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South America Day 26: Christmas Parades

21 December 2012 330 km / 205 mi (map)

  • Added to Eric Scouten :: Travel on 24 February 2023
  • Ecuador 4

This morning I went for one more walk around downtown Cuenca before heading back to Quito.

Cuenca, being a very, very Catholic community (96% according to my tour guide) was in the throes of celebrating the holiday. This is the end of the school year and so I was treated to lots of parades in which students of all ages were marching from church services back to the end-of-year party at school. (Many schools there are church-run.) The parades were very elaborate, with heavily-decorated cars and trucks and marching bands. Parents and grandparents would stand on the sidewalk and watch the parade and police blocked traffic as each parade passed.

Christmas Parade · Cuenca, Ecuador

Cuenca, Ecuador
Cuenca, Ecuador

Morning of the Parade · Cuenca, Ecuador

Cuenca, Ecuador
Christmas Parade · Cuenca, Ecuador
Cuenca, Ecuador
Cuenca, Ecuador
Cuenca, Ecuador
Cuenca, Ecuador
Selling Flowers · Cuenca, Ecuador

I’m back in Quito tonight, having taken a late-afternoon flight back north. My hotel in Quito asked a mere US$30 to extend my checkout time from noon to 9pm tomorrow. That, my friends, is what I call a No-Brainer. My flight from Quito to Atlanta leaves the next “morning” at 12:30am, thus the unusual checkout time request.

This has been a wonderful trip, but I am very ready to be home.

Cuenca to Quito, Ecuador · 330 km / 205 mi
(Mouse over or tap on the markers to see the photos there.)

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