Today I return to Cuenca because there were some places that I had to visit.
Arriving at Cuenca is feeling its mild climate that gives me the warmest welcome, the warmth of its people make the interest in touring the Athens of Ecuador become much more interesting. This beautiful city recognized by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage is not only to revive its colonial stage, it’s enjoying its food and culture.
Definitely, the best way to know a place is its gastronomy and one of the best places to eat are the markets. In Cuenca, we can find different markets one of them is the 10 de Agosto market. In this place we can find a variety of typical food, I recommend visiting the Rosita food stand. This is the first one on the right-hand side as soon as you enter to the second floor, the attention of her staff and even of the same Rosita makes you feel confident that you enjoy a delicious dish, here I found the famous Hornado Cuencano, that is pork cooked in an oven. In my opinion one of the best places where I have eaten this delicious typical dish in Ecuador. The value of this dish is from $ 3 to $ 5. You have to visit this great place.
So, I decided to stay at the Gran Hotel about 200 meters from the central park and after enjoying a delicious breakfast I went to the hotel to checked in and rested to start a new city tour.
Before to organize my next place to visit I found on social networks about a place which caught my attention, so I had to visit this beautiful place called Piedra de Agua.
Piedra De Agua is a complex of thermal waters and Spa located in Baños de Cuenca in the province of Azuay, Ecuador. This place will offer different thermal services such as the only underground thermal spa in America, a unique and unparalleled experience.
To get to this place I took a taxi and in 10 minutes, with a value of $ 5.50 I arrived in Baños de Cuenca. Cuenca is one of the few cities that use the taximeter and its values are according it.
To arrive in Piedra del Agua is so easy, I arrived and they asked me if it was my first visit, after that they explained to me all the services that they offer. The cost of the entrance to this place is $12 and the Spa circuit that I took had a value of $35. They told me that this day they have a promotion which you pay for one person and two people can do this circuit. 
Once I canceled the value I went to change my clothes in the dressing rooms, the only way to enter the pool is with a bathing suit, If you don’t have a bathing suit you can rent in the spa. In this place, there are lockers where you can leave your belongings in the lockers.
As the first point of this circuit is the red mud pool where I stayed for 10 minutes, you enter in a group of 4 people, after the required time they send us to the showers to remove the red mud and after that, I went to the blue mud pool for ten minutes again.
After this time we continue to the Underground Hot Springs of Contrast, where the hot water pool is located, where it stayed for 10 minutes and in the cold water pool for one minute. The change of thermal sensation made my body feel a total relaxation, it is definitely an experience that must be performed.
The next and last step is the Baño de Cajon, that it is a big wooden box where your body receives steam I stayed for 15 minutes, this Baño de Cajon is made with eucalyptus leaves and it will help your respiratory system, open skin pores and eliminate toxins of your body. Upon leaving we expected a drink called horchata that is made with a variety of plants and it is a typical drink of the inter-Andean region.
At the end of the tour I put on my bathrobe and I went out to make use of Piedra del Agua facilities, there are the Turkish bath and the thermal water pools, the Japanese pool is where I end up resting, I seemed to be the most incredible pool in this beautiful place, where you could relax with its hot water, you can order cocktails and drink in the pool too. It’s a relaxing experience that I will repeat again. If you did not encourage by my post, I leave the website which you can read the services that they offer: piedradeagua.com.ec/
It started to drizzle in Baños de Cuenca and it is time to return to the hotel, I paid my bill and after that, I requested a taxi to return to the city, Piedra del Agua a pleasant experience that every visitor to the city of Cuenca should try out.
If you want to watch the video of this trip check out my personal blog 🙂 Do not forget to follow me.
