Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Bits and Pieces, December 19, 2012

Christmas in Cotacachi

Christmas here is a very big deal.  It's very commercialized, just as it is in the States, but the whole thing doesn't start until around the first of December.  I'll have lots more photos and discussion about Christmas here but I wanted to start out with the processions that take place from the 15th through the 24th of December.  This is the miniature one from last night:
I came up behind this one and it was within seconds of being over so I only got a couple of photos but with a wee bit of explanation I think you'll get the spirit of it.  There were sparkly fireworks at the corner where they started and the one where they ended (that would be a total of one block).  Traffic stopped on one side of the street for them but went around on the other side.

This is the entire procession.  I couldn't manage to get in front of them while they were moving forward so this is about all you get.  There was one angel and the women are all gathered around a little statue of the baby Jesus.  I'm not quite sure what they're doing but it seemed to involve wrapping him up.  Stay tuned for more Christmas procession photos.

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Who would like to bring some of my "stuff" down here for me?  As I was writing an email to someone the other day it occurred to me that this is something I could mention to my general readership just in case you have the wherewithal to do this.  This is specifically aimed at folks in the U.S. who are coming down here on vacation but may apply to someone moving here, depending on a few factors.

I'm always in need of having a few things get from there to here and having things shipped can be a seriously nasty pain in the tush (you may recall the computer parts problem).  Right now I'm in need of getting my specialty yarns here--the ones I couldn't part with when I moved here.  I'm making wall hangings that need them and purchasing yarn here is quite expensive and the ones I really need aren't available.  At some point I will need shoes.  Shoes actually can't be shipped--it's against the law here--don't ask--I have absolutely no idea why.  To be honest, I don't even know for sure that it's accurate except that in addition to having heard this from a couple of people, a friend of mine had a pair of shoes confiscated that were in a package that was opened by Customs.  Go figure.

Anyway, if you're coming for a visit and want to have some space in your suitcase to put souvenirs in when you go back home, I'd love to be able to tuck some things in there that need to come here.

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Have you taken a look at the count on the ClusterMap in the upper right hand corner of the blog?  I never cease to be amazed at the number of people who read this blog.  Thank you to all of you who come visit with me.  I can't begin to tell you all how lovely it is to have "friends" all over the world.  Anyone want to guess when the number might hit 10,000?  I'm thinking it will be sometime around the end of January or the beginning of February if I get my act together and write more often.  Be sure to let me know if you plan to come visit so we can make plans to meet while you're here.

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This is a rather short "Bits and Pieces" but I want to get the photos out today.  With luck there will be more very soon.

3 comments:

  1. Hi, Cynthia! I was so very excited to see that you had made another posting! Loved reading about all the adventures, but so hoped to hear how the moving is going. Are you moving on the 20th still?

    We are planning to move there in May, 2013 so all your adventures are such fun for us. Thanks so much for sharing!

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    1. The move is happening on the 22nd. I take possession the 20th and I'll be over there cleaning it in preparation for the move. I have some help so that will be lovely. The biggest problem is going to be the freezer. I don't think it's been defrosted in the three months the previous tenant was there. To be totally fair to him, he gave me the option of having him toss whatever was in the fridge and unplug it so it could defrost or leave the food AND the frost. I obviously opted for the latter. I'll see if I can get more photos while I'm there--pre move-in.

      I'm so excited to meet you guys. Thanks for all your lovely support. Oh, and you can look forward to more posts now that I have the new computer up and running. I can't believe how much less stress there is when I don't have to sit through several "freezes" every time I try to type something. It would sometimes take over an hour to type something I can do in less than 15 minutes now. Hooray!!!

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  2. I cant wait for the start. This is a new beginning.

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