Cuenca: Was that Spanish or French?

And then there was Cuenca, located almost directly South of Quito in the Andean basin. I didn't find a town with as much charm in Ecuador. Architecturally, and to some degree even culturally, a little European pocket in Ecuador.

Cuenca was founded in 1557 by a Spanish explorer and after European coal mining interests in the region subsided, a French "footprint" on the people can be found (seriously, no pun, this is figurative) when looking at the residents. Some were as fair-skinned as I was, which struck me as a total anomaly.

The city has eight universities and a population of roughly 400,000, making it the "third city of Ecuador" behind Guayaquil and Quito. Indeed, the night life was amazing. Needless to say, I was "Gringo-Who-Can-Dance" for a night, as my Polish colleague proved otherwise on the dance floor. Thanks Shakira, these hips indeed don't lie.