New Year's Eve in Puerto Ayora

December 31st, 2021

Being New Year’s Eve, I met up with Tami and her husband Marcos for lovely sushi dinner.  By chance, while walking to the restaurant we ran into James and Helen, a couple from northern England whom I met in Huacachina about a month and a half ago and they coincidentally came into the same restaurant where I had breakfast two days ago.  And then at the restaurant, there’s my former co-worker Chris and his group who I ran into a few days prior on Isabella Island.  I guess I would have met up with everyone one way or another!

The sushi restaurant:

Some local beer:

Great sushi!

There are a couple of interesting traditions in Ecuador for New Years Eve.  The first is that many men dress up in drag, being “widows of the year gone by” and they approach cars on the street looking for donations.  Not sure what this is all about but someone told me that the money just goes towards their partying…good on ya!  The other tradition involves making life size figures out cardboard or paper mache called minogotes.  It might be a superhero or just a simple man or woman and after midnight these effigies are set afire…saying goodbye to the old and in with the new.

One of many effigies:

Hard to make out, but there's a plane in the top part of the picture.

Of course there should be a pirate when you're on a remote island.

If you've see Squid Games, you'll appreciate this one.

Close up of the robot from the Red Light/Green Light game in Squid Games.

After dinner we had a drink at the Prague Brew Pub and then wandered down to the center square across from the dive shop where most of the town seemed to be congregated for some live music.  The music was…well, local.  Let’s just put it that way.  I’d had enough beverages at this point that I found it fun and the lead singer, struttin’ his stuff in his fancy suit was entertaining.  A few of us got in the spirit and danced to a few of their tunes before the final countdown to 2022.

Heading down to the square:

Marcos is in the flowered shirt with Tami on the right.

The local entertainment.

Pretty big crowd.

Happy New Year!

After leaving the big party in the square, we tried to locate some burning effigies but nature called for me and I then lost the rest of the group.  I searched around for both my new friends and figures aflame but couldn't find either so by 1 am I was back at my guesthouse…it had been a long day.  Turns out Tami and Marcos had done the same.  Good times had by all.

Maybe someone has had one too many...

Happy New Year everyone!