Cuenca: A city in the clouds-

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Fields and plantations gradually disappeared, and cars bound for Cuenca began to climb mountains.

At first, the fog was not big, like a layer of green yarn, but it was soon so thick that it swallowed up the road. I looked straight ahead at wait for a while, and Harvey, the tour guide, was still driving while eating potato chips. The car has been climbing the mountain, and the undulating mountains appear occasionally like a green ocean. The mountains are connected, and the peaks stand square above them. Sometimes a stone suddenly comes, but it is not steep. This area is the southern slope of the northern end of the Andes, and Cuenca, Ecuador's third largest city, is in the valley beyond the mountain.

With the climb, the clouds began to wander in the mountains. Finally climbed above the clouds and came to the gate of Kajas National Park at the top of the mountain. At an altitude of more than 3,600 meters, the sky is clear, the vegetation is no longer dense, and the tree species are completely different. According to reports, the park crosses mountains, evergreen forests and hundreds of lakes, covering an area of 285 square kilometers. Wild animals such as vultures, hummingbirds and raccoons inhabit here, but only a few dozen square kilometers are available for human beings to approach. There are no hummingbirds at such a high altitude in temperate mountainous areas. Although Ecuador is small in size, it has diverse landforms and climate. It has 65,438+08% birds and 65,438+00% species on the earth. No wonder biology teachers in our university often visit Ecuador.

Down the hill along the wooden passage. The clouds are dark and the lake at the foot is dark gray. Brown thatch rolled on the mountain, and those withered needles not only resisted the cold, but also protected the green and smooth tundra. Soon after the end of the trip, you will see a trickle, which is a subtropical high-altitude mountain area, with little rain and no snow all year round. These trickles depend on the protection of tundra vegetation. This is above the tree line, but a tree can still grow because it is close to the equator. Locals call it "paper tree", with paper-thin bark, four legs and eight forks. There are many kinds of succulent plants on the tundra, which are gray-green and hairy to the touch. A plant with small fleshy leaves looks like a long-handled brush with orange flowers at the top. Some Indian plants treat diseases, one of which is similar to Mormon tea common in western North America. I have seen those evergreen plants with red fruits. The first time I saw them, I was hiking on the ancient Inca highway in Peru.

In its heyday, the Inca Empire established roads extending in all directions, and an ancient road also passed through here. I walked from Cuzco to Machu Picchu, but it was only one thousandth of the ancient road. Before Spanish colonization, there were no cattle, horses, dogs and other domestic animals in South America, and the transmission of goods and information depended entirely on human beings. It is about 2000 kilometers from Cuzco, the capital of the Inca Empire, to Cuenca. If you express the chicken hair letter, the courier will run by relay and deliver it in 8 days! At that time, in addition to hunting, protein, the main animal of the Incas, came from the Dutch pigs kept as pets today. It is said that Peruvians also eat lovely alpacas. Considering that the Incas lacked protein, it is even more incredible to have such endurance and physique. In a sense, the lack of livestock in Eurasia in South America really affected its modern history. Horses can greatly enhance combat effectiveness, and cows liberate agricultural labor. However, even in its heyday, the ancient empire had to put a large number of people into farming, so there was no time to develop others. Interested readers can read the story of Pizarro's conquest of Peru and the relevant summary of the book Guns, Germs and Steel.

After leaving the national park, the height has been decreasing. Along the way, the mountains and rivers are green. When we saw red tile houses and banana trees, we also saw Cuenca City.

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The full name of Cuenca means "a basin where four rivers meet". These four rivers are Tomebam-Bah, Yanukai, Tarchi and Machangara, and three of them originate from Kajas National Park. Cuenca is the third largest city after Guayaquil and Quito, and its old city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

After crossing the Tomebamba River, the grass along the river is lush and the flowers and trees are sparse. Although it is close to the equator, it is 2560 meters above sea level and has a pleasant climate. It is said that Cuenca has the most perfect climate on earth. After entering the city, I saw narrow stone roads and criss-crossing streets. However, from any street, the green hillside is at the end. It is said that some wealthy local families liked to go to France in the early years, which greatly influenced the local architectural style. Different styles of churches, Spanish-style houses with arcades in front, pure white, beige, brick red, goose yellow and blue, the red roof of residential houses and the dome of the church constitute the skyline, which is beautiful. Squares, fountains, flower markets ... roses, carnations, azaleas, lilies, sunflowers ... most street vendors carrying baskets are indigenous women, mainly selling fruits. Women, baskets and fruits are kept clean. This place is surprisingly clean, the behavior of pedestrians shows a high level of culture and education, and the degree of obesity is obviously lower than that of Guayaquil. It is said that there are three universities in Cuenca. The monthly salary of university professors is $6,000, slightly higher than that of the president, and the maximum salary of government employees should not exceed that of the president.

