The month visiting Ecuador was spent in Cuenca, with four days in Quito’s colonial district. We saw beautiful old churches, fascinating museums, incredible wildernesses, artisans, street vendors, people…mostly very industrious. This was during the pandemic, so all wore masks indoors and out, many were double masked.
At the door of all establishments we were invited to sanitize hands, step through shoe cleaner, and had our temps taken. This was standard practice at all shops, cafes, churches, museums, buses, the airport, etc. Many people spoke at least some English, but not all. They were as eager to understand us as we were them, and we availed ourselves of google translator to facilitate the more difficult exchanges when our elementary Spanish failed.
I characterized them as industrious because local people were always finding creative ways to earn a living. Street performers juggling for coins rushed out into the streets at red lights, old women and children sold small packets of Chiclets at street corners. Once while having tea at a cafe, we watched as a neatly groomed young boy with a bird on his shoulder was coached by his dapper dad on how to approach customers to ask for change to feed his trained bird. Women with children in tow sold colorful and exotic fruits from carts they moved along sidewalks and city squares. Everyone seemed to help each other, all friendly but none pushy. (Heads up, many folks were not willing to have their pictures taken by touristsn, so it is good to ask before clicking.)
Cuenca has a varied climate – cool in the mornings, maybe a light rain, hot early afternoons, followed by a steep cooling around 4. So it was common to see people wearing down jackets all day long, seriously covering their heads during the hottest part of the day. Ecuador’s high elevation means your head is closer to the sun than you may be accustomed to, so a hat is a good thing…a Panama hat, even better.
Of course, in Cuenca we visited the Panama hat museums and shops, and purchased a few hats while there. Smart. Remember the Panama hat, or toquilla straw hat, actually comes from Ecuador. The story goes that back in 1906 Teddy Roosevelt was photographed wearing one of these hats when visiting the construction site of the Panama Canal, thus igniting interest in them globally.
We often had lunch in the tiny cafes along the street for about $3.50 per lunch or almuerza that usually includes a soup of some sort followed by stewed chicken or pork (hornado) on rice and maybe fried plantains.
There are many upscale coffee shops and restaurants that serve more sophisticated fare, too. We stopped wherever we happened to be at the time the lunch bell rang. We particularly enjoyed Sinfonia near the Parque de la Madre where those who love great coffee are sated and those of us that prefer great chocolate are also contented.
During our long stay in Cuenca we visited just about every church and museum that was open. Unfortunately we were unable to see the terraced Archeologogy Park of Pumapungo since Covid had made it necessary to close their doors. That was a major heartbreak for me. Though we never gave up trying to get inside, in the end we had to settle for taking pictures over and through fences on our several walks to the site along the Tomebamba.
My favorite indoor experience was at the Museo Municipal de Arte Moderno. This museum, right off a sweet little Plaza San Sebastian, was built in 1867 as the House of Temperance, a facility for helping alcoholics, a detention center and as a jail. I thought it had been an abbey, but regardless, the little cells are perfectly suited for the various colorful installations. I was transported from one room to the next mesmerized by the accompaniment of composer Saint-Saëns’ Violin Concerto No. 3. You can see why i was dazed.
Where next? After our month in Equador followed by a month in Texas, I’ll spend three months in France with brief stopoffs in Ireland, Budapest and Switzerland.
Martha Cerna: Digging it my way 