Goodbye Cuenca...Hello World!

It has been a little over three years since we have arrived in Cuenca, Ecuador.  Since that time, I have made many lovely friends, seen some of the sites in this great country, did some volunteer work at the local schools, practiced yoga and Pilate's, walked each week for the past year with the Cuenca Running and Walking group, and overall had a great time.  However, as much as we have enjoyed living here, Lance and I have decided that time is short and we need to move on if we intend to see the rest of the world.  (Below are a just a few pictures of some of the people we will miss.)

This is Nico...my Pilate's teacher...who patiently worked with me three days a week for the past eight months.  He is a good, encouraging teacher...and I will miss him.

Here is John, my all time favorite yoga teacher.  He taught me everything I know about yoga...but don't hold that against him.  He is a terrific teacher with a good sense of humor, and made yoga fun for me.  I saw him almost every Thursday and Saturday for the past year.   

And...this is Mike...my wonderful walking buddy.  He is kind, funny and an all around great guy.  We walked most Tuesdays in the Cuenca Running and Walking Group for the past year.  Sometimes we would do extra walks, just for fun.  I think I will miss my walks and talks with Mike most of all.   

  

Here is Lance and Lucia, our sweet landlady, who was very kind to us.  She had a special relationship with Lance and they would often sit and talk to each other over a cup of coffee when he would go to pay the rent.  They were very fond of each other.

Of course, we had many other wonderful friends, but these were people I saw weekly over the past year so I thought it would be fun to include their pictures in this post. 

Pasto

On January 3rd of 2018, we departed Cuenca to start slow traveling the world.  We began in Pasto, Colombia, where we celebrated the Carnaval de Negros y Blancos!  This event is one of the largest carnival celebrations in south Colombia according to Wikipedia.  During our visit we were lucky enough to see the Grand Parade.  It was an amazing site to behold.  For four to six months before the event the artisans from Pasto work on creating these wonderful floats, costumes, and head pieces.      The items appear to be made out of Styrofoam, bendable foam, and other light weight materials.  I  believe all of the moving parts on the floats and costumes are operated by hand.  The smaller floats  (20 x 40 feet long) are not motorized, but appear to be pushed by participants in the parade.  The larger floats (50 x 65 feet long) are motorized, and hold dozens of people, but the driver of the float has no way to see the road.  Instead, there are people with walkie talkies on the street guiding them down the narrow road.  Some of these floats are so large they barely make it past the barricades.  Along with these wonderful works of art, are musical bands, each with unique costumes and head pieces, and, lots of singing and dancing.  The crowd participates and cheers loudly for each creation.  This amazing extravaganza lasted for four hours on the day that we saw it.  It is hard to believe that all that artistic talent can reside in one small town in Colombia.    

This is a week long event with music on a large stage, dancing, and lots of drinking.  People will spray you with cans of foam, sprinkle flour on your head, and even put paint on your face.  So, if you go, you would be wise to wear old clothes.  Most people purchase inexpensive ponchos to protect their clothing.  Be sure to check out Wikipedia to learn more about this specular event.