Were staying at La Cigale in the old part of Cuenca. The streets are cobblestone, the sidewalks narrow, and the hostal is basic with hardwood floors in the room and a fabulous restaurant! The other thing that we really like about Cigale is the main guy at reception. Hes been great with directions and suggestions, honest and forthright. The downside is that the restaurant is popular and kind of noisy, the walls are a bit thin, and the church next door rings the bell three times before 7:30 AM.
Yesterday on our trek to Piedra de Agua in Banos we spotted Hosteria Duran and made a reservation to stay our last two nights here. They have volcanically heated pools, a Turkish bath and an upscale restaurant. Its quite plush and very fancy, especially compared to the places Ive stayed in so far.
Our objective today was to see how Panama hats were made and Barbara wanted to connect with a maker to potentially partner with and sell hats in her hostal in Mindo. We went to a couple of retail places just blocks from the hostal. I bought a hat for myself and wore it all day. It helped keep me cool in the Cuenca sunshine. Barbara was successful at getting six or seven hats for her place in Mindo.
Next we went up the hill to a famous potters place, Vega. Cuenca is known for Panama Hats and for ceramics. The store and studio are housed in one building. The pottery is gorgeous and from one of the rooms its possible to see into the studio where there were at least three artists working.