Events and notices: Shakira performs in Quito in November; Summer fun on ‘interactive farms’; Railroad park opening soon; Covid vaccines available
Shakira trae su tour mundial a Ecuador – Colombian singer Shakira is bringing her “Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran” tour to Quito on Saturday, Nov. 8 at the Atahualpa Olympic Stadium. Exclusive ticket sales available to Bank of Guayaquil customers will be between miércoles, July 10 to sábado, July 13. Sales to the general public will follow on Feel The Tickets Ecuador at www.feelthetickets.ec. The tour started last February 11 in RÃo de Janeiro and has a selection of songs from all stages of her career.
Yurak Allpa Zoo-Refuge in Tarqui is one of the stops on the interactive farm tour.
Vacaciones se disfrutan en Granjas interactivas <this is for all of you who have kids in your lives or an inner child still inside of you> – There are several locations where people can enjoy spaces that combine play, learning and direct contact with farm animals and labor. <Kind of like a kiddy dude ranch.> ‘La Granjita Interactiva’ is in the Cristo del Consuelo sector on the road to San JoaquÃn and has been directed by Freddy Baculima for the past 5 years. The project currently welcomes schools, families and summer camps. You can walk and meet ducks, geese, mini-pigs, goats, pavos reales (royal turkeys or peacocks), pheasants, rabbits, alpacas, parakeets, and cockatoos. The entry fee of $3 includes a guided tour and food to feed the animals.
Children can participate in activities including painting, planting, learning how to make chocolate, and about pottery. Baculima also has a ‘granja móvil’ in which he takes animals in little corrals to houses or events such as birthday parties – all under supervision and with the appropriate care for the animals. All his animals are calm and socialized to interact with children. <It’s probably not the kids or the animals, but the drunk adults who present the most problems.> Hours are at 9:00, 11:00, 13:00 & 15:00. There are breaks between visits to not stress the animals. Make reservations by calling 098 075 1955 or on the social networks of ´La Granjita Interactiva´.
The ‘Granja didáctica del Abue Pepe’ has been run by Viviana Reinoso for 15 years and has summer camps for children from 4 to 11 years old. The camps are from M-Fri from 9:00 – 11:30 and include snacks, materials, and door to door bus service. Reinoso wants kids to put down their electronic devices and enjoy the countryside. She sees a need to retake the activities of the country and create a consciousness about caring for animals and the earth. The granja has plenty of green areas with burros, horses, lambs, goats, sheep, ducks, chickens, turkeys, rabbits, and guinea pigs which the kids can feed and get close to.
On the vÃa Tarqui-Turi, the Zoo-Refugio Yurak Allpa also has an interactive farm. Alberto Vele, the founder, said that it is not a conventional zoo in that for over 20 years it has had both domestic and wild animals that were rescued or given to them by the owners. It has about 300 animals now. There are short walks suitable for small children and seniors, as well as longer walks where people can see monkeys and tapirs as well as horses, buffalos, ostriches and species typical for an African farm. A bucket of food to give the goats, lambs, rabbits and mini-pigs costs $1.00.
There is also a bar-cafeteria you can have a snack at after your walk. <Just don’t get confused and start snacking on the goat chow instead of the cone of fries.> The site also is caring for Humboldt penguins that were rescued from wildlife traffickers over 15 years ago. Hours are from 9:00-17:30, 7 days a week. Cost of entry is $4.00 for children and seniors and $5.50 for adults and the proceeds are used to maintain the refuge.
Dos parques nuevos están a las puertas de entregarse – The parque Ferrocarril <now there’s a word you can use to practice rolling your “r’s”> and the parque del Arco are set to be delivered at the end of August and in September, respectively. The Parque del Ferrocarril in the NE part of the city is at 90% completion. Work left to be done is landscaping; placing the train tracks in their original locations; putting the finishes on the administrative area, cafeteria and museum; and completing the construction of the lookout. The work will be complete the first week of August, with the formal process of delivery of the project following before the park opens to the public at the end of the month.
The Parque del Arco in the south part of Cuenca, is at 60% completion. Work will be finished at the end of August with the delivery of the project in September. The park contains the restored arch over av. Loja, a lookout with a view of the south part of the city, paths, childrens’ play equipment and other attractions. <Now let’s hope that there won’t be a clueless truck driver with a super high load trying to get under that arch and…..you can imagine the tons of historic bricks all over avenida Loja.>
Inicia campaña de vacunación contra la COVID – The Ministerio de Salud pública (MSP) launched a national campaign for the annual vaccination against COVID which will last until October, 2025. It is now part of the regular schedule of vaccinations in Ecuador. The country acquired 250,000 doses with priority for vulnerable groups including those who never received a vaccination. Priority groups also include children from 6 months to 4 years old, from 6 months to 11 years with immunosuppression, over 5 years, and children over 6 months with immunosuppression and disabilities.
Also included are pregnant and lactating women, seniors over 50 <from my point of view, someone who’s over 50 but under 60 is still middle aged>, and adults from 18-49 with chronic diseases. Health personnel, workers in homes for the aged and children, police, soldiers, firefighters, teachers, recyclers, garbage collectors, and prisoners are also included. <I’d think they’d want to include sex workers, too, but what do I know.> <As during the pandemic, those who are getting the vaccines and those who aren’t need to remember to play nice with each other.>
