Our once tranquil Cuenca life has gotten bust lately.
I have been playing tunes with a talented keyboard playing neighbor across the hall. So I am learning some new material and refining some old material. Lots of fun. I love learning new stuff.
Last week we spent a long weekend with friends Rene and George in Alausi and Riobamba.
Alausi is home to 'the devil's nose train ride'. It is a beautiful, small, quiet little town that is nestled nicely in a little are surrounded by the Andes mountains on three sides. The town folk are exceptionally friendly and respectful. We heard only one car alarm in 24 hours (this must be a record for Ecuador). It was a lovely and peaceful place. I highly recommend it. The train ride is cool and merit a separate post. Manama.
Riobamba was the polar opposite of Alas. It was loud, busy, congested, and a large shock after Alausi. It was interesting though. There are very many indigenous people from several different villages there. We did enjoy some good food and drink. My last breakfast was eggs, a fruit filled crepe, freshly made fruit juice, and an amazing cup of espresso. Total cost....$3.00. We also saw an all day parade on Saturday. We first came across it at 9:30 in the morning and then again at around 6:00 in the evening. It was a very large parade with at least fifty groups of dancers in costume and accompanying bands. We were told that the parade is part of the Christmas celebration that begins in December and goes through February. The portion of the parade that we saw in the morning was all different groups of costumed dancers with each group being led by a truck with a sound system blaring in the back. While the portion of the evening parade that we saw was varying groups of costumed dancers led by a parade Marshall who directed the group. Each group was followed by a marching band. Uniquely, each band played the same tune, in virtually the same tempo, and the same key. Never seen before. Might be a nice twist for the Rose Bowl parade or the Macy's parade.
Pics are going to follow.
This week I began Spanish class. It is lunes, miercoles y viernes por dos hours. Busy, busy.