New noise ordinance will require app for gas orders, lower volume at discos and churches; Tarqui site studied for new airport; Get to know El Vado

Viernes, 1/3/2024

Hola, Todos –

Actividades –

Una ruta para conocer El Vado y sus alrededores (A route to get to know El Vado and its surroundings) – The Centro Histórico of Cuenca has a countless number of routes that can bring you closer to the history, gastronomy and entertainment that the city offers. This first route will let you encounter historic houses, museums and public spaces around El Vado. Start at the Mercado 10 de Agosto where you can find a delicious breakfast or lunch. <Some of the offerings and displays might take you outside of your comfort zone, though.>

The El Vado neighborhood was the southern entrance Cuenca at the beginning of the 20th century.

You will need at least a day to see all the historic sites in El Vado which was the southern entrance to the city in the last century. Start with the little plaza with the cross which was placed over a century ago. Look over the balcony facing the lower part of Cuenca and th mountains to the south and east. Options from there include historic houses such as the restored Casa de la Lira and the Casa Márquez which are now free art venues. Next to the Casa de la Lira is the El Prohibido cultural center which displays an alternate culture and is not like traditional museums. Admission is $2.50. You will be welcome in workshops that make straw (Panama) hats. 3 minutes from the plazoleta de El Vado is the parque San Sebastián <and back to safety in the gringo bubble>. You can get craft beer, eat, and relax in the park. The Museo de Arte Moderno fronts the park which has exhibits in their galleries year around. The Red de Turismo Comunitario del Austro Pakariñan is in the same area and you can find clothing and crafts made by communities in the south of Ecuador.

The last part of the route is the Bajada del Padrón which connects calle Larga with the Centenario bridge and which has been reactivated in the last couple of years with restaurant and crafts spaces. Here you can find the Tres Marías which is a traditional cantina founded in 1922 and which reopened in 2020. <And if you see someone who looks and moves like a mummy, he’s the original owner. Just kidding for those of you who do math and probabilities.>

De El Mercurio del jueves, 29/2 (1 article)>:

Concierto para ayudar a Bolívar Sarmiento (Concert in aid of Bolívar Sarmiento) – There will be a benefit concert to help Bolívar Sarmiento, an internationally known Cuencano guitarrist who needs medical treatments. The concert will be el 9/3 a las 20:00 in the Teatro Casa de la Cultura (Cordero y Córdova). Also performing will be Terry Pazmiño, Los Locos del Ritmo, el Quinteto del Recuerdo, Apocalipsis, Sandra Argudo, Diego Zamora, Fernano Vargas y Kety Pazmiño. Tickets are avilable at El Surtido or La Victoria or at https://ticketmas.com.ec. The cost of $20 will go towards the treatments.

Titular –

Renuncia de suplente allanó el camino de destitución de Murillo (Alternate’s resignation paved the way for Murillo’s impeachment) – Fausto Murillo was censured and impeached from his position as a member of the Judiciary Council by the Asamblea with 102 votes in favor, 2 opposed and 28 abstaining. <The rest of the article is too complicated for me.>

De El Mercurio del jueves, 29/2 (1 article)>:

Proceso para construir aeropuerto para Cuenca (Process to build airport for Cuenca) – The Corporación Aeroportuaria de Cuenca (CORPAC) is in the process of collecting climatic conditions in Tarqui to see if the location is suitable for building a new airport in Cuenca. José Luis Aguilar, executive director of CORPAC said the information collected by the new weather station on wind directions, cloudiness, height of the clouds, rain, and more is important because that’s where the whole project starts. National and international aviation regulations require these studies be done for at least 5 years. The weather station was donated by Guayaquil, and the city of Cuenca is looking for assistance from MIT which helped the Guayaquil airport and which has specialized meteorological labs.

The current airport opened in abril of 1941 with a runway 1,900 meters in length and 36 in width. This year there will be work done to increase its useful life. The estimated cost is about $8 million and the project will be done starting at the end of agosto which is when the peak demand for flights ends. The work is planned to end before the independence of Cuenca holiday when demand for flights increases again.

Cuenca –

Repartidores de gas deben usar app (Gas delivery drivers must use app) – A new proposal for a Noise Control Ordinance in Cuenca will require gas tank delivery drivers to use a digital mobile app instead of speakers and music to alert their customers. The proposal was made by the Comisión de Gestión Ambiental (CGA)

The expectation is that the new noise ordinance will be approved by the Cantonal Council in marzo. According to Carlos Orellana, director of the CGA, high levels of noise is one of the main complaints from citizens. Next week the regulation will be publicized to gas deliverers and to organizations whose members are bars, karaokes and discos. Gas deliverers will have 6 months to make the change. The ordinance will also sanction excessive sound from churches <No more loud bells and explosions at 6 am on Sunday morning? And no more loud preachers or out-of-tune choirs?), sports courts, gyms, stores and other commercial enterprises that use music to attract clients.

Sandra Gómez, president of the Asociación de Distribuidores de Gas en Azuay said there will be a meeting with the CGA on martes to explain the distributors’ concerns. They are hoping the municipality will collaborate giving out the app and with training in how to use it since the distributors had to buy the speaker systems when before they just honked their horns. <Which I always thought was a lot less annoying than the music. At least when the drivers stopped to make a delivery, the honking stopped whereas now, a lot of them don’t turn the music off or down.>

Gómez warned that not all the drivers are familiar with the use of apps or smart phones. <Now that’s something I can’t believe. Theoretically they got licenses to drive which means they have at least a high school degree. Now find me an Ecuadorian high school student who doesn’t have or know how to use a smart phone.> She said that just in Cuenca, there are about 150 gas distributors each with 1 to 6 delivery trucks. That number rises to 290 in Azuay Province.

And that’s all for today so hasta ? –

Jeanne