CUENCA - Finally in Ecuador! Old Town, Hot Baths, and a Cloud Forest

Here is the view from the hotel rooftop terrace of the city.

Accommodation

Our accommodation "Check inn Bed and Breakfast" cost us 25.50 US dollars for two nights. We had a shared bathroom and there was also a laundry service for 5 dollars. Breakfast was served on the rooftop terrace. There was coffee or tea, a cheese roll with scrambled or hard-boiled egg. In addition, small mini bananas and butter and jam. Also, one could ride the oldest elevator in Cuenca ;)

SIM Card

The SIM card from Movistar at the terminal cost 3 dollars; also, you had to charge it for 3 dollars if you wanted to use it for 7 days.

Attractions

When we arrived at 10 a.m. on the first day, unfortunately, we couldn't check into the hotel yet. So we left our luggage there and already explored the city. Optimally, our hotel is so centrally located. We walked down "Calle Santa Ana" street to the "Catedral de la Inmaculada Concepción", where we climbed the church tower and had a great view over the city and the "Parque Calderón" ("Mirador de las Cúpulas"). We also made a detour to the "Iglesia del Sagrario", the ancient cathedral of Cuenca. We then headed over the "Plaza de las Flores" to the "Iglesia Católica San Francisco" and the "Centro Municipal Artesanal - Arts and Crafts". From the top of the church tower, you could also see the mountains surrounding the city. In Baños (22 minutes or 9 km from our hotel), we then enjoyed the thermal baths in a luxury spa. "Piedra de Agua - Fuente Termal & Spa" offered a hot pool with steam sauna and museum for 15 dollars. Alternatively, we had considered choosing the "Circuito de Spa Exterior", which would have cost 35 dollars per person. We enjoyed a great day there, ate a super delicious sandwich, and soaked in the hot water ;) You can really relax wonderfully in the hot water. A great conclusion, before Nina flies homes tomorrow. Additionally, we spent another day in the nearby national park "Cajas". With the bus towards Guayaquil, it took about two or three hours to the west. At the national park, we got off and signed up. We decided on the following route around the "Laguna Toreadora" for time reasons: komoot.de Here is the "Laguna Toreadora" at 3900 m above sea level. We saw beautiful plants and also one or another bird. We only saw some of the numerous hummingbirds described on the internet at the very end: black with blue tail feathers. Before our departure, we indulged in some food (a delicious cheese sandwich and a mediocre cheese empanada) and a hot drink (avoid the hot chocolate, it's so sweet that your tongue will almost stick to your palate…). Just in time, we caught the bus home. Exhausted from the altitude (3900 m above sea level) we relaxed on the hotel's rooftop terrace. The National Park generally has an altitude between 3152 m and 4445 m above sea level.

Transportation

On foot within the city, by taxi (Azutaxi for 2 or 3 dollars) to the terminal, and by bus to the National Park.

Food and Drink

Pizza Margherita + Cola + Nutella Bread for 3.75 dollars
Vegetable Pizza + Cola for 3.50 dollars
Life-changing Tacos and Passion Fruit Cheesecake at the Mexican (approx. 22 dollars including two drinks)
Disgusting Chocolate-Cinnamon Roll for 1.60 dollars
Loose pastries to pick yourself for 3.60 dollars

Cafes and Restaurants

Pizza y Focaccia in the street "Presidente Borrero 703", highly recommended and very cheap
Cantina La Única, Mexican, highly recommended and higher-priced with a great view of the city
Chocolateria Dos Chorreras, not really recommended
Corpus Café, quite cool, you can choose loose pastries (but maybe choose something from further back and/or below, as it is not covered)

Plants and Animals

We saw great plants and animals in Cajas National Park. Worth mentioning are the numerous birds and the super cute rabbit. Here is a link to our plant observations: https://hoenisch.eu/photo/mo/sharing/iY87sRp5e

Number of Germans in the City

There were a few Germans to be seen on the main square.

Contact with Locals

Only with the receptionists and otherwise with no one.

Expenses

Duck Pin for 4.50 dollars
Cookies with chocolate and jam at the terminal and from the nice lady in the National Park (where we also bought a mediocre brownie for 1 dollar)
Coca-Caramelzitos (candies) for 3 dollars

Standard Stall Offer

Basically the same stuff as in Peru…

Laundry

We washed the laundry at the hotel for a flat rate of 5 dollars.

Unsolved Mysteries

Why are there so many hot springs here?

Currency

The exchange rate was approximately:

1 EUR = 1.073 USD
1 USD = 0.932 USD We were able to withdraw money for free with the "Caja Guayuaquil" bank.

Bus to Guayaquil

Since we already knew the bus company, we decided to go with San Luis for the second time (at least I think so) :) For about 8 dollars, we traveled in four hours to one of the most dangerous cities of Ecuador. We saw impressive banana and coffee plantations and were very relieved when we finally arrived. Directly at the terminal we bought my ticket to Lima for the next day. With the taxi (which somehow didn't find us at the terminal) we went to our accommodation directly at the airport. More on this in the coming article.

Post Scriptum

As always, there are more pictures to see here https://hoenisch.eu/photo/mo/sharing/2frMLZlgH.