City says taxi apps are legal; Battle of Verdeloma commemorated; Nutcracker Saturday at the Teatro Carlos Cueva Tamariz; Weekend agenda

Bored? –
(De El Mercurio del jueves, 4/12) Agenda
sábado, 6/12, 10:00 – 17:00, Casa Patrimonial Municipal de la Lira: Antiques Fair and Show, sales and exchange of antiques of El Vado with pieces full of history.
– 18:00, Glorieta at parque Calderón: Sábados de Glorieta, presentation by the group “Escencia Femenina.”
– 19:00, Museo de las Conceptas: Ruta de fantasmas, night walk with stories and legends performed by members of the Barojo Collective.
10/12, 19:30, Teatro Sucre: Cuenca Vive el Tango “Homenaje al Adulto Mayor”, tango show. Call 099 907 3054 or 098 496 09292 for reservations. Cost: $15.00. <El Mercurio has it on el 4/12, but that’s wrong.>
Ruta del Tango –
sábado, 13/12 a las 15:00: Esquina de las Artes (Agustin Cueva y 12 de Abril): Tango clinic geared for seniors. Free.
sábado, 13/12 a las 19:00, Sábados de Glorieta, tango show by Tango Art. Free.

Many downtown streets will be closed Sunday for the annual Solca race to support children suffering from cancer. (El Mercurio)

(De El Mercurio del jueves, 4/12) Con 150 artistas en escena presentan “El Cascanueces” (150 artists on stage will present “The Nutcracker.”) – The Nutcracker will be performed at the Teatro Carlos Cueva Tamariz on el 4, 5 & 6/12 a las 19:00. <You can still catch the Saturday performance.> The cast will include the Dance Company, Symphony Orchestra, and Chorus of the U. of Cuenca as well as children selected through auditions. Tickets are available at the theater office, Almacenes La Victoria and the Asociación de Profesores UCuenca. Cost: $10:00 for the general public. U. of Cuenca students can get a Bono Cultural for $5.00, available at the theater office.

(De El Mercurio del jueves, 4/12) Rememoran 205 años de la Batalla de Verdeloma (Commemorating 205 years since the Battle of Verdeloma) – 18 events will be part of the commemoration of the Battle of Verdeloma which occurred el 20/12/1820 in Biblián, Cañar. There, the forces for liberation of the new República de Cuenca faced royalist troops. Although the forces for independence lost, they became a symbol that inspired later generations to continue the fight for independence from Spain.

Activities start el miércoles, 10/12 a las 9:00 in the Teatro Municipal with a speech contest about this historic feat. On jueves, 11/12 a las 9:00, there will be a drawing contest in the Salón del Pueblo in the Nazón parish. El martes, 16/1 a las 8:00, there will be a Battle of Verdeloma Walking Tour <Bring your own sword and horse.>. The main program will be el sábado, 20/12, starting with a civic, military, and student parade through the main streets of the city starting a las 8:30. A las 11:00, there will be a military ceremony at the Obelisco de Verdeloma.

(De El Mercurio del jueves, 4/12) Azuay: la noche más extrema (Azuay: the most extreme night) – The Provincial Government of Azuay is organizing the Mega-evento Azuay Extremo on el sábado, 6/12 a las 19:00 in the “Alejandro Serrano Aguilar” Stadium. The event will have 71 drivers of different types of vehicles in one of the biggest shows in the country. These include 20 rallycross drivers, 10 cabezales <something to do with engines?>, 8 cuadrones (ATV’s?), 5 karting drivers, 12 drivers from the Factory Bike team, and 20 Tuning Truck vehicles. There will be an extreme choreographed show with 8 acrobats <All of them driving vehicles that could cause serious property and corporal damage if a driver misses a cue?>

