From the time we left our Quito airport hotel, took the airport shuttle to the airport, went through security and got to the gate for our flight to Cuenca, fifteen minutes had passed. We laughed at the thought of making it through the Atlanta airport in only 15 minutes. When we landed in Cuenca, the Cuenca airport had a runway that barely accommodated our plane but with some crafty pilot work, we made it to one of the three gates safely. Cuenca is the second largest city in Ecuador with a population of approximately 600,000 people. Compared to Quito, Cuenca felt much more “lived in” and relaxed. Our hotel was located near the historic center so we spent the first day walking through the square and visiting the Old and New Cathedral. The New Cathedral was started in 1885 and was completed in 1975 so “new” is a relative term. The Old Cathedral was started in 1567 and was completed in 1791. Both were beautiful and the city was doing a good job of maintaining both. From the churches, we passed the flower market which was a bit of a disappointment to me. Ecuador is the number one exporter of flowers in the world and flowers are Ecuador’s fourth largest income source. Given this fact, I was expecting blocks and blocks of flowers to see and enjoy. Instead, the flower market consisted of a few flower stalls sitting in one corner of the main square. I guess they do not keep many flowers for themselves! Another Ecuador claim to fame is one that is largely unknown. The Panama Hat! While most people think the Panama hat originated in Panama, it actually originated in the Cuenca region of Ecuador. The hat was popularized during the building of the Panama Canal due to its’ lightweight material and durability. Today, the Homero Ortega family keeps the tradition of the Panama hat alive. We took a taxi to the Homero Ortega museum which did not look like much from the outside. Once we walked through the doors, it was like stepping back in time. The museum walked us through the process of making the hats and each hat was still made 100% by hand. Recently, Homero Ortega’s granddaughter added purse making to the company which was a great addition as well. The first step of the process was to prepare the straw by washing it and drying it. Then, they wove the hats, washed them and hung them to dry. The hats were then placed in a mold (depending on the type of hat) and steam pressed to hold the shape and size. In the final step, the hats went to the sewing room where the women clipped and trimmed the edges and added the finery. Then, on to the showroom. I had promised my dad that I would buy him a hat but I did not realize how overwhelming the process would be. So many hats! I finally decided on a hat for him and then came the task of trying to find one for my brother-in-law. He has a giant head. Seriously giant. When I asked the salesperson about a hat his size, she said, “Ay yiyi! Cabeza muy grande!” She said they did not have hats that large but then the manager came over and said they would make one for him. In less than 15 minutes, a sombrero for a cabeza muy grande made its way out of the factory and into my bag! The purses were also lovely and the saleslady took me in the storeroom to see all the purses. She said they sold their purses to Hermes in Paris so if you see a Hermes bag wandering about, just know that the mark up price was over 2000%!!! If you ever see a Hollywood star wearing a straw hat, chances are it will be a Homero Ortega. All I have to say is “Julia Robert’s hat in Pretty Woman” and every female on the planet immediately knows that hat! I fought with myself over one hat that I wanted but it was more than I could spend on a hat in good conscience. So, after wearing it around the showroom for 30 minutes, I sadly left it behind but one day I might break down and order it online! It was an amazing hat! Following our hat adventure, we went to the Cuenca archeological museum which was interesting but challenging since it was all in Spanish. Walking back to the hotel, we stopped in two more amazing churches and then prepared for our special dinner plans. As I have mentioned before, cuy (guinea pig) is Ecuador’s national dish. They named them cuy because of the noise a guinea pig makes. In order to get quality cuy, you must call in a cuy reservation because it takes about an hour to grill the cuy. I did not reserve a cuy but Bill was definitely onboard. We arrived a few minutes early to the restaurant so we walked into the back parking lot and saw the cuy spinning on the rotisserie. We picked out which one was probably Bill’s and then headed into the restaurant. When they brought out the cuy, it stood on the plate with its’ little head staring at me. The server let me take pictures and then she took it back to the kitchen and broke it down for Bill to make eating it easier. I did take a taste and we voted that cuy tastes a lot like dark chicken. I was glad I had my pork chops, though, because the cuy was a little salty for me. Bill did his best to pick the tiny bones but we decided the locals were probably appalled at his attempt to eat cuy. Definitely an acquired art form! When I asked him if he would eat cuy again, he said, “I would eat it again but I can’t say it would be something I had to have.” I guess it’s back to ceviche for him! Our final day in Cuenca, we went to the Amaru Biopark which was the only zoo in Ecuador. The zoo was a rescue reserve for many of the animals and they had some unique animals including a massive condor (bucket list now to see one in nature flying!), a leopard, monkeys, lions and tons of birds and reptiles. The zoo path wound its’ way uphill and downhill on the mountainside so it was the most challenging zoo we have visited. “Path” might be pushing it. Not an American-type path but one that has been bushwhacked through the brush with a machete using trees as posts and old tires as steps in spots where the path had eroded away. The funniest thing was when we were at the monkey enclosure. A human dad was showing off to his son that he could shimmy up a coconut tree. The alpha male monkey went crazy! He jumped up on the enclosure baring his teeth and screaming wildly. I have never been so glad to have a barrier! After our zoo death march, we headed straight to the airport, flew back to Quito for a quick night stay in our Quito airport hotel and then caught the 5am shuttle for the airport. We loved our trip to Ecuador and highly recommend it. I am sure some of you are wondering why we did not do the Galapagos Islands. I went to the Galapagos in 2017 after saving my pennies for years. Due to the expense and difficulty of a Galapagos trip, we decided to do mainland Ecuador and we were not disappointed. We leave on our trip to Peru this week so no blog for a few weeks! We have planned time in Lima, the Sacred Valley and the Amazon. Stay tuned for more South America adventures! ***More pics on Pictures tab
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AuthorSally Miller Archives
May 2024
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