Week two in Cuenca found us finishing another round of Sad Mrs Sam Sack as we moved from a humble, crowded, inexpensive little apartment in an old building to a new condo that looks and feels more like it belongs in Chicago, complete with 3 bedrooms.
Just to seal the deal, we took advantage of a Monday 2-for-1 deal at a fancy spa outside of town called Piedra de Agua. The kids swam in the pool while the adults were treated to aromatherapy steam rooms, mud baths, hot+cold contrast pools, and lounging around in robes.
The highlight of the week for me was getting up close to a huge Black Crested Eagle at a unique zoo called Amaru.
Amaru is built on a steep mountainside with minimal fencing and a dirt path. Zoe absolutely loved the tropical bird exhibit. You just walk around in a huge caged enclosure with all these beautiful birds that aren’t shy with humans.
It also gave us a great overlook of Cuenca. Almost all of our time here as been spent in the historic center and we don’t get the birds-eye view, so I forgot how much area the city covers.
You know those famous “Panama” hats? They’re not from Panama. The origin and tradition belongs to Ecuador. We stopped by one of the museum/factories, where you can see how they’re made and spend as little as $30 or over a $1000.
The weekend took us under yet another impressive waterfall. We took a bus to see Chorro de Girón, a series of three tall waterfalls (2nd tallest in South America). The volume of water is relatively low, and with such a long drop, it mostly turns into mist— a stark contrast from the raging tumult of Pailon de Diablo.
After the short hike to the falls and back, the girls took some long, yet fantastically cheap ($5!), zip line rides across the canyon and back.