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World Travels.....South America... ..Ecuador fe..Educador Murals.. |
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Cuenca's
New Cathedral and some of the old balcanies
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CUENCA, ECUADOR ...Y My trip to Cuenca was a direct result of the tsunami in Japan, perhaps the only good thing to come from that disaster. I had to flee to the highlands of the Galapagos Islands during the tsunami. That's when I met Carlos, who does community development in Cuenca, and a mural project was born. (For the complete story, read my adventures in Mural 14.) Anyone who has visited Cuenca and traveled Ecuador knows that it is the most beautiful city in Ecuador. It's famous for it's parks, cobblestone streets, and balconies. With its abundance of historic buildings, the center of the old town is a UNESCO World Heritage site. |
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It's
a good bet that if you buy any souvenirs in Cuenca, you're going to
walk away with a Panama hat. Of course, you might have thought Panama
hats were from Panama. You would be wrong. They became famous during
the construction of the Panama Canal, but they are made in Ecuador.
The good ones don't come cheap. The starters at the quality hat shops
begin at $48. The most expensive ones were over $600. I wasn't brave
enough to even touch the expensive ones.
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| Casa San Rafael and some meat not allowed in my casa | ||||||||
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Cuenca
is a big city. It's the third largest city in Ecuador. If you want
to get out of the city, as I did, a great destination is Cañar.
The attraction for me in Cañar was
its indigenous population. The market was an eye festival of color
and traditional
hats. I loved it. And, if you want to go just a little farther,
Ecuador's finest example of Inca ruins are found at Ingapirca.
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| Copyright 2011 by Phillip Martin All rights reserved. | ||||||||