two days in Cuenca: seeing the sights and meeting people
Rest day one:
"I was 50 when I took up cycling. I'm 82 now. It's such a great way to see a country" says the lady at the next table. We are having breakfast with Karen and Brian when the older couple they knew came into the Sunrise Cafe. It's a small expat community here in Cuenca. Karen has lived here for 6 years and Brian for 2 years. They are avid mountain bikers and suggested meeting for breakfast.
Breakfast was just like at home with pancakes, eggs, bacon and refills on the coffee! The lady continued explaining she climbed Kilimanjaro at age 60 and again at age 70 . And has cycled over 92,000 km and her husband of 32 years over 103,000 km. Very inspiring! Before moving here from Canada they were involved in the Audax randonneures organization there.
After our sightseeing binge yesterday afternoon we take it easy today. We find a large supermarket and stock-up on some goodies for the next week. Near the supermarket we spot a McDonald's...... in the evening we take a taxi there and back to enjoy our first Big Mac in quite some time. The place is overrun with schoolkids who seem to congregate outside near the two opposite entrances. There is a constant migration through the restaurant of large groups of kids from one side of the building to the other. Must be the place to be seen.
Rest day two:
There's a great bakery just across the street that Patrick went to for breakfast pastries while Rachel made coffee in the hostel kitchen. They have nice apple strudel, cream puffs with real whipped cream, and a huge variety of breads. We also had juice and yogurt, it's so nice to have a refrigerator for food.
At ten, we join a free walking tour of the city, except that the walk takes us out of the historic center to the river from where we board a minibus to a "panama hat" factory. It is interesting to see how the hats are made from the fibers of the toquilla palm tree. The name is a misnomer, started by Teddy Roosevelt. The hats were sold to the builders of the Panama canal and when the president visited he wore one and called it a Panama Hat. The hat really originates in Ecuador. The hats are woven by women out in the villages, then sold to factories like this one who bleach, dye and shape them. A woman can weave one in about 4 to 6 hours over two days and sells it for 8 to 10 dollars for a regular weave. The shops sell these mid-level hats for about $40. High end hats can go for thousands of dollars.
The hats are interesting, we even buy a mini-version to hang on the wall, but we had expected more historic buildings on our tour. After lunch at an empanada place, we do some bike maintenance and later have dinner at a fancy Mexican restaurant. Tomorrow we are moving on.
