We didn’t necessarily plan it that way, but our arrival date in Cuenca was December 30, 2023. Our first day waking up was New Years Eve!
We headed out toward the center of town, which is called “El Centro” to see what was going on there. We had no idea if New Years Eve was considered a holiday and everything would be closed or what.
As we walked, it became clear that there was a lot of activity, including a parade getting ready to begin! So, we picked a spot and stopped to watch it. How fun! We continued on our walk and came across the CUENCA sign, so of course we had to get our pic in front of it!
The priority quickly became finding a lunch spot – we were all hungry! We came across a place and grabbed a table. Lunch was yummy!
Next thing we needed to do was get to a grocery store for some groceries. We plugged SuperMaxi into someone’s GPS and followed the directions. Shopping took a bit longer than usual since we had to use GoogleTranslate to read labels. Some items were obvious but some were not. We picked up a few things, like yogurt and granola for my breakfast, eggs, bacon, bread, stuff like that. Linda told us about the Mercado, where she shopped the day before (they arrived the same day as us, but early in the morning,) so we saved some of our list (fresh fruits, etc) to get there. Once shopping was done, we walked back to the apartments to relax before starting dinner. Linda picked up shrimp, which became the dinner theme of our first week in Ecuador. They were so fresh and inexpensive, which is a rare combo in the states.
Sometime around 5:30pm we gathered at our place to get dinner started. Steven and I deshelled and deveined the shrimp, while Bill and Linda worked on the rest. Many hands make light work, as they say, and before we knew it we were enjoying delicious shrimp tacos for our dinner! The first of many shrimp dinners!
Bill and I had packed a deck of cards so we decided to teach Steven how to play “Hearts.” He picked it up quickly and we played for a couple of hours until it was time to climb the stairs to the rooftop terrace to watch the fireworks. We had read that the best place to be would be somewhere with a clear view of the sky, since fireworks would be going off all over. BEST.ADVICE.EVER. We starting watching around 11:45pm and they were already going off all around the city.
We toasted the New Year then stayed out for another half an hour or so. The fireworks continued the whole time, and we also saw 2 effigies being burnt on the street below us. While it may mean different things in other cultures, in Ecuador burning effigies is a way to forget the bad things of the outgoing year and hope the coming year will be better. We saw effigies for sale in the square earlier in the day, and some people make theirs at home. They are generally made by filling old clothes with sawdust or newspaper and adding a face with a mask. I’ve got to say I find it pretty creepy, but we were guests in Cuenca so we just watched with curiosity. In addition to burning them, some people also jump over them 12 times while they burn, once for each month.
The balance of our first week was filled with taking walks to learn the city. We visited the Mercado 12 de Abril several times. We walked along the Rio Tomebamba, where the rushing water drowned out the sounds of the city.
Another highlight of our first week was Bill’s birthday! We celebrated by meeting up with friends Brian & Sue. The place we choose for our lunch was Lacraft Beer Garden, which Brian & Sue had visited and recommended. Each couple ordered and split their Hamburguesa Bacon Container, which was a 320gr de Res (11.5oz double beef) , doble bacon, champinones (mushrooms), doble queso (double cheese) cheddar, cebeolla caramelizada (carmelized onion), espinaca (spinach), and crema agria (sour cream). The burgers were perfectly cooked, along with the potato wedges. Bill, Steven, and Brian all enjoyed their handcrafted beers. Linda, although a little skeptical, ended up loving their curveza sin alcohol (alcohol-free beer). Sue and I ordered off the cocktail menu. I don’t remember what she ordered, but mine was a Paloma, which was tequila, triple sec, tahini, and limon y sal. It was yummy! We ordered dessert of a brownie and ice cream. We all had to use GoogleTranslate to help us read the menu, so ordering took longer than usual, but was kind of fun. The best part, as always, was spending time with friends!
Speaking of a brownie, I might take a minute now to say the one thing we were consistently disappointed in in Cuenca was the baked goods. We finally decided the problem was the altitude, but the issue was the texture on all baked goods was just bad. They always look great but then after you bite into the bun or pastry, cookie or whatever, disappointment. I mean we don’t know 100% that the altitude is the problem, but it’s our best guess. The baked goods were also less sweet, which we didn’t mind. We tried 3 or 4 different bakeries in the month we were there.
Since our apartment was across the street from the Cementario Municipal (Municipal Cemetery) we took a walk there one day. It is HUGE and unlike any cemetery I’ve seen before.
As you can see from the pictures, even the older sections are very well kept and maintained, lovingly and with respect. While we didn’t see it, we heard a funeral one day while sitting on the terrace. There was a full band playing during it and it lasted for about 2 hours.
Our first week ended with us walking up town for a parade on the Dia De Los Inocentes (Day of the Innocents) or Epiphany Day. I’ve also read that the period of time starting Christmas Day and ending on January 6 is called La Fiesta de los Reyes Magos (The Festival of the Wise Men), or Three Kings Day. What a great time we had seeing all the costumes, listening to all the music, and just enjoying the whole festive vibe. There was food available; mostly we saw chicken on sticks. We had already eaten so while it was so tempting, we did not get any.
SPECIAL TREAT:
Steven put together a short video of the parade – check it out:
Previously: Cuenca Ecuador #1 – Planning and Arrival
Looking Forward: Cuenca Ecuador #3 – Cajas National Park
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What fun!
Totally was!
Always fun to explore new areas and cultures with great friends!
Safe travels!
You are so right!