Cuenca and La Cajas

11/01/2018

We crave Banana Pancakes! Unfortunately, it's not that easy to find a shop in Cuenca that is open and can give us change of 20 dollars, especially in the 'early' morning (at 8:30 AM!!!). After an eternity, we find both in combination and stock up. So, what was supposed to be a hearty breakfast turns into more of a lunch. But we're enjoying ourselves.

However, we don't see much of Cuenca on this day. Our Avianca drama has to be dealt with first, after all, our flight to Panama leaves in 10 days from Bogota and we're not even in Colombia anymore. There doesn't seem to be a solution in sight on this day. Nobody has responded to our countless emails, we can't find any additional contacts on the internet, and our attempts to call England are inexplicably failing. We have no choice but to ask Annika's dad in Germany for help and wait it out.

But we won't let that stop us from strolling through the streets of Cuenca. The city is home to over 330,000 inhabitants and is clearly influenced by its colonial past.

In the city center, people gather around the 'Plaza Abdón Calderón'. Cuenca is currently celebrating a big festival and its independence from the Spaniards on November 3rd. Unfortunately, we'll miss the upcoming grand parade on that day because all accommodations have been booked for weeks. So, we can't extend our stay in Cuenca and decide to take a night bus across the border to Peru the next day.

Ecuadorians seem to have a fondness for mascots and street performers these days. Son Goku and Hulk rub shoulders with Chucky the Killer Doll and the Predator.

11/02/2018

Our plan for today is a hike through Cajas National Park. One hour by bus lies the tundra landscape with over 270 lagoons at around 3800 meters above sea level. Our travel companions on this day are Anna, one of our hostel roommates from Menorca, and the familiar Massimo.

Unfortunately, Anna couldn't enjoy this natural spectacle very much. For her, it's her first tour at such an altitude without proper acclimatization. From headaches to rapid heartbeat and chills, she experiences it all. However, despite her insistence, it's hard for us to leave her alone in this state at the refuge where she wants to spend the night.

The three of us set off on the journey back to Cuenca and replenish ourselves with New York-style pizza before boarding the night bus across the border to Peru.