Night in a Rural Village

About two hours north of Cuenca are the largest Incan ruins in Ecuador near a small village high up in the Andes called Ingapirca.

Most people take a day trip from Cuenca to see the ruins, but we thought we would try staying in the village to beat the crowds when the ruins opened in the morning.

There were only about three choices for places to stay. One was upscale at $80 a night -- very high by our standards.

We opted for a place with a good location, outside of the village and just across from the ruins.

We got some basic accommodations (below) for $20.

There was only one place to get some supper in the village and we were the only customers. But the chicken dish was pretty good (chickens taste better here). The village of Ingapirca was very quiet and kind of charming.

Our room, like all the rooms we have stayed in, had no source of heat, but we had lots of blankets and both got a good night's sleep before waking up with the roosters. Being on the Equator, it pretty much gets light at 6 a.m. and dark at 6 p.m. and the change happens faster than we are used to.