Posts Tagged With: ecuador

Land of the Llama

Posted on February 20, 2013 by twowhotrek

Two Who Trek see their favorite animals

You’ve previously read in our posts that no ruin is complete without a llama.  Now that we’re back from the land of the llama and fully immersed in the day-to-day, it’s time to reflect and share some things we didn’t have time to write about during our last week in Cuenca.

Llamas are members of the Camelidae family along with camels.  Scientists tell us that camelids have been around for about 45 million years.  About 10,000 years ago, llamas and alpacas were domesticated for food, clothing and transportation.  Unlike cattle which are thought to have a common ancestor, llamas are believed to be domesticated from guanacos and alpacas from vicunas. Continue reading →

Categories: andean, animals, archeological, blog, camelid, Cuenca, ecuador, inca, llama, mountain, photos, ruins, travel, wool | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Ceramics in Cuenca

Posted on February 19, 2013 by twowhotrek

People of the Americas have a long pottery-making tradition, predating the European arrival.  The oldest known ceramics were found in communities along the Ecuadorian Pacific coast and were made 5,000 to 6,000 years ago.  The time-honored process is still essentially the same.  Dig up some clay, mix it with water, form it into objects and fire it in an oven or kiln.

In the studio of Eduardo Vega, today’s ceramic pottery is functional and exquisitely formed.  After studying in Europe, Vega returned to Cuenca and developed a unique style, deeply rooted in Ecuadorian history. Continue reading →

Categories: andean, art, artisan, artistic, blog, Cuenca, ecuador, local, making, manufacturing, photos, pottery, tallar, travel | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Foreign Fruit Finds

Posted on February 17, 2013 by twowhotrek

We’ve talked about the wonderful fruit and vegetable markets in Cuenca.  However, many of the items are different from what we would find in the United States.  Today Two Who Trek looks at some of the unusual fruits we discovered in the markets.

First, TWT has a general observation about the quality of the produce available at market.  Most of the fruits are grown in Ecuador and the crops are picked closer to full ripeness than those shipped overseas.  At the time we were in Ecuador, only black cherries were being imported and those came from nearby Chile.  Flavors overall were more intense than the imported produce we might get at the super market back home. Continue reading →

Categories: andean, background, blog, Cuenca, dining, food, food preparation, fruit, markets, photos, travel, vegetable | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Stitch in Time

Posted on February 13, 2013 by twowhotrek

Two Who Trek let the wool get pulled over their eyes

One day at school Two Who Trek and their teachers were talking with other teachers and students when an idea started to take place.  Why not play hockey for a day?  Because there are no ice rinks in Cuenca, we all decided to play hookey instead, head to a neighboring town, and take a tour of place where artisans make woolen products by hand.  We picked a date and decided to rely on public transportation to get there rather than take taxis.

Riding on the public bus system is an event all its own.  Travel light and have lots of change.  For less than $1, you can be transported from the center of old town Cuenca to the outlying towns.  See vendors boarding the bus, selling everything from chocolate bars at 3 for $1, to an organic panacea of uncertain origin for curing most physical maladies.  The vendors give you a sample of their wares as they walk through the bus aisle and give their speech.  If you choose not to buy, politely and firmly return the merchandise when they are at the end of the presentation. Continue reading →

Categories: art, artistic, blog, bus, Cuenca, displays, ecuador, gualaceo, manufacturing, photos, pottery, tallar, taxi, travel, weaving, wool | Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Getting around in Cuenca

Posted on February 12, 2013 by twowhotrek

To really see an area, one must travel around.  Because Two Who Trek are not strangers to travel, we used several methods to explore the city.  Here’s a short look at some of our options.

