Cuenca: Day 1

Today we had a late start in Cuenca! Our plane was delayed by about an hour and a half, so we arrived at 11:30am. We were picked up at the airport by our guide, Luis. This late arrival made our day longer than was expected, but we were still able to fit almost everything in! 

We began our day at the Homero Ortega Hat Factory, where we were able to learn everything about how the Panama hat became wrongly named, how it is made and when exactly it came to be. 

As we toured the old city of Cuenca, Luis showed us the difference between the republican architecture and the colonial architecture. Colonial buildings have only one floor, while republican architecture has a couple of floors, as well as a balcony. 

Cuenca has been labeled the Terra-cotta city, because they are well known for their brick building and their various textile art work. In 1999 Cuenca was named a World Heritage Site. 

As our group strolled through the city, we noticed the various groups of natives and Luis pointed out that the old generation natives wear the Panama hat still to this day, but the new generation does not wear the hat. However they do wear their hair a certain way depending on the community in which they reside. 

Cuenca, being the 3rd most populated city in Ecuador, was crowded, especially in the area of the market. Native people come all the way from the highlands to Cuenca, to sell their food. It was very interesting to see all the different types of food that was being offered; we were able to try a red banana, and they were absolutely delicious. 

The main highway that we drove on later in the day is the Pan-American Highway, which is the longest highway in the world; it runs from south of Chile to the north of Alaska. 

Around 3:30, we ate lunch at a restaurant called Mikuna. Very delicious food! 

Lastly, we arrived in Chordeleg, in an area also known as the Jewelry District, though there were other crafts sold there as well! It was very exciting to practice our Spanish on the local artisans! 

This was a fully packed day, but I think I can speak for all of us when I say, we definitely fell in love with Cuenca!