Cuenca, Ecuador

Cuenca is an old colonial city, with lots of churches and cobblestone streets. Ecuador´s third largest city, but more comfortable compared with Quito. Cuenca is just shy of 8,000feet in elevation so it is a little cooler at night, with good sun in the morning and rain in the evening. It makes a good base for visiting Cajas National Park and even more Inca sites. We have stayed at a hostel that served great breakfasts, including ¨humitas¨ or corn cooked with cornmeal in the cornhusk. Really good.