May Day 2015

May first, or May Day, here in Ecuador is similar to Labor Day. Not just a day off but a day of protests and marches. In Cuenca there were two groups, one that is pro-Correa, our Presidente, and one anti-Correa.

While we went into El Centro but timed it to be after the parades even though last year there was nothing violent, we wanted to avoid the crowds. But a friend, LT Murphy, captured a great video of the event.

Our normal bus had to take a different route due to road closures for the demonstrations, so we had several blocks to walk to our destination. We saw a lot of folks headed out of El Centro, both by foot and car. We also saw the remnants of the extra police brought in - just in case.

{Sorry for the poor quality of some photos, most were taken with my iPhone 3s. Remember you can click to see a larger image.}

We decided to eat lunch at Cafe de Ñucallacta since we needed to buy coffee beans anyway. This was their first day open in their new location and they were offering an expanded menu. What a treat! Three times the size (or maybe more) than their old location, spread over two rooms, it is now open, airy and bright. The furnishings were quite comfortable and the new menu offered a lot of choices. They even had the WiFi working!

I opted for what they call the Wet Burrito with chicken. A flour tortilla, tomato, black beans, cheese, pico de gallo (although it's not what we typically find in the US), chicken and a special sauce. Absolutely delicious and very filling.

Stu opted for the chicken fajita and enjoyed that as well. The little side dish of hot sauce made him sweat a bit, but he loved it.

They also had a dessert counter. We didn't indulge but it looked tasty.

From there we walked down the stairs where a lot of folks were selling jewelry and bags.

Then over to Parque de la Madre where 24 artisans were showing off their wares. A lot of food products, some household decor, toys, clothing, jewelry - it was a feast for the eyes. I was good and didn't find anything that I couldn't live without so we left empty handed.

We took a walking break in the park, enjoying the sights and sounds of children all around us. One family especially enjoyed rolling down the small hills, their trek started by mom pushing them over.

A bus back home and a few final shots.

We ended up with over 7,000 steps although the day ended up over 10k after a twenty minute walk up to meet new friends who had just arrived in Cuenca. Oh, and although it looked like rain off and on all day, we barely got a drop. A good day for sure!

Ciao for now!

Sunday in El Centro

Yesterday was the official day of celebration for Cuenca's 458th anniversary but we didn't expect much when we ventured into downtown (El Centro). But Surprisingly the craft tents and artists displays were packed and there were a lot of people in the downtown area, attending church, eating lunch and enjoying ice cream.

Rather than my chatter on, here are some photos I took today. You can see the rest in our SmugMug album.

When we visited on Friday, I saw a necklace that I really liked but wasn't willing to spend quite as much as the artist's wife wanted. Today the artist was back and the first price he quoted me was less than her discounted price and what I had determined I was willing to spend. It's a two-sided necklace with various stones and sterling silver. He sat down with his daughter and asked me to take their photo.

Ciao for now!

Doce de Abril (April 12th)

When we first were planning to visit Cuenca two years ago, Stu was looking over our various reservations (airlines, hotel, etc) and started to panic that I had booked the wrong date for our hotel. We were flying out on April 15th and the hotel paperwork showed April 12th.

Well, not exactly. The hotel was located on the street named April 12th, our reservation was correct on April 15th. Once here we soon discovered that many streets are named after famous people (no surprise there) AND famous dates. Thus Doce de Abril....

458 years ago today, the city of Cuenca was founded by Gil Ramírez Dávalos. The viceroy of Lima, Andrés Hurtado de Mendoza, had ordered that it be named after his hometown of Cuenca, Spain. Cuenca was once a Cañari settlement called Guapondeleg, meaning "land as big as heaven". After the Incas conquered the Cañari people, the area was renamed Tumibamba (Tomebamba in Spanish). It was controlled by the palace at Pumapungo (see drawing). During the war between Atahualpa and his brother Huáscar for control of the Inca empire, the area was destroyed. There were plans to rebuild, but they never happened. So by the time the Spaniards arrived, all they found were ruins. 

{courtesy of David Sasaki, Ecuador Expats Facebook Group}

There has been a week long celebration with Friday and Saturday being the biggest. We have seen some of it but it's practically impossible to see it all.

Ciao for now!

Busy Holiday Season!

It's been a busy couple of days since Christmas. Nothing spectacular but several walks into El Centro, both for the exercise and seeing the sights. Today was no exception. I had fun snagging a couple of photos from the bus...coming and going.

Angels waiting....

Funny costume, guy pretending to be an effigy (viejo)

Doing the Santa walk?

We had a leisurely walk to Don Colon's, passing many places selling effigies and masks. The flower market was gorgeous and quite busy, too.

After a delightful lunch (Stu had grilled chicken breast with rice and beans, I had a hamburger and fries - we both got soup, juice and a pudding/yogurt type desert for $4 each), we continued meandering around the city. It seems as though animals were center front today.

Only one of several we saw today. Most were along the Tomebamba river, probably headed for a small parade.

Who is walking WHO?

No, not the same dog! There were several in the park today.

We kept seeing kids in angel costumes and got a kick out of these colorful plastic trees in the park. There were lots of street vendors selling bright yellow 2015 glasses for celebrants. No, we didn't indulge.

Effigies were mounted on taxis, cars, buses, trucks and we even saw one in the entrance to a parking garage.

And a few general photos, just for fun!

Adorable little animals that danced

Sweet face!

Neighbor already setting his effigy on fire

So how will we celebrate New Year's Eve? We plan to take our little froggy effigy out to the street and burn it, bringing in good vibes for 2015. We bought him last year but never set him on fire.

After we clean up our mess, as best we can, we will bundle up (yes, it gets cool in the evenings) and head up to our rooftop terrace with a few beers and our cameras where we hope to get some photos of the fireworks across the city.

How about you?