A Charming Cafe, A Rustic Restaurant, and Ringing in the New Year!

Lance and I have a new favorite cafe in El Centro.  Actually, Lance discovered it on one of his many walks in the historic district.  He stumbled across it one day while looking for a spot to enjoy a cup of good coffee and a small dessert.  It's been open for a few months and we have enjoyed eating there on several occasions.  The name of the place is Mulla Cafe, and it is located on Antonio Borrero 5-51 y Horonato Vasquez.

It is run by these three young ladies who happen to be cousins.  Their names are (from left to right) Lorena, Daniela, and Katherine.  Lorena speaks pretty good english, so if your Spanish is limited like ours, you will have no problems communicating.  It's a small place with great charm and delicious food. 

On New Years Eve we had the good fortune to travel with our friend's Roz and Ken to Dos Chorreras, which is located near the Caja's.  It is a beautiful restaurant and hotel perched in a very rustic setting.  

We went there to enjoy a delicious meal with our friends.  (Thanks to Ken for sharing the picture above that Victor took of the four of us.)  Victor, (pictured below,) drove us there and enjoyed some lunch with us.  Victor does all kinds of services for the ex-pat community.  He is kind, patient, and we all enjoy spending time with him.  

One of their specialties is trout, which we all happened to order the day we were there.  It was fantastic!  Below are a few more photos of this beautiful place.  It tends to be a bit cooler than Cuenca, so if you go, make sure you bring a jacket or sweater.  

The architect of the building did a great job bringing the outdoors inside.  The buildings remind you of some of the great lodges you find in the national parks in the western part of the United Sates.  

This is a photo of a nativity scene that is placed outside the dining room windows.

There are several large fireplaces located throughout the hotel and restaurant, although most were not lit on the day that we visited.

Great friends and food on the last day of 2014...what more could you ask for?

New Years Eve is celebrated in a very unique fashion throughout Ecuador.  The day after Christmas you will see all kinds of tents set up to sell effigies, masks, and firecrackers.  The dummies represent the old year.  Burning them on New Years Eve is a way to let go of the past and to start fresh with the new year.

At 8:00 P.M. on New Years Eve, we took a stroll through El Centro to see what was happening.  Here are some of the things we saw...

Several of the streets were blocked off for late night celebrations.  Many of the displays make social commentary on what is happening here and elsewhere around the world.

This street also had a DJ playing festive music on the street.

We saw many families walking and driving around the historic center.  Some came to see the sights, and others had their effigies mounted on their vehicles.

 Throughout the night we saw the dummies burning in the streets.  At midnight firecrackers could be heard throughout the city.  Happy New Year!!

If you would like to learn more about this fascinating celebration, please check out Linda and Bo's blog.  She does a great job explaining all about it.  Simply click on the web site below and search for the post entitled "Cuenca Ecuador's Celebration of Ano Viejo - Cuenca's Old Year"

Oregon to Ecuador- Longoods' Journey living in Cuenca Ecuador

Medical Update...I got my cast off on Tuesday, December 30th.  I am now sporting a new velcro cast that can be removed to take a shower.  Yeah!!!  I still can feel the pins from time to time, but if I position my new cast  just right, they don't bother me nearly as much. In 6 to 8 weeks, I will get the pins removed.  Things are looking up for the new year.