The main language spoken in Cuenca is Spanish but, some of the indigenous tribes of the mountains still use Quechua their native language as a part of their tradition.
Cuenca uses the United States dollar currency, which is the same for every city in Ecuador.
A bottle of water in Cuenca costs about 25 cents or 50 cents. A cup of coconut water, which is a favorite drink for the people in Cuenca, costs 50 cents and is always sold at the town market.
The best meal I've had this week was a healthy meal of fish, brown rice, sweet plantains, avocadoes, mashed potatoes and lettuce. My host mom made this for me so that I could be in my best shape to go into the mountains. It is important to be hydrated and well-fed when going to high elevations from the ground.
In Cuenca, many people are found on the streets selling many products such as candy and water. It is common that they have music at their stands to listen to as they wait for customers. At the flower market, I heard some of the native music for the first time. The flower market only has indigenous sellers that bring flowers from their gardens.
