We arranged to come to Porto, Portugal in time for the annual street festival paying tribute to St John the Baptist (Festa de São João do Porto). This lively party has been held every year for the past six centuries (starting the afternoon of June 23rd and ending the sometime on the 24th), and is considered the city’s most […]
Godfather of Foam
Tonight was the 3rd annual Godfather’s Fiesta at Park Calderon (see our report from the 1st fiesta here). Basically, it is an excuse to buy cans of spray foam or silly string and spray everyone in sight. Don’t go near the park without taking your sense of childish delight with you on this night. That […]
New Year’s Eve 2015 – Monigotes
This year we decided to check out Salinas, on the coast of Ecuador, for New Year’s Eve. You can read our first blog, covering the actual NYE event here. This is an addendum post about the huge variety of monigotes or años viejos that we saw in town. These doll-like figures are made from paper-maché […]
New Year’s Eve 2015 – Salinas
After greeting the New Year for the past three years (2013, 2014, 2015) in Cuenca, we decided to see what Salinas had to offer, on the coast of Ecuador. As always, in our trips around Ecuador and the rest of South America, the results were both what we expected, and full of surprises. The monigotes […]
Corpus Christi Fireworks
Today was the first day of Corpus Christi. It began with a procession, which I wrote about in a separate blog entry. Tonight was the opening day fireworks. There will be fireworks and castles every night for seven days. Fireworks in Cuenca are nothing like in the States, where you must keep a “safe distance.” […]
Dante’s Inferno Is Shrinking
Masks go on sale a few days before New Year’s Eve and are popular with old and young alike New Year’s Eve in Cuenca, Ecuador is like no other we have experienced around the world. This is our third NYE in Cuenca, and it seems to get smaller each year? You can see our blog […]
[Recipe] Sirloin Steak
Ecuador has lots of good food, but beef is rarely listed as a favorite. It tends to be tough, and since BBQ’s are rare, we can’t cook it our favorite way. We therefore mostly do without steak. I recently discovered a way to make delicious tender sirloin steak though. Obviously, you want to start […]
Could be a Wedding. Could be a Divorce. Who Knows?
Another day in Cuenca, another parade it seems. Last night we heard music blaring from Parque Calderon in the center of town, with fireworks later. This morning we heard a band going by at 5:15AM, but rolled over and went back to sleep. This afternoon I walked out my front door and discovered the largest […]
Setenario Celebration (aka Feast of Corpus Christi)
Corpus Christi is a major Christian holiday in Ecuador. The celebration starts when the local Bishop leads a procession through downtown to the Cathedral of Immaculate Conception (aka “New Cathedral”) Following the Corpus Christi procession, the celebration of Setenario begins, as family businesses begin bullding castles. Castles always bring out large crowds to watch — […]
Granda Era Has Passed
Incoming mayor Marcelo Cabrera greets the audience, kissing babies while protesters hold up banners Mayor Paul Granda left office today, as the new mayor Marcelo Cabrera was sworn in during a ceremony in Parque Calduron tonight. Two brass bands competed on the square — neither was very good… About a dozen protesters walked around peacefully […]
