Leaving El Tambo
Unfortunately, another poor night’s sleep. The hostel was great value for money and comfortable, but our rest was constantly disturbed by barking dogs. If anyone was to ask me, at the moment, what my main impression of South America was, I think the first thing that comes to mind is dogs barking at night.
We cooked our usual breakfast in Poki and then set off for Cuenca. It was another cloudy day. A few blogs ago, Dennis had mentioned he hoped it wouldn’t get too hot on our journey south. I think he should have said, he hoped it would not be too cold. We are high in the Andes and rarely below 2,500 meters, so it is not warm. Winter wear is the order of the day. Nights are decidedly chilly.
Guinea Pigs
My son, Tim, had jokingly said to me, “Don’t eat too many guinea pigs” when we arrived in Ecuador. I had forgotten all about this, as we had seen no sign of guinea pigs anywhere. However, on the journey down from Quito we passed several small cafes with rotisseries roasting guinea pigs. Unfortunately, we passed so quickly, there was no chance for any pictures.
Cuenca
We headed for the historical centre of Cuenca. It is supposedly the city the finest colonial architecture in Ecuador. Finding a secure parking lot for Poki was easy and we set off to explore.
Stopping first at a small, family cafe for a coffee and a toasted sandwich, to set us up for walking.
Cuenca is a very walkable city. Good pavements, lots of small shops selling everything you can think of. We walked through the flower market which is located next to the large cathedral. There were also stalls selling an assortment of handicrafts, including Panama hats. Despite their name, they were first made in Ecuador. The cathedral is huge and is topped by three ornate domes.
Entering Parque Calderon, a large square surrounded by colonial buildings, we saw a hop-on-hop-off around the city sightseeing bus. We decided this would be a good way to see the city. There was a bus about to leave, but the commentary was in Spanish only. The next bus with English commentary was not for another 30 minutes. As the circuit of the city took 1 hour and 45 minutes, we thought it would mean we would be too late getting to our friend’s Paul and Pam’s place.
Unfortunately, as we were sitting on the top deck of the bus with a great view, it started to rain. We had to make a run for the lower deck. Climbing up to a high point with a good view over the city, the bus stopped and everyone else disembarked. We presumed they were getting off to photograph the view. Asking the driver how long he was stopping for, we misunderstood his reply. Thinking he meant 3 minutes, we walked to the viewing point, took a few shots then returned to the bus. As we were approaching he pulled away. We ran after him waving and shouting, but to no avail.
Realising he had actually meant the next bus was in 30 minutes, we wondered what to do. If we waiting this long, we would be late getting to Paul and Pam’s. Could we find a taxi? Then we saw people waiting at the bus stop on the other side of the road. Perhaps there was another bus returning to the city centre. We were in luck, one came along in a few minutes.
Paul and Pam’s Place
Back in the centre we returned to Poki and set off for Paul and Pam’s place. We met Paul and Pam at Pasajcap in Guatemala, when we were all stopped in our tracks by Covid. They have retired to Cuenca. I wondered why anyone would want to relocate to South America. However, now we have visited Cuenca and Paul and Pam’s place, I understand.
On our bus sight seeing tour we were advised that Cuenca was the most popular city in South America for ex pats to move to. Paul and Pam are located about 8kms outside of the city in the quiet countryside in a village called Tarqui. Their house is on a hillside with a fabulous view over the valley and mountains. It’s a beautiful house full of Ecuadorean art, carvings and sculptures. A large open plan kitchen, dining and living area with a high vaulted ceiling. We are being very spoiled.
From the house on an hillside opposite there is a monument to a French 18th century scientific expedition, the Frances Urco monument. The expedition was carried out for the purpose of performing an arc measurement, measuring the length of a degree of latitude near the equator, by which the earth’s radius can be inferred. It was the first major international scientific expedition.
I always think of proximity to the equator meaning a hot, humid climate. However, as we are high in the Andes that definitely isn’t the case.
Paul and Pam are supporting a local charity providing food for the needy in the local community. They are raising considerable sums by cooking large batches of different types or bread, bagels and crackers to sell to the local ex pat community once a week. We arrived on the day Paul had prepared all the ingredients. Early next morning at 5.30 they would be up to start cooking.
Views: 49