El Conquistador Hotel Cuenca

... Banos is known for its hotsprings and waterfalls and we found both not far from where we were staying. We had a nice relaxing dip in the warm pool but the smaller hot pool was too hot so we then had a dip in the cold pool to cool down. It was a nice sunny day and a perfect spot to unwind.<br><br>There was some sort of parade on that evening so we went to have a look &#8211; it was something religious but we didn´t really find out all about it. We had dinner at a Mexican place which ...

... br><br>Zaterdag hebben we 2 musea in Cuenca bezocht. Het eerste museum gaf een overzicht van de verschillende inheemse stammen in Ecuador en hun leefgewoonten. Het tweede museum toonde verschillende archeologische vondsten uit Ecuador. Na de middag sluit alles hier blijkbaar, dus hebben we maar een wandelingetje gedaan in Cuenca. 't Is wel een aangename stad om te verblijven. 's Avonds zijn we naar een tapasbar geweest. Het was duidelijk voor de beau-monde ...

... living daylights out of the white-knuckled passengers.<br>5) Swerve incessantly aiming for potholes so that the LCD tv (that you are not using to show movies) violently BREAKS OFF its mounting and almost kills several passengers in seats 15 and 16.<br><br>Lesson 2: Overtaking<br>1) Wait until you notice a line of oncoming trucks (the bigger the better, nothing under a 10-tonner)<br>2) When oncoming ...

... was here watching it. The walls of the stadium were high and you could not see except through some tiny cracks in the gate. I could see what I could only describe as one of the best pitches I have seen anywhere, and as a professional soccer coach I have seen many. It was greener than green, the line markings were crisp white and unbroken, there were yellow markings for half pitch games. I was stunned, how could such a stadium exist in the Galapagos for such a small population ...

... on the symptoms and the NHS advice. I didn't have a cough so that seemed to rule that one out. Still, I thought it was probably just a virus and I just needed a few days to recover. <br><br>I'm not quite sure how many days I spent in bed but it was in the region of 4-5. The fever was pretty bad but eased after a few days. Of more immediate concern was my total lack of appetite which I think was what led to me almost passing out in the shower. That could ...

... city workers wearing orange or green coveralls ("Hygene" on the back) clean up the stuff every once in a while. Can't believe I'm telling you about horse ****!<br><br>Q: Why are their no rugs in Ecuador?<br><br>A: Sigh. Why indeed? At least some of the hotels in India had carpet! Here? Sigh. We&#8217;re busily constructing stuff; little house for the water heater (which went on the roof), concrete to shore up the wall next door&#8230; Winds come up in the ...

... individuals to board the bus and attempt to peddle their tat to unsuspecting passengers for the next few miles or so. Admittedly, a minority do sell crisps, sandwiches, water and other mysterious items of sustenance (occasionally dangling from sticks), but the majority are rather cretinous - no I do not want a fake iPod, a trashy magazine, badly made earrings or some animal-shaped pottery! The first bloke who got on, I just thought he was a passenger with ...

... br><br>anywho after a trecherous bus ride we are in cuenca which is known for its cobblestone streets, charm, museums, and cute little cafes and places to eat. we managed to get a hostel when a random man approached me off the bus...sketch, but it worked out alrite for about 5 bucks...ya :). so we are off to explore now and probably eat...of course..speaking of, so much for this being a losing weight trip, dannng chicken and rice and ...

... dig&#8217; but I&#8217;m sticking with the former. We returned home following our 8 hour h*lf d*y tour to get re*dy to hit the town.<br><br>We he*ded for * se*food rest*ur*nt where I ordered lobster but got pr*wns, they were lovely once it w*s *greed I w*s not e*ting lobster but pr*wns, sounds * bit m*d but the *rgument with the st*ff l*sted *t le*st 10 mins. We went on to * Columbi*n b*r, h*ppy hour w*s extended for our visits *nd resulted in m ...

... m*ney. I'm pretty sure the bus attendant called me a "filthy ****" but I can't be sure as I can't really rememb** h*w t* say "filthy" in Spanish. <br><br>Cuenca has been a b*ring st*p*v**. N*t many c*me h**e but th*se wh* had talked it up t* me....great c*l*nial this and that. I guess I sh*uld have taken int* acc*unt that I've seen great c*l*nial this and that f*r weeks n*w. <br><br>On t* Guayaquil t* see if I can catch a deal t* The Galápag*s!