Blogs from Cuenca, South, Ecuador, South America - page 11

The day after our birthday party Braulio and Chanel decided they wanted to take us to see Chordeleg, a city about 45 minutes from Cuenca. Chordeleg is much smaller than Cuenca. They have a small square with a lot of shops (especially jewelry) and there are a few "Gringos" that live there. Braulio loved walking Maggie around on her lead, something you don't see too often here. Mostly the dogs just run free. It was a very nice ride, and a nice chance to see what is outside the city. But I must say, I was completely surprised with one thing that we saw. Most of you know that I drove large semi trucks in California for 17 years, before going back to the Air Force full-time (by way of the CA Air National Guard). The ... read more

We went for lunch a a restaurant called Fogo's that has a beautiful overlook of the city. I am so glad that I had my camera with me. I wish I had a program to make a panoramic picture of all of these.... read more

Christmas morning came and we had Braulio and Chanel come over to exchange presents. We have become very close to them. Braulio started out as our driver. The first day we came to our house he came with Frank and Angie, who rented the house for us. By the time we could up to the house, which is two kilometers up a twisting dirt road, I realized I didn't know how to even get out of the area, much less get back to the house. So we exchanged phone numbers with him and started calling him the next day. We used him quite a bit, since we didn't know where the bus would take us. After about a week, we met his wife Chanel, who was about six months pregnant. She was very happy to meet ... read more

After the parade we went to John and Silvana Davila's home for their traditional Christmas Lunch with a group of their family and friends.... read more

Okay, this one is a little out of order. Cuenca has a magnificent parade marking Christmas Eve. The guidebooks say it is the finest Christmas parade in Ecuador. Children from all the neighborhoods surrounding Cuenca decorate horses, donkeys, llamas, and vehicles with an abundance of food, tinsel, and colors. The children dress as Christmas figures or in highly ornamental indigenous clothing. There are bands and stereo systems that provide music as they walk from the outskirts of the center to the main plaza. This parade has both new and ancient roots. There used to be many small parades in the outlying areas of Cuenca. About 50 years ago, after a local woman brought a baby Jesus figure to Rome be blessed by the Pope, they brought them all together into one grand pageant following this "niño ... read more