Day 7 – Alausi to Cuenca
We made a 2 stops :
- Devil’s nose mountain
- Ingapirca ruins
We stopped at Devil’s nose mountain to see the railway tracks which is one of South America’s most iconic stretches of rail. The Devil’s Nose train descends the Andean mountainside via an impressive set of switchbacks. As mentioned in my previous page in this blog, the train is not operating currently as Ecuadorian government closed down the country’s railways in 2020 to reduce expenditure. The train station you see at the bottom of the mountain is the Sibambe train station. Alausi to Sibambe train journey was 45 min. There are steps that go all the way to the bottom. Since we were pressed for time, we climbed down maybe one fourth of the way, admired the view and took a few snaps and were back on top. It was clear that the task of building the railroad was an arduous task and the sights that one would get riding the train would have been impressive.
Our next stop was Ingapirca Ruins which are the largest known Inca ruins in Ecuador. Ingapirca is a Kichwa word that means “Inca’s wall.”
- The Pilaloma complex on the south side marks the original Cañari settlement. The most interesting feature is the collective tomb of a Cañari priestess and 10 of her servants, who were buried alive with her upon her death, along with thousands of spondylus shells. The tomb lies under a large stone that is thought to be linked to various astronomical calculations and was possibly used as a sacrificial altar.
- Farther into the complex, there is an expansive open space where large numbers of devotees gathered for ceremonies. Just beyond this, a fragment of Inca road remains, part of a network that once connected religious and administrative centers across Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, Bolivia, Argentina, and Chile. Other features include ceremonial baths, agricultural terraces, and grain storage areas.
- The highlight of the complex is the elliptical Temple of the Sun, the only one of its kind in the Incan empire, built on top of an ancient Cañari ceremonial rock. A site for rituals, the structure was also used to determine the agricultural and religious calendars. An important event, Inti Raymi (Festival of the Sun) is still celebrated at Ingapirca every June. The view is equally as impressive.
- Next to the temple is the House of the Chosen, where the most beautiful girls from the neighboring villages lived as Virgins of the Sun. Removed from their families as children, they were taught how to dance, embroider, weave, and cook under the supervision of matrons called Mama Cunas. Their duties included entertaining visiting Incan dignitaries, preparing ceremonial food, maintaining a sacred fire, and weaving garments for the emperor and for rituals. They would go on to marry high-ranking men such as Incas distinguished soldiers, and priests.
- Also near the temple is a large stone with 28 holes of varying sizes, thought to have been a lunar calendar. It is believed that the holes were filled with water, which told the date by reflecting the moon’s light differently throughout the month.
Near the entrance is a small museum that houses a collection of Cañari and Inca ceramics, sculptures, tools, traditional dress, and a skeleton found at the site.
Day 8 – Tour of Cuenca
This beautiful city is located in southern Ecuador. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Cuenca’s cobbled streets, churches and plazas take you back to colonial times. One can wander around the narrow streets exploring the many squares, parks, and churches. The historic Central Plaza has the Old and New Cathedral as well as many cafés and restaurants. New Cathedral of Cuenca was built in the 1960s and you can get a view of its three beautiful blue-tiled domes from the San Francisco Plaza behind. We climbed to the top of the dome (165 steps) to get a view of the main plaza.
Old Cathedral of Cuenca (Iglesia del Sagrario) – Built in 1567 from stones taken from nearby Inca buildings, highlights include its old organ from 1739, its tower clock from 1751. It is a museum now and costs $3/person to tour inside.
Church of San Blas – The beautiful dome can be seen from most places within the old city and is located in Plaza San Blas Square.
Plaza de San Francisco – The San Francisco church dominates the plaza on one side. You can also see the beautiful blue-tiled domes of the New Cathedral from this plaza.
Panama Hats – city of Cuenca is the world’s major exporter of Panama Hats. We spent some time trying out hats in Panama Hat museum. If you buy one, remember that you cannot bend it. The shops provide a hat box which can be put in your suitcase. I did not have space in my suitcase and so did not buy one. You do have the option to travel with it on your head all the time 
. My husband bought a cute Panama cap which did not require any hat box and took less space in our suitcase.
Our guide took us to a the Vado-bakery neighborhood. It is no longer a bakery place but it had some interesting art work, one of them depicting the game of polo encebado – greased pole that has been made slippery with lubricants and thus difficult to grip. One has to climb the pole to get to a gift. We got a wonderful view of the Tomebamba river that flows through the center of the city. It divides the old town from the more modern area of the city.
We then stopped by a market place. We saw many fruits/vegetables that are not normally found in other parts of the world.
Turi Lookout – Our guide took us to Turi lookout for a panoramic view of Cuenca City. The vista of red tiled roofs and the unmistakable blue cathedral towers make the trip worthwhile. This place is about 25 min by car from old city Cuenca.
We loved our stay in Cuenca. If you only had time to do 2 cities in Ecuador, I would pick Cuenca and Quito. The hotel we stayed in here was also riad like and just beautiful. We found that doing laundry in hotels in Ecuador is really cheap, less than $5/Kg.
