It was hard to believe we were down to our last week in Ecuador.
Sunday started with a walk through the Cementerio Municipal (Municipal Cemetary.) We had walked through it before, but I hadn’t taken a lot of pics before. It was a breezy day, with clouds that would darken the sky for a few moments before the sun would randomly pop out again.
This was our view from the rooftop terrace every day. Love that little pop of blue. The main entrance is what you see next to the colorful umbrella. Each deceased person’s spot (I looked for half an hour for the official name and couldn’t find any definitive info – sorry) has a door that is locked and people to come to pay respects leave flowers or other items. We had never seen anything like it.There were also some very elaborate graves.ChapelNot that I am an expert, (I actually usually avoid cemetery’s) this one was very nicely maintained.This is the view of our apartment building taken from the top of one of the walls. The top left was Linda & Steven’s place with the rooftop terrace to the left of it. Our apartment was below the rooftop terrace.Our last visit to the Mercado 12 de Abril. We HAD to get the empanadas – so good!Bill and I with Marie, our dollar fruit and veg lady. She was so sweet and patient with me while I tried to tell her what/how much of things I wanted.Our last time getting shrimp (which I still miss btw)One of the side hallways at the Mercado.
The freshness and taste of all fruit and veg was fantastic.The Mercado was HUGE, and this one wasn’t even the biggest!UpstairsWe never found what we considered a really good bakery, but this one was the best of the ones we tried (there were quite a few)It’s easy to want to get one of each, which we did. Just so disappointing most of the time. Ok – all the time.Linda trying to choose a thing we hadn’t tried before, in hopes of finding the ONE. (spoiler: didn’t happen)Our last delicious shrimp tacos. They were so good!
We took a lot of walks during our last week. One day we decided to head out later in the afternoon, have dinner out and then walk around while it was getting dark so we could take pics. Linda & Steven met us for dinner at Raymipampa, which is right on Parque Calderon.
Love this viewLights are just starting to come on...This is why it’s so clean, they do this every day...
We had been talking about taking the bus tour of Cuenca since we had arrived, but there never seemed to be a good time. Since it was our last week, we finally made the time. We had seen a lot of the places already, but it was a nice way to spend a few hours seeing how all the pieces fit together.
One of the hipermercado chains.Parque CalderonWe were always amazed at how clean the streets always were.We had walked on the street a few times, but the view is different from the top of the bus.I loved all the very colorful murals that were all over Cuenca.You can see the 3 domes in the distance.
On our day with Orlando this week, he took us to visit what is known as “The Three Villages.”
At our first stop, we learned all about how this family makes guitars. Orlando introduced us to the owner, Jose Homero Uyaguari. Jose showed us that they make all the decorative pieces that they then use to make to create the inlay. The pieces are about the size of a grain of rice. the little “grains of rice” size pieces are created by gluing together different colored shavings. Very tedious, but the results are amazing.These beautiful guitars sell for $400 and up, depending on how intricate they are. When we first arrived, I thought $400 was a lot, but now, knowing the amount of work and time it takes, $400 is a bargain.I was tempted to get one of these for these smaller ones for the girls, but that would have been an expensive toy they are too young to appreciate.
At the end of our tour and guitar making lesson, we were treated by having one of the owners son play for us.
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Orlando also played a little for us.
We passed this beautiful home on our way to our next stop.Very colorful.
Our next stop was all about toquilla/Panama hats. Did you know Panama hats are not (and never were) actually made in Panama, but in Ecuador? They started being called Panama hats when President Theodore Roosevelt wore one in Panama when he visited the Panama canal when it was completed.
“We are what we do, day by day, so excellence is not an act, but a habit.”Orlando explaining that each hat needs between 6 – 8 “straws” (what’s in his hand) to complete. The hats are started in the middle (what becomes the center of the top) and more are added until the desired size is reached.I don’t remember the exact name of this, but it functions like a steam iron and is used to create the shape of the hats. There are several different molds for different sizes and shapes. You can see the leather pieces hanging on the far side of the machine; they are used to keep the steamer from burning the hats. These are ready to be “finished.” Notice the different types of weave patterns.I got one of these for my son. Aren’t they amazing?I believe they said this is the largest Panama hat in the world..These ladies were sitting in the square while waiting for their children to get released from school. They belong to a cooperative that weaves the hats. They each make about 3 to 4 a week.Beautiful countryside!.Getting close to the next stop. Notice what’s hanging on the lamppost. Also, once again, notice how clean the streets are. Ecuadorians take pride in their country.I missed his name, but this gentleman is a second generation jeweler and he made exquisite silver jewelry. Notice the tiny little pieces of silver on the tray. He made it look so easy, but that’s only because he’s been doing this his whole life. He added each of those tiny pieces individually. Finished piece. While it isn’t my taste, I have a lot of respect for the amount of work it took to create this piece.The giant earrings were on lampposts everywhere.Center of town.Parque ChordelegOur next stop was the town of Gualaceo, where we had lunch at the mercado. While we did not eat it, we saw these ladies selling “cuy” (pronounced ku e) which is Guinea Pig. They are definitely larger than the Guinea Pigs my kids had as pets, but none of us had any desire to eat them.Town SquareTraditional Ecuadorian dresses and Panama hats.I don’t think this place was supposed to be open and we weren’t going to stop, but when Orlando saw it was open, he asked if we wanted to see Orchids and of course we said YES!Such vibrant colors!..
Our next and final stop was a place that made handcrafted shawls.
A very old loom.Showing us the different things they use to dye the wool.You can see the different colors hanging.Different patterns can be put onto the wool by tying string in knots around the wool.Demonstrating how the loom works. Tying finishing knots in the fringe.Me, trying out one of the shawls. It was so soft. I got one for my Mom.
And with that, our day with Orlando was over. He drove us home and dropped us off. We were sad to see him go, but so grateful we found him and that he showed us around his beautiful country. We learned a lot from him. Thank you Orlando!
Our last day in Cuenca was filled with packing. We were less than enthusiastic about it. We also sat upstairs on the terrace, taking in the views one last time. We had decided earlier in the week that after dinner, we would take a taxi up to Turi lookout for one last drink and watch the lights come on. We had been up there a couple of times during the day and had commented how beautiful it must be at night.
Sun is dipping below the horizon. Lights are just starting to come on. This was taken at 6:20pm.5 minutes later Went in to have a drink. The lights are definitely on now. 6:57pm.7:24pmOur last selfie. Turi lit up.Snapped this from the rooftop terrace when saying our “see you later’s!” to Steven & Linda. 5:08am.
Orlando picked us up right on time and away we went to the airport. He gave me a big hug when helping me take my bags out of the car.
Looking forward to: Cuenca Ecuador #6 – Wrapping It Up Including Costs
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4 thoughts on “Cuenca Ecuador #5 – Three Villages”
Excellent summary of all the things we did together. We had a great time with you!
What an amazing experience overall. Loved the tour, its really cool to see how things are made and the streets are amazingly clean which is awesome. Wonderful post made me want to visit!
Excellent summary of all the things we did together. We had a great time with you!
Thanks! We had a blast with you guys! Looking forward to the next adventure!
What an amazing experience overall. Loved the tour, its really cool to see how things are made and the streets are amazingly clean which is awesome. Wonderful post made me want to visit!
Thanks Tracy! We had a great time!