Life in Cuenca, Ecuador
What could make International Living magazine list Cuenca as one of the best retirement places in the world for ten consecutive years? 

Descriptions of "The City of Eternal Spring", a UNESCO World Heritage Site, palm trees at 8,400 feet, and an astounding, year-round abundance of fresh, just picked food, all at a remarkably low cost of living, intrigued us.  

​ So, we did our research, rented an apartment in the "Historic District", packed our bags and set off to see what life was like in the Ecuadorian Andes.
Cuenca means basin in Spanish.  The city sits at 8,400 feet in the Andes, on a plateau surrounded by mountains.
​
​Frequently referred to as "The City of Eternal Spring".
Cuenca’s daytime temperatures rarely get much above highs in the 70s and lows in the 50s degrees Fahrenheit
( 25 - 10 degrees Celsius)
​
That said, nothing we read prepared us for the impact of palm trees at over 8,000 feet.
​

Cuenca is Ecuador's third largest city and the capital of Azuay province.
​
Known for its rich intellectual, artistic and philosophical traditions as-well-as, dedication to maintaining its' ​authentic state of preservation.
It's one of Ecuador's three
​UNESCO World Heritage sites.  
While Cuenca is a city with a population of over 600,000,
​it exudes a decidedly more leisurely ambience.
In the "Historic District", streets are paved with cut stone, there are no overhead electrical wires and buildings maintain the look and feel of the 1800's.

​If you could magically make the cars, trucks and buses disappear and replace them with horses and buggies, you might think you had slipped back in time to the 1800's.
Two buildings stand side-by-side, one built in the 1800s and the other built in the 2000s. The only way to tell which is which, is to see the sides of the buildings, which are sometimes left exposed.
​The building from the 1800s will display its' original red, mud-brick construction, while the building built in 2000 will be cinder block.  Otherwise, it's impossible to tell which is which.

The Heart of the City

​In the classic Spanish tradition, Parque Calderon is, literally and figuratively, the heart of the city.  To the east and west of the park are the "old" and "new" cathedrals.  To the north and south are government buildings. 

Park Calderon is where Cuencans meet friends, promenade and people watch. On park benches, old friends catch up on the latest events and lovers sit gazing into each other's eyes.
 One corner of the park is always filled with laughter from children dressed up in brightly colored sombreros, riding wooden horses while parents are busy snapping  photographs. 

The park provides a relaxed garden like atmosphere in the centre of the city, with something for young, old and all ages in between.   
The "Old Cathedral" Iglesia de El Sagrario
F​rom a bench in Parque Calderon, you can see two of Cuenca’s most historic and  beautiful churches. 
T​he Old Cathedral, Iglesia de El Sagrario, built in 1557.  Over time it became too small to accommodate the city's growing congregation.  The old cathedral, deconsecrated in 1981 is now a museum.

​​Metropolitana de la Immaculada Concepcion, "The New Cathedral" was started in 1885 and completed ​almost a century later, in 1975.  ​​
​Metropolitana de la Immaculada Concepcion, "The New Cathedral" 
​The three iconic domes of the "New Cathedral" rise above the city of Cuenca.
A​cross the street and just south of the New Cathedral, is one of the city's oldest monasteries, Monastery of El Carmen de Asuncion, founded in 1682.  
T​he sweet smell of roses will lead you to the monastery's courtyard and you will find yourself in the Plaza de las Flores, the city's famous flower market.
After a leisurely stroll in Parque Calderon, we always found ourselves heading to our favorite gelato parlor -  Tutto Fredo's. 
Tubs of delectable gelato are made fresh daily.  Teri's favorite was hazelnut, topped with strawberries or hot chocolate. 

​Their wonderful gelato was like a siren call to our palettes, encouraging us to make this a daily treat!    We weren't Tutto Fredo's only fans.  Most days the line to place your order wound around the store and out onto the sidewalk. 
We went everyday to Tutto Fredo's, we did not gain weight. In fact we lost weight in Cuenca.  Was it the altitude, the fresh non industrialized food, the exercise?  Whatever it was we were in foodie heaven.​

​It was clear to us that Ecuadorians were lovers of good food.  One of our benchmarks for a place is that culture's relationship with food. We can tell you that Cuenca did not disappoint!
You have to love a city that loves good ice cream!
Dining out was a joy.  We ate out at least one meal almost every day.  Menu items were locally sourced and cooked fresh daily. 

