New airline enters local market, plans int’l flights; Ecuadorian avocados headed to the U.S.; Dance party in the park; Italian motos hit Cuenca streets

Viernes, 28/7/2023

Hola, Todos –

Actividades –

Presentación de obra (Presentation of work) – On el 2/8 a las 18:30, the Cuencano writer Carlos Vásconez will launch his new novel, “El hijo de las dos memorias,” in the Casa de la Lira (calle La Condomine, next to the Plazoleta del Vado). Poet Issa Aguilar Jara will also participate.

Evento al aire libre (Outdoor event) – Mañana (sábado) from 8-13:00, the ´Feriatón de mi Bailo´will be at the Parque Inclusivo de Cuenca. The event will have games, sports, recreational activities, bailoterapia, an entrepreneurs fair, and performances. Free.

Ecuadorian avocados will soon go on sale in the U.S. (El Mercurio)

Taller de dibujo en coworking Impaqto (Drawing workshop at Impaqto coworking center) – The workshop, ‘Pal´ frío, drink & draw’ will be este 2 y 3/8 from 10-13:00 in the Impaqto coworking center (av. 12 de abril y Francisco Tálbot). The event will be directed by visual artist Priscila Gardenia and teach illustration techniques and record environmental elements. Call 099 281 7718 to register.

Titular –

“No hemos pactado con delicuentes” (“We have not made pacts with criminals.”) – See today’s (viernes) article in CHL for story.

Cuenca –

Aplicación de encuesta (Application of survey) – The MInisterio de Cultura is conducting a survey about the socio-economic situation of the artistic, cultural, and patrimonial area of Ecuador. It will survey artists and cultural managers who are in the Registro Único de Artistas y Gestores Culturales. Those who wish to respond to the survey should go to https://ruac.culturaypatrimonio.gob.ec/encuesta/validarEncuestado.php.

Empresarial –

Motos ícono de estilo italiano en Cuenca (Iconic Italian style motorcycles in Cuenca) – The Grupo Ortiz and Piaggio Italia have partnered to bring the Piaggio, Aprilia, Moto Guzzi y Vespa brands to Ecuador. There was a special event at the Mall del Río in which the motorcycle store was inaugurated. The prices vary depending on the type of moto, the brand, and engine size. Vespa has prices from $3,000 up to $8-9,000 for special editions. Models for autodrome or outdoor racing can run as high as $20,000 or $30,000. 27 different models are available in the store from scooters for mobility to adventure scooters for mountains and driving on 3d order roads <You won’t have any problem finding those, probably as close as 20 minutes from your house.>, to models for track racing. The partnership will support the sports sector with the expectation of promoting sports tourism. <Can you imagine a ride with a herd of Vespas in 1950’s bathroom tile colors rolling along the autopista? Not exactly Rolling Thunder, but too cute, especially if the riders wear matching helmets.>

Aguacate ecuatoriano llegará a perchas de EE.UU. (Ecuadorian avocado will reach U.S. shelves) – For the 1st time, after 10 years of development, Ecuadorian avocados are ready to arrive in the US market. The entry will be after the Agencia de Regulación y Control Fito y Zoosanitario (Agrocalidad) and the Servicio de Inspección Sanitaria de Plantas y Animales (APHIS in the English initials) sign a work plan that permits the entry of the fruit into the US. Ecuardo Izaguirre Marín, minister of Agricultura y Ganadería highlighted the importance of this new market which will benefit more than 11,000 people in the production chain. There are 160 registered avocado producers in Carchi, El Oro, Guayas, Imbabura, Los Ríos, Manabí, Pichincha, Santa Elena, y Tungurahua. <I just hope that enough “export” quality aguacates will stay in Ecuador to fulfill local demand.>

Actualidad –

De El Mercurio del jueves, 27/7 (3 articles):
Aeroregional vuelve a Cuenca (Aeroregional returns to Cuenca) – Starting el 4/8, Aeroregional will resume flights between Cuenca y Quito with 8 flights a week on lunes, jueves, viernes y domingo. Manuel Rodríguez, president of the airline, indicated that the airline is on board to promote the internationalization of Cuenca’s airport through connections to destinations such as Panamá and Lima.

Depending on demand, the airline plans to increase the frequencies to daily flights. The Cuenca-Quito-Cuenca route will be covered by a 130 passenger capacity Boeing 737-500 with a round trip flight costing $160. The airline is looking for 60-70% occupancy before it will run daily flights. The airline is also working on installing Migration, Customs and Anti-narcotics offices in the airport. If passengers can pass through these steps in Cuenca and arrive in an airport like Quito with their luggage checked through, they become international passengers.

José Luis Aguilar, executive director of the Corporación Aeroportuaria de Cuenca (CORPAC), said this new option will improve connectivity for Cuencanos and therefore increase the number of flights with more economical tickets. The airport is in negotiations with another 2 airlines interested in flying out of Cuenca. It is expected/hoped that this work will be one by the end of the year. As for a new airport, <Which better not be in Oña since Guayaquil is about the same driving time away.>, Aguilar said just the meteorological studies will take between 4-5 years. CORPAC is estimating that 2023 will close with 450,000 passengers passing through its gates.

Horarios y frecuencias (Schedules and frequency) –
Aeroregional will operate 2 flights between Cuenca y Quito per day on lunes, jueves, viernes y domingos at the following hours:
Quito-Cuenca: 06:00 – 06:45
Cuenca-Quito: 08:00 – 08:45
Quito-Cuenca: 19:00 – 19:45
Cuenca-Quito: 20:30 – 21:15

Décimo cuarto sueldo se paga en agosto (Fourteenth salary is payable in August) – The 14th salary to employees <and yes, that does include your cleaning lady> should be paid before 15/8 in the Sierra region. Workers should get this ´bono escolar´ (school bonus) of $450 if they have not decided to receive it in monthly payments. Also benefitting are IESS, military, and National Police retirees and domestic employees, either full or part time. If the worker has not worked a full year calculated from 1/8 to 31/7, the payment should be prorated. The prorated payment is based on $1.25 for every day worked. <If you don’t pay this to your cleaning lady, I´m told she could take you to court.>

Region –

‘Arado gigante´apunta a un Récord Guinness (‘Giant plow’ aims for a Guinness World Record) – A group of 11 residents of the Chaullayacu community in Guachapala canton are going to make the biggest plow in the world weighing 800 pounds, with a length of 38 meters, and a height of 15 meters. This will top the 36 m. long plow in Spain, and the goal is to get a Guinness World Record for Chaullayacu. They are getting help from the Universities of Cuenca, the Politécnica, and the Católica. The residents want to make the community a tourist destination where there already is a wood burning oven and a park with seats made of recycled tires that are very comfortable. <But depending on the design, is that something you’d put in your living room?> Other projects include a space for parapenting and a museum route. <The really exciting part of this project are the plans to clone Babe, (Paul Bunyan’s Blue Ox) who will drag the plow across the field where the community will plant the world’s biggest corn stalks. Just the seeds for this giant corn are as big as beach balls.>

And that’s all for today so Hasta ? –

Jeanne