Weekend Carnaval events; Indulge in the unique tastes of Carnival; Tranvía extends its hours; Vehicle registration returns; Police increase holiday patrols

Bored? –
(De El Mercurio del jueves, 12/2) Agenda
jueves, 12/2 – 10:00 – Mote Pata workshop & Celebration of Taita Carnaval – Museo Municipal de la Paja Toquilla y el Sombrero, Rafael M. Arízaga y Luis Cordero.
18:00 – Jueves de Compadres – Parque de la Libertad.
viernes, 13/2 – 10:00 – Qué bonito es Carnaval – Centro Cultural Municipal Los Eucaliptos, Parque de los Eucaliptos.
15:00 – Seranata por San Valentín – Casa Patrimonial Municipal de la Posadas.
18:00 – Concierto Carnaval: Todo el mundo se levanta, with Papaya Dada, Lolabúm, Swing Original Monks, La Máquina Camaleón, & Leteléfono – Estadio Alejandro Serrano Aguilar

The traditional breads and sweets of Carnival will be on offer in Cuenca throughout the holiday weekend. (El Mercurio)

sábado – 14/2 – 9:00 – Cuatro Ríos Carnaval Parade, on Calle Simon Bolivar from San Blas Park to San Francisco Square with the participation of a multitude of allegorical floats and troupes.
14:00 – Motepata más grande del mundo, reception of the Guinness Record – Plaza de San Francisco.
18:00 – Concierto Carnaval: Cuenca Flow with Nicky Jam, Trébol Clan – Estadio Alejandro Serrano Aguilar.
20:30 – Artistic presentation : Máximo Escalera – Parish center of San Joaquín.

De El Mercurio del jueves, 12/2) Galerías dinamizan escena artística (Galleries invigorate the art scene) – 2 new independent art spaces strengthen local arts and present shows and activities that combine visual arts, music and theater. MAD Galería y Escuela de Artes on av. Paucarbamba combines training and exhibition. The space started with the goal of supporting and developing children, teens, and adults in the plastic, scenic, and musical arts. As part of its schedule, it will present micro-theater el 12 & 13/2 with performances at 19:00, 19:40, and 20:15. The works re “Guía práctica para superar a me ex” (Practical guide to getting over my ex) with Adriana Estudillo & Ruth Chicaiza and “La cita de Nora” (Nora’s appointment/date?) with Camila Bernal and Pedro Abril are part of this reduced format theater intended for groups of 15-20 people. Cost: $10.00 which includes a glass of wine. MAD also has classes in drawing, painting, ceramics, dance, ballet and musical instruments.

“La Galeria” is on av. Loja y Remigio Tamariz and run by visual artist Galo Mosquera. It is starting a cycle of exhibits with “Hiperespacio,” the first individual showing of Cuencanano artist Fernando Sarmiento Regalado which will be inaugurated today (jueves) a las 19:00. The show unites painting, graphics, animation, object, installation and sound intervention as part of the same perceptive experience. The show will run until el 28/2. The agenda includes guided visits, open conversations, listening to music and activations with the artist. On el 14/2 there will be a presentation of a portfolio and a creative process from 11:00 to 13:00. On el 21, a live audiovisual set will be developed at 11:00-13:00 with a live sound improvisation in dialogue with the works. <Way too sophisticated for this Philistine.>

Hungry? –
(De El Mercurio del miércoles, 11/2) El pan y el dulce entre los sabores de Carnaval (Bread and sweets among the flavors of Carnival) – Carnaval bread and the traditional dulces (fruits cooked in a spiced syrup) de figs, milk or peach are part of the Cuencana culinary tradition. In Todos Santos, the traditional bakery barrio, production has doubled in the wood burning ovens in which the fires are never put out. Lard is the ingredient that defines the taste, texture, and aroma of pan de Carnaval. This is because in the past, families would slaughter a pig during this season and use the fat to make the bread, a practice that has been preserved.

In Santo Pan, you can try bread straight out of the 200-year-old wood burning oven, the first in Cuenca. Owner, David Pesantez, listed the different kinds of Carnaval bread. One is a bread with a soft crumb, unfilled, meant to accompany dulces. Another is made with lard and butter. Other seasonal breads are fig bread with cheese and croissants filled with guayaba, dulce de leche and peach, made with sourdough starter and butter. He uses natural ingredients and nothing is industrialized. He uses eucalyptus in his oven which determines the final flavor of the bread.

