Nomadic Texan

One of the true pleasures of Cuenca, is walking the streets of Old Town. I never get tired of performing this activity and it is a great form of exercise for individuals. Each time I go out I have no plans and just start walking in one direction or another with no agenda. Its amazing that over time I still keep finding architectural treasures that I have never seen. In addition, I run into people of all walks of life and tourists. The tourists are not hard to spot as shown in these photos.

Male Gringo Tourists

Female Gringa Tourists

There must be several Catholic Nun orders, as I have seen a plethora of various dress. As Catholicism is such a large portion of the population, I find that I see Nuns all over, shopping and taking care of their needs. It is quite different than where I live in Texas.

Catholic Nun

Although a great deal of the population uses cars it is never odd to see bicycles being used to transport items needed for everyday use. A large portion of the condos and apartments are fueled by propane tanks and this gentleman is pedaling his wares! Sorry I couldn’t help myself!

Bicycle Mode of Transportation

A favorite sweet item is this kind of marshmallow substance that the vendors place in ice cream cones and since it is very economical the vast majority of the population eats these cones. You will always see them eaten in any type of weather cold or hot. The Ecuadorians love this treat!

Soft Serve Cones

Another common sight is the scooter parking areas where as many as ten or more can be seen together. Scooters are a great way of navigating through the increasing traffic and getting to places cars cannot. This time the amount of scooters has tripled since the last time I was here. I think maybe the gas prospective cost increase may have something to do with it also.

Scooter Parking

This Mom and daughter are sharing a great moment talking with a vendor. School just recently started back up and as you can see each school has its own uniform. I see all kinds of school dress as I walk and the various color schemes are very snazzy.

Mother Loving Her Daughter

The lady in the black outfit gave me a fairly intense stare down, as I prepared to take this photo. She finally went in the building. Perhaps it was her store. Anyway I thought the sign was comical as it states the hair used is 100% human hair from the head of a human. Where else would it be from?

Authentic Hair Extensions

My last photo is also comical to me. I find the uses of words and how they translate hilarious at times. This states one would think The Palace of Joys. In actuality the translation is The Palace of Jewels. Had to think about the name, especially given the pictures.

Palace of Joys

I love Cuenca. One of these days I hope to come back again. Until then, if you visit, please do a little Street-walking and see the sight! Saludos!

Desserts for Sale

One never finds a shortage of desserts in Cuenca and it amazes me that more of the Ecuadorians are not obese, like we find in the US. I guess its a result of all the walking. Every day when I go out and roam the streets of Old Town, I run into (sometimes literally) so many people, its staggering.

I have no idea where they are going and in most cases they are walking at a rather fast gait. I guess this helps shed the sugar and the bread calories. Heladeria’s, Panesa’s and eating establishments abound. Its very tempting and you can eat until you can’t breathe, but you also can always walk it off the next day. I love it!

Minas-San Francisco Dam

The road between Cuenca and Santa Rosa, where we were heading to visit the Cacao Plantation, held many diverse geographical sights and landscapes. After you leave the general Cuenca area you hit a very dry and arid portion of the lower Andes. One of the most dramatic sight was the Hydro-Electric  Minas-San Francisco Dam construction.

It is a massive undertaking and the link will explain more in detail of the project. It is a very awesome undertaking and will generate a maximum capacity of 275 MW. We stopped and took several photos, as this will help the electric costs for all Ecuadorians.