Two Who Trek arrived in Cuenca after a forty minute flight from Quito, a trip that would have taken about 12 hours by bus. We were taken by bus to the Hotel Victoria, a small, lovely hotel that was a 17th century “hanging home” that overlooks the River Tomebamba, separating the historic center of Cuenca from the more modern area. The hotel is owned by Daniel and his mother and features many homey touches, such as afghans hand-woven by the mother. It was like staying in someone’s hacienda. Here’s the view out our window:
![IMG_20121228_153436_650[1]](https://twowhotrek.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/img_20121228_153436_6501.jpg?w=576&h=1024)
The hotel has a restaurant, El Jardin, which prepared some meals for our group. Featured were Ecuadorian dishes as well as European delights. The food was superb.
We wandered through the gardens out back. Sherri was delighted to find her first cat in Ecuador!
In the afternoon, our program hosts arranged a bus tour of Cuenca. This really helped to get us more acclimated to our home for the next month. From the vantage point of Turi, the entire Cuenca valley with myriad terra cotta roofs accented by church towers presented themselves to us.
Cuenca, in the valley — the eastern side
Central Cuenca
After our superb meal at El Jardin, we visited a coffee shop called Coffee Tree. Two Who Trek loves coffee and people-watching so an hour was well spent.
Next up – we move into our apartment and experience life in Cuenca! We’ll be adding more about Cuenca, both in words and a bunch of photos!
Two Who Trek 