La Fiesta de Cuenca

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The fiesta in Cuenca has already begun. Bands fill the street with the sound of music, fireworks illuminate the sky and people are everywhere. The city is packed with a mixture of locals, Americans and Europeans all ready to take part in the festivities.

Cuenca is Ecuador's third largest city and Nov. 3rd is their independence day, an excuse to party and set off fireworks much like in the USA. With cobble stone streets and beautiful churches, Cuenca is somewhat reminiscent of somewhere in Europe. The people are friendly and the small markets offer inexpensive local goods, from panama hats and alpacan sweaters to leather crafts and jewelry.

We arrived in Cuenca yesterday and after being turned down by a few hotels, full on account of the fiesta, managed to book the last remaining room in Hostal Pichincha. Luckily for us, someone with reservations didn't show up in time, so they gave their room to us. The hotel is a little run down and the hot water in the communal bathrooms doesn't last for long, but we were just glad to find a place to stay.

We were down in the main city square earlier tonight to take part in the festivities. Different bands were playing at each corner of the square, competing for your attention. A boy who couldn't have been much older than eight was particularly impressive when his drum solos came. But my favorite band was a peruvian flute player accompanied by a steel guitar. His music was a mixture of a traditional Andean sound and contemporary music and the result was very soothing and heart felt. Fireworks were constantly being shot into the sky, some of which misfired into the crowds, causing momentary panic, but resumed almost immediately. They also had these small, paper hot air balloons that were about three feet wide with a kerosene torch in the middle. They would float hundreds of feet into the air, vibrant glowing orbs in the sky. Some of them would catch fire and descend towards the ground, luckily burning out before causing significant trouble. They also built these 25 foot towers out of bamboo and paper that were adorned with fire works. Near the end of the night they lit these towers off in a magnificent display of spinning sparks and explosions, bottle rockets flying in every direction. The safety precautions sure are a lot less stringent in the third world.

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Photos

Getting Dark
Must be time for a fiesta

A Big Door
To keep the hethens out