Overlooking Cuenca at Turi’s point of view
I got to experience the best of both worlds when I visited Ecuador for the first time last November: the rich history and culture of the country but I also got to have a taste of what life is like in two of the country’s cities. I had such a rewarding experience being in Quito (read about my travels here) and already have a few books on my Amazon list so I can read more about its history, but Cuenca has me wanting to retire right now and take up citizenship.
If I were to chuck the deuces to NYC life, I wouldn’t be the first nor the last American to pack up my loot and hightail it to the Ecuadorian city. I also wouldn’t be among the youngest either—as a matter of fact while we were visiting a spa we ran into a guy from California about my age who told us he had just moved to Cuenca with his wife. They took a trip to visit and were so enamored that they practically summoned for their things and said “PEACE OUT, CALI!”
I mentioned that while in Quito we hit altitudes that were over tens of thousands of feet. Cuenca has some high altitudes but not as high as Quito but there were some places that were pretty cold. You really have to pack smart and dress in layers because you can seriously experience all four seasons in one day in some parts of the country. (Read more about it here)
We arrived at the Mansion Alcazar, a restored colonial mansion that was converted into a luxurious boutique hotel. I loved that it instantly felt like I walked into another century but still had many modern-day elements (I mean, I was able to catch up on The Walking Dead late one night in my room…lol) and if I had it my way, I’d go back and just stay in the hotel and eat all of my meals there. The food was SO good!
Inside Mansion Alcazar:
A few pics of my room:
The next morning I got to realize my Ghost moment when we visited the Ivan Encalada Black Ceramic workshop. One theme (there were many) during my visit to Ecuador that I loved were the amount of family-owned businesses passed down from generation to generation. When I make my move to Cuenca I’ll be sure to send Sr. Encalada my resume—a girl’s gonna need a job when she relocates…lol.
Sr. Encalada
After that we hightailed it for a bike tour along the Tomebamba River. My inner kid came out on full display during the tour. When we were descending in altitude I could go super fast without any effort, but maaaaaaan when we had to go up in altitude? My inner olympian came out then…lol. In between the bike tour we were interviewed by El Mercurio as we were the first group of bloggers brought into the city to promote tourism. How cool is that?!?!
Our write-up in a Cuencan newspaper
Traveling around the city gave me the opportunity to see beyond the tourist-y stuff—where the business people of Cuenca work, where they go for lunch, where they live, what they do, etc. We also got to meet the business owners, the artists—these are people who pass down their craft from generation to generation with so much pride.
At Turi’s point of view
Inside Cuenca’s Suprime Court of Justice building
I could totally also live inside any of the restaurants we visited. I’d just grab a sleeping bag, a satin scarf to wrap my hair, and a couplefew skincare products and I’d be set. The food is amazing and fits into my Weight Watchers lifestyle: delicious lean protein, locally grown veggies, and in smaller portions. There were also plenty of sweet treats but thankfully they were small and I sampled them without getting carried away.
Lunch at El Mercado:
Hand-decorated edible decorations on the plates
Besides the food, one of my biggest highlights was visiting the parish of Baños where we were treated like royalty at a hot spring thermal circuit. Baños is well known for its hot spring pools full of minerals and medicinal properties. I love site-seeing and anything adventurous like hiking or rock climbing, but the beauty blogger in me will always appreciate a few hours of pampering. We visited the upscale Piedra de Agua, an upscale spa located in Baños where we partook in Turkish baths, red mud pools, blue mud pools, and Subterranean Contrast baths. Writing about this is making me pissed that I’m not there now :/
At Piedra de Agua:
It was at Piedra de Agua where we met the young man from California who recently moved to Cuenca with his wife. They were looking to relocate and once they came to Cuenca they fell in love and moved. I’ve traveled some in my life but I’ve only ever lived in Queens and then Long Island for a bit while in college. Cuenca is looking quite convincing the more I reminisce and type.
Our last night in Cuenca we climbed higher in altitude—the highest we’d ever been in Cuenca to Dos Chorreras Resort, a rustic hotel and restaurant that reminded me of some cozy cabin tucked in a quiet part of upstate New York. It was SUPER cold because of the high altitude so we were given heaters in our rooms to keep cozy. Despite the cold it was a place I could definitely see myself loving—wish we could have stayed longer. The next morning I woke up to alpaca near the window by my room…lol.
At Dos Chorreras:
Our last half-day in Ecuador was spent driving down in altitude through Cajas NationalPark and I don’t think my vocabulary is vast enough to describe the beauty…lol. It was all so breath-taking and a good 99% of the time I couldn’t believe I was actually looking at such majestic scenery in person and not looking at it in a book.
After a few hours of driving we wound up in the lowlands of Guayaquil City and had a huge shift in temperature from being super cold to “dag, I wish I had shorts on under my clothes because it’s mad hot here.”
It was sad leaving such a beautiful country but I had SUCH an amazing time. Like I mentioned in my Quito post, I would love to visit again and also see and learn more about South American history. It’s one thing to learn the small section of what they tell you in school—it’s another to actually feel, touch, and taste it all via a trip like this. I totally encourage you to consider adding Ecuador to your travel destination list. It’s more than the Galapagos Islands (which I really want to see—next time!) and you will not be disappointed. I mean, unless you don’t like adventure, culture, and good food…lol.
Thanks so much to the tourism boards of both Quito and Cuenca for being such gracious hosts!
At the Cuenca Tourism Board:
Yes, it looks like I could live in Mansion Alcazar. Everything is so beautiful. That’s not a “room”…that’s a suite!