My Impression of Cuenca

Found in 1557, Cuenca is Ecuador's third largest city, just behind Quito and Quayaquil. Though Cuenca is famous for its splenidid colonial buildings and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is not as 'proud' as I thought.

The New Cathedral, built in 1885.



Cuenca, overview.

Leaving Riobamba, before coming to Cuenca, I always thought about the old city in Quito and comparing both of them. But once I got here, I could clearly tell who was the best.

I love the quiet mood spreading in the city, the politeness of the people here, the laziness of the sunshine and the old air I breathe in when I was walking amid of the old buildings.

Day and night of the Santo Domingo.



The Old Cathedral, built in 1557, but it looks 'newer' than the New Catedral though built 328 years earlier.

Beautiful streetviews of Cuenca.





Besides colonial buildings, Cuenca is also famous for Sombrero hat(generally known as Panama hat). I and Fabian visited the Taller del Sombrero, a museum describing the making process and history of Sombrero, combined with a beautiful shop selling Sombreros.

At first, I thought the museum would charge for entrance fee, then I found it didn't even charge a penny and also provided guide service for tourists. Nice staff. Strongly recommended. There was also a very nice cafe behind, selling indigenous coffee and chocolate. And the Sombreros were not expensive, Fabian bought one which only costed 15USD.

The most classic Sombrero.

It evolves to many different styles nowadays.

The raw Sombrero without any processing.