We walked towards the cathedral of Notre Dame and saw three blue vaults in the distance. This church, built in the19th century, is not ancient, but it has become the most striking landmark in Cuenca because of its integration of various architectural styles. Cuenca is one of the most Catholic cities in South America. The motto of the city government is "God comes first, then you". The local culture is conservative, religious and "correct". It is said that there is a Kunka who sent her daughter to the United States to go to college. A few months later, he entrusted a friend who went to America to visit his daughter. My friend came back and said, "I have bad news for you." Your daughter has become ... "His words happened to be drowned out by the noise of the truck. The father replied, "It's terrible. I raised her correctly and sent her to the right school. What did I do wrong? " The man went on to say, "Unfortunately, I was shocked to find that she was a prostitute. Father was greatly relieved: "I remember you said she became a Protestant." The first three letters of "English Protestant", "Protestant" and "prostitute" are all pro, and my father was nervous at first when he heard only the first three letters. This story illustrates what their political correctness is.

The balcony at home is full of flowers. This place is not only like Cuzco in Peru, but also a mountain city with high altitude. However, most of the buildings in the old city of Cuzco are painted blue, which is beautiful, but also a bit artificial. At high altitude, the air is thin and the water vapor is thin, but it belongs to the subtropical zone. Bougainvillea blooms brightly, and Lantana camara, which can't grow in Loki Mountain, grows into a tree wall here. Go through the tree wall and walk down the stairs until you reach the Tomebamba River. By the river, weeping willows brushed my face, and clusters of roses leaned against the pink wall of the riverside people. The local people have delicate skin and the grass by the river is tender, which makes me forget that I am on the plateau.

It is difficult to buy enough vegetables in restaurants, so we go to the supermarket to buy food. The supermarket here is similar to Guayaquil, mainly department stores, and vegetables are placed behind the store, which is very stale. Later, I found a farmer's market, where the fruits and vegetables were fresh and varied, which made people see things in a blur. The second floor sells all kinds of soups and freshly squeezed juice, and a large glass of freshly squeezed juice costs only 50 cents. There are several straw hat stalls in the market, and many surrounding villages are weaving straw hats. The main raw material of straw hat is agave, and the world-famous Panama straw hat originated in Ecuador.

Wandering around the old city, I saw an English bookstore and strolled in. Most of the books sold in the shop are second-hand English books, and the owner of the bookstore is Marvin. After chatting, I realized that he was from Denver. I know that some Americans go abroad, and Costa Rica is the first choice. Marvin once lived there for a while, because he didn't like hot and humid climate, so he moved here. There are nearly 5000 English speakers here. Marvin said that housing and medical insurance are quite cheap. "The monthly cost of medical insurance is $76. I changed my hip joint here, and the operation was very good. I only need to pay $65. " After I left Marvin, I met a retired couple from America in the old city, and they warmly invited me to sit at home. The couple have not reached retirement age, but they have to retire due to illness. The main reason for choosing this place is that medical insurance is much lower than that in the United States. They also said that there is a discount for the elderly in Ecuador to fly. It can be seen that their lives are very happy.

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Ecuador's sightseeing train takes four days from Quito to Guayaquil. Many passengers choose to take the most thrilling road, starting from Araos, a small town in the northwest of Cuenca.

We set off early in the morning to catch the sightseeing train at 1 1. Shortly after I left the city, I passed by the town of Azogos. Cuenca is the capital of Azuye province, and Azogue is already the capital of Kanal province. There are actually 22 administrative provinces in this small country. It is estimated that one province is equivalent to the size of a county in the United States. I think the establishment of so many administrative districts has something to do with its geographical complexity. People living in geographically complex areas are often isolated from the outside world and become self-contained. The central government has little influence on local residents, and residents have no centripetal force towards the central government.

