Azuay prepares for Carnival 2024; Carnival agenda; Automated ticketing system planned for Terminal Terrestre; Buses strengthen security measures

Miércoles, 31/1/2024

Hola, Todos –

Actividades –

Taller de Sinfónica – The Orquesta Sinfónica de Cuenca is offering a master class in conducting an orchestra. <So if you’ve ever listened to music while waving your hands and pointing wildly, this is your chance to learn to do it correctly.> The workshop will be led <literally?> by conductor Emmanuel Siffert from el 14-16/2 between 14:30 & 16:40. The class will be held in the main office of th Symphony (behind the Museo Pumapungo). Register at sec.tecnica@sinfonica.gob.ec or at WhatsApp 099 802 7969. <If your Spanish is lousy, you can wave your hands and point at the phone loudly until whoever answers understands you. That’s if you’re one of the believers that communication improves when volume increases, and that if you yell loudly enough, it will turn a Spanish speaker into an English speaker.>

This year’s Carnival will feature lots of food. (El Mercurio)

Actividades culturales – There will be 2 important events in the Teatro Carlos Cueva Tamariz in febrero. The first will be concerts of soloists from the Orquesta Sinfónica de la U. de Cuenca on the 8 & 9/2 las 20:00. Entrance will be a voluntary donation. <For those of you gringos who are cheap, that would mean free. Or maybe one thin dime, guaranteed to insult whoever is taking the money.> The second event is a workshop in contemporary dance and choreography on the 19, 20 & 21/2. Go to the Facebook page of the Dirección de Cultura e la Universidad de Cuenca to register.

Podcast de CIDAP – CIDAP is premiering its first podcast titled “Admirar no es suficiente.” (Admiration is not enough) el domingo, 4/2 on Spotify where you can hear the episode for free. The Podcast has the goal of understanding craftsmanship by trade and the work of the craft community. Members of the Olga Fisch Folklore will participate in the first episode.

Agenda de Carnaval:
Cuenca –
8/2 – Jueves de Compadres y Comadres
9/2 – Color Fest
10/2 – Concert by Tito el Bambino
Girón –
8/2 – Jueves de Compadres y Comadres
11/2 – Carnaval parade
San Fernando –
8/2 – Jueves de Compadres y Comadres
12/2 – Carnaval Monday in Busa
Santa Isabel –
11/2 – Carnavalazo Yunguilla
Pucará –
10/2 – Gran Fiesta de Carnaval
Gualaceo –
8/2 – Jueves de Compadres y Comadres
11/2 – Carnaval parade
El Cabo, Paute –
12/2 – Carnaval El Cabo
Chordeleg –
8/2 – Gastronomy contest & Taita Carnaval
10/2 – Band concerts
11/2 – Festival and sale of Carnaval sweets <for those of you who can’t wait until Corpus Cristi for your sugar overload>
Sígsig –
9/2 – Noche de comaderes y Compadres
11/2 – Cultural parade
Guachapala –
11/2 – Musical presentations
El Pan – Chazo Panense
Sevilla de Oro –
11/2 – Carnaval Cultural
El Progreso, Nabón –
11/2 – Festival de Carnaval
Oña –
10/2 – Cultural events
11/2 – Carnaval festivities.

Titular –

Azuay tiene todo preparado para festejar Carnaval (Azuay is all ready to celebrate Carnival) – Music and food will be the protagonists of Carnaval in Azuay which will be held mostly from el 8-11/2. Carnaval events in Cuenca will be held in the Alejandro Serrano Aguilar-Banco del Austro stadium. The Jueves de Compadres y Comadres will be el 8/2. On the 9th, there will be the Color Fest, a sports and music event aimed at youth, and on the 10th there will be an international concert starring Tito ‘el Bambino.’ The Municipio has set up getting tickets through a canje (swap/exchange). If you want tickets you need to buy formula milk at any Farmasol location in the canton. Seat locations will depend on how many liters of milk you buy: 1 liter for general seating, 2 for tribuna, 3 for cancha and palco (field and box), and 4 liters for box seating. Each liter of milk costs $3 and you can only exchange 2 entries per cédula.

The Provincial Government of Azuay has organized Bakansote 2024, a music festival which will be held in the Complejo Turístico Yunguilla on el 10/2. The Latin Dreams, Los Adolescentes, los Diablos Loco y H con Rumba will play with the concerts starting at noon and going until midnight. There will also be a display and sales of products from 20 entrepreneurs in Santa Isabel.

Cuenca –

Se automatizará pago de los boletos en la terminal (Automated ticket payment will be implemented at the terminal) – A new ticket payment system will be implemented at the Terminal Terrestre starting in abril. Passengers will pay the cost of the ticket plus the 10 cents for the ticket to get onto the boarding platform. There will be 5 new doors including one for people with disabilities. Riders will need to show their ticket which will include a QR code. This automatic system will avoid having the ambulatory vendors in the boarding zone. 28 new platforms will also be added.

Another improvement will be a $211,000 fire protection system which is in the testing phase. <They’re going to sell tickets to the tests of the sprinkler system during Carnaval. You get to be in the terminal and get wet. For an addition cost, they’ll let you hold the lighter to the sensor and set the sprinklers off. And don’t try to tell me you’ve never thought about setting fire sprinklers off.>

Verifican que el aeropuerto cumpla con las seguridades (Verification that the airport is in compliance with safety requirements) – The Corporation Quiport S.A. is taking friction measurements of the runway at the Mariscal La Mar airport in Cuenca to verify that it meets the perameters for safe operation. Corpac, which administers the Cuenca airport, said it is receiving technical support and personnel from Quiport for the analysis of the landing and takeoff areas. The measurements are being taken before the interventions Corpac plans on making to the 1,900 x 36 meter runway at the end of agosto, 2024. The timing of the improvements is because peak demand for air travel ends in agosto.

Sucesos –

Seguridad: tema álgido para el próximo feriado (Security: hot topic for the upcoming holiday) – Authorities are expecting a movement of tourists between cantons for the Carnaval holidays and are coordinating with security agencies to to meet preventive and crime and deterrent operations. There will also be equipment ready to clean the roads if there are landslides. There have been assaults on the roads, especially those connecting Azuay with Guayas and El Oro. Anabel Lalvay, mayor of Santa Isabel said one of the problems is assaults against transporters on the vía Cuenca-Girón-Pasaje in the zone near the coast. The state of the roads forces drivers to slow down or to take alternate routes due to slides on the main road. This leaves them open to attacks by armed thieves. Juan Pablo Vanegas, president of the Azuay Chamber of Tourism, said it is important that local security agencies maintain Cuenca as a safe city for the confidence of tourists. He also asked for reinforcing security on roads to avoid attacks on tourist vans. However he did recommend against travelling at night.

Medidas de seguridad para pasajeros (Safety measures for passengers) – Lenin Guzman, Operations manager for land transport at EMOV EP, said that security measures are being maintained for the wellbeing of bus passengers. There are security filters to get into the Terminal Terrestre and to board buses. You can’t get on a bus wearing caps and sunglasses and you need to carry your ID. Buses no longer pick up passengers along the road. The terminal will have the presence of the fuerza pública (police? military? private security?) for the safety of citizens.

And that’s all for today so Hasta ? –

Jeanne