Top options for a ‘taste of Cuenca’; Unforgettable Olympics!; Kidnappers/extortionists arrested; Start your day with a guayusa jolt! Gov’t buys power

Lunes, 12/8/2024

Hola, Todos –

Titular –

¡Olimpiadas inolvidables! (Unforgettable Olympics!) – Ecuador made history with 5 medals – 1 gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze, for the first time since it entered the Olympics 100 years ago – in 1924 in Paris. Its delegation of 40 athletes finished 49th in the number of medals only behind Brazil (which fielded 277 athletes and won 20 medals) and Cuba in Latin America. Medalists included Daniel Pintado who won a gold for the 20 km marcha (speedwalking – your word for the day. Remember it for LA in 2028.> The silvers went to Daniel Pintado and Glenda Morejón for mixed speedwalking relay and to Lucía Yepez for wrestling. The two bronze medals were won by the weightlifting sisters Angio Palacios Dajomes /71 kg) and Niesi Dahomes (81 kg). This is the second medal for Neisi who won a gold in Tokyo in 2020 but in 76 kg.

The Raymipampa restaurant was chosen as one of three Cuenca restaurants serving the city’s “top flavors.” It is the city’s oldest restaurant, operating in the same location on Parque Calderon for 91 years. (El Mercurio)

Cuenca –

De El Mercurio del domingo, 11/8 (2 articles):

3 opciones para degustar platillos con sabores ‘top’ (3 options to taste dishes with ‘top’ flavors) – Cuenca has become a culinary destination. This has driven restaurants to fuse tradition and innovation. The “Advance” consulting firm has recognized this evolution with its “Los restaurantes mejor valorados de Cuenca” (Best rated restaurants in Cuenca) list which includes Raymipampa, El Jardín, y Café del Parque in the ranking. These places offer a mix of local and international flavors while conserving the Cuencanan essence for an increasingly demanding public. In marzo, Cuenca received the international certification ‘Culinary Capitals’ and restaurants have incorporated vegetarian and vegan options.

Raymipampa is next door to the New Cathedral and is in its 91st year. <Wow, something even older than me.> Their popular typical plate includes mote pillo and mote sucio with a juicy piece of pork, morcilla, llapingachos filled with cheese and a salad. Instead of chefs, Raymipampa has cooks who have inherited their culinary art over generations. El Jardín (Calle Larga y Borrero in Hotel Victoria) is 40 years old with its own gardens and overlooks the río Tomebamba. Diners enjoy an eclectic mix of flavors that combine cosmopolitan dishes with specialties from the Cuencanan kitchen. The menu also includes a fine pastry shop. <Do they still serve steak tartar, or did I just luck out when I went?> For a touch of intimacy, there is “El Barril,” their special cave – a corner perfect for chatting and relaxing. <Is that their bar?> The “Café del Parque” has three locations – across from Parque Calderón, in the stadium area, and in Puertas del Sol. Their specialties include “desayunos del parque” (park breakfasts). The menu takes the form of a newsletter with the categories of food mixed in with articles.

IESS da 72 meses de plazo para empleadores en mora (IESS gives 72-month deadline for employees in arrears) – The IESS has an Agreement for Partial Payment (APP) which allows employers in arrears to pay over 2 to 72 months depending on the amount owed. This program will also allow payment of accumulated interest. From the APP’s taking effect in abril to date, 10,309 have been signed for a total of $56,460,335, benefitting 10,038 employers. If interested, you can access the agreement at www.iess.gob.ec or in person at the Cartera y Coactiva windows located in the Centros de Atención Universal (CAU). Obligations to the IESS should be paid by the 15th of every month to avoid going into arrears.