There will also be 60 paramedics and 80 guards scattered through the stadium. <Why all the paramedics? Are they thinking that vehicles will wind up flying into the stands?> Access to the box seats and grandstands will be granted in exchange for wristbands for $10 charity baskets. <I think that means if you bring a gift basket worth $10, you get a wristband that admits you to the stadium.> Admission to the rest of the seats is by bringing pet food. <And be more generous than a sandwich bag with a little bit of kibble in it.>

Hungry? –
(De El Mercurio del viernes, 5/12) Cristo Rey vende panetones (Cristo Rey selling panetones) – The Hogar Cristo Rey which serves people in vulnerable situations, is inviting the citizenry to buy panetones to support their efforts. Each purchase contributes to the well-being of the residents of the home. And you get to enjoy a Christmas goodie. To order, call (07) 282 2893 or 099 813 0693. The panetones are $.75 for a small, $1.50 for a medium, and $3.50 for large. <Buen provecho.>

Curious? –
(De El Mercurio del viernes, 5/12) Cierre de calles por competencia atlética (Street closures for race) – On el domingo, 7/12 from 6:00 to 10:30, roads from the Mall del Rio down to Solano and in El Centro will be closed for the “Yo Corro por los Niños de Solca 10K” (I Run for the Children of Solca 10K). The race will start at the Mall del Rio. The closed roads will include José Ortega y Gasset, 3 Puentes, Solano, 12 de Abril, 3 de Noviembre, La Condamine, Calle Larga, Padre Aguirre, Simón Bolívar, Luis Cordero, Calle Larga again, Bajada de Todos Santos, Paucarbamba, and av. Luis Moreno Mora. The return to Mall del Río will be in reverse along Solano and back to the mall.

(De El Mercurio del viernes, 5/12) “No sancionamos a app específicas” (We do not penalize specific apps) – Lenin Gúzman, manager of the Empresa Municipal de Movilidad (EMOV – Municipal Mobility Company) referred to informal transport services after learning that Uber operates in the city. He clarified that there is no opposition to transportation apps, but the provision of services without the required permissions. EMOV is strengthening operations to stop these infractions.

All people who operate without professional qualifications or with a Type B license and private vehicle registration, will be sanctioned with a fine of 2 basic salaries, loss of 10 points from your driver’s license, and impounding your vehicle for 7 days. He said EMOV is not against innovation, including internet apps, since Cuenca already has Azutaxi and Cuenca Taxi. Specific apps are not being sanctioned: the actions are against illegal transport such as in the cases of Cabify and Indriver.

EMOV data shows that from 1/1 and 2/12, at least 365 people were sanctioned for using their vehicles as taxis, mixtos, school buses, and tourist vans. <Sort of like private homeowners or renters renting on AirBnB, without business licenses or complying with building codes, or requirements to operate public lodging. So if you’re using your car for illegally transporting tourists, better kick your passengers out the minute you see a road control point ahead.>

(De El Mercurio del jueves, 4/12) Entregaron cuerpo de bebé en un cartón (Body of baby delivered in a box) – Directors of the Achuar communities in Taisha, Morona Santiago are asking the Ministerio de Salud Pública (MSP) to improve protocols for delivering bodies. They announced that a 1-month, 3-day-old baby born in the Achuar de Kaiptach community was evacuated to the Hospital General de Macas. The baby died, and the corpse was returned to the parents in a tape covered cardboard box. <And not even a new box. The accompanying picture shows a cardboard box that looks like it was taken off a trash heap and sealed with packing tape.>

(De El Mercurio del viernes, 5/12) Donan ataúd para bebé que falleció en Taisha (Coffin donated for baby who died in Taisha) – Volunteers took the box to Taisha where the city donated a coffin and covered the cost of the flight back to the community where the baby was buried according to Achuar traditions. The death occurred el 29/11, and pictures of the mother next to the box went viral. That resulted in the disvinculación (disengagement – your word for the day, as in “You’re fired.”) of the hospital manager. <Who in their right mind would be so disrespectful of a baby, the family, and the community?>