From the Coast to the Andes

When we left Galapagos we flew to the costal city of Guayaquil, a city of 2 million people. We stayed in a small hotel across from the waterfront, called the Malecon. Guayaquil has done a lot to beautify the waterfront and ensure that it is a safe place for visitors and Ecuadorians. There is a strong security presence on the Malecon, and we felt quite safe walking there even after dark.

The botanical garden on the Malecon

View of the Malecon from above

During the day it is safe to walk in the area a few blocks in from the Malecon. In the park near one of the large cathedrals a group of land iguanas live. These are a different species from the land iguanas in Galapagos. Someone feeds them lettuce, and there is a large group of them in the park.

Land Iguana

 

Notice the "wattle" under his neck

 

A friendly encounter

We spent only two nights in Guayaquil, then took a bus to Cuenca, in the Andes. Cuenca is a very old city, part of the original Inca empire, though little evidence of that remains. It presently has a population of about 500 thousand. The whole city of Cuenca is a world heritage site, and the architecture shows its colonial roots.

We spent our first two days looking at the markets and learning our way around.

In the flower market. A dozen roses for $4.00

 

The humming bird that lives in the garden of our hotel

 

A market woman with cheese and candy made from nuts and cane sugar

 

On Sunday we took a day trip to Ingapirca, the ruins of the city of the Inca nobility, about 30 km from Cuenca. On our way to Ingapirca we stopped in a couple of towns. In Biblian we saw a church that was built into the mountain rocks. It is the Church of the Virgin of the Morning Dew.

 

The view from the church in Biblian

In Canar we visited the indigenous market. The whole town turns into a market selling everything you can think of and a few things you couldn't imagine. We saw the usual vegetables and fruit, hardware and dry goods, clothing and shoes, meat and fish, live chickens, turkeys, puppies, and guinea pigs.

 

The grain market

 

Vegetables and fruit

 

And dozens of kinds of potatoes