Landing in Cuenca we knew immediately things here were different. Even near the airport the city has a much nicer look and feel. You realize quickly this is a city where everyone here just gets on with their business.
We got to our hotel and immediately booked into an open top bus tour which neither Brooke or I had ever done! We wandered around before catching the bus and were stunned by the beauty of this little city.
The bus tour took almost two hours and covered most of the city. We had a blast and met a couple of people too. We sat on the left side of the upper deck of the bus because I figured otherwise we would be fighting tree branches the whole time – I was right. However, the other immediate danger was the cobweb of low hanging power lines crossing streets at regular intervals. In order to stand up and take a photo, one first had to look for power lines very carefully – they are small and hard to see.
The first night we went out in Cuenca we met a very nice couple from …….Calgary. They stopped and chatted with us lending us many tips and some restaurant options for the nights we would be there. We followed their advice and had an amazing dinner at a restaurant called Esquina. The restaurant was really fun and highly atmospheric. We sat beside a group of giggling and elegant girls waved enthusiastically when we left the restaurant – I think they had had a few and they were somewhat apologetic for their exuberance.
The next morning we met with our new friends to watch the parade. We missed their breakfast location they had invited us to meet them at but somehow, amazingly, despite the throngs of people that emerged to line the streets of the parade, we found our friends. It surely helped that we are up to two feet taller than the people here.
The parade was phenomenal in that it was so lively and interactive. It didn’t have the explicit structure and high end uniforms and outfits our parades would have but this was fortunate because it allowed people to really be part of the parade just by watching at the edge and sending smiles and waves to some of the kids. Some kids came along and gave out lollipops and bags of treats. You get to be a true participant in this parade, something I’ve never seen before.
The rest of the day we spent being shown around town by our new friends, Barry and Maxine. They also invited us to their apartment for Christmas dinner and we couldn’t have had a lovelier time. There’s something about meeting new people while traveling – people have this wonderful and warm openness that creates instant friendships – something that at home would be tough to have happen.
On our way to Cuenca!
These are some of the Volcanoes we saw from the plane ride to Cuenca. You can see the different
Look at the one on the left. Would you be happy if you were wearing this? Reminds me of the bunny outfit from A Christmas Story.
Napoleon reincarnate.
“Dad, can I text god with this? “
“You should know… you’re the son of god.”
Roast Guinea Pig, and a few veggies.
All these highland children have rosy cheeks. The altitude makes them look cute.
We found the Three Amigos!!!!!!
Amazon queen in Cuenca.
Dominic the donkey – hee haw, hee haw!
Check out the sun baked chicken on the back with the flags!
Parasol
Muchos paraguas.
We went to mass for Christmas. I wouldn’t normally be found in a church (except for weddings) but things here are in a different language and really pretty.
