Job Discussion Forums

[ladygringa]

I have a job offer in Cuenca (Abraham Lincoln Center), but I've never been there. I've heard mixed reviews: it's beautiful, but there's not a lot to do.

Any info would be most helpful!

Many thanks!

[jessicah632]

I spent just a week in Cuenca but I loved it. The architecture is nice, the surrounding scenery pretty, the people friendly. It is a fairly big city, but nowhere near the likes of Quito or Guayaquil, and yeah I can see the point about there not being much to do. Stuff shuts down pretty quick on weekday nights, and Sundays are dead. I noticed a surprising Asian influence in Cuenca: a lot of Chinese restauraunts and boutiques carrying a bunch of cheap Asian imports. The weather was decent, when we were there (May), but don't expect a ton of sun; mostly cloudy during the days, with a slightly chillier evening. I loved it as a tourist, and could easily see living there long-term, but more than a few months and I think I'd be more than ready to move on! The good news is there's PLENTY of gorgeous stuff to see in the surrounding areas. Parque Nacional Cajas is beautiful in a chilly Scottish sort of way. If you have a whole weekend off, you can take a bus down to Loja (6 hours) and from there head to Vilcabamba (1 hour), a laid-back valley surrounded by green mountains, and my favorite place in all of Ecuador.

Hope this helps!

[Justin Trullinger]

Gorgeous countryside in that area, and cost of living is relatively low. But how much you'd like living there depends a lot on you. If you're into night life, going out, or partying, this may not be your town. If you're into museums, theatre, concerts, and culture, then it also may not be for you. You really have to go ready to enjoy the great outdoors, cause that's what Cuenca has the most of.

Regards,
Justin

PS- The people I've met there are lovely.

[MELEE]

I lived in Cuenca 10 years ago ( ) and I loved it. At that time, it billed itself as the "Athens of the Andes". There were a lot of university students, art exhibits, live music in cafes and pubs. But maybe the tourists had a hard time finding out about them. Since the majority of the people go to the same school from Kindergarden through Highschool, they have close knit groups of friends and it was at times hard to find out about things as they were publizied by word of mouth. This was before dollarization, so maybe the city had to tighten it's belt quite a bit after that. It was also in a time of electricity rationing and there were great candle light parties in private homes and pube. My favorite bar was the German owned Wunderbar that was in the same building as my apartment!
The climate was wonderful, never above 75 F and never below 50 F!
and the surrounding areas were great too--Cajas is lovely and Villcabamba was just developing (the hotels were new then). Cuenca is in a good area for sidetrips.
in 1998, I was offered a chance to go back, but they pay was just so much petter in Mexico.