I have not written about my experience in Cuenca for a few weeks. One reason is I wanted to distance myself from it and not write a horrible review just because I was in a funk for the last 10 days of my stay there. Another is because once I left, I was in party mode for 2 weeks and did not do anything that required mind power.
I happened to be in Cuenca during one of the busiest travel times of the year. Bus schedules were going to be booked completely or not working at all. Hostels were completely booked up. It was best to remain in the city until after the holiday and then I could travel back to the coast. I had been dreaming of warm weather and the beach after 3 weeks of chilly weather and rain. I decided to stay in a hostel in Cuenca and enjoy the city life for 10 days without school.
I was happy with my hostel. Right on the river that ran by so strongly it blocked out the city noise and gave me the illusion of falling asleep in nature. Within very easy walking distance to anything I needed in the city. Delicious breakfast in the morning. Hot water and wifi. Extremely clean. http://www.villanovacuenca.com/
I was able to go to one museum while I was there. The best part, it's free!! It's done very well. My favorite exhibit was the shrunken heads. It was a very rainy day so it was perfect for being indoors and immersing myself in history. Museo del Banco Central. There is also land behind the museum that houses the ruins of an Incan village. The Spaniards took most of the rock and used it to build their modern city when they conquered but the museum has made the grounds to replicate what was once there. There are even llamas wandering about. I went back on a day that the sun was out and strolled along. It reminded me of being in Central Park in NYC, smack dab in the middle of the city but surrounded by nature and tranquility.
This was the extent of my outings. Everything else was closed. The city was also empty of people. Streets that used to take me 5 minutes to be able to cross were walkable. I resented everyone who had ditched me and the city for the coast. I ate Columbian food one night and spoke with the owner in my halting espanol. Came away pretty proud of myself. The next night was Austrian food and I loved it. Those were my highlights. All I could think about was getting back to the beach…
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http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151468985301900.530589.602156899&type=1&l=b3dc4375c9
Moral of the story: if you do not like the city try not to get stuck there during a holiday. With no conveniences available and walking becomes a game of dodge the water balloons it is best to book early and be somewhere that you would not feel "stuck".
Hope this finds all who read it to be Healthy, Safe, Happy and Warm!!!!
