Sunday, March 10 through Wednesday March 13 – Cuenca

My days in Cuenca turned out to be rather low-key. I had thought about taking a couple excursions, but ended up just doing a fair amount of city exploring and lounging around the B&B. I was frankly kind of tired after the Galapagos trip and thought a few relaxing days would be a good idea.

Cuenca is a nice town, but it’s plagued by what I’ve witnessed in a few of the other places I’ve visited on this trip – rather dirty and much graffitti. Also, traffic is ugly, contributing to poor air quality. So, as far as this being a top international location for retirees, I don’t necessarily see it. In my opinion, the main thing it’s got going for it is the low cost of living (but I guess that’s rather critical in retirement planning!). A nice place to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live here!

Here are some pictures from my city roaming…

Here are some examples of the various architectural styles of the old town…

A couple more churches…

Below are pictures of the Pumapungo archaeological site (15th century Inca), located in the historic center of the city.

These markets vaccinate me…

Pop Quiz: Where are Panama Hats made? You probably can guess the answer is Ecuador. So why Panama? When exporting the hats they were shipped first to the Isthmus of Panama before sailing for their destinations in Asia, the rest of the Americas, and Europe. They subsequently acquired a name that reflected their point of international sale – “panama hats” – rather than their place of domestic origin.

There where many hat shops in Cuenca, of varying forms…

Sidenote: I mentioned that the U.S. dollar is the currency of Ecuador. Well, do you remember the Sacagawea dollar coins that were tried (and failed) in the States? They have found new life in Ecuador! It is definitely used more than the dollar bill. I also received the JFK half dollar in change.