Did you know that Panama Hats are actually made in Ecuador. They have been making them for hundreds of years. The story goes something like this. When the Ecuadorians decided to export their hats, the only port that could ship them all over the world was Panama. So, when the hats arrived at their different destinations, everyone thought that since the hats came from the port of Panama, they were made there. The making of the hat is fascinating. It all starts...

With any country, there are always local food specialties. And there are also some standard food. I was amazed to walk down one of the main streets here called, Avenida Don Bosco. (A lot of the streets are named after famous people or special dates) and see people cooking right on the sidewalks. You can get a whole meal at about 20 different street cafe's in a 10 block radius. It is just amazing to see a whole pig on a spit on the sidewalk. Sometimes they ha...

One of my goals this week was to find tailors. I have released two dress sizes since I have been here. Part of it is from eating more fresh fruits and veggie, part of it is from walking around a lot and part of it is from the high altitude. I read that when living in a very high altitude you naturally burn more calories and fat! Yeh, maybe I should start a weight release clinic. I tried 3 different tailors ranging from $10, $8 and $6. They were all good, but...

This was Miriam's last day here in Cuenca. She is flying to Quito tomorrow and then the Galapagos, Columbia, Panama and then home to Holland. We decided to visit the old churches in Cuenca. Of course there are too many to see in one day, but we just kept walking until we were tired and hungry. Our first stop was at the oldest cathedral which is now a huge Museum. Some of the first few pictures are of the inside of the church. It was built around the 1500's....

We first went to the Pumapungo Museum. It is the biggest of the 16 museums in Cuenca. I forgot to tell you that Cuenca is a very cultural town with lots of Art, music, and cultural events. We could not take pictures inside, but I downloaded a picture of one of the shrunken heads from their website. Of course the shrinking of heads is unlawful now. On the outside of the museum, is the low stone walls in the fields were there once stood the Inca village. The ...