| Nov 1, 2005 - Cuenca, Ecaudor (part 2)
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 | Crossing the river, and up those stairs, on the walk to school
| | A protest in the main plaza
| | Another shot of the protest
| | Cuenca's narrow cobblestone streets
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 | So much time on these buses
| | Wawa de Pan (Bread Children)
| | A fair in the large Parque de la Madre
| | Same fair
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 | Fair from above
| | Art fair at Broken Bridge
| | More of Broken Bridge
| | Panorama 1
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 | Panorama 2
| | Panorama 3
| | Even more Broken Bridge
| | Apparently there's a hot dog problem
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 | Cool metal crafts
| | Close-up of one
| | Wide shot of Broken Bridge
| | Vertical shot of Broken Bridge
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 | | | | Wide shot higher up, Broken Bridge
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| Here are just a few more pics from my time in Cuenca, and again I am writing this on the same day in Brazil that I wrote ¨part 1¨ of the Cuenca entries.
The other main thing I need to try to feebly describe are the soccer games in Cuenca. One night I went to a big one between Cuenca's team and a team from Quito. I heard going to a soccer game anywhere in South America would be an out of this world experience, and that turned out to be an understatement. I swear most of the people don't even know whats happening in the game or who ends up winning. It is a place to go to yell and shout and at the fool and get rowdy. We were standing right in the middle of the section of the craziest fanatics, wo do not sit for a second exept during half-time. They light off smoke bombs in Cuenca's red and blak colors, they chant obscene chants that have absolutely nothing to do with soccer, and they drink, contantly, a lot. The drink of choice at these games is locally brewed Ecuadorian special Zhumir. It tastes more like nail polish remover than any actual alcohol I have ever had, but it comes in large flasks for a dollar or two, and it gets the job done. People buy these flasks, and pass around sots to anyone and everyone standing near them, and it becomes a very fetive occasion. At the beginning of the game they also let off a large explosion that send red powder all over that section of the crowd, some of which is still embedded in my jeans pockets and rain jacket. And also, at unknown times throughout the game, this whole section starts pushing for the sides which creates a big gap in the center of it. I did not know what was happening the first time so I stood up to get a better look, while every else ducked and held their ears, and a moment later something I an only describe as a mini bomb was lit off. Deafening, yet amazing. Finally, one other funny thing I saw was everyone at one point picked up a piece of newspaper rolled into a long tight stick, and lit one end on fire. It was beautiful to see a large section of the crowd standing there holding these mini torches, and equally hysterical a moment later when the fire started reaching there hands and they all shook their arms like crazy seemingly surprised that this had happened, yet again. I went on a Wednesday, and had such a great time, I went back again the following Wednesday for another match and equalled madness.
The last thing I will describe is my final week in Cuenca, the festival week. Due to some good timing, a number of holidays fall in a row. Oct 31st obviously is halloween, which while not being as big a the US, is still celebrated a bit with parties and some dressing up. Then the 1st is All Saint's Day, the 2nd is the Day of the Dead, where families traditionally visit their deceased loved ones in cemetaries, and finally the 3rd is Cuenca's independence day, and a huge celebration. This year the 3rd fell on a Thursday, so the festivities were extended to last all weekend. This made for one exciting week, and even though my classes ended the Friday before, I decided to stay in Cuenca an extra week to experience this, and kept on living with my host family. On the 2nd everyone eats Wawa de pan, sweet bread in the shape of little children kinda like gingerbread men. Wawa is quechua (the language of the Incas) for Child. This is the only day of the year they have this, as well as the drink Chicha Morada, which is a purple fruity drink served hot. All week long and into the weekend there were parades, music in the streets, and lots of fairs, markets, and street vendors all over the place. It was great to be able to spend a whole week in Cuenca without having a set schedule and being free to explore the city and this cultural experience as I wished.
And that takes care of at least the most basic of descriptions and accounts. There is far too much to say about Cuenca, as it was my home for one month, and the place where I was able to get the most immersed. It will always have special meaning to me, and was a fantastic way to kick off this whole crazy journey. |
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