 | Cuenca Things To Do | Tips 31 - 40 of 67 |  |
Popular Things To Do | Miscellaneous Things To Do Tips | All Tips (67)  | |  |  | Watch churches at night :-) Fantastic! | |  |  | |  |
| | | | Museum of Aboriginal Cultures | | | | | |
In a bright, airy building, the museum of Aboriginal cultures has a wonderful collection of 5000 exhibits that tell the story of thousands of years of the region. The most ancient items go back to 13.000 BC. Very nicely displayed they occupy the area of 12 rooms, each one covering a distinctive period. It ends with the Inca era in about 1500AD. They are jewels, tools, agricultural instruments, ritual items, pottery, statues and various decorative articles. The selections were done by a specialist who has taught History of Ecuador for 30 years!
Upon entering you are given a leaflet with plenty of information in English or Spanish. Thus you can navigate yourself through the different rooms.
There is a large gift shop downstairs with a great variety of things such as books, bags, jewels, artifacts and hundreds more.
Mon to Fri 8.30-18.00/Sat 8.30-13.00
Entrance: adults 2$US / children & students 1$US / Third age 1.50$US
In the pleasant patio there is a nice cafeteria -”Merindia”-where you can rest for a while before or after visiting the museum.
Click to see more... Address: Calle Larga 5-24 - CuencaPhone: 2841540/2839181Directions: Entre Hermano Miguel & Mariano Cueva.Website: juancordero@hotmail.com
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Just one hour from Cuenca on the road to Guayaquil, you pass through a protected area where all trucks are checked for not carrying dangerous or suspicious cargo. This is the Cajas National Park at an altitude of 3000- 4450m. It's an amazing terrain of pure nature with more than 200 lakes and rivers that flow all the way to the Pacific and to the Amazon! It provides excellent hiking and trout fishing. Although it is usually misty or rainy, many prefer to camp for a night and enjoy its magic atmosphere in its full. The lake near the entrance is thought to have been sacred in old times. The forest of the quinua trees with their twisted branches reminds you of the film “the Lord of Rings”. And the amazing views of the shrubby mountain slopes with the still lakes and the absence of the natural sounds gives a unique feeling of immense solitude. However the reality is quite different because there is plenty of animals and plants if you come closer. There are many flowered bushes, the quinua trees at the lake and rivers, wildcats, pumas, deer, rabbits, ducks and a lot of birds, as woodpeckers, humming birds, Andean condors and a lot more....
There are many popular hikes which are not difficult and you can do them yourselves. Just call at the Information Center pay for your entrance(10$US) and ask the wardens about the trails. You will be provided with a free map and all the information you need. A popular trail starts right there . There is another one starting at a higher point called 3 Cruzes (altitude 4160m), because of the 3 Crosses, next to the road .
If you are a real fan of mountain hiking and need more days to take off your energy, buy a better map. Of course in any case you will need a compass, good waterproof boots and a windproof jacket. If it's a chilly day you will need a good warm jacket. For more days you will need a lot more, especially if you decide to camp.
In the so called “Lowlands”, which in fact are at 3100m, the scenery is more peaceful and familiar. You can meet cows and a lot of local people who come here to catch trout or just to escape the daily routine. The trout was introduced here but eliminated the indigent species, so people are urged to fish, which is really enjoyable in that environment.
You can come to the park by any bus going this way and ask to be dropped at the Information Center, which is near Lake Toreadora. There is some space in the Center where you can spend the night. Also a good hotel nearby and two or three places where you can warm up and have a meal.
Click on the photo
More pictures in my Travelogue "Cajas"
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| | | | Learn Spanish or make your studies in Cuenca | | | | | |
CEDEI (Center of Interamerican Studies) has the best reputation in Cuenca for academic studies regarding the language and cultures of South America. It is a non-profit institution and is accredited by Ecuador's Ministry of Education. There are individual and small-group classes in English, Spanish and Quichua, reseach in language and culture and social and cultural activities.
It also offers home-stays with local family, discounts in local restaurants and stores, a library, computer lab. For a 20hour course in Spanish and a home stay the price is about 300$. For a 2week course in Spanish price is 760$ including accommodation, meals and a lot of extras. For a 3month summer course an indicative price is 6,000$ including everything . For further information get into their site: www.cedei.org
CEDEI
Tarqui 13-45 y Pio Bravo
Casilla 597
Cuenca, Ecuador
(593) 7 283 9003 / fax (593) 7 283 3593
Center for Interamerican Studies
7549 W Cactus Rd, Suite 104
Peoria, AZ 85381-5200 USA
email: info@cedei.org
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On the southern side of San Sebastian square is the Museum of Modern Art with an excellent collection of temporary and permanent painting and sculpture exhibitions of contemporary artists. The sculptures occupy even the internal courtyards adorned with trees and flowers. A very pleasant place to wander. At the time of my visit there was an exhibition of Fernardo Botero paintings which are really enjoyable to observe. His extraordinary fattish figures are very cute in their perfect colours and shapes. I loved it.
The building was constructed in 1876 and is called The House of Temperance. ( Casa de la Temperancia) because it was originally built to house people who had drinking problems. Between the years 1976 and 1981 the Central Bank restored the building, and finally in 1982 the Museum of Modern Art was inaugurated here.
Open: Monday to Friday 8.30-13.00 and 15.00-18.30
Saturdays and Sundays 9.00-13.00
Free Entrance.
Click on the photo to see more... Address: Calle Sucre 15-44 and Miguel Heredia
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San Alfonso church was built in 1875. Its style combines different architectural elements reflecting a Gothic influence. It features three beautiful wooden carved doors on its facade.
Inside there are oil paintings with religious themes, created in the 18th century.
It is on Simon Bolivar and Antonio Borrero
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San Francisco church was built at the end of the 19th century. It was rebuilt in 1920 in a neo-colonial style. In 1970 it had another restoration of the inside, with nice plastic relief painted on the walls. Very little is left from the old temple, that is the gold-leaf pulpit and the high altar with the carving of the Virgen de la Inmaculada. This was created by a famous artist Bernardo de Legarda.
The tower of the facade is really distinguishable.
It's on the corner of the streets Padre Aguirre and Presidente Cordova in the center of Cuenca.
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The New Cathedral or Cathedral of Immaculate Conception started being built in 1880, in a Neo-Gothic style and it's one of the largest in America. It can take about 9,000 people! It is said that the towers were cut shorter than it was originally planned because it would not have been able to sustain the weight. In spite of the huge mistake of the architect, it is an impressive construction. Its facade is made of marble and alabaster. The pink marble of the floor was imported from Italy. Its eye capturing sky-blue domes are the symbol of the city. Its magnificent gold-leaf altar and the famous crowned image of Virgin Mary in the interior worth a visit.
There are more photos. Click... Address: On the corner of Mariscal Sucre and Benigno Malo.
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The colorful flower market is normally located in the Plazoleta del Carmen on the corner opposite the New Cathedral. When I was there the place was being remodeled so it was temporarily held in San Francisco square. Women dressed in nice blue and white clothes sell their locally grown flowers. The place smells beautiful and the florists look so neat and tidy in their dresses! Only a little tired of having their photos taken...
one more photo...
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The real name of this important church is “El Sagrario”, and it was the first church in the city, built in 1557. Inca blocks were used in its construction. It is no longer consecrated and is currently being remodeled as a museum. It is in the beautiful Park Abdon Calderon, where people gather for cultural events or just to rest and talk in its tranquility.
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on August 11, 2006
Cuenca
on May 3, 2008
