Carnaval and fun in Quito

Flew to Quito on Saturday, February 18, the official first day of Carnaval, to spend the 4-day weekend with my friend, Kate Hill-Tapia, from Pittsfield, who arrived in Quito on Friday to be with her in-laws.  It was great being with Kate and seeing all of Rene's (Kate's husband's) relatives again.    I had a wonderful time with them.  

On Saturday, we went to Nayón, a town just outside of Quito, where they sell every kind of plant and flower imaginable.  Most people would take photos of the flowers, but I took the picture below

because it made me think of Pittsfield & at the time I was with Kate from Pittsfield.  (For any reader who is not familiar with SABIC, it is a very big Saudi Arabian corporation in Pittsfield that manufactures, among other things, plastics.  I have tutored English to several Saudi Arabian employees from there & was flabbergasted to see dirt or fertilizer or something wrapped in a plastic bag from SABIC!)

Saturday night was my first experience with Carnaval in Quito.  There they don't douse people with powder or water, only espuma, the mousse-like spray that people shoot at others (from at times a significant distance) from aerosol spray cans.  You can buy espuma anywhere--on the street from vendors, in small shops & big department stores.  Below is a display of MANY cans for sale in a grocery store.

On Saturday night we drove through part of the old colonial city of Quito, with 2 of Kate's teenaged nieces and one 8 year old nephew, a perfect age group with whom to experience Carnaval.  They shot the espuma at passers-by on the street.  I will say that they were respectful & did not aim at people who looked like they couldn't handle it, but at the same time they certainly surprised quite a few.  A number of people retaliated by shooting their own espuma right back, including several who got their spray cans right into the car, while we were stopped and sprayed the entire interior & all of us inside.  It was VERY funny.  On Sunday night we walked along La Ronda, a beautiful old street, with 17th century buildings, no cars, but lots of people ready to aim there espuma at anyone daring to walk there.  Kate said, as we walked deeper into the street, that we were entering a war zone as the espuma-firing was pretty thick & heavy, but it was fun.  We stopped and ate, what looked & tasted like fried dough & drank canelzo, a sugarcane alcohol with hot cider & cinnamon.  What a great night!

On Monday, 15 of us (all but me were family & that did not include everyone) drove in 2 vehicles to Cayambe,

where we bought & ate bizcochos, a light, tasty biscuit, which is the trademark of Cayambe.  I saw them being made by hand & then put in special ovens.  From Cayambe we drove on to see the beautiful Lago Cuicocha.  Here's a photo of me with just a fraction of Rene's family, with his mother, Doña Mercedes, front & center in front of the lake.

We then went to Cotacachi, where you can buy many beautifully made leather goods.  It was a long, full day, but a great one.

I had to say farewell to Kate and family on Tuesday.  Before doing that, Kate & I took a brisk walk through part of the colonial area of the city.  It is beautiful and was especially nice to walk around when there were few people out and about, due to the holiday.  I spent the remainder of Tuesday with Nancy, the woman with whom I lived during the month of September.  The parade that we wanted to see was over, but we did have a great time catching up with each other.