The cost of dining in Cuenca's many 4 and 5-star restaurants, by North American standards, was unbelievably reasonable.  For example, the cost of a filet mignon steak dinner (a large filet), i.e., dinner with all the trimmings, in two of our favorite 5 star restaurants was $8.00 at El Jardin and $8.25 at Casa Alonso.  ​You can't have lunch at McDonald's in North America at those prices!
In addition to the great prices, we were made to feel like valued customers.  The third time we dined at Casa Alonso, the chef came out and asked us what we would like.  When we asked to see the day's menu, he said, "No,no I mean, what would you like me to cook for you today" . 

While prices are low, by North American standards, dining in top-of-the-line restaurants is not something most Ecuadorians do.  So, the fact that we had come to Casa Alonso three times in a relatively short period, qualified us as regular customers and the chef made sure to show his appreciation.

!!!FOOD FOOD GLORIOUS FOOD!!!

And in Cuenca it certainly was.  Food in Cuenca was a pleasant surprise.  Living in an apartment, we did much of our cooking.  We shopped at open-air markets and bought meat and the North American “must-haves” at the “Gringo markets” (the local supermarkets).
​​Mercado El Arenal, the largest farmers' market in the city, was a six-minute walk from the condo.  A couple of times a week, we walked to the market to pick up fresh produce.  We were consistently blown away by the variety, beauty and abundance. 
BY THE NUMBERS
Wondering what the currency is?   Ecuador uses the US Dollar as the domestic currency and it is used for all financial transactions.  If you've ever wondered where the US One Dollar Coins went.  You'll find them in Ecuador. 

We used cash for everything while in Ecuador, except when we paid for our apartments (having gone through an agency and booked prior to leaving for the country.
Ecuador switched from their currency (the sucre) to the US dollar in 2000 to stabilize the economy because their own currency took a nosedive and banks were failing. 

​Was the population happy about the switch - it depended on who you asked.  

¿Hablas Español?

We found Cuencans pleasant and tolerant of marginal Spanish speakers.  One explanation may be the large number of Spanish language schools in the city.  ​
We didn't experience any noticeable negative reaction to our lack of proper Spanish.  People were pleasant, patient and accommodating regarding our broken struggling "Spanglish"
Quality of Life
The quality of life in Cuenca is remarkably good, with a surprisingly low cost of living. 

Cuenca has four modern shopping malls, cinemas, including first -run English language films and numerous restaurants serving a wide variety of local and international cuisine. 

​Despite its size, Cuenca is pedestrian friendly.  We didn't need a car.  We walked, took taxis or buses.  We  generally took a taxi home, the 2 1/2 miles, from Parque Calderon which cost, at the time, $1.25.  By- the- way, the bus fare to anywhere in the city was $.025.​
 Not to mention four universities, some of South America's best language schools, beautiful churches, parks, museums and open-air markets. 

We found the city to be like an onion, that continually served up new and pleasant surprises each day, as we peeled away its  layers.

​Almost every day, Teri and I followed the park that paralleled the Rio Tomebamba, one of the four mountain rivers that meander through the city, the 2 1/2 miles, into the city centre.
Accommodations & An Important Note About Altitude
Cuenca is at 8,400 feet above sea level and you will need time to acclimatize to the altitude.

What does Altitude have to do with accommodations? 
​Read On....

Our research made us aware of the potential challenges in adapting to life at high altitudes.  So, we planned to spend our first week in Ecuador in the capital, Quito at 9,100 feet.  
Following the recommendations for allowing our bodies to adapt to the altitude, we got plenty of rest, drank lots of water and took it easy for the first week. 

We then flew to Cuenca, thinking that, after spending a week following all the recommendations for acclimatizing - particularly at a higher altitude, we'd be fine.

​Then reality kicked in.
Want to know more, would you like to see where we lived?  Please click below.
The story behind the Panama Hat -hint they aren't made in Panama 
To continue exploring Cuenca, click one of the links below.