Also in the Todos Santos area, the Panadería Tradicional de Todos Santos is now in the hands of the 4th generation of bakers. The administrator, Juan Carlos Tenemea, works with recipes that go back to the end of the 19th Century. For Carnaval, the bakery makes 3 kinds of bread: salt mestizo bread with cheese to accompany a hot coffee or chocolate, an egg bread to go with the dulces, and a white bread used for pernil sandwiches which are also eaten during this season. <I guess if you just slaughtered a pig, you’ve got a lot of pork to eat up.> In the Pandadería Todos Santos, Maximiliano Montenegro said the oven is always burning. During this season, the pan mestizo and egg bread made with lard are the most requested. Daily production rises from 2,000 to 4,000 breads. Each sells for $.20.

Dulces are also typical for the season. At the Mercado 9 de Octubre, Alexandra Molina makes dulce de peach, fig, milk, mora, babaco, guava (English guava, not Ecuadorian guava), pineapple, strawberry and tree tomato. She works with fresh fruit and each dulce has its point where the syrup isn’t too thick or too sweet. Containers of the dulces cost $1.00 and she will be open until el lunes of Carnaval from 8-18:00. The various markets all offer dulces and starting tomorrow, there will be a Carnaval schedule with music and cultural activities at the 3 de Noviembre, 10 de Agosto, 9 de Octubre and the Plataforma Valdivieso. On el viernes, the programming continues at the 12 de Abril, 27 de febrero and the Plataforma Narancay.

Curious? –
(De El Mercurio del martes, 10/2) Tranvía amplía horarios para el regreso desde el norte (Tranvía extends hours for return trips from the north) – The Tranvía is extending its hours with 3 additional departures, mainly for those who work in the Parque Industrial sector late at night. Haydee López, general director of the Tranvía, announced that after 10 pm, users will have 3 new departures: at 22:10, 22:19, and 22:34 that apply to the Parque Industrial – Avenida México section. Regular fares will be maintained, and can be paid with a prepaid card, a single ticket for $1.00, or by a mobile bank app. For the bank apps, the payment needs to be made at least 5 minutes before you get on the train. For the south to north route, from the Río Tarqui stop, the last train will leave at 22:00. <But how many of you retirees are out that late at night anyway?>

(De El Mercurio del martes, 10/2) ANT restablece el servicio de matriculación (ANT restores auto registration service) – The Agencia Nacional de Tránsito (ANT – National Transit Agency) announced that they are continuing to execute technical and administrative actions oriented towards normalizing services and strengthening operations management nationally. These will be implemented gradually. El lunes, car registrations for new vehicles was restarted in the Cities of Quito and Guayaquil under strict security conditions. Citizens need to re-establish their digital user identification to guarantee protection of their information. On el 30/1, ANT was raided, intervened and closed down with its services suspended.

(De El Mercurio del martes, 10/2) Despliegan más de 4.300 policías en las vías (More than 4,300 police officers deployed on roads) – The Policía Nacional will focus on roads in the country with the Estrategia Operacional 3D. The objective of the strategy is to “Debilitar, Desorganizar, y Desarticular” (Weaken, Disrupt, and Dismantle) criminal organizations that operate in the territory and move on these highways. Supervisor of Control de la Estrategia 3D,Cristian Barreiros, said that 4.300 police will intervene on the 24 roads under the jurisdiction of the Policía Nacional along with those under the jurisdictions of the Comisión de Tránsito del Ecuador (CTE) or city transit agents. He said these roads are the logistical corridors for criminal groups who use them for transporting drugs, arms, explosives and including hitmen.

Controls will be conducted at critical times and locations with a 24/7 presence as well as preventive controls at strategic locations such as toll booths, terminals, gas stations, and rest areas in coordination with ECU-911 and the Bloque de Seguridad. Of the 32 checkpoints established, 23 will be at standard fixed points, and 9 at priority fixed points. There have been 15 prioritized sections of roads identified in El Oro, Guayas, Los Ríos, and Manabí provinces where there will be continuous patrols along the length of these routes. In addition, there will be 8 checkpoints operated by the Grupo Especial Móvil Antinarcóticos (GEMA) focused on searching vehicles that could be transporting drugs.
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Information in this column, including dates, times and locations, is courtesy of the El Mercurio newspaper. Comments between the carrots, or guillemets (< … >), are the personal opinions of the author and not part of the news translation.