We’re very excited to have Witt’s parents visiting us in Cuenca for the holidays. They made a heroic effort to get here: Montrose to Denver to Panama City to Guayaquil. After arriving there at midnight, they got a hotel in the city where we picked them up the next morning for the final leg of the journey to Cuenca.

Since then we’ve been busy exploring the city and the surrounding area. We can see why Cuenca has been rated one of the best places to retire in the world. It’s nearly perfect climate and affordable prices have attracted a community of about 7000 expats so far.

The Sparks in Guayaquil

Quinn finds more cars to drive

On the way from Guayaquil to Cuenca we climbed from sea level to this 13,600 foot pass. We were definitely feeling the altitude after a couple of weeks at sea level!

We tried to keep my parents from contributing to Cuenca’s graffiti problem, but they couldn’t resist a little tagging.

The blue domes of the new cathedral make great photos.

The interior is no less impressive.

But there’s work to be done too…

Quinn had great fun on a zip line in a local park.

Catch!

Quinn made us a Christmas tree with help from Grammy and Papa.

Papa enjoys a sunny morning at a coffee shop.

We spent a day on an organized tour, visiting a church carved into the side of a cliff, a local market, and a northern outpost of the Incas. The ruin was not as impressive as Machu Picchu, but it was interesting to see the same perfectly carved stones.

Bienvenidos a Ecuador!

The hanging houses of Cuenca’s riverfront