Sábado, 3/11/2018
Hola, Todos –
Actividades –
Del cuerpo del periodico –
Chola Cuencana – 19 of the 21 rural parishes entered candidates for the Chola Cuencana who was elected Saturday afternoon. The fiesta kicked off with a parade along Bolívar, activities in Miraflores, and the election at 15:00.
Fiestas en el mercado Tres de Noviembre – The merchants in the 3 de Noviembre market are celebrating the independence of Cuenca and the market’s 58th year with artistic programs all day sabado <Sat. in case you forgot>. The market is being changed to a tourist orientation and is in the 3d of 6 phases of development. It will be part of the tourist routes of Cuenca and will include accessibility improvements for shoppers of tercera edad, an internal reorganization with new vendors; and have crafts, kitchen stuff, fast food and ice cream on the 2nd floor.
Ferias – “Arte y Caridad” will be in the coliseo of the Universidad Politécnica Salesiana with 95 young artisans showing one of a kind wood furniture made without nails. The exhibit will run through domingo from 9-21:00. “Mujeres Emprendedoras,” is a program of the Casa de la Mujer. Other locations include CIDAP, the plaza de El Otorongo (3 de Noviembre), Plaza del Farol (in El Vado) and in the Seminario San Luis.
Otras cosas –
Titular – Cuenca, “…de galas vestida” (Cuenca, “… dressed in finery”) The city is celebrating 198 years of liberty. <It’s going to be a super, mega celebration in two years.>
Monuments – After 14 years, the monuments to the Virrey Hurtado de Mendoza and to the Chola Cuencana have been reinstalled at the new redondel (roundabout) at España and Huayna Cápac.
Prohibir la utilización de materiales plásticos de un solo uso – The Ministerio de Educación will prohibit the educational system from using disposable, one use only plastic items in schools. Teachers will not be able to put plastic containers, cutlery, cups and glasses on the school supplies list for the year, and schools will not be able to use those items in the lunch and snack bars. Straws made of polipropylene and polystyrene will also be forbidden. This action is supported by the Acción Ecológica since these materials contribute to environmental contamination. The Ministry is promoting the use of alternate materials friendlier to the environment and supporting recycling and reuse in the schools. <Best to teach the kids while they’re young and have time to develop good environmental habits.>
Public announcement – You can check on the status and use of your Movilizate card on line at usuarios.sircuenca.com. Enter your cedula number and you can see the balance on your card, the number of cards you have, and the number of transactions in the past 2 months. You can also get details of the transactions, block your card, and add a card. <So Sir, Cuenca can track you when you get on a bus. Big brother is watching.>
Bar hours – Bars and discos will close at 3:00. Friday was the only day they had extended hours until 4:00. <Are there a lot of you old gringos who can stay awake until last call anyway?>
Visiting the Galápagos – Tourists to the Galápagos who are planning to stay in private houses, or say they are going to stay in private houses will need an invitation. This requirement does not apply to tourists who are staying in authorized hotels. This measure started 1/11, and the paperwork needs to be done at least 5 days before the visit. Permanent residents of the Galápagos can fill out the invitation on line, and temporary residents have to issue a physical invitation. This is being done because some tourists are saying they are staying in private houses and the occupants have no idea who the “guests” are. This is being done to develop responsible tourism, and migratory control was a condition of UNESCO. <Don’t want people camping on the beach and destroying habitat, I guess.> Update: Following this announcement, the government postponed the new rules, saying they need more time to be properly administered.
Special section D – Destinos (Destinations)
The Cuencana identity – Inside the ceramics, goldsmiths’ and bakers workshops, lives the Cuencan identity. Since its recognition as a World Heritage Site, it has been a tourist destination. The Fundación Municipal del Turismo has created various touristic routes including a Ruta Gastonómica, Ruta Artesanal, Ruta Frances, the Biocorridor San Joaquín-Yanuncay, Ruta del Pan y los Molinos and the Ruta de Museos. The Ruta de Sayausí is being launched with natural attractions and living traditional culture in the communities.
San Joaquín – This destination includes a family of basket weavers, a chocolate factory, organic nurseries in Sústag, thermal waters in Soldados, and artist David Pasaca’s eco-museum.
Megaparques – The first of the megaparks is Tarqui-Guzho on the south side of the city with childrens’ games, BBQs, camping and a zip line. Another is the parque de la Luz in the Miraflores sector with a vista point on the Tú Eres Pedro hill, walkways, a cafeteria, childrens’ games, arboreal games <would that be climbing trees?>, gardens and BBQs.
Other parks – Another tourist attraction is the parque La Libertad on the site where the old men’s jail used to be. The building has been turned into a cultural space and a new 42 m. high lookout has been installed with a view over the whole city. The parque Icto Cruz will be in one of the largest green spaces in Turi with hiking, mountain biking, BBQs, lakes and trees.
Chocolate tour – “Altísimo Chocolate” offers hour tours of its factory at Gran Colombia and Benigno Malo. The owner, Ruth Mahoney, from California, produces bars, 10 flavors of truffles and various international desserts. Tours cost $20 per person with a minimum of 10 persons.
Cuencan rum – San Miguel rums are made in the valle de Uzhupud, south of Cuenca in the Complejo Turístico Industrial Cava San Miguel, the only cave in the country. It is open for pre-arranged tours which start in the plazoleta San Miguel. Before and after entering the caves where rums are aged in oak barrels, there is information about the process of making rum. The tour ends with a tasting. <Have I got your attention now?>
Special section E – photographs of Cuenca.
Special section F – legends of Cuenca.
Special section G – Identity of Cuenca.
Descuentos y compras –
Too many to list. There are sales and specials just about everywhere.
And that´s all for today so Hasta Mañana –
Jeanne
