Our hosts recommended a trip to the nearby town of Baños for a soak in waters from “the heart of the volcano.” There is a spa there called Piedra de Agua and after a terrifyingly, fast bus ride we arrived at this entrance.
Once inside, we went through a series of spa activities – cold shower, steam room, red mud bath, blue mud bath, a soak in a volcanic mineral pool, cold pool plunge and more. The really wild ride started when we caught the return bus home. We missed our stop and spent 1 hour and 40 minutes on the bus winding our way in and out of the city. Happily, we eventually returned to our home base. Unfortunately, the return bus ride “undid” the relaxed spa experience.
There are several nice breakfast places nearby but our favorite is Tienda Cafe – today the fresh juice was strawberry.
There are also many bakeries like this colorful one, just around the corner.
We visited several churches today – the San Francisco Church was quite spectacular.
Nearby, the immense main cathedral is Cathedral de la Immaculada started in 1885 – it’s considered to be the “new” Church.
We learned that a popular drink in Ecuador is horchata – pink in color and made with fresh herbs, lemon, and sugar. We tried the herb-y drink served as a gin cocktail at La Caleta Neuva Cocina.
We’ve met several American couples who live here permanently – they like the inexpensive cost of living and the congenial attitude of the locals. We’ve enjoyed our stay here but partly due to the traffic and pollution, we can’t imagine making Cuenca a permanent home. Here’s a view of the traffic today…
We found this goofy llama at the market today – she makes us smile!
One more full day here and we’re off to Quito!