EC Amazon & Galapagos Day 14
EC Amazon & Galapagos
Day 14-4 - Monday, December 16, 2008 - Tour Cuenca--Fly to Quito
Today was a travel day, meaning our luggage had to be out at 8:00 am. We had a light breakfast and then went out to see more of Cuenca.
Cuenca is Ecuador's cultural capital and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The skies were cloudy with 66º and 61% humidity. Most of the locals were wearing warm coats or shawls.
We thanked Edwin, our driver for his great service to us on this portion of the trip. He certainly had many road challenges along the way in southern Ecuador.
Our first stop was at an overlook high above the city center. We could see the whole panorama of the red tiled roof tops, church towers, and the rivers that run through the city.
Like many cities in Ecuador, Cuenca is nestled in the surrounding mountains making for a very beautiful site from this view. The city is well laid out and it was relatively easy to navigate the city streets, narrow as they were.
Our main Learning and Discovery of the day was at the Pumapungo or Central Bank Ethnographic Museum where we learned about the origin of the Ecuadorian people from prehistoric times, the Cañaris people, the Inca culture, to present day Cuenca.
The location of the present city was originally called Tomebamba or the Cusco of the North. After briefly touring the main part of the museum, we went outside to the archeological site.
The grounds of the museum are actually over the ruins and stone walls of the original city. As in many societies, the temples of one civilization were built on the remains of the previous holy places.
Interestingly, there is a Jesuit High School built on a portion of these historic grounds. The Cañaris people were taken over by the Inca who were then conquered by the Spanish.
We left the museum at about 10:15 and then drove back to the main plaza for free time until 11:45 when we had to meet back at the hotel. Gennie and I walked to a very nice artisan shop where she found a small Nativity Scene with Ecuadorian figures.
We sat in the park next to the Cathedral and ate one more dish of ice cream. I took a few more photos and Gennie wrote her last post card to our son.
Antonio had asked us to meet at 11:45 and everyone was there on time. This is a tribute to his leadership. He has kept us on schedule and very punctual.
Our lunch was in a very quaint little house, now a restaurant called El Maiz. We had pre-ordered our meals so they came out quickly. Many of the traditional choices featured corn, an Ecuadorian staple food.
Edwin was watching the bus so he could not eat with the group. I had just ordered the empanadas as an appetizer so I relieved him so he could share this last meal with everyone.
After lunch it was a short ride to the airport for our flight back to Quito. There was a problem with the weather and the weight of the aircraft. Only a limited number of people and luggage could be loaded on the plane.
Ruth, Howard, and Antonio waited with most of the luggage for the next flight. Only 10 of us and 4 bags made it on the original schedule. Luckily our bags were among the four, and also those of Bob and Jo Ann made it back to Quito.
We took off with out any problems at 2:20 with only one half of the passengers making plenty of room for all of us. The flight to Quito was only 38 minutes.
We flew over the Avenue of the Volcanoes and the same winding roads we had traveled just two days before. Most of the flight was smooth and we landed at 3:00.
We collected our bags and were met at the terminal by another OAT representative. By the time we got back to the hotel it was after 4:00 but we had all of our belongings so we took time to settle in for the evening.
There was supposed to be a Farewell Dinner tonight but because Antonio, Ruth, and Howard did not return in time, we all thought it best to wait for them to arrive.
When they had not arrived at 8:30 we decided to eat. They arrived at 9:00 so at least we got to spend a few minutes together on our last night.
We got to bed early because we have a 5:15 wake up call to leave at 6:30 for our 9:20 flight to Miami.
Accommodations: Reina Isabel Hotel - - - Meal: B, L, D
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OAT Map of Trip
Scenic over-look of Cuenca
Central Bank Ethnographic Museum
Llamas and Alpacas at the Museum
Cathedral in Plaza Center
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