Cuenca

After the Baños aria, we are quite happy to head south. We take the bus to Cuenca. A supposedly safe city, but that should also be Baños. Let's see... It is the third largest city in Ecuador and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Cuenca is located at just below 3,000 meters above sea level and is the capital of the so-called Panama hats. We look at their production and history in a small manufactory. The hats are braided by hand in different qualities and exported all over the world. Depending on the delicacy, a hat can cost up to US$3,000. Gerriet would have liked to buy a cheaper version but unfortunately, the hat is not suitable for transportation in a backpack. Too bad, but it is worth a photo. We stroll comfortably through the historic city center with many cathedrals, the traditional flower market "Mercado de las Flores" and very beautiful colonial buildings. A visit to the Mercado 10 de Agosto market hall should not be missed either. Here you will mainly find food such as fresh fruits and vegetables, meat, fish and many spices. On the second floor are the small food stalls where they sell plenty of juice and simple, local dishes for little money. Everything is freshly prepared. A whole, fried pig in the display often serves as an eye-catcher. Speaking of pigs. We notice that every second shop in the Mercado feels like a hairdressing salon in the immediate vicinity of the adjacent slaughterhouse stands. It takes a lot of getting used to the idea of getting the latest hairstyle trend right next to the vividly lined meat offer. Almost as strange as buying a refrigerator at the same store as motorcycles. So there is something for everyone - one stop shop. The small shrines with sacred figures in the middle of the chicken halves seem just as bizarre to us.

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