Hasta Luego

It’s been around half a year since I moved to Cuenca and that new car smell has definitely faded. My original plan was to stay until I’m ready to officially retire (quite a few years left) and at that point move back to NYC to enjoy my twilight years--back to my real roots, so to speak. But of course, all plans are subject to change and one never quite knows what’s around the corner.

So it’s time to say goodbye to this blog, which has been a wonderful venue for the initial stages of what might be a long-term love affair. Or not. We’ll see. In the meantime, I’m moving over to spanking new digs--maybe I’ll see you there.

Note: I've modified the name of my new blog--you can now find me at:
http://otherwiseincuenca.blogspot.com/

Another Day, Another Parade

Here they come! I know, I know, another post about a parade but I just can't resist them. It's been at least a week since a parade has passed by so when I heard the distant tell tale sounds I scrambled off the sofa and actually tripped over my feet getting to the camera. Good thing I didn't hit my head though I can tell I will have a nice bruise on my leg tomorrow. But I got my pictures, so all's well that ends well.

I was surprised to see that this was a parade honoring the Traveling Child. It seems a little late for it and I wonder why it's taking place today. Notice how small the opening is on the windshield of the car in the photo above. That's what I call commitment to aesthetics!

It was actually quite a well organized parade, almost military in its precision, in spite of its lyrical instruments

and customary guy on stilts.

I love this shot.

And I found this sequence remarkable. There was a lovely strewing about of rose petals (notice the girl with the basket, on the upper left-hand corner),

which left behind this trail,

and a cleaning crew right behind, efficiently and almost obsessively picking up and disposing of every petal. OCD, Cuencano style!

Parque El Paraiso

The weather has been warming up lately and yesterday was the perfect day for spending some time at the park. Parque El Paraiso is the largest green space within walking distance of downtown and a very popular family destination on Sundays.

There are ducks and paddle boats on the lake and all kinds of ways for families to amuse themselves.

I particularly like the way this little girl surrenders herself to the moment.

It also appears to be a favorite with couples, for both overt

and covert displays of affection.

Lots of grass for people to lay on as well some unusual benches created out of tree trunks, good for seating as well as for sleeping in a pinch.

I loved this simple and efficient design.

The design of this world clock was also quite fetching but not surprisingly, the clocks did not actually work.

There were quite a few signs posted, with rules ranging from "Please throw garbage in cans" to this one "For your safety, please don't climb the trees". I have never seen so many rules posted in a public place in Ecuador.

I believe dogs are supposed to be on leashes and I wonder if the diaper on this dog is so that the owners feel safe letting it off the leash in case of an accident? I didn't think it was a very good idea but it was hard to tell what the dog thought about it. Maybe it's piece of performance art?

Discount Cards

I had to fill a prescription yesterday at the pharmacy at Mount Sinai hospital (Farmashop) and discovered that you can buy a discount card for an annual cost of $5. This card gives you 12% off the cost of prescriptions (and free home delivery), lab tests, radiology, and doctor charges. I think it's a great deal for those of us whose have monthly prescription costs, which are not covered by medical insurance. (Farmashop prescription costs are normally 5% off the maximum cost, so in actuality you get an additional 7% off.)

I also noticed that you can use your SuperMaxi discount card for 10% off prescription charges at Farmashop (but not for other medical costs at Mount Sinai). So if you already have a SuperMaxi discount card check out again what other benefits it provides, besides discounts at SuperMaxi and Sukasa.

The discounts are only available when paying cash. When paying by credit card the discount with the Mount Sinai card is 6% and the usual 5% with the Supermaxi card.

Mystery Solved

Ha, remember the giant artwork I posted about a little while back? I got the scoop! Apparently, Mario Sarmiento Merchan, owner of a clothing design studio, decided to go for the Guinness World record for largest dress ever made. It took 21 square meters of fabric, 20 people, and 3 weeks to drape the 21-meter high garment over one hundred 6-meter long tubes of galvanized steel. The workers climbed up an internal staircase within the cylindrical structure in order to shape the dress.

The artwork is titled “Fantasia” and represents the apocalypse, illustrated through artwork in two parts, on the front and the back of the dress. The front of the dress is decorated with illustrations of large native flowers, visible from a distance of 200 meters, painted by Cuencano artists Cristina Quinde and Edgar Leon. The back and train of the dress are covered with a painting of an erupting volcano. The refuse at the foot of the dress symbolizes the devastation of the world.

Mystery solved. One question remains--what’s the connection between the construction of the world’s largest dress and the apocalypse? I still say hmmm...

Burn Baby Burn

It all started innocently enough at the local New Year's celebration, which was taking place on the square right next to my home.

However, walking around the neighborhood, things started to feel a little ominous. Not sure what this signifies "I'm obedient not belligerent". It was puzzling and a little...inauspicious.

Seeing a clown riding around with a baby on his lap in the middle of the night also felt somehow sinister but that might just be me and my dislike of clowns.

There were a few political tableaux which were critical and fairly dark. Interesting that the new year festivities are the time to address these issues.

