Cuenca

Designated a Unesco World Heritage Site, we weren´t sure what all the fuss was about. The old architecture is beautiful and we loved the potable tap water, but perhaps we missed something.

To give Vivian the full backpackers experience, Jason and Vivian picked a $6 a night hostel in downtown Cuenca (Janice was not involved in the selection process). Although the views were nice and the people were really friendly, it was obvious why it was only $6 a night. However, Vivian enjoyed the novelty of the whole experience and could handle it for the few days that we were there.

While in Cuenca we took a day trip to Incapirica, one of the largest Inca ruins in Ecuador. Although much smaller than the ruins in Peru, we thought Vivian might like to see remmants of the ancient civilization. Although the Incas were only in Ecuador for less than 100 years before the Spanish arrived, the still managed to make their mark on the people here.