Jueves, 23/2/2017: Carnaval in Cuenca, Ricuarte, Loja and Vilcabamba, Study to integrate bus and tram fares

Hola, Todos –

Sorry for the non-issue yesterday.  I think it has something to do with putting the computer into sleep mode or letting it turn itself off so I do something else for a while. When I turn it back on, I get little blue message flags about something’s wrong, will try again.  But they never stay on long, and it didn’t stop me from typing, so I never tried to figure them out.  I think the something wrong was erasing everything I wrote after I took the break.  So the moral of the story is, once I start, I have to sit here until I finish.  (Talk about chained to a desk – electronic leash.)

Pagina cultural –

Today’s agenda events –

Traditional Carnaval Food – The Museo Manuel Augustin Landívar (calle Larga y Manuel Vega) offered samples of traditional ancestral Carnaval foods in the Ancestral Knowledge Area of the CCE today.

Articles about –

“Agua” (Water) – This show by a group of attendees of the “Arte para todos” (Art for all) Collective Workshop is at the Galería de la Alcaldía.  The attendees have been learning to paint for about 3 years.  (3-4 years is also the apprenticeship period for being a house painter.)

Obituary – Hernán Rodríguez Castelo died este lunes.  He was a major art and literary critic and linguist; writer, academic, and researcher.

New character – The “Cuenca en cuentos” (Cuenca in stories) series of the teatro Barojo will add a new character in the performance tonight at 20:00 in the teatro de bolsillo (pocket theater) in Sono (Borrero 6-83).  “El Ajo” is a contemporary character, who lived in the area of Don Bosco and Loja, where he recently died.  “El Ajo” reflects the forgotten people.  He was raised in an orphanage and lived in an abandoned construction site, doing whatever work he could to survive.  He died last Christmas after an accident where he lived, and no one noticed to get him help.

Libro – “Diálogo con la poesía” (Dialogue with poetry) by Luis Carlos Mussó is a compilation of interviews with 42 representative Ecuadorian poets born between 1925 and 1971. It will be presented at 19:00 today in the Sala de Conciertos at the CCE (Luis Cordero y Pres. Córdova, 2nd floor – and if it’s an Ecuadorian 2nd floor, it’ll be the 3d floor for gringos).

Otras cosas – 

Titular – Moreno y Lasso medirán fuerzas el dos de abril (Moreno and Lasso to measure forces on April 2) – The final phase of counting confirmed the “exit poll” predictions and the fast count.  There will be a run-off on 2 de abril.  From a table of National Assembly results after 87.65% of the votes were counted, the Alianza País has 38.76% of the seats, CREO-SUMA has 20.57%, and the Partido Social Cristiano has 15.23%.  Another 12 parties had percentages ranging from .88% to 4.52%. Azuay has 5 assembly seats with 3 for Alianza País/PSE and 2 for CREO/SUMA/Participa.  In Cañar, an indigenous woman, María Encarnación Duchi of the Movimiento Pachakútik, won a National Assembly seat in her first political campaign.

Odebrecht – The prosecutors of Colombia and Ecuador signed a judicial cooperation agreement to investigate the Odebrecht corruption case with emphasis on the río Magdalena Project in Colombia and the Quito Metro.

Road closure – Serious landslides blocked the vía Cuenca-Molleturo-El Empalme at km. 91.  An early morning slide also blocked was la vía Zhud-Cochancay-El Triunfo through Cañar at km. 12 in the Ocaña sector.  Both routes connect Azuay and Guayas.  There are traffic cops at each end, at the Y in Sayausí in Cuenca and in Puerto Inca, to inform drivers of the closure.   An alternate route to Guayaquil is Cuenca-Girón-Pasaje which connects to El Triunfo although this is little used for interprovincial transport.  (My guess is that it’s probably in pretty bad shape even if it’s open.)  Constant rockfalls were reported between Cumbe and Girón in the Masta sector. The vía Gualaceo-Plan de Milagro has restricted traffic between 18-6:00.  (In other words, don’t drive this route in the dark.)  ECU 911 reported a large rock fell on the vía Cuenca-LaJarata-Loja near Oña.  Drive with caution – that gray “Hummer” in front of you might not be moving and it doesn’t have brake lights.)

Public transport study – Mayor Cabrera signed an agreement with a consulting firm to design an Integrated Public Transport System in Cuenca which will allow an operational and fare connection between regular urban transport, trunk feeders and the tranvía.  The study is due in 150 days and will also serve to determine a fare calculated on operating costs.  Bus and Tranvía fares will be integrated with common fare boxes, and routes will be changed to integrate service.

More Carnaval activities in El Austro (the south) – Sígsig will start Fri night and continue through Tues.  The city recommends the viá Cuenca-El Valle-Dizha-La Unión.

Ricuarte will have the “Motepata más grande del mundo” (Biggest motepata in the world) after the 9:00 parade (but they don’t say what day.  Gringos with sensitive stomachs be warned – the main ingredients are pork rind, sausage and mote.)

Activities in Loja Province jump from city to city.  Friday in Loja starting at 16:00; sábado in Jipiro with a parade at 13:00 and a show at 18:00; sabado in Vilcabamba at 14:00; sábado in Malacatos with clowns at 15:00, and dances at 18:00 and 20:00; domingo in Vilcabamba with a Carnaval afternoon and a show at 20:00; domingo in Malacatos with a wooden cart race at 12:00, a war of the DJs at 15:00 and dancing at night; lunes in Chantaco with a parade and cuy festival at 10:00 and a dance show at 16:00.

For the full carnaval schedule of events, click here.

Amenidades –

Puppet theater – “Una Recompensa Monstruosa” (A Monstrous Reward) will play tomorrow at 20:00 in the “Museo de Medicina.” Cost: $5.00 adults and $3.00 for children.

Deportes –

Guala Runners 3K y 7K – A Duathlon with running and bicycling will be this sábado at 9:00.  Register at the Relojería Cristal (Simón Bolívar 6.47 y Borrero – look for a watch shop).  Cost: $7.00 includes a medallion, chip and ticket to Planeta Azul.

And that´s all for today so Hasta Mañana –

Jeanne