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TRAVEL BLOG ENTRY
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So, yesterday we went to the futbol (that's soccer, people) game here in Cuenca. It was Cuenca v. Quito and both teams were pretty bad (so I'm told by soccer fans), but Cuenca won 2 - 0! It was definitely a crazy experience.
We all met up at like 10 in the morning so that we could get tickets as they sometimes sell out. We bought "general entry" tickets for 4 dollars, which meant we had bleacher seats not under the overhang (overhang important for protection against ecuadorian sun and the often fleeting rain showers, but we were fine without it), and hung out for 2 hours until the game started. Just before the game started, I saw probably half a dozen youths scale the walls outside of the stadium and sneak in by jumping over the fence. Almost everyone at the stadium wore red - for Cuenca - including us, since we all bought jerseys to wear (another $4) for the game.
We made friends with the Ecuadorian men sitting in front of us and they kept giving us shots of coke and Zhumir, which is THE drink of Cuenca. It's made here and is basically like rum, as it's a liquor made from sugar cane, but it's pretty rough. They probably drank about 8 flasks of the stuff while we were there, and the whole crowd was definitey rowdy.
We were still just about the only foreigners there - and when I walked to the most distgusting unisex bathroom I've ever stepped foot inside, all you could hear in english was, "Hello, honey... hello, pretty... hello, I love you... where you from?... will you meet my mother?" in the most hilarious english accents ever. I couldn't help but laugh.
Concessions at an Ecuadorian futbol game consist of huge vats of rice, beans, corn, meat, fish and red onions. They mix all of this together in a cup and top it off with aji. I tried it and it wasn't bad! They also have the pink apple soft drinks (delicious!) and of course beer, Zhumir, candy and potato chips. Not exactly a healthy affair.
I actually really enjoyed the game, even though you know I'm not the biggest sports person in the world. Ecuadorian soccer isn't exactly the top of the heap in terms of FIFA, but the fans definitely take it seriously. The guys in front of us were watching our game and going back and forth on their radios listening to the scores of all of the other games in Ecuador too. When Cuenca scored, there were people who brought their own drums and instruments and the whole place would go crazy. They also set off red smoke machines from the bleachers when their was a goal and there was confetti, etc. So fun!!
After the game, we went for pizza (and Zhumir) with our new friends. The pizza was surprisingly good for being in Ecuador. Then, we went and hung out at Cafecito (a hostal-restaurant-bar) and our friend Patrick, from London, played guitar for us in the back courtyard. Then we walked to the park and watched some fireworks. It was a great day and weekend in general, but by the time I got home at like 7pm, I was exhausted and went to be really early.
Today, it's a girl from my school's birthday. So, we are going to Wunderbar, a local haunt for happy hour and dinner to help her celebrate. Should be a good time. :) More soon!!
previous travel blog entry
meltak says:
Hi Jillian! Love the posts and pics, sounds like you are having a great time and experience! Keep the posts coming! xoxo melissa