can stay in Ecuador for a year on tourist visas (it's like pushing buttons in a certain order in a video game to unlock stuff). We packed up our bags, and left the rest of our stuff in shippable boxes with our friend Jim. We hadn't yet experienced the great Deportivo Cuenca futbol team in person, so we went to see them beat F.C. Manta like a drum at noon on Sunday. Afterwards, we celebrated one potentially last afternoon of NFL Red Zone at the Inca. On Monday morning, we headed out, passing through Loja on our way to the crossing at Macara, finally ending ... read more
