
What to see in Cuenca
Cuenca is a white clean diamond of southern Ecuador. This beautiful city has a lot of churches and museums, as well as the most significant inca ruins of Ecuador just in front of the door. However most tourists come to Cuenca to visit the Cajas National Park which is just around the corner.
A selection of mesuems
There are about 16 museums in Cuenca. Depending on ones interests one can easily spend two or three days visiting museums.
Museum of Modern Art
This museum is in a beautiful old building with a lot of patios which are surrounded by the exhibition rooms. The place it not only a museum but also a cultural and art educational space, therefore the space for art exhibitions is quite small (one patio). Furthermore the temporary exhibitions are not only showing modern art but also contemporary art. The entrance fee is on donation of at least 1$.

Museum of Forbidden Culture
The museum of forbidden culture is 2$ and is also a bar at night. It shows works by the owner (an artist) that all have subjects of death, various sex practices and uncanniness, as these things are all prohibited in the catholic religion. As far as I got it, it is also the epicenter of the Gothic scene of Cuenca.

Hat museum (Barranco)
The hat museum is in fact a hat factory that has some rooms, which show the history of hat production and also an open factory part, where they form the hats and sew the bands. The workers are willing to explain what they are doing and how it works, but only speak Spanish. The museum is for free because it’s also a store where you can buy your Panama hat. The cost are from around 45$ upwards. As long as you don’t buy a hat with leather band the hats are vegan. There is also a cafe in the same building with a nice view over the river.

I stayed at the bauhouse hostel. It has comfortable but tiny beds and a big kitchen with almost everything you can think of. The hostel is clean and the showers are hot. However you need earplugs for sleeping as it is only one block from the main plaza.
