Beautiful Cuenca

Time for a few pictures.

This is the greater part of Cuenca:

I will be staying for one month at a guest house called "Casa de Cuenca" which is located a 1/4 of a mile to the right of the bottom of this photo. You can see a cathedral off in the distance and in the center of the photo. That is the center of the city (or El Centro as it is called in Spanish). 

You can't see it but the airport is to the right near the top of this photo. From where I am staying it is roughly a 20 minute walk into El Centro. And walking is something I plan to do a lot of. The bus is only 25 cents. And a taxi is pretty much $2.50 to go any where in the city (taxi drivers can, apparently, take license with this - you do have to be careful). There are "Gringo" prices as opposed to what the locals pay (not only for taxis but for different things like apartment rentals).

The population is roughly 350,000 to 400,000 (including some 4000 expats).

This photo is of "Casa de Cuenca" (courtesy of the owner: Malcolm Reding):

The room I have rented has a glass door which opens onto this green area.

And this is the room I have rented:

The rent is $595/mth ($160/week). That's US dollars (which is the currency used in Ecuador). And that includes breakfast. By the way this is a pet friendly place which, hopefully, Tiger, my cat ("mi gato" in Spanish), will enjoy as much as me.

And these are my hosts (Malcolm & Marielle):

Apparently, Malcolm can whip up a real nice meal when given the challenge.

UPDATE (May 18, 2016):  The B&B I stayed at is closed now. The owner was forced to close due to not paying his taxes. In this country if you don't pay your taxes and they find out you are operating a business they will shut you down really quick. Also, sadly, his partner (Marielle) is now deceased due to a lengthy bout with cancer.

And here is my buddy Tiger (whom I just could not leave behind):

I wonder how his Spanish will be in a month or so.