During the last three months, we spent two weeks in the capital city of Quito, Ecuador (population of 2 million) and ten weeks in Cuenca (population of 500,000), Ecuador’s third largest city. We really enjoyed our time and the people we met in Ecuador and have a few cheers and jeers to share. After our time in Colombia, we decided to change our travel plans a bit while in Ecuador. We wanted to interact more regularly with English speaking travelers…
Once a month, Trebol Rose farm near Cuenca gives tours and on our last full day in Ecuador, we toured this beautiful rose hacienda. The farm is an hour from Cuenca and off the beaten path. After exiting the highway, the bus snaked through narrow muddy roads in the Andes mountains until we arrived at Hacienda El Cortijo (The Farmhouse Estate). Since 1997 the Trebol Rose farm has grown roses on 30 acres at an altitude of over 9,500 feet….
In the 1860s, Ecuador began building a railway line to connect the coastal city of Guayaquil with the capital city of Quito. The line would cover 280 miles and reduce travel time from the coast to the capital from two weeks to 12 hours. The railway would pass through the rugged Andes mountains and it was nicknamed “The Most Difficult Railway in the World”. Building this railroad was difficult due to frequent earthquakes, heavy rainfall, jaguars, poisonous snakes, malaria, dysentery,…
On a recent Saturday morning, we headed west with a guide and some friends from our Spanish school to Cajas National Park. Less than an hour from Cuenca, this park covers over 110 square miles of land characterized by large outcrops of bedrock. For those who are interested in the technical description, this is called knob and kettle geomorphology and results in a beautiful landscape of rocks and boulders alternating with lakes. The lakes and rivers are famous for their…
In the past two weeks, we have visited the Ecuadorian countryside and several unique and picturesque towns near Cuenca. San Bartolome San Bartolome is about 25 miles southeast of Cuenca and like most Latin American towns, it has a colonial square in the center of town anchored by a church. A guitar sculpture in the square gives visitors notice of the famous hand-made guitars made by some 30 local craftsmen. We visited the “Uyaguari Guitar Workshop” and met Jose Uyaguari,…
For all of us who do not speak Spanish, “Donde están los baños?” is an important phrase to know. This is probably the most important phrase to know other than “no hablo Español”. However, los baños takes on a different meaning in Ecuador. Just west of Cuenca is a small town called Baños with a total population around 13,000. But people ask “donde están los baños?” because this town is famous for thermal baths and spas. The thermal waters from…
Before coming to Ecuador when we thought about the Incas, the image that sprang to mind was rolling mist, towering mountains and the vast archaeological complex of Machu Picchu. Now, we know that while Peru’s famous landmark is the most well-known symbol of Incan civilization, it is not the only one in South America. Cuenca was originally a Cañari settlement called “Land as Big as Heaven” founded around 500 AD. Later the Incas attempted to conquer the Cañari people and…
After two weeks in Quito, we arrived in Ecuador’s southern city of Cuenca. Similar to Quito, Cuenca is a colonial city dating from the 16th century and its historic center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It has a completely different vibe from Quito, however. Quito is big, sprawling, and full of crowds. Cuenca, on the other hand – although it’s the third-largest city in Ecuador, doesn’t feel very big. With its colonial heritage all around us, we sometimes feel…
Religion is a core part of many Ecuadorian’s lives (especially among the poor, who make up a third of the population) and over 95% of the population identifies as Roman Catholic. Holy Week or Semana Santa, the week before Easter, is the most important religious holiday of the year and many Ecuadorians take the whole week off from work. In Cuenca, during Semana Santa, this demonstration of faith extends to the streets of the historic center around the central square…
Our final adventure in Quito involved another climb. This climb was to the Pichincha Volcano, located on the eastern edge of Quito. To get to this destination, we flagged down a taxi that knew where to go. The volcano is just outside of downtown Quito and because addresses are not always used in Quito the taxi driver had to know the location. Our driver took us to the base of the mountain. From there we took a cable car called…