Eating in Cuenca, Ecuador

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Ecuador, Food, Travel

One thing that I really love about Cuenca, Ecuador is the food (other things include Dos Chorreras and Piedra de Agua)! In the weeks leading up to the trip I made a list of the foods that I wanted to eat most of all, and immediately went on a hunt for them as soon as I arrived. Before I talk about the “must haves” and some of my favorite foods, I thought I’d outline a typical day of eating:

• Breakfast: Fresh bread from a local bakery along with cheese, tea, and coffee. Fresh fruit was also plentiful. Once or twice we were also served oatmeal. Typically I was pretty full (and stayed full!) for a number of hours after this meal.
• Lunch: The big meal of the day. Because most people end up taking 2-3 hours off, this meal might be eaten at a restaurant or at home. My host family would typically serve the following: bread with soup (potato, pea, quinoa & chicken, etc… <-all amazing though!), a main course (rice, meat, and veggie), and a dessert. Fresh fruit juice was also plentiful.
• Dinner: Smaller than lunch, and typically eaten somewhere between 9 and 10:30 at night. We had sandwiches, hotdogs (they were mini and cooked in ketchup, coke, and carmelized onions, then put on a bun with chips on top. It was amazing), or oatmeal again. Again, all were amazing.

Fresh fruit market

Fruits are plentiful in Ecuador, and there are so many more varieties of fruits compared to what we get in the U.S. If you ever go to Ecuador, make sure you eat as many fruits as you can, along with the delicious fruit juices (I forgot to take any pictures of the juices 😦 ).

This is what the guaba fruit looks like from the outside

This is guaba fruit (note: this is different than guava). The fruit is somewhat fuzzy and you suck the outside off, and a large black seed (the size of a cockroach) is left behind. It’s delicious and I wish I could get them at home.

This is guinea pig (cuy) and I did NOT try it. I’m opposed to eating any animal that I’ve cuddled at some point (and I had guinea pigs when I was little).

French onion soup at Piedra de Agua

Potato soup at Dos Chorreras

Soups are my favorite, and potato soup is an absolute MUST HAVE in Ecuador. They have different potatoes and a different oil (can also come in a powder form) that makes it a little more orange. It’s usually served with a slice of avocado, and it’s amazing.

Every day you’re in Ecuador you need to find a fresh little bakery and try all sorts of breads! They have dessert and sweet breads (covered in sugar, filled with jam, rolled with chocolate, etc…) as well as typical breads and rolls that you’d eat at a meal.

Make sure you try the delicious coffee at a few different cafes. This is outside of Un Buen, which was delicious! I also brought coffee home with me.

And finally- you need to try Inca Cola. People have very mixed opinions (it sort of tastes like Bubble Gum I think), but it’s part of the cultural experience.

This is by no means the extent of the foods that I ate, but are the things that I tend to look forward to each time I head down to Ecuador. The foods are delicious, and I can’t wait to go back and get my favorites once again!

Now it’s your turn to share! What are some of your favorite foods you’ve had while traveling?

Dos Chorreras and Cajas National Park

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Ecuador, Travel

One of my favorite places to visit while in Cuenca, Ecuador is Dos Chorreras, which is up in Cajas National Park (in the Andes Mountains). (sidenote: another of my favorite places in the area is Piedra de Agua, where I got a massage in a cave in the side of a volcano!) Dos Chorreras is a trout farm, and provides absolutely amazing views on the property and from their restaurant. Their restaurant is built right into the rock and forest in the side of the mountain, and it’s absolutely beautiful!

Beautiful, right?

This is the view you’re met with driving up to the restaurant. Once you park, you’ll walk into a restaurant and pass this:

Looks fake, right? IT’S NOT

Two pictures in and I hope you’re getting the idea that this place is absolutely gorgeous! You’ll then be taken in and given a seat. We were in one of the rooms upstairs, and this is what it looked like:

The walls are either glass or made up of plants from the mountain, and it’s absolutely amazing.

If you walk around outside a bit (and I encourage you to look all around the property!), this is the view you’ll see on the path above the restaurant (again- can you say AMAZING?!). It’s absolutely breath taking. The property also has horses, and you can sign up for a horse back ride in the Andes.

