Today we traveled back to Cuenca. On the way back to Cuenca, we made a few stops along the way such as the panama hat factory, the ceramics shop, as well as to an artisan shop. We later stopped to try some guinea pig and pork. After this, we walked around a little bit and then after a bit we stopped to get pizza. After pizza, we went back to the hotel for a presentation from a man named Paul Wilches who works with the ex pats. He was explaining how his business started and how all of it works. I found it particularly interesting about how ex-pats can pay money into their social security fund and then they are able to receive the medical benefits such as being able to be admitted into a private hospital.
Today on the bus, Diego talked about the train in Cuenca. The original train was supposed to be a connector between Quito, Guayaquil, and Cuenca, but there was a natural disaster in 1955 which was a rock fall which caused a water buildup and when they removed the rocks over four months later, the water went everywhere and damaged the tracks in Cuenca. It was too expensive to fix the rails comparatively, so the government is just letting them corrode away. On the bus, Diego also discussed the fact that conquistadors took the stones that marked graves to build the city so there are a lot of lost Inca remains.
Today on the bus, Diego talked about the train in Cuenca. The original train was supposed to be a connector between Quito, Guayaquil, and Cuenca, but there was a natural disaster in 1955 which was a rock fall which caused a water buildup and when they removed the rocks over four months later, the water went everywhere and damaged the tracks in Cuenca. It was too expensive to fix the rails comparatively, so the government is just letting them corrode away. On the bus, Diego also discussed the fact that conquistadors took the stones that marked graves to build the city so there are a lot of lost Inca remains.
Expansion of knowledge
The History of the Panama Hat
Since on this day we went to see the panama hat factory, I decided that I wanted to look further into the history of the panama hat. "The Complete Panama Hat History" talks about the history of the panama hat. The author describes the beginning of the panama hat as the conquistadors in the 1500s seeing the natives make this hat. These hats were originally made in Ecuador, but has had production in seven other countries. The author then goes into detail about the panama effect which talks about how President Theodore Roosevelt had purchased the hats for his workers at the panama canal. In modern days, this hat style has been worn by many celebrities which were photographed and framed at the hat factory that we had visited during this trip.
Works Cited
Ultrafino. (2008). The Complete Panama Hat History. Retrieved from https://ultrafino.com/blogs/articles/the-complete-panama-hat-history