Mixed Bag

We had planned on going zip lining yesterday and then found out a Christmas concert was going to be held at the Old Cathedral in the evening, so we decided we'd do both, with dinner in between. It made for quite a mixed bag of activities, all enjoyable but appealing to very different parts of the brain!

Other bloggers have already written about Cuenca Canopy and I don't have much to add other than while it was fun, I felt I wanted more height! more speed! more zip! The most exciting part of the zip turned out to be the braking at the end. Since I felt it was a bit slow going I wasn't using the brake at all and as I neared the end of every line I would end up way too close to the tires hanging to prevent what I imagine would have been quite spectacular crashes into the trees. It made for quite a nice shot of adrenalin at the end of every line!

We then moved on to dinner at Raymipampa, where I have found the best fried chicken wings in Cuenca. They are the biggest wings I have ever seen and are always freshly cooked. Crispy on the outside and moist and tender on the inside--really, really good.

Then it was on to the concert.

Apparently there were over 100 performers with the combined local and national choruses and orchestras. First, the Children's Choir lined up along the center aisle and walked up to the stage where they sang some traditional Christmas songs, including a Hispanic one which I actually remembered from when I was a very, very young child. It reminded me of my mother and, as tomorrow is the first year anniversary of her death, it was particularly moving for me.

When that section of the event was over, the children walked back down the aisle, with huge proud grins on their faces. Here is a little girl's father waiting with open arms for his daughter.

Then as the adult choir members walked up the aisle, the women wearing black cocktail dresses, I noticed this lone indigenous woman in her beautiful pristine outfit complete with embellished hat.

The music selection was quite eclectic. There were both popular Anglo Christmas songs as well as Hispanic ones, classic sacred music in Latin, a fast and edgy number reminiscent of a James Bond (or Pink Panther!) theme and toward the end a very jazzy Mambo number that had the choir swaying and our heads bopping. It was an excellent performance all around.

Quite the mixed bag--my favorite kind of day.

Out There

Life has been eventful lately, maybe too much so, but I had the opportunity to go to Canar on Sunday. This is a town whose population appears to be mostly indigenous and who seemed to be unused to tourists visiting.

The market was clearly patronized by the locals and had no crafts targeted to tourists. There were a few stalls supplying the traditional skirts, which were worn by the majority of the women.

We noticed that women of all ages wore heavier socks--sometimes tights, sometimes knee socks, sometimes ankle socks, sometimes having some color or style correlation to the outfit, but quite often, as in the case above, seemingly as a utilitarian after thought (notice the USA logo on some of the socks!). The footwear was sturdy and practical and reminded me of shoes a schoolgirl might wear. There was something of a visual disconnect between the above-the knee and below-the-knee areas!

We also noticed both men and women wearing these round white hats with small balls dangling either on the front or on the back of them. I asked someone if these balls had any significance and I was told balls hanging on the front meant the person was single, while balls hanging on the back meant they were married. I love these kind of coded messages!

Some sellers hawked home remedies and there seemed to be a pretty good market for them. This one was an all purpose tonic

while this one was specifically for the treatment of arthritis.

These children were selling aromatic burning wood and incense. It had the heady earthy fragrance found in church interiors.

There were several items ingeniously fabricated out of rubber tires, including several types of containers.

And these fantastic rubber sandals, which looked to be of ancient times.

Things have been a bit discouraging lately, on several fronts, but life does manage to go on.

Old-Style

We were just taking a stroll around town when we ran into this fair at Cacique Duma and Paseo de Canaris. It was closed during the day so we decided to return in the evening and watch the excitement. I love old amusement parks, and although this one was a temporary traveling installation for the Independence Day holidays (it will close on November 19) it reminded me of Coney Island back in the day.

There was a lo-tech Ferris wheel,

bumper cars,

a small roller coaster,

carts of tasty food!

And, of course, a carousel right from the 1950s!

My only disappointment was that I didn't go on any of the rides. My friend doesn't do well on rides and I don't enjoy going on a ride by myself. I did suggest we go on one of the kiddie rides but his response was a vehement "That's a BABY ride!" Of course, my usual MO is to go on the fastest, most scary ride and then think "Oh, WHY did I do that?" as I'm walking away on shaky legs. This is one of those situations where I need to be saved from myself.

