Cuenca

We enjoyed a day exploring Cuenca which is Ecuador's 3rd largest city. Daniel woke up and had a buffet breakfast at the hotel but Gab stayed in the room and did some yoga (after feeling a bit sore after over 14 hrs on the bus yesterday!)

We then walked with the group to the main square where we saw some school children marching. Our guide, Guido, explained that because of the strong military culture in Ecuador, parades of this type very common thing and usually occur every Sunday.

We then visited the local markets and tried some different local fruits (some which are quite different to fruits we have at home!) . We then went and saw the meat stalls at the markets - they sell and eat all parts of the animal. We had some pulled pork for a snack at the markets then went back to the hotel to check out our bags.

We then went back to the main square and went to the top of the main cathedral which is considered the largest in Latin America. We walked around town for a bit. There were a lot of markets around and all of the churches were very busy with Sunday masses and parades.

Some of our group, organised a bus to the National Park. The national park was incredible, the landscape was so picturesque and one of the lookout points was over 4100m! The last stop at the National Park included a chocolate shop/Cafe where Gab enjoyed a hot chocolate with baileys and churros.

We then walked around the shops before heading for a quick dinner at a sports bar before boarding the night bus to Mancora, Peru at 8pm. Goodbye Ecuador - it has been amazing!!Read more