Blogs from Cuenca, South, Ecuador, South America - page 44

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South America » Ecuador » South » Cuenca April 17th 2007

Vandaag is mam jarig. GEFELICITEERD !! Na het ontbijt in Ingapirca en het uitchecken gaan we onderweg naar Cuenca. We zouden eigenlijk vanmorgen naar de ruine gaan, maar het regent te veel en hebben geen zin om ons nat te laten regenen. Foto´s van de ruine hebben we al gemaakt vanuit het hotel... Dus maar fijn weer een stukje rijden... Vandaag gaat de rit dus van Ingapirca naar Cuenca; een totaal van 84 km. In Cuenca aangekomen leveren we de auto weer in bij Localiza; onze autorondtour zit erop. Het is alleen nog een hele tour om de luchthaven, waar we de auto moeten inleveren, te vinden aangezien ze in Ecuador nog nooit gehoord hebben van verkeersborden... Dan ons volgende hotel: hotel Crespo. Ook dit is een mooi hotel, aan de rivier Rio Tomebamba. Na ... read more
Cuenca
Cuenca

South America » Ecuador » South » Cuenca April 16th 2007

If there are some random errors and typos in this entry, it's because over the past three days I have spent about 18 hours trying to sleep on coaches, and the other night I got relatively little sleep after a rocking (and slightly illicit) party.... read more
Happy in Cuenca
A very important building
Party fun

South America » Ecuador » South » Cuenca April 14th 2007

Decided to be cultured and so met the chicas at Cafecito early morning to head off to Museo de Banco Central which supposedly (according to the Lonely Planet) is "the biggest and most absorbing" in Cuenca. Wandered around it for a while but was seriously not impressed by the art - Lou does better on photoshop. Outside was a lot better even though only four of us made it that far (the others sat on the grass for the hour and a half we were out there) with the remains of the Incan city of Tomebamba as well as a landscaped garden designed to show all the different scenery of Ecuador. Quite cool and I got a brilliant close-up of a humming bird! (I'm obsessed I know) before walking around the aviary (although Bel got ... read more
Pretty gardens
Tamsin and Lou in the gardens of Museo de Banco Central
Some weird, random bird

South America » Ecuador » South » Cuenca April 13th 2007

Friday the 13th today which made no sense to our family when we tried to explain the superstition. A lot of stuff doesn't actually - I tried to explain that our traditional Easter food (after having tried their Fanesca which is totally foul) is chocolate eggs and they found it hilarious! I don't see anything funny about it - they have enough Kinder eggs here. Anyway, the girls from Quito turned up late last night so we went to meet them at El Cafecito in the morning. Claire, Tamsin and Georgia were there. Caroline and Emma were in the Galapagos and Imogen and Sarah had to stay behind for the day as Sarah's mum had entered her in a beauty pageant! Only in Ecuador! She won actually although it can't be too hard here if ... read more
Rio Tomebamba
Cathedral window
Ice cream time at Angelus

South America » Ecuador » South » Cuenca April 12th 2007

You may have picked up from the ending comment of my last journal entry, I’m a bit overwhelmed. However, I’ve managed to survive the first week and am now into my second week. The Spanish lessons I’ve signed up for through the end of April are very difficult. My teacher, Viviana, is very sweet, patient, and speaks to me only in Spanish with occasionally throwing in a word or two of English to explain a word I don’t know. We talk a lot, too. In Spanish, of course. We’ve covered world politics, religion, domestic violence, and child abuse among other things. I don’t know how we get sidetracked into these conversations. I’m surprised at how much I understand so I guess whatever she’s doing is working. We talk so much we don’t make much progress ... read more
Cueca Flower Market
Catedral de la Inmaculada
Food Market in Sig Sig

South America » Ecuador » South » Cuenca April 12th 2007

Well, today was Cuenca independence day so we had a day off work. Unfortunately with load of our group ill at the moment, we didn´t get to go to Vilcabamba but i´m sure we will at a later date. Instead we stated in Cuenca and chilled out with some of the Quito girls. Using our free morning to its best advantage, Kat and I got up bright and early and went and explored Cuenca and took some much needed photo´s of the place! We went to see inside the new Cathedral, which was really beautiful, although very over the top as most churches, which are mostly catholic, are here. We did however get stuck in mass (which we didn´t understand!) and then had to sneak out before it got to communion..! Never mind, it was ... read more
View from the back of the Museo de Banco Central

South America » Ecuador » South » Cuenca April 10th 2007

So where did I stop the last time? I guess in Banos. So we went to the baths there. For those who visited me in Switzerland, you know that in Switzerland I was completely into the thermal springs, notably Lavey les Bains - surrounded by beautiful mountains. The baths in Banos were a bit of a different kind... the water was very hot (45 degrees @ least) and wasn´t very refreshing.... actually not at all. Well, another experience to tick off.... By the way, now, a couple of days later, Banos is evacuating it´s people because of serious volcano eruption threats ! Timing is everything ! And then we went to Cuenca. To get there we took a bus, for an entire day. A very full bus.. more and more people kept on coming into it.. ... read more

South America » Ecuador » South » Cuenca April 9th 2007

Well, finally I have worked out how to get into the travel blog again. And on entering, I discovered that I hadn't published my last entry from before Christmas. So for those of you that thought we had forgotten, we haven't, I am just technologically challenged. So, where were we the last time I wrote, I think it was just before Christmas and we were either in or heading to Bolivia on our 14 week overland tour. And, boy have we had some adventures since then. I think its fair to say that the trip was our most challenging yet and may we never have another like it. It almost caused a breakdown for at least one of us. So first up, for those of you that know all about our troublesome cat, he has ... read more
Waiting for Presents
Scott with Kids
After the Presents

South America » Ecuador » South » Cuenca April 2nd 2007

What a lovely place South America » Ecuador » Cuenca By Elmo AbbeyApril 2nd 2007Abbey ElliottSo We got to Cuenca Not much to report here it was just very nice.... read more
Steps
holy relic
a storm is a brewing

South America » Ecuador » South » Cuenca March 28th 2007

Well, have now nearly been here for three weeks, so thought I should prob let you know how its all going as this will be my home for 4 more months! Basically my family is amazing. Me and Kat are living here are having a fab time. Although I don´t actually understand a word my dad says..but Sonia and Juan Pablo are very understanding and its all good! We´re picking up the lingo fast, including coloquial stuff, like chévre, which is my new favourite word! They use it a lot here! Also, no one pronounces ´g´ which is bizzare...also me and Kat are rubbing off on each other, I am losing my Sheff accent (noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo) and Kat keeps sayin ´bonkers´and ´wicked´- much to my amusement! The house we live in is fantastic, we have a ... read more
Cuenca 2!
Cuenca 3!
Cuenca 4!




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