Then watching young men vigorously whaling on a bunch of effigies, the better to have them burn into nonexistence, was alarming in the degree of effort and enthusiasm with which they were going at it.

People were setting fire to the humanoids all over the place.

It was serious business--nothing lighthearted about it.

Then there is the ritual of jumping over fires as tall as the jumper--maybe not such a great idea? Apparently there are quite a few burnt crotches at the emergency room every year!

Countdown

It's my first New Year's celebration in Cuenca and I'm kind of excited! So I went to Feria Libre to take a look at the hand painted masks that are on sale for the celebrations tomorrow.

There were all sorts of characters, some of whom were recognizable. Above are some of the many faces of Michael Jackson

and I think this may be Elvis?

I'm imagining this would be a good mask to put on a burning effigy for a New Year's resolution to quit smoking!

There's a tradition of men dressing as women on New Year's Eve (I'll explain why on my New Year's Day post). Here are some of the necessary accessories, since for a more realistic look a man might need some additional "padding" on his posterior

and on his prow.

Another tradition is to wear yellow underwear for good luck in the new year. Maybe I should get a pair? I'm looking forward to the burning and purging--I might even find something myself to burn as the last couple of months deserve to go up in smoke.

Chordeleg and Sigsig

A few of us had not been to Sigsig yet so we decided to go as a group and stop at Chordeleg for the one friend who had not yet been there. She was interested in taking a look at the jewelry for which the town is best known. We chartered a van but it’s very easy to get there by bus from the Terminal Terrestre as well. We first stopped at the central plaza where we saw this colorful sculpture.

A couple of us went off to walk the streets, as is our custom. Chordeleg is also known for its shoe making and we saw these cobblers working on what appeared to be their own small assembly line.

Walking up the hillside we had a better view of the town, including the church in the central plaza.

This lady’s ensemble, as well as her bearing, caught my eye as we were walking back into town.

Off we went to Sigsig, which is known for its hat making. We again stopped at the central plaza where we saw two of these gigantic metal sculptures. They must have been two stories high at least. I don’t know what they signified but they were quite creepy.

Across the way there is a small amusement park, which seemed to be closed at the moment. I asked our driver if it was actually still operating as the Ferris wheel looked to be quite old and rather decrepit looking, he said “of course”. I replied “but isn’t it dangerous?” and he matter-of–factly answered “of course”.

He told me that this covered wagon is also still in service for rides around the park.

We had heard that there is a “beach” by the river in the town so that was our next stop. It looked like it might have once been a sand beach but it takes constant maintenance to keep sand grass-free so the sand was fairly scruffy. However, it was very clean and the day was wonderfully warm and I could have spent more time there! This little boy has the right idea.

Some teens, on the other shore, had ridden their bicycles and were happily playing in the water.

One of us noticed this newborn lamb, sheltering behind some vegetation with its mother. Its coat still looked damp!

On our way out of town and back to Cuenca we saw the fibers that are used for making hats, hung out to dry and swaying in the wind.

Pase del Nino Viajero

This tradicion Cuencana has its origins in 1823, when Dona Josefa Heredia commissioned the statue of the baby Jesus. In 1961 Monsignor Miguel Cordero Crespo decided to visit the most important Christian holy sites around the world and to take the statue with him. He had it blessed by Pope John XXIII before returning to Cuenca, at which point the statue was named el Nino Viajero (the Traveling Child). And so this amazing parade, which honors all children, was born.

It was the most engaging event I've witnessed so far in Cuenca--truly rich, culturally and aesthetically. It brought out the most playful aspects of Cuencano culture and I was so happy to finally have the opportunity to see it this year. I joined some friends early on at the staging area of the parade, before it actually started moving. This allowed us to see details that we might otherwise have missed because once the parade got going the crowds became much denser and it became more difficult to take pictures.

I took so many pictures I should probably post them in two sections but I can't wait! So I've organized them into themes to reduce visual clutter. First, the floats, with their elaborate yet extremely low-tech decorations.

Offerings ranged from all kinds of produce

to children toys

to adult toys

to the ever popular Barbie for girls or perhaps, as one friend pointed out, what some men might also want for Christmas, just the human version!

Then the cooked food portion of the offerings. Not surprisingly, the standard celebratory roast pig, adorned with red peppers and tomatoes for a touch of seasonal color,

followed by a roast chicken with its cheerful red comb and flanked by cuy, all resting on a bed of potatoes (with rose petals strewn around it!),

and heart-shaped loaves of bread.

Lots of animals, including the horses the senoritas rode on


and the mounted police, bearing flags and looking quite dignified.

Then the farm animals with their very own offerings. This sheep carries a roast chicken and lots of peppers (notice the $5 bill wrapped around the chicken's neck)

and the goat and llama offer plenty of toys.

(This llama was very friendly and seemed to really want me to take its picture!)

Lots of home made animals on the floats, some were hilariously "naive" but you had to be there, I couldn't capture the charm in pictures

but I think these were quite well done.

Some women were carrying alternate children, like this doll

or this dog, who actually seemed quite comfortable and happy in its sling.

And finally, the children themselves.

All of whom looked quite spiffy

and downright beautiful.

Best parade ever!