Cuenca, week two

As hoped, week two in Cuenca afforded us more time to explore the area. Some of the week’s highlights hit us by surprise: a herd of alpacas all to ourselves; a celebration of the moon and the earth; amazing indigenous dances. Others were planned: biking through the city; hiking in the national park; a spa day; a dinner with Juliana and Pablo; two concerts; museums and churches; and of course, ongoing Spanish.

First, the surprises. Friday we headed to edge of the Cajas National Park to hike along and near Lake Llaviucu. During the hike, we came upon a herd of about a dozen alpacas. They allowed us to approach, and we spent a delightful half-hour in their company. No other hikers were in the vicinity. It was a truly magical moment.

The next day brought another surprise. During my Saturday morning jog, I ran into a parade filing into Parque de la Madre, featuring one colorfully-dressed group after another from throughout Ecuador.

I ran home to get Peter, and we returned to absolutely beautiful music and dancing in the park.

We learned this was all part of Killa Raymi, a celebration of the moon and the earth (and, of course, the fall equinox).

Then, to top the day off, we attended a free performance by the Cuenca Symphony Orchestra at the Pumpungo Theater.

Also free (and also fabulous) was the Pumapungo Museum and Archeological Park. The museum itself features ethnographic exhibits on Ecuador’s many indigenous cultures, an exhibit on the history of currency in the nation, and even a display of shrunken heads! Outdoors is an Archeological Park, right in the middle of the city, with pre-Inca (Cañari) ruins, some more llamas, and beautiful gardens spotlighting plants with medicinal properties.

Just down the street from Pumapungo, and just across the street from our rented house, was the oldest church in Cuenca: Todos Santos. The church was rebuilt at the beginning of the twentieth century on ground that previously hosted sacred pre-Incan, Incan, and Spanish spaces. An unusually informative guide led us through the church and up into the bell tower, where we were able to enjoy panoramic views of the city.

Back across the street, we continued to enjoy our peaceful escape in the middle of the historical center of Cuenca.

It was easy to stay active in Cuenca. It was chock full of Cross Fit gyms (which I’d never tried in the U.S.), beautiful paths along the rivers for jogging and biking, and of course, as mentioned last week, exercise equipment in virtually every public park.

On one of the most memorable of all of our nights in Ecuador thus far, we dined along the Tomebamba River with Peter’s host “parents,” Juliana and Pablo.

Today we returned to Quito, and checked into the same apartment we rented last month when we began our Ecuador adventure. After so much travel, it was nice to return to a familiar place.

From here, we will say goodbye to Ecuador with a guided 3-day bike tour through the Ecuadoran Andes, during which we will visit three massive volcanoes—Cotopaxi, Quilotoa, and Chimborazo. Then it’s off to Peru….