Celebration Time...Come on!

Bet you have that song in your head now, right? When I first started this blog, I mentioned that I wanted to fall asleep and wake up to the sound of waves crashing against the shore. But I also wrote that according to many who live in Ecuador, I could very well wake up to a parade or some kind of celebration.

Our very first night in Salinas, we were at Score Sports Bar, chatting up Will and Wendy and Deana and enjoying our first meal in Ecuador. Since we were traveling with my son Alec, 17 yrs, and this being his very first trip overseas, we decided to go easy on him and let him get his fill of hamburger and fries. The kid survived the driving from Guayaquil to Salinas in our 'egg car', so some reward was in order.

Chowing down

 Horns honking are nothing new. Many drivers around the world use their horns to announce all sorts of things: get out of my freaking way, I'm here, I'm there, hey how ya doing, need a ride?, I really want to give you a ride, etc. Ecuador is no different.  But the horn honking we were now hearing was a tad, um, persistent. And loud. And then we saw the trucks loaded with people in the back,and cars with streamers and balloons hanging everywhere, and more trucks filled to the brim with kids whooping it up. And then the buses with everyone, and I mean everyone, hanging out the windows and screaming. And we did what anyone else in our situation would...we waved. Oh mercy, that got 'em started. They loved it! Their whooping and hollering got even louder. (how was THAT possible?)


And then - I still get giggles when I think about this - a truck came by, with a full band in the back. And they were playing. Sounded pretty good. So a few more minutes of buses, cars, trucks filled with kids in the back and more whooping and hollering....oh, the celebration? Local college celebrating 35 years - at least that is what we could decipher from the posters and signs on the vehicles.


This is a Saturday night after all, so why not celebrate something? We head back to our condo, which is a few miles away from the Salinas Malecon, closer to Muey and LaLibertad, and settle in for the evening.


BAM, BAM, BAM! I wake up to crazy fireworks. Seriously wild, crazy fireworks. Maybe a few shots fired as well. The kids must still be having a grand ol' time! It is at that moment I am glad we are staying just outside of party central.  Eventually I go back to my slumber, all the recent traveling has worn me out...


Hasta Luego,
Tami