Ecuador has 24 provinces. Cuenca is the largest city in the province of Azuay. The city’s full name is Santa Ana de los Cuatro Ríos de Cuenca. It was given that name because of the four rivers that run through Cuenca. The Rio Tomebamba flows through the center of town, and it is a great place to walk or have a picnic. We spent one month in Cuenca. It was just enough time to get acquainted with the city. We definitely could have spent more time here.
Cuenca has a population of over 500,000 people. The industries of Cuenca are textiles, furniture, and other crafts like shoes and hats. Panama hats are made in Cuenca by local artisans. The hats were made famous in Panama in the 1800s during the building of the Panama canal. Cuenca also exports flowers. Ecuador is the world’s third-largest exporter of cut flowers. The flower market in the city center is beautiful, and it is worth the visit.
Cuenca is a haven for expatriates from all over the world. We see the appeal. Cuenca has museums, nightlife, sports, cultural activities, shopping, a diverse array of restaurants, and much more.
We visited a few of the museums in Cuenca. The Pumapungo Museum and Arqueological Park is a museum about Ecuadorian history. There are exhibits built around a convent from Incan times.
We also visited the Museo del Sombrero to see how Panama hats are made.
Michael and I ventured out to explore the city and found another giant Mercado, Mercado El Arenal, in the opposite direction of Mercado 10 de Agosto in the city center.
We also found a mall with a Walmart-type store called Coral Hipermercados. The milk choices here make our head spin. You can find just about everything in Cuenca. Some items are cheap or reasonably priced, like fruits, vegetables, and clothes. Other items, like sunscreen, vitamins, Legos, and hot wheels cars are expensive. A spray can of sunscreen costs $24 (as opposed to $6 in the US). The grocery stores carry 20lb bags of animal crackers. Lucas and Henry were tempted, but they realized they could not carry the bag home.
Restaurants here are mostly cheaper than in the US. Michael and I went out on a date night to the Chinese restaurant down the street. We ordered wonton soup (the soup was large and full of shrimp, chicken, broccoli, bok choy, and carrots), two spring rolls, house fried rice, mixed chop suey, and a 1-liter beer for $20. We had at least two meals worth of leftovers that we brought home. There is a variety of types of food in Cuenca including traditional Ecuadorian fare, Chinese, Indian, Barbecue, and Italian.
One day we heard a truck driving by playing music. We instantly thought it was an ice cream truck, because it was a children’s song. The boys were disappointed to learn that is is a truck that sells propane tanks.
Trash comes three days a week. People put their trash bags on metal shelves that fold out from the walls in front of the house. Cuenca is a clean city. There is quite a bit of dog poop on the sidewalks, but not a lot of trash. There are no street sweepers here. We saw someone in a green uniform walking down our street one day picking up trash.
We can see the appeal of moving to Cuenca for retirees and families. The cost of living here is much cheaper than in the United States. The city is full of cultural and sports activities, and the weather is moderate year-round. We are glad we chose Cuenca as our first stop on our South America adventure.
