Saraguro Ecuador

Richard and I had a final lunch at our favourite restaurant in Cuenca yesterday, and then caught the bus to Saraguro. It was another very comfortable bus ride. Lots of leg room, with cushioned leg rests you could drape your legs over. 

Many of the passengers were heading through to Loja, but we wanted to spend a couple of days in Saraguro. The Lonely Planet Guide describes it as one of the best places in South America to experience authentic highland indigenous culture. "This prosperous and proud indigenous group originally lived near Lake Titicaca in Peru but ended up here in the 1470's as a result of the Inca Empire's  system of resettlement." 

Views from the bus between Cuenca and Saraguro:

                  

The town of Saraguro has about 10 000 people, and surrounds the usual central plaza and church. Many of the people dress in their traditional clothing. Men wear knee length pants with ankle socks and shoes or boots. Women wear long skirts, and shawls, which are fastened with a traditional silver pin which also has a chain around the neck. Both wear felt hats, usually black.

The young men are particularly handsome with their long black pony tails, and strong Inca features. I've been too shy to take their photo.

In the two days we've been here, we've only seen six other tourists. The locals are very pleasant, and greet us in passing. The main language is Spanish, although some of the older people speak Kichwa, which is related to the Quechua of Peru and other Andean places. There are only a couple of women quietly displaying their handicrafts, and no beggars at all.

We are staying at a family run inn, called Inti Wasi, House of the Sun, above the town of Saraguro. Walking down isn't bad, and luckily taxis are only $1.50 to come back up.

Three brothers and a sister, all in their 20's, run the inn, with their mum and dad in the background. It is a lovely spot, with beautiful flowers and amazing views.

A mural outside our room:

Breakfast here is delicious. First a fruit salad with a variety of fruits, all st the peak of perfection. Then a choice of humitas,  tamales, tortillas (all three are different ways of cooking cornmeal) or bread, all tasty. Then a choice of motepilla or scrambled eggs. I chose motepilla, which is choclo (big chewy kernels of white corn), herbs, white cheese, scrambled with egg. All served with the best coffee I've had in Ecuador.

From the breakfast terrace:

Our first night we had personal steam baths, and exfoliation with ground coffee and coarse sugar. The heat felt wonderful, but then we had to wash off in a cold shower to close the pores. I had a good laugh seeing Richard's head sticking out of the box:

BTW, that is Richard's $4 Cuenca haircut, which even he admits was a mistake. I'm used to it now, but at first I thought he looked like a newly hatched chick.

Yesterday I walked up the hill from Inti Wasi. It is very rural with a little cluster of homes. The rural homes we've seen are often attractive solid brick houses with terracotta  tile roofs.

I would love to have visited this school, but it had closed for the weekend.

I had a nice chat with this man. He wanted to make sure that I didn't get lost up the hill, because it gets cold at night.

The view as we walked into town for dinner last night:

Fabulous dinner at a restaurant called Supay. We had chicken roasted in a light tempura batter, with little roast potatoes and salad, for $2 each! Accompanied by a litre of Pilsener (shared) for $2.35.

Now we have to get ready for our next adventure. We're taking the bus to Vilcabamba after lunch in town. Actually two buses, because we have to switch in Loja.

Thank you to Lee Anne and Pierre for giving us some great advice for our trip in Ecuador!

Hasta luego.