Day 66: Ingapirca and Cuenca - Wednesday January 12, 2011

The delicious Canari breakfast included homemade Andes fruit jams, sweet empanadas with a bit of cheese, pineapple slices on tomatillo jam, excellent coffee and eggs. The archaeological site brought to life the 40 years that the Inca conquered the Canari before the Spanish in turn conquered them. For example, the Canari used river stones for their buildings rather than the sculpted stone of the imperial Inca. The Canari focused on the moon and stars rather than the sun worship of the Incas. There was a touching monument for the togetherness of the at home Canari and those taken to Cuzco as soldiers or slaves.

The day has been clear and sunny so the drive through the Andes was picturesque at every turn. Our limited maps of Cuenca did not keep us from dead reckoning our way to Hotel Carvallo as it was dead center of the old Cuenca. The hotel was a grand old residence. There are grand churches everywhere and an old and new cathedral. We made the obligatory fly by. Cuenca is a sophisticated city of 400,000 and many universities that opens up to visitors.

We hunted for exotic food and for Panama hats. We ended up with Italian food and I bought a super fino from Alberto Pulla, the maker himself. Sizing was fun as my puffy hair made my head seem bigger than life. We will try again for quality art tomorrow.

Dinner at Tequila Restaurant where 4 little old ladies ran the Andean kitchen was fabulous: Fava beans with local white cheese, Andean soup, chicken tomales in banana leaf, and meats with mote sucio & aji sauce.