The next day, we wandered around Cuenca again.  I walked past the flower market and took more pictures.

According to everyone here, Panama hats are not from Panama but from Ecuador.

Paintings by artist Eduardo Moscoso in Prohibido Centro Cultural in Cuenca.

For some, the Prohibido Centro Cultural in Cuenca is deeply offensive and shocking. 

For others, it's incredible art created by the multi-talented artist and owner Ecuardo Moscoso.

Juan Fernando, one of the incredibly warm people who works at Hostal Todos Santos, took his aunt there.  She was horrified.  It's not his favorite place, either, actually.

But what we found fascinating was that the many of the patrons at Prohibido Centro Cultural showed up with their 2-year old children.

I stopped in to take photos, hang out, and have a juice during the day, and returned later that evening.

Several photos from Cafe Prohibido that some may find deeply offensive can be seen on a separate page.

Prohibido Centro Cultural sometimes has live bands when they are not playing hard rock MP3s from their computer.  

Prohibido Centro Cultural in Cuenca, on a cliff overlooking Rio Tomebamba.

The market in Plaza de San Francisco in Cuenca.

The market in Plaza de San Francisco in Cuenca.

A happy food vendor serves clams in the market in Plaza de San Francisco in Cuenca.

A fine feathered friend poses for pictures in the market in Plaza de San Francisco in Cuenca.  

Mercado 10 de Agosto, where I sat down to eat a delicious meal of arroz con pollo, menestra (beans) and sopa de gallina.

The hearty food is fairly typical of the sort of food that one often finds in the Andean region, and is not spicy hot, although the bottle of tabasco sauce to the left could heat it up in a hurry.

As mentioned above, Panama hats originate in Ecuador, not Panama, according to all the Ecuadorians that I spoke to. 

One of you could travel to Panama and see if they sell Ecuadorian hats there.

Cuenca is also known for its charming colonial architecture.  We also enjoyed many of the cities' cultural events (music symphonies, concerts, dance performances, museums, and more).