One more shot of the Andes because it’s just beautiful. This is also where the horses head up the mountain.

If you’re in the area, a trip up to Dos Chorreras and Cajas is an absolute MUST. It’s absolutely gorgeous, the food is fantastic, and it’s well worth your time and money!

Piedra de Agua

Tags

Ecuador, Self Care, Travel

One of my favorite things I did while in Ecuador was spend an afternoon at Piedra de Agua, right outside of Cuenca. My host family was spending the afternoon, and I was invited to go along.

We first had lunch at the restaurant that is right there at the spa, and it was delicious! I started out with some french onion soup, and while it certainly looks different than when I’ve had it in the U.S., it was wonderful! I followed this up with some garlic chicken and tea.

Following the lunch, the others in my group went through all the steps in their relaxation package (it looks amazing, doesn’t it?), which took maybe 3-4 hours. While they were doing that, I ended up getting a half hour massage (that’s all the time they had free since I hadn’t made an appointment ahead of time).

Such a cool setting!

The massage was a bit different than any I had received before. First of all, the massages took place in a cave in the side of a volcano. Amazing, right? The setting alone made the money and trip there worth it. When I walked in, the massage therapist stayed in the room as I undressed, which is something I have never experienced before in the U.S. It was a little strange, but it was fine. The massage itself was good, and the entire experience was a lot of fun!

After the massage I spent about 30 minutes laying out by the pool in the sunshine. The view looks up at the Andes Mountains, and it’s gorgeous. I then walked around the facilities for about an hour or hour and a half and just enjoyed the view. Once my host family was done with their package, they invited me to join them for their fruit and chocolate platter, which was amazing!

The Red and Blue Mud Pools

The entire experience from the time we left Cuenca until the time we returned was about 5 hours, but of course it wouldn’t need to be that long if you were to just go for a meal or a massage. The trip is well worth it, and the setting is gorgeous.

Cuenca, Ecuador

Tags

Ecuador, Picture, Travel

So, I kept a tiny little secret from you all for the last few weeks. Since January 3rd I’ve been in Cuenca, Ecuador for a mix of work and fun, and just got home on Saturday. I had a really fantastic time, and I can’t wait to share some of my experiences with you all!

I flew into Quito, arriving just before midnight. Since I had to fly on one of Ecuador’s airlines, I had to wait until the morning to leave. I stayed at the Garden Hotel San Jose, and found it to be a great place to stay!

The hotel was on a cute little compound with a spa, and beautiful lawns and gardens.

The next morning I flew to Cuenca, Ecuador where I stayed for the week. I gave four hours of lectures while there , and enjoyed meeting with students and faculty members. The rest of the time was spent getting to know people in the city, spending time with people I already knew who live in the city, and touring around. And eating. Lots and lots and lots of eating. Enough eating that I’ll do an entire post just on the amazing food that was put in front of me almost every hour of the day.

One of my favorite things to do while in Cuenca is to walk around the old city. The tiny shops, women and men in traditional dress, and the cobblestone streets create a quaint and authentic experience.

The New Cathedral (made to be a duplicate of the Vatican)- if you ever go to Cuenca, make sure to walk up to the top of one of the towers. You’ll get a great view of the city, and an up close view of the domes!

Nativity display set up in the New Cathedral. They had Christmas songs playing via recording, and when I took this picture “Santa Clause is Coming to Town” was playing. Yes. Seriously.

Cute little signs on the bathroom doors

Women at the market. From what I could understand, they would hit the various plants on little children as they would say something specific. Some parents bring their children regularly for this experience.

The San Francisco market. There is a long row with maybe 12-15 of these little shops. It’s the perfect little place to buy souvenirs, especially scarves. I get a few scarves every time I go to Ecuador!

Outside a cute little cafe (called Un Buen) on “the porch of Cuenca”

Sunset in Cuenca over the Andes Mountains.

So there’s a quick little snapshot of my time in Cuenca. I’ll be doing a few specific posts about different events and things that happened while there!

Now it’s your turn to share! Have you ever been to Ecuador? Where’s your favorite place to travel?