We got back to the Secret Garden on the night of Halloween and said hellloooo the whole staff fam! Rose came to meet us all the way from her homestay in Cuenca (10 hours by bus). Alé and his bffs from the tattoo shop painted faces. Finally met his girlll who is obviously as cool as he made her sound. She is a yoga teacher and invited us over for an impromptu class + jam sesh.
We met Margot and her friend from Fullbright, Kat at the apartment. From there we übered (über is technically illegal in Ecuador, but due to the regulated online system, it’s often 3 or 4 times cheaper than what your taxi driver will try to tell you) to a Halloween party that lasted until the sun came up. There were a bunch of dj’s from all over Latin America and the general vibe was remixed traditional dance music. Example: elektro cumbia/ tekno tango etc. Probably one of the coolest Halloween experiences I’ve ever had– dancing is SUCH an important part of culture that the US is severely lacking. (Shout out to ecstatic dance and Zumba– I see you folks!!) Rhythm gets you in touch with your body and in turn in touch with others.
also Carmen and I got dinner at our favorite pub across from secret Garden (La Oficina). And our friend Alessandra just got hired and brought us multiple baskets popcorn. She is local and we didn’t get to say goodbye last time and had no way of contacting her. It was so good to see her TWENTY STEPS out of our bedroom door!! <3
We really like cheap dates