Saturday we picked a street to wander and it was Simon Bolivar. We walked toward Parque Calderon and turned right and wandered into an upscale neighborhood with beautiful shops and cafes. Saw some beautiful artisanal objects we plan to go back to, ate delicious bakery goods and wandered into decorator shops that would make any home lovelier. Sunday we walked down Presidente Borrego and turned left on Simon Boliver and realized something was different. We walked about two blocks and the streets were blocked for yet another Christmas Parade. I felt like Forrest Gump after he went back to the White House the third or fourth time. This parade was definitely different. The previous one had two star generals, high ranking paratroopers and gorgeous horses. This was definitely working class. No military bands and generals. Three rather sad looking horses and the little angels did not have matching gold sandals. It did not lack in joy and spirit. We followed it to San Blas Plaza and Church were the parade began to disperse. One lady came over to thank us for coming to Ecuador. Each Parrish will have a parade until the 24th of December when the big one, El Paseo de Ninos begins. We then did really touristy stuff. Ate pizza, took a city tour, ate ice cream and called it a day. We had dinner at Café Austria. Not a bad dinner, spent almost as much on wine as food. Sometimes that is what you need to do. We love our trip and this beautiful country and welcoming people.
Adios, Sally