Walking

Walking is the best way of getting around Cuenca, especially in the historic center of the city.  With a good pair of shoes for support and plenty of time, one can get around rather quickly.  Two Who Trek found that during peak times, we could walk through the city center faster than taking a bus or a taxi.  Continue reading →

Categories: background, bus, Cuenca, ecuador, gualaceo, photos, taxi, transportation, travel | Tags: , , , , , ,

Overhead Considerations

Posted on January 27, 2013 by twowhotrek

Two Who Trek learn about hat tricks

Call it a hat or a sombrero but it is not a Panama Hat! Traditionally made from a high grade of straw called paja de toquilla, these hats are called Montecristi after the Ecuadorian town of the same name.  The misnomer referring to Panama dates back to the 1800s when the Spanish began exporting the hats from Ecuador via Panama.  In the 19th century, Panama Canal workers used these hats to protect themselves from the strong equatorial sun.

There are many excellent tallers or artisanal workshops creating sombreros del paja toquillas in Ecuador.  Two Who Trek visited two hat-related places in the Cuenca area.  Continue reading →

Categories: blog, Cuenca, displays, ecuador, hat, making, manufacturing, markets, panama hat, photos, straw, travel | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Cuenca Apartments

Posted on January 26, 2013 by twowhotrek

As part of the Ecuador experience, the program hosts provide apartments for all the participants.  We will live in these apartments for the month we are here.  If we wish, we can use the cooking facilities to make meals or we may choose to eat at the many restaurants in Cuenca (and restaurant prices are so low here that dining out is a very attractive option).

Most of the program apartments are in the heart of the historic part of Cuenca, in centuries-old buildings that have been refurbished to meet American expectations.  Many of these apartments are quite small, and are described as studio apartments – one room with a separate, private bath room. Continue reading →

Categories: background, blog, Cuenca, ecuador, food preparation, lodging, photos, travel, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Museo Pumapungo at the Banco Central in Cuenca

Posted on January 25, 2013 by twowhotrek

The Museo Pumapungo is large as life!  Located in Cuenca’s Banco Central complex, colorfully animated dioramas illustrate the varied cultures in Ecuador.  These displays cover an entire floor and show life-sized examples from the coast, highlands and jungle.  One exhibit features shrunken heads.

Other Pumapungo (“gate of the puma”) exhibits include photographs of early Cuenca life and a historical perspective on Ecuadorian currency.  A special section shows this first 80 years of bank history.  For a limited time, there is also an impressive exhibit called Oro y Plata.  Many pieces of gold, silver and copper artifacts, created by indigenous people throughout Ecuadorian history, are showcased.

Continue reading →

Categories: andean, archeological, blog, canaris, Cuenca, ecuador, inca, photos, ruins, travel | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The Baños del Inca (Inca Baths) at Coyoctor

Posted on January 24, 2013 by twowhotrek

Several important Inca-era ruins are in the Cuenca area.  Two Who Trek took a bus trip to see one of these, the Baños del Inca (Inca Baths) at Coyoctor.  The Baños del Inca is a smaller but no less  historically significant archeological site, compared to others in this part of Ecuador.

The name is a bit misleading.  The site was actually created by the Cañari people, who settled in the area over one thousand years ago.  In the early 15th century, the Incas conquered the Cañaris and absorbed them and their way of life into the Incan culture.  The Incas then modified the Coyoctor site to meet the Inca ritual of water purification.  Collectively, the site includes worship of the moon deity of the Cañari and the sun deity of the Inca. Continue reading →

Categories: andean, archeological, blog, Cuenca, ecuador, photos, railroad, travel | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Flowers, flowers and more flowers

Posted on January 23, 2013 by twowhotrek

Two Who Trek has briefly mentioned the Flower Market in the heart of Cuenca before.  But this place is so special, we decided to give more detail and photos of the flower market.

The traditional Flower Market is on Calle Sucre, across from the new Cathedral.  The market is in a small open-air plaza in front of the Church of El Carmen, a colonial era church.  This square is adorned with the façade of the church and the church is made of carved stone.  Continue reading →

Categories: background, blog, Cuenca, ecuador, flowers, gualaceo, markets, photos, travel | Tags: , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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