Fun at the Races

These events were hilarious. A wooden cart race followed by a burro "race" took place yesterday as part of the Cuenca Independence Day celebrations.

The starting point was at Benigno Malo and Calle Larga and the destination was Parque Paraiso. The carts rattled off at full gallop and didn't look particularly stable! Some participants were wearing helmets but a lot were not--I didn't follow the race but I imagine there were a few stumbles.

The cart race was followed by the burro race, which was more of an opportunity for the participants to dress up and have a good time. The burros were clearly not in the mood for exerting themselves and moved at a dignified pace.

Even if they were wearing silly hats.

Most of the participants were young and irreverent but this senora was taking her role pretty seriously.

It was very cheering, once again, to see kids, young adults, and older people, all engaged in a very low tech activity whose only apparent purpose was to laugh and have a good time.

(The following is not a Pollyannish or condescending observation!) There's a particular innocence of spirit at these events that I find very appealing and heartening. Obviously, festivals are not an everyday occurrence but even in the everyday, I have often noticed adults, including males, being playful with one another and even giggling when something strikes their funny bone. I guess I enjoy being around people who are not childish but comfortable with exhibiting childlike qualities when the occasion calls for it. It's a great way to stay optimistic and keep the blood pressure at a healthy level.

Enjoying Quito

We just got back from a few days in Quito, which turned out to be a pleasant and very livable city despite its size (approximately 1.5 million). We had decided to stay in the historic district rather than in the new town and we were really happy with that decision. Mariscal (north of the historic district) is basically the entertainment district (Zona Rosa) and is accurately called Gringoland--definitely the touristy side of Quito, with the big hotels and theme restaurants, and not our cup of tea.

We stayed at the Hotel Catedral, which, while not a luxury hotel, was more than adequate. It is a colonial building with a typical central courtyard. The rooms are small but attractive and the shower was scalding hot, which was heaven. I am yet to have a truly hot shower in Cuenca!

As in Cuenca, people watching is the best entertainment and I was happy to see all the generations enjoying themselves.

Senior citizens were the stars of what appeared to be a church bazaar, both dancing and playing music while a crowd watched.

They also played bocce at El Ejido park on a Sunday afternoon

while the young ones raced around on whimsical, albeit rather ancient, pedal cars.

Some streets are closed on Sunday to create a bicycle path leading all the way from the historic district to the new town. People of all ages and skill sets were riding, including small children on tricycles and training wheels. It gave the town a festive air.

I highly recommend visiting the church at La Compania--absolutely over the top with approximately 7 tons of gold used to gild the interior.

I also recommend traveling up the Teleferico, which takes you up an additional 4,400 feet, going from the already dizzing 9,100 feet above sea level of Quito proper to the breathtaking (literally!) 13,500 feet above sea level. The view over the city was spectacular--the city sprawl is impressive.

The only downside of staying in the centro historico is that there are fewer dining options than in Mariscal but every restaurant we sampled in the historic district was great. What are the chances? Apparently we were on a lucky streak! It makes me suspect Quito is a better place for dining than Cuenca.

A favorite, and highly recommended, is the Vista Hermosa restaurant, just a couple of blocks from our hotel. This restaurant is on the 5th floor of a building and while there is an inside dining area it is the huge roof top dining terrace with a 360 degree views of the whole of Quito that is not to be missed. The food is good and reasonably priced and there are gas heaters spread about the entire area so that we were quite comfortable even on a cool evening. I didn't think of taking a camera so I will leave it up to you to actually experience the gorgeous view of lit cathedrals and plazas and all the lights dotting the hillsides that surround the center.

Quito has an old world sensibility, which is truly felt sitting at Plaza de San Francisco, while sipping a cup of coffee and people watching at Tianguez, an outdoor cafe right next to the church. We kept ourselves fairly busy seeing the sights on this trip but I think we'll be spending a lot more time sitting right here on our next trip.

Hotel Catedral
Mejia Oe6-34 and Banalcazar
02 295 5438 and 02 258 3119

Vista Hermosa Restaurant
Mejia 453 and Garcia Moreno