Christmas Time in Cuenca...2015

(The photos of these drawings were taken at the Museo de Arte Moderno in Cuenca, Ecuador.)  

There have been all kinds of activities going on here during the month of December.  Several weeks ago, we got in touch with our friend, Carolina, to see if we could make another donation of toys for the children in the Canar region.  She suggested that this year we consider donating to Hospital Vicente Corral.  This particular hospital treats some of the poorest families in the surrounding area.    There is a young woman at the hospital who has created a foundation that provides toys and crafts for  the children to play with in the pediatric ward.  This foundation also teaches the mothers of the children skills, such as knitting, so they can help to supplement their income at home.

Lance and I had a chance to visit the hospital and saw first hand the good work that was taking place there.  We decided that we would make a donation of toys to this worthy cause.  Instead of buying a lot of cheaper toys, we decided to purchase fewer, but more expensive items that would hopefully last longer.

We had fun shopping at Corral for all the different items.  On Tuesday, December 15th, we delivered the toys to the hospital.  They were having a Christmas program that day, but unfortunately we arrived too late to see it.  However, we did get to visit with some of the people, and enjoyed some cake and coffee.

Above is a picture of our friend, Carolina, holding a little girl from the hospital on her lap.  Below is a photo of the director of the foundation.  She is being interviewed by a local T.V. station.

More recently, we have had the opportunity to attend several Christmas concerts during the past week.  Our friends, Mara and Glenn, sing with the International Chorale.  On the 17th of December we went to see them perform their Christmas Candlelight Concert at San Roque Church.  They sang many familiar carols in English and Spanish.  It was a wonderful concert.

On December 19th, our new friends, Terry and Chiyemi, and Lance and I attended a concert that was presented by the Cuenca University at Todos Santos Church, and on December 22nd we went to see the Cuenca Symphony perform their Christmas concert.  All these enjoyable events were free.

On Christmas Eve we were able to see the very popular Pase del Ninos parade that takes place every year in Cuenca.  The weather for the parade was great, with a mix of sun and clouds, but no rain.  I read that as many as 15,000 people participate in this event, and 100,000 watch it from the sidewalks and balconies.  If you are ever lucky enough to attend, you will see children dressed in colorful costumes, dancers, musicians, Biblical characters, horses, donkeys, floats, and hundreds of people carrying different versions of the baby Jesus as they walk down the street.  

We were invited to a friends house to watch the parade.  The photo's above and below were taken from her balcony overlooking the street.  

Our friend, Maribel, and her daughter dressed in an indigenous outfit for the parade. 

Baby Jesus dressed in a military outfit.

In other news...

We took a trip to Caja National Park a few weeks ago.  Chiyemi, Terry, Stan, and the two of us all took a bus to get to the park entrance.  While waiting to check-in, we met a young man from New York who joined up with us for the day.  Lance and I have been wanting to go to the Caja's ever since we arrived in Cuenca, so we were very grateful to Stan for organizing this trip.   We all had a great time.  When we returned, Stan's wife was kind enough to provide a home cooked meal for us.

Mara and I have been trying to fit in some longer walks in preparation for hiking the El Camino in Spain next fall.  Recently we took a bus to a small town outside of the city.  We went to do some hiking in the area.  The terrain there was quite hilly, but the scenery was beautiful.

Unfortunately, we have been informed recently that the condo we are renting has been sold.  It was very hard for Lance to think about leaving his beloved garden...but those are the risks you take when you rent.  We have begun our search for a new place to live...with the stipulation that it must have a patio, or large terrace where Lance can put his plants.  We also want to remain close to El Centro.  So far we have our eye on three places.  We will let you know once a final decision has been made.

Lance and I hope all our family and friends back home enjoyed a wonderful Christmas and will have an exciting and prosperous New Year!



      

    

A Day Trip to the Páramo...and other Cuenca activities

November 13th and 14th, Lance and I were lucky enough to participate in another great class offered by Passiflora-Courses.  This was the same outfit that offered the birding class that we took last August before departing for the states.   Passiflora-Courses were founded by Caty Frenkel.  They are educational, well organized, and fun.  Part of your time in the course is spent listening to lectures about the topic you are studying, and the remaining time is spent in the field exploring what you have learned.   

