Out And About Near Cuenca

Another Ecuadorian holiday blessed us with our last opportunity for a three day weekend excursion. Monday, May 24 is a holiday to recognize the famous Batailla de Pichincha in Ecuador's colorful military history. We decided to celebrate by checking off a few more sites from our long list of "hope to see" places.  It's about a 5 hour bus ride to Cuenca. On these long bus rides, we usually catch up on our This American Life podcasts, play a few games of Solitaire or Yahtzee on the IPod and, of course, get some extra sleep. Our hostal, Hostal Monarco, was a smashing deal at just $14 per night for a double. The shared bathroom smelled a bit funky, but by all other measures it was satisfactory. Conveniently located in the center of the city, we easily walked everywhere. The "Wunderbar" known as a place for German beers disappointed us in terms of beer selection, but the friendly bartender provided some Spanish practice.

On Saturday morning, we caught an early bus northwest to Parque Nacional Cajas, which is well known for its spectacular high mountain vistas at around 11,000 feet and over 200 lakes. On our bus ride, the fog started to break and the sun came out, which was a great relief since we had been warned to expect cold, wet temperatures. Unfortunately, we spent the sunny part of the day in the bus- sitting at the park entrance due to road construction. The park ranger station provided us with a detailed map, and we were surprised that the trails were well marked. The surrounding mountain views were amazing, but it didn't take long for those looming clouds to catch up with us. About 40 minutes into our hike, we found ourselves huddled under a rock outcropping waiting out a hail storm. The rest of our hike was pretty wet, but we managed to spot a lone hummingbird, a few ducks and some fish swimming in the crystal clear lakes. It appeared to be a flyfisherman's heaven. Unfortunately due to the dreary weather, we moved fairly quickly through our hike. We were glad to get back to a warm cup of black coffee at the park entrance.

Sara entering the Hobbit-like Quinua trees some of which are at least 200 years old.

Ben at one of the lakes minutes before we put on our rain gear for the storm in the distance.

Hiking in the rain.

On Sunday morning, we hopped a bus for Ingapirca, Ecuador's most impressive Incan ruins. The 2-hour bus ride, in each direction, was well worth the visit due to the scenery. The ruins are perched at the top of a very picturesque hilltop. Although the indigenous Canari people were the first to build on the site, they were later uprooted, to some extent, by the Incas. However, the Incans and Canari did manage to coexist in a peaceful fashion, where both cultures could worship their respective gods. The Incan Temple of the Sun and the Canari's Temple of the Moon are both on site. According to our guide, this site has the only circular structure know to have been built by the Incans in their entire former empire. It is suggested that this reflects the influence of the Canari people, who traditionally built circular structures. Certainly one has to use his/her imagination to truly appreciate the experience of walking among the ruins.

Ingapirca site and the Temple of the Sun in the distance.

Sara examining the fine stone masonry of the Incans

Ahh....Monday, we were able to laze around the city of Cuenca. It's the 3rd largest city of Ecuador, and its known for its colonial architecture, well-maintained cobble stone streets and art museums. We had some fun in the Panama Hat Museum. There were probably over 200 hats to try on, and try on we did! Here is Sara modeling a couple. Maybe you know, they are only "Panama" hats by name. The traditional Panama hats were originally made by Ecuadorians and popularized during the construction of the Panama Canal.

Mind the gap.

When we first moved to Loja, we quickly learned that a stroll around town can be treacherous if you're not careful. Not because of crooks, criminals or even crazy drivers (which there are plenty of), but because if you don't watch your step, you're could easly break your ankle, be swallowed alive by a hole or shredded by barbed wire lining the sidewalk.

In nearly every part of town and all across Ecuador we have come across stunningly dangerous obstacles that would be screaming "lawsuit" in the US. While we understand that this is probably a common predicament in developing countries, it is sometimes so blatently dangerous that we can't help but laugh.... or cry. Each of us has turned an ankle or nearly bit the dust on more than one occasion because we weren't watching where we were going. One day Ben took a step backward to avoid an oncoming bus and ended up standing in a ditch at about waist level with the sidewalk. We wear flip folps with extreme caution and always try to be vigilant with one eye on the ground in front of us. Here are a few of our local favorites....

Watch out! This thing could swallow you alive. It's a hole we dodge everyday on our way to the park.

This ankle breaker is right in front of our apartment. It goes so deep we can't even see the bottom.

This is a common site around town. A triple threat on a main sidewalk in town. How the women wear their fashionable stilletos around town (and so many of them do) without breaking an ankle is unbelievable.

"I know. Let's line the sidewalk with barbed wire. That way if someone falls, they can cut themselves too!" 

By the way. If you happened to be a victim of any of these traps, I think you would just be out of luck. After all, it's your fault because you weren't watching where you were going.... dummy! It puts personal responsibility at a higher level than we're used to in the states.

Eating Fresh

One thing we truly enjoy about living in Loja is the low cost of fresh fruits and vegetables. Many prepackaged and processed foods in the stores are about equivalent to US prices, but the fresh foods are a BARGAIN! Take, for example, this healthy heap of fresh fruits and vegetables we just purchased at the market this morning. In total, we spent $ 13.50, and we will eat fresh cooked meals and drink fresh juice everyday this week. Here are some specific examples of the bargains: 20 oranges- $1, 1 lb. of strawberries - $1, 3 lbs of tomatoes - $1, 2 pineapples- $1, 5 avocadoes- $1, 5 red peppers- 50 cents.

the day's bounty

So, most Sundays, after our leisurely coffee, we head out to the weekly market which fills the street for about 4 blocks. The vendors line up side by side in all directions and the real estate is so competitive that some vendors can be found the night before sleeping in the sidewalks in order to protect their coveted positions in the market. The vendors range from well worn, sun hardened seniors to aspiring, young children. Some vendors stand calling your attention to their produce “Veinty naranjas un dollar” while others sit quietly peeling beans and shucking corn.

A young man counting the days profits.

While we are accustomed to examining the produce ourselves, picking out the best looking avocadoes, they generally prefer to pick them out for you quickly and move on. As we can figure, this morning Sara spent too much time examining the avocadoes that the woman rattled off something in Spanish and took the avocadoes back from our basket. And, purchasing just one lime or one bulb of garlic, don’t even think about it. They look at you as if you are loco! But 15 limes for 50 cents - How come we haven’t made more margaritas!

Mixed up among all the vegetables and fruit, you can also pick up a wool hat, socks, a new remote for your T.V. or even some fresh new underwear. In fact, one day, we noticed one vendor wearing underwear on his head to create some shade from the hot sun. Unfortunately we left the camera at home that day.

A woman getting the corn ready to sell.

Sara making some careful selections.

We can imagine the shock we will experience when returning to the US and going grocery shopping. And, certainly, it will seem rather dull to be purchasing our fresh fruit and vegetables under the fluorescent lights of a giant grocery store. And perhaps we’ll look at those little stickers that say “Grown in Ecuador” with a bit of nostalgia and think, “Ah, if only we were there right now.”