We Made It Thru That Water

As in most of South America, Carnival is the major holiday in Ecuador. It marks the time before Lent begins, when all of the vices that people must deprive themselves of for forty days and nights can be binged on.

However, as we've recently found out, Cuenca isn't a center for this celebration. Sure, there were some of the telltale signs here and there (parades, water fights, fireworks), but for the most part, Cuencanos use the days off to get out of town, heading to the coast or the country, spending time with extended family. This leaves Cuenca, normally a bustling city of half a million, as eerily quiet as a Twilight Zone episode.

Our vacation started promisingly enough. On Thursday evening, as we attended a writer's group meeting on the riverside Calle Larga, we were thankfully interrupted by the approach of loud drumming. Read More>>>