Happy Carnaval!

Last weekend, Menchie got to do a bit of traveling for Carnaval. We went to Bahía de Caráquez, San Vicente, and to visit PCV Corey at her site in the small town of Salinas de Manabí.

[Kids lying in wait along the roadside take advantage of the necessary slow-downs presented by speedbumps and potholes to spray foam on unsuspecting passengers, such as Jordan and Corey]

Carnaval, corresponding to Mardi Gras in the states (only on a much grander scale), unites the positives and negatives of Ecuadorian culture. Most people head to the beach, and all over the country adults and children alike celebrate by dousing each other with buckets of water, shooting each other with water pistols, and spraying each other with foam. It’s a lighthearted celebration, the one downside being that increased alcohol consumption can potentially bring to the foreground more insidious aspects of Ecuadorian culture, such as machismo. This can take many forms, and in the end one has to decide where to draw the line: As one friend said, I didn’t “integrate” into the fraternity drinking culture while attending college in the states, either.

We focused on the parts of Carnaval that included relaxing on the beach, eating delicious ceviche, walking the newly constructed bridge spanning the bay between San Vicente and Bahía (the longest in Manabí province), and cooking by the light of cell phones when the power went out. In the end, we had a grand ole time.


[Menchie is introduced to the traditional salchipapa dish: french fries and sliced hot dog topped with ketchup, mayo, lettuce, and tomato]