Villcabamba and Cuenca Christmas 2008-9

Mum and Dad came out to stay with us for Christmas. They arrived from Peru whist we were still working so they spend the first few days wondering around Quito on their own. When we finished work, we flew to Loja in the South of Ecuador. From there we drove to Villcabamba and stayed in a great hostel called Izhcayluma, with hammocks and great views of the valley. We hiked and went horse riding around the town which is known for the longevity of its people. We had a massage and generally relaxed.



After Villcabamba, we caught a local bus North to Cuenca, the largest town in the South of Ecuador. We had to stand up on the bus for 3 hours amongst lots of locals and chickens crammed in! We arrived in Cuenca and checked in to our lovely hostel, which was walking distance from the main square. The town is beautiful and it is somewhere we would love to go back to. The architecture is amazing, the people are warm and friendly and it is the home of the panama hat! We were lucky enough to be there on Christmas eve and saw a wonderful parade. All the children were dressed up for the festivities, I was able to get some great pictures......