Carlos, Salchipapas, and Miners

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I don't have a lot of pics for the next few entries, since it is "Carnaval" time, I don't want to risk damaging my camera.

For breakfast we had fried tamales and black coffee. We don't have milk a lot because we do not have a refrigerator. There is not much to do today. Church is cancelled because the priest cannot come. It is a beautiful day with a blue sky, sunny, a light breeze, and about 75ºF. Jose and I walked up to see "El Kingo", which is a baby Jesus doll in a cage where people go to pray on Christmas. It is like a manger. There are orange flowers in a Sprite bottle.
Later, when we were back at the house, we had a bit of a surprise. Our friend, Carlos, from the U.S. stopped in front of our house. We used to work with Carlos in a restaurant in New Fairfield, CT. Jose called me outside, and Carlos said, "Chantal, what are you doing here?!" I was surprised to see him, but I think he was even more surprised to see me. Tomorrow we will meet him in Gualaceo and he is taking us to the Mall Del Rio in Cuenca. He has a nice truck and bought a house in Gualaceo. He will be staying in Ecuador until March.
After he left, Jose and I walked to a "restaurant" and had ceviche de colvina and salchipapas. Salchipapas are french fries topped with homemade mayonnaise, red onions, tomato, cucumber, and a small piece of chorizo cut like a flower and secured on top with a toothpick. We put ketchup and hot sauce on it also. We had a nice lunch for a whopping $1.50. I am getting spoiled here. I am not going to like it when I get back to the U.S. and have to start paying normal prices for things again.
Carnaval is going on which basically means you throw water on people. The kids here are all armed with water balloons and they never seem to get tired of this game. They hit their friends, strangers, buses, cars, etc.
Jose and I shot each other with water guns, balloons, and cups of water. It felt good because it was so hot today. I got a little sunburn. I really want a tan for almost the first time in my life.
Jose went to play volleyball so I stayed with Jose's mom and crocheted and watched "Stuart Little". My bag is almost done and I am getting faster and faster. I crocheted for about 5 hours.
For dinner we had rice, fish, and molido. Molido is mashed plantain. Then jose went back to play volleyball and his mom and I wentto church. They mostly talked about wanting to open a bank in Chordeleg called "Jardin Azuay". Then they talked about miners coming. I thought about a news story I had heard while in the U.S. about American miners held hostage. When I was in the U.S. I thought how horrible. Now, I see how the miners would destroy this beautiful earth and these poor people will be left with nothing. Everything they eat, make, and sell comes directly from this land, so what would happen to them if they could no longer use it? They say over and over again "NO MINERAS", but they come anyway. They have to stop them somehow. So, maybe taking them hostage without harming them is just a serious message. Maybe they will think twice.

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Photos

El Kingo
he watches over the city of Principal and on Christmas people come here to pray