The weather in Cuenca is slightly more predictable than in Quito. It is rainy season, so there are clouds overhead at all times. But it is generally nice in the morning, with partly sunny skies at some point in the afternoon before rain comes later in the day.
At this elevation you definitely feel the sun when it is out. A lot of folks in Cuenca carry umbrellas for protection from the sun. It’s amusing to see umbrellas popping open when the sun comes out. In fact, we see more umbrellas in use when the sun is out than when it is lightly raining.
Today’s Cuenca was founded by the Spaniards in the mid-1500s. About 100 years earlier Ecuador was ruled by the Inca. A prominent Incan ruin site is located adjacent to old town, and is the location of Museo Pumapungo.
Entry to the museum is free, just sign the visitor sheet and get a sanitizer spray from the guard. The museum has some artwork, but largely covers the history of Ecuadorian culture. Indoors the two most interesting displays are the shrunken heads and numismatics (currency).
Ruins of La Ciudad de Tumipampa, the northern capital city of the Incas, are located just outside. Below the ruins, next to the Rio Tomebamba, is a garden demonstrating how Incas lived off the land. There are even several alpacas on site. We spent several hours at Museo Pumapungo and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Several markets are located in old town, notably Mercado 9 de Octubre and Mercado 10 de Augusto. Each is several stories tall, with fish and meat in one area, fruits and vegetables in another, and food and drink vendors on the top floor.
The markets are great places to buy fresh fruits and vegetables. But we decided against buying fish or meat there. Not knowing Spanish we couldn’t really ask questions like: How many days have these fish (or pigs, chickens, prawns, and so on) been sitting here? What about refrigeration?
One afternoon we stopped in Mercado 9 de Octubre for a snack of hornado (roasted pig) served with llapingachos (fried yucca cake), a small salad (lettuce, carrots, onions), and hominy, along with colada moradas (fruit drinks). The total cost for the plate plus two drinks was $3.
We sat down at a table and were immediately approached by a half dozen people ranging in age from about 8 to 80. At first we were not sure if they were beggars or sellers. We quickly realized they came from nearby stalls and were trying to sell us something.
I’m sure the thought process was: Look! Those gringos bought hornado and moradas! Let’s sell them something else! One old lady was really insistent on trying to sell us empanadas. She was rattling off Spanish at 100 miles per hour, and would not take no for an answer. We finally ignored her.
Then there was the guy who walked over and started playing a song on his guitar right behind our table. After the song ended he walked around asking for tips. If I knew Spanish I’d have asked him for $1 for interrupting our snack.
Another popular market in old town is Cuenca’s flower market. About a dozen vendors set up canopies on a small plaza in front of Iglesia del Carmen de la Asunción, located between the new cathedral and Plaza de San Francisco. Flowers of every kind are found here, especially roses (Ecuador is a major exporter of roses), for reasonable prices.
Our quest to find another fantastic Ecuadorian restaurant led Stephanie to discover Capitán & Co, a small family-owned place. It was Saturday night, so we went early. Arriving about 5:45 PM we found the front door of the restaurant blocked by a couple of chairs and a chain. I thought it was temporarily closed before the dinner service.
Stephanie poked her head inside and discovered it was open. We were let into a small dining room, about six tables in total. The owner/chef took our beer orders (bottled Pilseners) and brought out garlic bread and ají sauce for starters.
The menu prominently features sea bass, prawns, shrimp, and steak. Stephanie ordered a filet with shrimp, mushroom sauce, and potatoes. I went with shrimp and rice. Damn both dishes were really great.
We finally finished up and left about 7:00 PM. Oddly, we were the only diners present the whole time. It felt like a private dining experience with personalized service. Maybe business picks up later?
Leaving we had to be let out past the two chairs and chain blocking the door. It was then that we realized this was likely a theft deterrent system.
Although petty theft is reportedly common, Cuenca is not Quito. We see the occasional police officer or armed guard, but they’re not a constant presence.
Stephanie reads about the cities we visit on local message boards. There she learned that many thieves in Cuenca work in pairs. One distracts the victim, the other carries out the heist. And reportedly they ride motorcycles together. So the rules are one, be wary of two guys riding on one motorcycle and, two, keep your valuables in sight and do not let anyone distract you from them.
One more week in Cuenca to go, and we finally get to the Amaru Zoológico Cuenca.
Garrett and Stephanie
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Hope you bought Stephanie some of those roses!! Food looked very good!
Nope. But we had other flowers. Food was pretty good.
It’s been a long time ago (2001) since we were in Quito but when we were there our hotel/hostel warned us about thief and potentially be kidnapped because we looks so “American “. There were armed guards at all the major museums, hotels, restaurants, etc.
The hotel was so concerned that they hired us a “body guard” who walked around with us when ever we left the hotel. He would push people away from us if he felt they could be a threat. Our friends who lived nearby said they don’t dare go out after dark (6 pm). It really put a damper on our independent travel we like to do.
I would love to go back but am concerned about all the hassle of safety. What are the conditions there now? Better I hope. We would love to go back there.
Tracy, thanks for commenting. I’m not sure Quito has improved much since your visit. We were told repeatedly by folks to (1) not display any signs of wealth, (2) keep valuables in front pockets, (3) watch our surroundings, and (4) avoid walking around at night in old town.
We never heard of any kidnappings or violent crimes, but were told that theft is rampant in certain parts of town and tourists are targeted. Armed guards are everywhere. I’ve never seen so many. The city definitely has a sketchy feeling. Because of safety concerns we did not stay in old town, but instead were in La Carolina, a much nicer area.
That being said, we felt perfectly safe out and about during the day. We walked around old town and La Carolina with zero problems. We took the advice of the locals and did not go out at night. It was rainy season during our visit, so there was little incentive to go out at night as it was often raining.
Cuenca was completely different. We felt safe there day and night, and none of the folks we met raised any safety concerns.
Garrett
When I originally commented I appear to have clicked on the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and from now on whenever a comment is added I recieve four emails with the exact same comment. Perhaps there is a way you can remove me from that service? Many thanks!
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Just. Left Cuenca loved it want tp go back but had problems with immigration of mu Russian fiance and her adult daughter
I do believe all of the ideas you’ve offered in your post.
They’re very convincing and can certainly work. Nonetheless,
the posts are too short for newbies. Could you please prolong them a bit from next time?
Thank you for the post.
Thanks for commenting. The length of each post typically depends on the subject or activity involved, as well as our thoughts.