Tema –

Toma de guayusa, ritual energizante en la Amazonía (Drinking guayusa, an energizing ritual in the Amazon) – At 3 am, while the rest of the world is still sleeping, the indigenous achuar community of Sharamentsa in the Ecuadorian amazon, wakes for the ancentral ritual of drinking guayusa, a tea made from an intensely green leaf. <You don’t have to go to the jungle to get this leaf. You can buy a box of tea bags at the SuperMaxi. And the mercados have the leaves.>

The ritual is a space for meeting and reflection, interpreting dreams, and reinforcing family ties. Guayusa is native to the Ecuadorian Amazon and has energizing properties, including caffeine, and antioxidants and is drunk by many other indigenous nationalities in Ecuador. In the past, the tea was used to get energy for the day’s hunting and fishing. After ingesting 5 ‘pilches’ (containers) of the tea, the achuar usually vomit as a method of cleaning and purifying the body which leads to a conversation about the symbols that have been able to appear to them in the dream world. It is also a time in which children learn about the achuar culture, and for the parents and elders to teach how to interpret dreams which can affect daily life. Once the sun comes up, the ritual is ended.

Sucesos –

De El Mercurio del domingo, 11/8 (1 article):

45 capturados en operativos contra secuestro y extorsión (45 captured in operations against kidnapping and extortion) – The Policía Nacional through its Fuerza Investigativa Contra la Extorsión (FICE), carried out the “Gran Libertad 12” Operation between el 5 & 8/8 in the provinces of Manabí, Guayas, Santa Elena, Los Ríos, Esmeraldas, Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas, y Pichincha.

The 30 people who were arrested for extorsion and 15 for kidnapping, are presumed to be part of the Los Lagartos, Tiguerones and Latin Kings gangs. The operation in Guayas resulted in the arrest of the kidnappers who demanded $60,000 to free the kidnapping victim. Investigators were able to locate 2 vehicles and a property in Pascuales in which the victim was held. In Pichincha, Police captured the presumed killer of a citizen of Imbabura who left her house to walk her dog. Her brother received a ransom demand of $50,000. <I know this is in bad taste, but I wonder what happened to the dog.> In Pasaje, El Oro Province, a property used to store firearms and ammunition used in kidnappings and extortions was raided and a suspect arrested.

After an armed confrontation in Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas, police freed the victim in the Luz de América sector. 7 suspects, identified as part of the Los Choneros gang, were captured in Portoviejo and Manabí. They were allegedly responsible for the explosives attack on a home, demanding $15,000. 8 people were arrested in Guayas and Manabí for kidnapping a woman who was freed in the Taura sector of Naranjal canton. The ransom demand was $200,000. <I hope with the stereotype that gringos are rich, kidnappers don’t think we have that kind of money on tap.>

Nacional –

Nueva alza del precio de las gasolinas: 2 centavos (New gasoline price hike: 2 cents) – According to the Cámara Nacional de Distribuidores de Derivados del Petróleo del Ecuador (Camddepe), The increase in gas prices this month will be 2 cents for Extra and Ecopaís. The new price will start today (12/8) and will be in effect until el 11/9. The price of these gasolines will rise or fall with the international market.

Energía térmica para enfrentar el estiaje (Thermal energy to face the drought) – Antonio Goncalves, Energy minister, announced that the country contracted for 91 additional megawatts of thermal energy which will be installed in Esmeraldas. This will help prepare the country for the dry season which is expected to arrive between agosto y septiembre and last until the first few months of 2025. With this contract, there will be a total of 341 MW power added through emergency contracts to help close the 1,000 MW deficit during the drought. In the beginning of agosto, the public company CELEC contracted with the Turkish barge, Emre Bey to add 250 MW to the national electrical system.

And that’s all for today so hasta ? –

Jeanne
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Editor’s note: Jeanne’s Periodico is a translated digest of news from the Cuenca daily newspaper El Mercurio. If details, such as event dates and times, do not appear in the translation, they did not appear in the newspaper (please don’t ask her for them). If information is incorrect, it is the responsibility of El Mercurio. The text between the carrots, or guillemets (< … >), is Jeanne’s personal opinion and not part of the news translation.