Tuesday 12th April:

After a good night's sleep and a wholesome breakfast, we set out with an enthusiastic Rodolfo for a city tour. We soon learn that today is Foundation Day, the 454th anniversary of the founding of the city of Cuenca. The downtown area is gearing up for a range of festivities, with marching bands, and many children and students dressed to kill (see photos). Rodolfo is an interesting character, married to an American, and with four children, three of which remained in the US when he moved back to Cuenca; this certainly disabuses us of our original notion that he was gay.

They have a place in Cuenca, and clearly he takes great pride in this city, albeit that he spent 20 years in Quito beforehand. He takes us around the churches, cathedrals, and museums, but is not over heavy, in fact we spend as much time comparing notes about current affairs, and in particular Ecuador's decision in 1999, to convert the country's currency to the dollar, which Rodolfo thought avoided the country descending into civil war. Clearly the country is now more stable, and I contrasted the UK's fortunes outside the Euro.

Rodolfo was clearly shocked when I explained that the police in the UK do not as a rule carry guns, asking how do they protect themselves? Moving on after a very tasty cappuccino, we visited the Panama Hat museum, and shop, and I am now the proud owner of a genuine, Made in Ecuador, Panama hat. Prices range from $25 to $2,500, my rather fetching number a little closer to the economy end than the quality end.

We leave Rodolfo and lunch back at the hotel, and also find out that I have a team place in the Ride London this year. We spend time after lunch sorting our usual hotel on the Albert Embankment and filling the on-line entry form. I leave the Messenger group with a little of my previous experience which I suspect will be ignored.

Dinner is booked at the best restaurant in town, Los Tiestos, time to push the boat out, before we head out to the Galapagos.