Our visit to Cuenca Ecuador was a very last minute decision. I actually thought of bypassing it so that we would have more time at the beach in Mancora, Peru (I can’t help it, it calls to me!). We had a week to get to Lima and were planning our hops accordingly. After a few heckles from the travel community about skipping it, we decided to head out for a day or two.
I was unimpressed with Quito as a whole so I didn’t expect much out of Cuenca… The surroundings hit me as we walked around the city during golden hour – holy crap, this place is pretty special. It was one of the prettiest colonial cities I had seen since we had left Cartagena, Colombia and by far the prettiest city in Ecuador.
Maybe I’m just in love with the architecture. Maybe it’s that it reminds me so much of walking down the streets of Spain. Maybe my eyes were just starving for something new. Regardless, I was inspired for the first time in ages.
Wow! Such impressive architecture. Great photos.
Ohhh, awesome. So excited to get to Ecuador.
Now that I have been to Europe when I see Colonial towns in photos, I wanna place them in different cities over here. They would just fit in perfectly. Great photos!
Beautiful photos! Definitely makes me want to visit! We regret not visiting Ecuador and Bolivia while in Peru a few months ago. Thanks for sharing.
I’m in love with the third photo. All the pics are great, but something about that one just does it for me!
Wow, SO pretty!! Makes me think of Spain, not Ecuador.
Phew! Glad you didn’t skip Cuenca, though Mancora will definitely be a fantastic place to get stuck in.
@Evan: RIGHT? Everything is so beautiful!
@Kim: Everywhere is so different. Be prepared to have your mind blown!
@Jaime: It is really weird to see the influences for sure. South America has been so amazing Jaime, you would LOVE it here.
@Ellen: Thank you! I would try to not to think too hard about missing countries – it is almost impossible to see everything. We’re missing Brazil and the “guays” this time around.
@Emily: I’m always fascinated by streets – just the normalcy of them… and how beautiful they can be.