Recently, Susan Burke March, wrote an article for Cuenca High Life about Passiflora-Courses, which included information about the most recent trip that we took near Cuenca.  This course was entitled, The Grassland (Páramo) Ecosystem and its Common Plants.  In Susan's article she explains that the páramo's are the high plateaus of Ecuador, and that they are especially vulnerable to climate change, deforestation, and changes in land use.  Rather than re-writing what has already been written, I have included an excerpt from that article which was posted on November 17th. 

The Páramo course began in the “classroom”, where professor Fabián covered an introduction to páramo (grassland) ecosystems, adaptations of the flora and fauna of this area, and the efforts to conserve the area. The next day was in the field, where participants sought out and documented a wide variety of common páramo plants.

Terry and Chiyemi Doyle, experienced and intrepid travelers, were part of this latest adventure. Terry said, “On Friday the group traveled to Challaubamba where professor Fabián taught a comprehensive overview of the science of the páramo, including biology, water resources, importance to the environment (the “water towers of the Andes”), animals, and human history.  This was followed by delicious tres leches dessert and coffee and a ride back to Cuenca.

On Saturday we met early in the morning and traveled toward Gualaceo, stopping at the Mailas Lagoon. We spent the day hiking, listening, and learning, taking time for breaks and lunch. A highlight of the course was the extraordinary amount of information imparted by professor Adolfo Verdugo, a botanist from the University of Azuay, who enthralled us with his knowledge of medicinal uses, edibility, and other important facts about the vast array of plants, fungus, and lichen we observed throughout our day.

As the sun set we returned to Cuenca with our new friends and an appreciation of an area that exists here and nearby but nowhere north of Guatemala nor further south than Peru — a very special place."

All of the above is true, however, the article does not tell you about the weather we encountered on the trip.  The day started out pleasant, but by the time we arrived at our designated site, it had begun to rain.  Even though we had rain gear, many of us were soaked within a short period of time.

At the start of our journey, we needed to climb a rather steep hill, where a small river from the rain had begun to form, which made the climb up and down especially treacherous. Take special note of the mud that we needed to climb through as we explored this area.  (F.Y.I., many of the photos below were taken by Caty and shared with the rest of us.)  

Above is a picture of Fabian, one of the biologists who presented a lecture about the area the previous day.   Below, the gentleman in the blue jacket is Adolfo, another biologist who was our official guide for the day.  

When we reached the lagoon, we stopped to have some hot chocolate and a bag lunch that Caty had kindly provided for us.  Thankfully the rain had finally stopped, and we were able to dry out a bit before descending back down the hill.  (From left to right is...Terry, Chiyemi, Adolfo, Kathleen, Lance, Fabian, Stan (who is 82 years young!) and Caty.    

After the hike we were treated to a lovely lunch at the  Hacienda Santa Barbara.  All in all it was a great day and an enjoyable trip.  

In other news...we enjoyed celebrating Cuenca's Independence Day on November 3rd.  Sadly, we were only able to attend 1 of the 3 parades that took place over the holiday weekend.    

We also attended the art fair along the river, and, many of the other festivities that took place in town.

On Sunday night, we saw a special percussion concert that took place in El Centro, which reminded me of the concerts I use to attend when my daughter, Erin, was a music major in college.  I'm sure she would have enjoyed seeing this one.   

The weather has been great here, with lots of sun and some rain...which is to be expected at this time of year.   Lately, we have been taking advantage of the fruit truck that comes to our neighborhood on Mondays.  You know the truck is coming because you can hear loud music playing from the speaker that is mounted on the top of the truck.  Here is picture of Lance picking out oranges and a watermelon...which tasted delicious.  (None of the watermelons are seedless here.)  

I hope all my Wisconsin friends stay warm, as winter prepares to rear it's ugly head.  Hopefully the first big snowfall of the season won't be too bad.  I wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving!