For the last six months we have called Cuenca, Ecuador home. Now, as we are preparing to return to the States, we’re looking back fondly at our time here and wanted to share a bit of what our life in Cuenca has been like.
Over the New Years holiday we spent twelve wonder-filled, unforgettable days exploring the Galápagos Islands. We had heard about the islands, seen photos, and had watched some videos, but none of that prepared us for how truly awesome they are!
Well, that is a great question. And while this is not a story about our bathroom emergencies, it is a tale of our visit to the town of ‘baths’. Baños de Aqua Santa, commonly referred to as Baños, is located in the mountain highlands of Ecuador. The town gets its name for the many hot springs located in the city and rests at the foot of the volcano Turgurahua. The Pastaza River flows in the valley which is harnessed for hydroelectricity before it heads down to the Amazon basin. The city sits in a narrow valley at around 6000ft and …
“So, is it a pretty curvy road?” I asked Luis, our driver, as we headed out of Cuenca. “No, not very curvy,” Luis replied-with complete seriousness. “So, is it a pretty curvy road?” I asked Luis, our driver, as we headed out of Cuenca. “No, not very curvy,” Luis replied-with complete seriousness. Approximately 500+ tight turns and 9.5 hours later we arrived in Tena, the gateway to the northern Ecuadorian Amazon!
As we left the US, we were excited, nervous, sad, and honestly a bit scared for what was to come; new adventures and all. To ease our transition (and for a great vacation) we crashed our close friend’s Costa Rica vacation!
