Last night Kate and I went to our first Ecuadoran Fiesta togethor with our host family. In true latin spirit it combined lots of people, lots of fireworks, lots of alcohol and lots of religion in a explosive mix of organised chaos. The fun began with lots of street food. I indulged in the local BBQ specialty Pincho followed by El Vido ( a fiery concoction of scotch, sugar, cinamon and something red). Perhaps the funniest incident of the night occurred when a man clad in poncho, cowboy hat and white pantelones walked past with 8 live guinea pigs on a stick, hanging by their little feet and squealing. Kate's reaction echoed their pain. Cuy, as the locals call it, is a delicasy and maybe I will be offered some soon....mmm when in Rome.
Soon after, the local muchachos began letting off some fireworks... most of which seemed to fire into the crowd. The main event seemed to be a castillo which was a huge bamboo installation with a series of different fireworks connected by fuses and consisting of various Ecuadorian icons. There was a taxi with spinniing wheels, a bicycle rider, a dancing girl, a church, Jesus and finally the dove of´peace. Each in turn was a masterful piece of firework engineering, and the crowd was in awe as the band played some catchy church tunes. It was particularly funny to see the local drunk guy dancing underneath and being covered in sparks from various fireworks. But nothing was remotely as funny as the dove of peace which accidently shot fireworks into the crowd and left most people running for cover. I don't think latinos will ever know the meaning of liability insurance... thank Mary
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