Heading into Carnival (Carnaval en español)

Apparently, this is a weird year for Catholics. Ash Wednesday is on much maligned Valentine's Day and Easter falls on April 1st. Should make for interesting observances. The weirdness has already begun: we were out wandering today, minding our own business when we got hit with a drive by shooting; not bullets, of course, but water guns. It's an early start to the carnival festivities, which I've outline in previous posts. (The fun isn't supposed to start until February 11th. I guess some people need to get in some target practice before hand.)

Serious fire power...yours for $12

I've been jonesing for super giant cans of "espuma" (foam) that hold about a litre of the stuff (maybe more!). Two cans, gangster style, one in each hand, would get us through Parque Calderon in a blaze of glory and heaps of foam.

About 5-10 minutes of foam madness
per can, depending on strategy

Like true cowards, we usually kill the big day at a friend's house. They host an annual chili party, as a means of avoiding the hard core water and foam fights that spread across the city during the final weekend before the dour season of Lent. (Ashes and fish, I've heard it called!)

The top indicates the foam colour

Some people find this time of year troublesome and irritating, including many Cuencanos, who head to their houses in the country to ride out the street wars in safety. I recommend picking up a few cans of foam and joining in the fun.

Let the games begin!

For the most part, we don't mind. Most "warriors" are careful to make sure you want to participate, or harmlessly hit you with a short spurt of water from a passing car. It's all good. (Foam in the ears...not so much...hence, the classic jacket-with-hood defence.) Do mind the water balloons that mysteriously fall from upper balconies, though, don't say you weren't warned.

Side note: the weather has improved, so maybe the wet season is holding off for a while.

So Begins the Rainy Season

How people think about the weather here in Cuenca is not how I grew up thinking about weather. Canadians LOVE to discuss all things climate related and it's the go to conversation if you run out of small talk.

Here the weather just, well...IS. If it's rainy, the people consider it to be "frio" (cold) and if it's sunny, then it's "calor" (hot). There seems to be no in between. It took me to years to learn the word "tibio" (tepid), as no one uses that concept here.

You can read the weather sites and posts about what the weather is like at a particular time of year here, but it's half-baked science at best (I think the weather stations are poorly placed, therefore not actually all that accurate) and pure conjecture at worst. I believe most travel sites will tell you that rainy season starts somewhere in late February/March and ends somewhere in there, too, sometimes extending to April. As far as I can tell, none of the websites actually agree.

Upside? You do get some stunning sunsets

Locals generally don't worry about it, it's just part of their daily existence that they'll need an umbrella, scarf, gloves and knitted/polar fleece cap (I'll explain that momentarily). Most wear several layers of clothes, even if the temperature is an intense 27C. (This feels more like in the 30s due to the thinner air and closer proximity to the sun.)

Love the clear, blue sky days, but they're unusual

It's only mid-January and it seems like the rainy season is upon us. I liken it to autumn or spring in Vancouver (with less temperature swings). We're now only on day 2 of cloudy overcast skies and relentless drizzle that switches to full blown tropical rain on a whim. Because of the rain, the locals will consider it cold. (They don't understand minus Celsius temperatures for the most part, they barely understand single digit temperatures. Last year the "cold snap", temperatures dropped to 12C in the day. Don't roll your eyes, people living up in the Northern states and Canada.)

Completely socked in days are unusual, too

So, I expect to see a lot of winter wear, as mentioned above, and worry about the cold. Most will ask why we aren't wearing a heavier jacket. (Sometimes in the day we, horrifyingly, don't wear a jacket at all!) We'll definitely get warnings about catching a cold or the flu. No matter that you tell them these come from germs and viruses, there is an underlying belief system that to be cold is to have a cold. 

The skies are most often like this, and cheers to it!

Let's hope that the rainy season is short and not too brisk. It's always a shame to have to pull out the little space heater or wear socks around the house. (I can hear your eyes rolling!)

What's Goin' on in Ecuador?

As much fun as it is to travel, sometimes it's just interesting to make note of what's happening in my temporary home. It's almost never a dull moment, considering our peaceful existences.

Cuenca is supposed to be the proud home to a light rail system, but general issues like contract disputes, budget shortages etc have delayed the project which was supposed to be completed over three years ago. Recently, a new contract was signed and Tranvia is supposed to be completed by the end of September. The mayor has just updated us and said that even this isn't going to happen and that it likely won't be until 2019. This isn't surprising. The good news is that affected businesses will receive some financial compensation. (I mean, really, where else does that happen?) Once it's completed, the buses running through the city will be reduced and that's a good thing.

Less of this would be good.

We've also had some legal excitement with the existing government. The Vice-President was removed from office for being caught up in a bribery scandal. A South American company (Odebrecht) regularly used bribery to win large  contracts both private and public. Sr. Jorge Glas, was found guilty and is serving 6 years in prison in Quito. The conviction wasn't exactly surprising. The reach of Odebrecht was huge and many countries have been affected. Politicians, CEOs and other people of import have fallen because of their greed. Sr. Glas has been replaced by Maria Alejandra Vicuña. (Yes, the country is going to hell, we have a President in a wheelchair and a woman (gasp!) as second in command. We've come a long way, baby!)

"Damn, I'm caught."

The current President (Lenin Moreno) is on a mission to clear out corruption, even though many Ecuadorians feared that he would only be a puppet of Rafael Correa, the previous leader. This has not been the case and Correa (who seems to share a lot in common with the big sensitive baby from the USA) has gone on the offensive, as Moreno goes about fixing many things that were wrong and addressing the concerns of various groups. Correa would be amusing if he wasn't trying to undermine a very popular and effective President.

Ex-President Correa, likely whining about something

The whole health insurance thing is still up in the air and the new fees for the universal health care are being challenged in court, but I suspect that the requirement for coverage will stand. There is going to be a special meeting with the President and a special auditor to discuss Correa's handling of health care costs during his tenure. I'm pretty sure that there's been a whole pile of mismanagement, false filings by doctors and other little scams that have drained the system and created financial chaos. It's rumoured that Correa told the head of IESS (the medical system) to not bill the government for outstanding costs, as they didn't have the money and that it had happened for several years, basically bankrupting the system.

Like I said, never a dull moment. Who knows what other dirty little secrets will come out during the various investigations. Perhaps we should start a pool to predict when Tranvia will be complete or who will be brought to trial next.