Security and Safety in Cuenca, Ecuador

Since I have a little spare tme today, I thought I'd comment about the security and safety concerns of some; either because they are considering going there or about our safety.

The key thing is  that we used common sense, something anyone should use when in any area of the U.S. or any foreign country, particularly in areas we may not be familiar with.  While in Cuenca, we pretty much walked all around the downtown area and even stayed out to almost 10 one night!  There was a festival going on the city square with lots of people, but we did not see or hear of any crime.  The streets were crowded but everyone was polite.  There were other "gringos" there but most fit right in.  There were some, however, who didn't read up on what to wear before coming here so they stood out like sore thumbs!  I do not want to offend anyone, but obese and shorts just do not work here!  There are large Ecuadorian women, but they wear dresses.  After we left the festival, we walked back to our hostal, making sure there were other people on the streets.  Perhaps, they were there because of the festival so things may have been different had there been no festival; I'm just relating our own experiences

When we were not with Gerard or Diane/Juan, we went wherever we wanted and never felt threatened.  There were times when we had to ask directions - no problems.  During the day, people were, for the most part, ignoring us because they had places to go and people to see.  When on the city tour, I had my Kodak digital camera (larger and more conspicuous than the recently purchased Nikon pocket camera) and video cam.  Again, common sense - I kept them in the case (I have one that holds both), strap around my neck and shoulder, and in front of me; no problems.

That's our take on life in Cuenca as it relates to security and safety.  Oh, and BTW, you can drink the tap water in Cuenca!