Climbing all the way, every valley along the way was crowded with people. Yellow and red houses are scattered on the green hillside. Towns are connected with towns, and each city has at least one church, which is built at the highest place in the city. St Francis church, Notre Dame church in the clouds, Notre Dame church in the morning dew ... just like our Guanyin bodhisattva. Clouds or morning dew are different incarnations of the Virgin Mary. Different incarnations of the Virgin Mary have their own believers, and some believers will come here for pilgrimage. The churches in South America are full of fireworks, and the Madonna is also very localized. In Brazil, I saw the Virgin dressed by Indians. The virgin put in front of the taxi driver's seat wore a wide-brimmed hat, a cloak and a baby Jesus in her arms. Knowing that my son-in-law had stayed in the Pope's Summer Palace during his academic visit to the Vatican Observatory on 1980, and had met Pope Paul II more than once, Harvey, the tour guide, said, "A local child whose head was touched by Paul II was regarded as a mascot. If they know that you have met the Pope, people will try to shake hands with you. "

Continue north along Route 35, the plants are getting greener and greener. Cattle of different colors are wandering on the grass. Farmers are milking by the roadside, there are tin milk cans on the roadside, and a car for collecting fresh milk has just passed by. Obviously, there is a car to collect milk every day. The cows here are obviously happier than those in the cattle farm, and the milk may taste better. Most of the houses along the way are red tiles and yellow walls, and the scenery is not lost to Switzerland. It seems that the residents' life is stable and rich. This road is a section of the Pan-American Highway, which theoretically goes all the way north to Alaska. When the Spanish colonized South America, this road began in Cartagena, a coastal city in Colombia, and then extended along the Andes on the plateau. The Pan-American Expressway is basically built along the old road.

The distant mountain nest was white, which was the water mist we saw when we went to Cuenca from Guayaquil. This piece of water mist floated from the Pacific Ocean, gradually rose eastward, and drifted to this area in the evening. There is fog almost every day in the foggy forest area, regardless of the dry season and rainy season. I remember that the vegetation in Namibia desert also depends on sea fog, which nourishes antelope and other animals. After staying in the foggy forest, the valley turned brown again.

We'll be in Arausi in half an hour, but there's a traffic jam ahead. There is little traffic on this road. Was it an accident? The garage is very slow, and 20 minutes have passed. Harvey went to check it out and said that it was Arausi's people demonstrating.

When we traveled to Lima and Buenos Aires before, we all met with demonstrations, but we didn't expect to meet demonstrations in such a remote place. In order to catch the sightseeing train, the police car cleared the way for us, but we still couldn't pass the parade. Finally, the whole car abandoned the car and walked through the parade, and then took another car to the railway station. After entering the carriage, I began to wait again. When all the passengers came, the train whistled and set off.

I climbed up as soon as I drove out of town. In a piece of gray and dark brown, the cactus grows to several meters high, and the thick agave can't be folded. The roots of succulents hang on the cliff, and their tenacious vitality is amazing. It is said that after the rainy season, there will be thousands of flowers swaying in the mountains.

The mountain is so steep that you can hardly see the river below when standing in the carriage. Although the area of Ecuador is similar to that of Guangxi, only 280,000 square kilometers, there are mountains, oceans, tropical rainforests and islands. The distance from Guayaquil to Quito is only 270 kilometers in a straight line, but it takes a day to drive on the expressway. The terrain is complex, so it is difficult to use kilometers as the time parameter of the trip.

Before 1908, Ecuador only laid railways on the coastline. 1895, President Loyal Faroe decided to extend the coastal railway and finally connect Guayaquil and Quito. However, from Hekou City to an altitude of 3,000 meters, that means an average increase of 10 meters per kilometer, and the most challenging part is the one we walked. This section of the road is only 12 km, but the terrain has dropped by 500 meters, so it is called "devil's nose" because of its precipitousness. 1June, 908, the railway finally opened to traffic. In the following decades, the railway was the main traffic line in Ecuador. /kloc-After the 1990s, due to the completion of expressways, railways gradually declined, and in recent years, they were only used for sightseeing.

Near the devil's nose, the mountain has become a cliff, and the train is running on a circuitous track. In the 1930 s, the German Wittmer wrote: "We climbed higher. When the train passes through a steep hillside, we sometimes see the same scenery from the window six or seven times. Once, the train suddenly stopped at the edge of the cliff and began to rush backwards into the valley. I think it will be thrown into the abyss below. Suddenly it stopped and then jerked forward. After stopping several times, the train conductor looked at my pale face and explained that everything was normal and we were passing the devil's nose. " After several advances and retreats, I finally reached the bottom. Everyone got off the bus and took photos with the devil's nose, and watched the aboriginal songs and dances at the station. Railway maps and descriptions are posted on the wall of the railway station. I remember that a similar track was built in Badaling, Beijing, but it doesn't seem to claim to be "one of the most wonderful and courageous projects in the world". Looking through the magazines that day, I found that the former colonial art museum in Quito was juxtaposed with the Louvre, the Winter Palace and the Museum of Modern Art in new york, which made people smile.

