I made it up to Quito a day before my mom arrived so that I could scope it out for her. The plan was for her to arrive on Thursday evening so that we could get up and see the Good Friday parade. Because of a lovely snow storm, her flights got cancelled, and she arrived bright and early Friday am. After breakfast and some coffee, my trooper of a mother headed out with me to check out this procession. And lets just say it was not like the fun-filled cheerful parades I've seen.
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| Some choose to dress in purple, others in white, and others as soldiers |
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| The procession is about 5k. Some choose to walk barefoot, others with chains |
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| Not easy |
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| Men and woman of all ages choose to participate |
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| Most end up needing help to carry/support the cross |
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| Lining up at the Basilica to watch the procession |
Did it have people selling water and soda? Or umbrellas and little chairs? Yes it did. Walking up and down the street yelling. Were people walking around and pushing to try and find a good spot to watch from? Yes. But the parade itself was a somber experience. With people praying as they walked, carrying VERY heavy crosses, and even hitting themselves as they walked. It was clear that for some this was an incredibly serious matter.
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| Pokey cactus cross |
Lots of people from the US notice that these are quite remarkable robes, with not the best connotation in our culture. Purple is the color of penitence, although I am more sure about the reason for the shape of the hoods.
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| A family affair? |
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| The women are called Veronicas |
After the parade, there were a ridiculous number of people in the old town, so we went home and took a nap. Too many people. No gracias. That evening we headed up to the newer part of town for dinner where Mom got to try her first Ecuadorian ceviche
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| Choclo and ceviche! |
The next day the old town was much less crowded so we wandered around and saw the sights. We also got to learn to stop into a chocolate shop and make our own chocolates while we learned a little bit about the chocolate making process.
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| Definitely related |
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| NOM |
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| Nom |
We then went to a museum and learned about the history of shamanic healing. We got to see a lot of really interesting artifacts used in healing or depicting shamans and their transformations/visions during the healing processes. During the next couple days in Quito, we ate some sushi, checked out some art and orchids, and hit up a great viewpoint of the city. Like I said in the previous post, after a couple days in a big city, I feel like I've seen most of the big sights. Also, I was so INCREDIBLY excited because early Monday morning we were taking a flight out to the Galapagos. Just hurry up and be Monday already!!!
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| Stone pendant |
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| Ceramic stamps used to decorate pottery |
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| Pottery representing a jaguar |
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| A view down on the valley Quito fills |
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| Plants are cool |
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| An ant eater! |
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| Orchids are ridiculous |
