Cuenca

ihana.com - big trip - diary - ecuador - july 2003

Cuenca cathedral

Down near the river

Looks good at night too

Saturday 5 - Sunday 6 July

Arriving in Cuenca we wasted a not uncommon hour or so looking for a hotel with a garage and a low price. Hotels in Ecuador seem to be a bit more expensive than Peru, $7 or $8 each been normal. Luckily fuel is half the price so it all works out in the end.

As it was Saturday night hopes were high for a banging night out after the previous nights mediocrity. We were told that a certain street was a good place to go and, after listening to some pretty reasonable music at a special open air (cold!) concert we walked a bit further and arrived at a long street with about 3 bars a mile or so apart and a few groups of fat blokes with pick up trucks hanging about drinking whisky. Not wicked. Heading back into the centre we reduced ourselves to going into a super-gringoey bar, the sort of place people sit and chat with their guide books over a vegetarian meal and a herbal tea hand picked by disabled lesbians in some far flung cooperative. One of the barmen looked almost normal and sent us to a nearby disco. This was totally empty so a walk around the equally deserted town centre was the only option if we were to find anything. Finally coming across a disco we negociatiated a lower entrance fee and went in. It was quiet but the free bar was fine for T, unfortunately a couple of attempted chatting ups by gay blokes didn't go down too well but a swift rescue by a doris saved him from further embarrassment. Meanwhile, B realised that bad stomachs don't go well with free bars and sat in the corner. The doris told us that Cuenca has no decent nightlife at all as the people are all too boring. Great.

Festival...

...dancing about...

...in funny costumes

Lighting cool paper balloons...

...that fly up into the sky

Kids these days

The following day was warm and sunny as we toured round the town, taking in the relaxed Sunday pace and finding little festival with cool paper balloons that flew by hot air from some burning carbon suspended underneath. Cuenca is full of excellent colonial architecture and is well worth a visit, just don't expect any good parties.

Flower market outside this church

Cuenca plaza

 

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