Cuenca

The cathedral
Front view
Street corners

Another street corner


Canar and Inca Ruins
Roof Tops

Ecuadors third largest city but a long way from Quito, both in distance and feeling. Cuenca is an old Spanish colonial city and was made a world heritage site by UNESCO, to preserve its historical interest - it was built on the ruins of Tomebamba, a Canari city destroyed and deserted by the Incas. The city is built on a grid system, with narrow cobbled roads and beautiful architecture, and is dominated by the new (year built ?) cathedral over looking Parc Calderon and opposite the old cathedral, 1557. There are plenty of places to eat, both of the 1.50 lunch variety and the more expensive international eating establishments, there are some good museums and the people are a mix of busy business people and indegenious peoples all going about their daily lives. The overall feeling is more of a quaint, safe town than of a city and you could quite happily pass a few hours or a few days just sat opposite the cathedral and watch the world go by. My visit was made even more enjoyable by bumping into some friends from the Andes volunteer project and going to dinner and catching up on their travel progress. The only down side? The airport is closed for re surfacing so it is a 10 hour bus journey back to Quito!