Shar and I touched down in Cuenca around noon time. We had shared a brunch of chicken fingers in Guayaquil before boarding the plane so neither of us were really all that hungry. We quickly exited the plane and made our way off of the runway, gathered our gear and immediately went in search of water! We didn't have to hike too far as there are several stores right around the airport. We found a smaller mall and decided to go inside to both purchase water and to just cool off and get our bearings. We enjoyed our water and consulted the email from La Posada del Angel along with the small map of Cuenca in Lonely Planet. Well, being full of energy, adrenaline or just plain sheer sense of adventure, we decide, hey, let's hike to the hosteria! So out of the mall and into the streets of Cuenca we go, (fully armed with all of our gear and our handy Lonely Planet guide)!
What a great hike! The people were all very friendly, most smiling and saying, "¡Hola!" as we passed by. We really became totally involved with just admiring all that there was to see. You could see majestic mountains in every direction! There was an older section and a newer section, both were just as impressive. We quickly noticed that the map we had been following had the legend covering a very vital part of the map, at least as far as where we were wanting to be. We felt confident with our sense of direction and just kept hiking in what we thought was the right direction. The key word here is "thought", one should always be sure of their direction. At this particular time on our journey, Shar and I were less than 100% sure of where we were, exactly, so we just kept hiking and smiling. As we started to notice some very angry clouds rolling in over the mountains, we knew it was time to admit defeat and at the very least, stop and ask someone for some directions. Just as we came to this brilliant stroke of genius, we notice a "Kwik~E~Mart", not just similar to the one from the Simpsons, but as far as we could tell, it was THE Kwik~E~Mart from the Simpsons! We ask the very nice man at the gas pumps if he has any idea where La Posada del Angel was as we showed him the address that we had copied from the email. The man held his head and said, "Oh no, this is far, you are better taking the bus or taxi!". Yes, we had just gotten to know Cuenca, up close and personal by walking twelve miles in the wrong direction. Oh well, we missed the rain and saw a great deal of the city. We hailed a Taxi and were quickly loaded up and on our way to our destination.
We knew that we must have hiked pretty far as our cab ride back was an astronomical $4.00! We were thankful and paid without trying to barter. We grabbed our gear and walked into La Posada del Angel to check in. We headed upstairs to our room to put everything away, take a quick shower and headed back out to see more of the city! We were hooked, man! What a great city Cuenca is to just walk around and look at stuff! There was so much from old to new and everything in between. Walking around Cuenca was a visual treat for the eyes and a stimulating start to many a great conversation.
From the advice of the front desk, we decided to walk down and have dinner at Cafe Eucalyptus. We were very glad that we did! Great food and super friendly staff. I had a petite sirloin with fries and Shar enjoyed the most delectable dish of shaved rare tenderloin with tomatoes and onions and topped with fresh Parmesan cheese. After enjoying an incredible meal, we were ready to walk some more, mostly to work off some of that fabulous meal! The city was just as beautiful at night!
As we started to wind down, we began to work our way back to La Posada del Angel and maybe a night cap at the artisan Italian restaurant downstairs, Mangiare Bene. Are we ever glad that we did! The restaurant served some incredibly authentic Italian dishes and without a doubt the best tiramisu that either of us had ever tried! It was so delicate that it literally dissolved on our tongues! We finished up with a Club Grande and headed up to our room.
We found the streets deserted and quiet and our beds warm and comfortable! Ahhh, Life is Good! Tomorrow we dine on Coy!...
Great post with pics and info Will! Thx for sharring. How much did you pay for dinner and the room?
ReplyDeleteWe had a deluxe room and paid $55 a night, but the ambiance was so worth the extra money. Dinner in the restaurant varied from about $12 for drinks and desserts to, I think our highest bill was about $36.00, but that was the last night in Cuenca and we did celebrate quite a bit...
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