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At two o'clock in the afternoon, we returned to Cuenca from Anlaoxi. Soon after the departure, the fog came up, and trees and houses appeared and disappeared. A ray of sunshine penetrated through the fog, and a farmhouse with red tiles and yellow walls stood in the green. Those houses are well built, with terraces embedded in the front or on the roof, and some have porches. In short, it is a typical Spanish style. In a country where public toilets don't provide toilet paper, these houses are quite good.

However, there are always problems with those houses. What's the matter? Oh, so they used the blue glass of the office building. Strange, does this Shan Ye need to protect his privacy like this? Reflective glass not only looks like a small window, but also feels a bit like a thief. Harvey seemed to see my curiosity and said, "Have you noticed that pair of glasses? The owners of these houses are mostly in America now. When they go abroad, they think new york is a country. When I arrived in that "country" and saw the windows of skyscrapers, I felt very fashionable. Not to send money back to build a house, to specify that kind of glass, but to show off. " I asked, "doesn't the master live here?" "Most of them are illegal immigrants and dare not leave the United States. Maybe I will come back to support the elderly in the future. I knew Harvey also had an American green card, so I asked him, "How many Ecuadorian immigrants are there in the United States, including illegal immigrants?" "Probably 1 ten thousand." "Oh, so many! I feel that among South American countries, Ecuador has a relatively stable politics and a relatively good economy. How can so many people come to America? " "Mainly because Ecuador implemented dollarization from 1999 to 2000. "

He went on to introduce that before 1999, Ecuador's currency was Sucre. In the1950s, the exchange rate of the US dollar against Sucre was 1: 15. In the early 1990s, the exchange rate began to drop sharply, initially at 1: 800, and five years later it fell to1:3000,2000. In order to stabilize the currency, the then president announced the adoption of the US dollar and the abolition of Sucre.

"It is right to use dollars," Harvey said, "but in the process of dollarization, a big problem has arisen. After the announcement of the exchange, some people failed to exchange it in time. When they wanted to exchange it, the bank refused to exchange it. Later, I agreed to change it, but I can only change it. As a result, some personal property was deprived of 2.5% of its original value. Protests broke out all over the country, people surrounded the presidential palace, and the president had to escape by helicopter. Those bankers who stole money from ordinary people all went to the United States, and those who went to the United States went bankrupt. " At that time, the population of Ecuador just exceeded10 million, which means that one tenth of the population went to the United States, and most of them were illegal immigrants. Harvey pointed to a low stone house and said, "In the past, most people lived in that kind of house. After running to the United States, I sent money back to build a new house. The old house used to be a barn or a tool room. " I remember that when Israel was founded, it also developed by foreign exchange. After the independence of South American countries, the political economy is still directly influenced by big countries, such as Britain's debt and the great influence of United Fruit Company in Guatemala. Considering the civil war and wars between South American countries and various military coups in the post-colonial era, Ecuador's currency exchange crisis has been no small disaster and misfortune.

Harvey also said: "Now our medical university education is free and the socialist system is implemented, but unlike Venezuela's socialist system, they are very corrupt." "Chavez did a good job when he came to power. The resources were the first in Latin America, and later it became worse and worse. In fact, even if you don't agree with America, there is no need to be anti-American. El Salvador may not agree with the United States, but it has good relations with the United States. There is more aid from the United States and people's lives are better. "

The fog is getting thicker and thicker, and when it reaches In-gapirca, the visibility is only a dozen meters. Before the arrival of the Incas, the natives here were Canaanites (Ca? Ari) people. It is said that their ancestors settled here in 500 BC, and the Incas conquered the local aborigines through war and blood relationship, but the empire at that time was also a spent force. Today, there are still many Kanar people in this area. They are wearing wool hats that look like fedoras.

In the thick fog, we wandered in the ruins. Through the moment when the fog cleared slightly, I saw the steep valley under the altar. Datura flower blooms brilliantly. Most flowers are white, but there are yellow, red and orange here. It is said that this flower has psychedelic effect. Although this place is the most important Inca site in Ecuador, the scale and complexity of the building cannot be compared with Machu Picchu in Peru.

Back in Cuenca, it was already dark. The next morning, we returned to Guayaquil by coach from Cuenca.

(Recorded on September 28-30, 20 19. The writer lives in Georgia, USA. Main works: Ganges: This Life and the Next, Qianshan.