New Years in Cuenca, Ecuador

New Years in Cuenca was a blast! Chris and I went with Daniela and her family. It was a rough 6 hour drive up and down through the Andes mountains ( and when I say "up and down" I mean UP and DOWN)at an average speed of 45 mph. It was quite an experience...Ecuadorians have no fear on the road...quite the opposite from us Americans. They enjoy passing each other just as the road begins to curve and they cannot see the oncoming traffic ahead of them...it's amazing! Finally, I had to go to sleep just to avoid a panick attack!
New Years Eve was a very fun night. We went to Daniela's uncle house in the country (about 20 min outside of the city of Cuenca). Everyone got dressed up, which is the tradition. I was Pompies from the spanish show "El Chavo" and Chris was una "cura" (priest). It was great! Kinda felt like Halloween. After midnight the guys lit fireworks in celebration while the women yelled at thier husbands for lighting them too close to the house. Chris practiced his soccer with a younger cousin who just returned from playing in Brazil...so he had some new moves to show off.
New Years Day continued the celebration on another uncle's ranch. The afternoon began rather slowly as many were recovering from "chuchaqui" (hangover). We played fusball (which I kicked Chris's butt in, 10 to 6!!!!)roasted a "chancho" (pig) for lunch...I made the mistake of asking for the white meat. Not only did they laugh at me but they ignored me and gave me a slab of dark meat. Picky people like me have NO place here....you take what you get. Chris is much better at this than I am. So, after a large meal we all sat around and listened to a singer they hired for the evening. The singing eventually turned into a DJ wich then called for a community cup of rum and coke to be passed around to anyone old enough to hold it. Chris and I tried to refuse...they weren't having it...no surprise there!!
We spent the next couple nights touring Cuenca, which is a very quaint and calm little city. It's known for it's beautiful churches and cobblestone streets. It much calmer than Quito. Less hustle and bustle and a little safer.
On our way home we stopped off at the Inca ruins. It was really cool. Nothing like Machu Pichu but cool nonetheless. After talking our way out of paying the $6 "extranjero" (foreigner) fee and paying the $2 local fee, we went on a self guided tour. It was interesting to see everything from one of thier temples to thier irrigation "system". It's amazing to think how far back those ruins go.
Our trip to Cuenca concluded with a quick drive through the city of Ambato, where our family lived for a while. It was cool to get to see the streets my grandparents, aunts and uncles roamed at one point.
This week we are back at Casa V taking it pretty easy. The holidays are over and things seem to be settling a bit. Chris is back in Spanish school working on his preterites. Tonight he went to play indoor soccer with the guys in the house, which he loves. I met with the mom's group I'm leading here at the house this past Wedneday which turned out to be really good! 5 moms came, which is a lot...it is soooo hard for the moms to take any time out for themselves when they have so many other things calling for thier attention (kids, work, husbands, house chores, etc.). It's a luxury for them to be able to come hang out with other women for an hour every week. This weekend we are going to a 40th birthday party and hopefully getting some time alone to just hang out.