The Road to Yungilla

In our efforts to explore the surrounding areas of Cuenca, a trip to Yungilla was planned. We were accompanied by Jim and Angie on our excursion. Yungilla is a region, actually a valley, a bit southwest of Cuenca.


Since the road to Yungilla goes through Giron, we made a quick visit to Dona Carmelita, Henry's grandmother. She was delighted to see us and took a break from her bread baking to visit a bit. Mick was the photographer for the picture of Angie, Dona Carmelita, me, Nick, and Jim.

As one of the four happy wanderers, we made our way to Santa Isabella, which is on the top of a mountain overlooking the valley. There is a large market there. The town was bustling with activity.

We purchased dried beans, a variety quite similar to pintos, $1 per lb. Also bought were 8 large tomatoes, 2 cabbages for $.50, 4 bananas for $.25, and 4 of another local fruit, the name escapes me, for $1.

Santa Isabella is quite hilly, with the market located near the bottom of the hill. We were all heavily laden with bags of fruits and vegetables and of course, we had parked the car at the top of the hill. It was a difficult climb. After leaving the town, we continued south, simply enjoying the vistas. The roads were becoming more difficult, winding and unpaved. We decided to turn around and look for lunch.

These are views of Santa Isabella in the distance.

The group in the car, minus the photographer.

We found a little roadside restaurant and had a delightful lunch. For entertainment, there were a couple of risque dogs.

On the main road, there are two entrances to Santa Isabella, which are marked by statues. The first is of a farmer plowing with oxen and the second is of a cane press.

After a day of admiring beautiful vistas and feeling extremely fortunate to live in such a magnificent country, we arrived back at our home for coffee and more chat. After sleeping most of the day, Nikolas wanted to play with Angie.

Today we traveled in virgin territory, an area with continuous picturesque views. It was lovely to see and the area of Yungilla is now home to a number of expats, but the rural areas are not for everyone. We are very happy to call Cuenca home.

Until next time,
Mick and Kathy