Last night was eventful. We started at the Mansion Alcazar boutique hotel They have a very nice restaurante called Casa Alonso. If it is not the best restaurant in Cuenca, it is a close second. The hotel in the magnificent old colonial Spanish style, as is the restaurant. The restaurant looks out over the interior courtyard. We had a great meal. In between courses we got little surprises like a small sorbet. Very upscale but very reasonable if compared to something similar in the US. Web site is www.mansionalcazar.com.
We got to the club around 9:30. Pablo suggested we arrive at 9:00. We were a little concerned about being late. No need, we were very early. Pablo's group was to start at eleven. The started very promptly at midnight. I thought he was being a little vague when he said eleven. Probably didn't want to scare us off by saying midnight.
The place filled up fairly quickly. The sound system was pounding out latin dance music. Everyone started dancing. As the only gringos in the crowd, we felt conspicuous just sitting at our table, much less dancing. But, after sitting out a few tunes, we joined the party. Some of the dancers were incredible to watch. Others just kind of moved a little to the rhythms. We thought we could, at least do that. It was fun. At this place, one song would last at least ten minutes. So you get your exercise. When the band started, the songs were even longer, usually two or three rolled into one. Becky had bought some new leather dress boots earlier in the day. The kind with five inch spike heels. She is a real ecudoriana now. Unfortunately, by the end of the night, her feet were sore and wore a blister.
Pablo's group included Pablo on keyboard, an electric bass, drummer, conga/percussionist and a frontman who played percussion, as well. With all the percussion instruments, you can imagine the sounds. While they were setting up, Pablo, acknowledged us and did so, again, when they started. That gave us a little extra legitimacy. The group was incredibly good. The dancers were obviously fans, as they knew all the songs and anticipated different dancing options. For example, in the middle of one song, the group broke into a US 1950's medley of Elvis Presly, Little Richard and others. A lot of the dancers started doing the Twist! I had forgotten how to do that, so have no idea of how they learned it. I must say, Jailhouse Rock and Tooty Fruity lose something in the translation. At another point, they started into a Russian dance. The crowd started doing that thing where you kick your legs out in front of you. We drew the line at that. Left close to two a.m.. We are sure it went another two hours. It was starting to get a little crazy on the dance floor. Can't imagine what is was like an hour later. I'll find out on Monday. They had a nice system for payment. When you arrive, you order your drinks. We ordered a bottle of wine. Most of the others ordered like pitchers of margaritas. You get a voucher type card with your order on it. If you have more, they update the voucher. When you leave, you take your voucher to a cashier and pay. Saves having to track down a server - which would have been tough.
Slept in a little, but not much. We are in better shape than we thought we would be. Took a walk and went to a pottery gallery/studio across from our apartment. We just discovered it a few days ago. Don't know why it took so long to notice it. It is a very modest affair. Becky bought a pot for house plants. There were two plants in the apartment that were root bound. She wanted to save them. At any rate, we got a demonstration of how the pot was made. An old man, using a kick wheel, threw a large pot in about two minutes. His tools were very old, but his pot was flawless. I asked how long he had been doing pottery. He said 60 years. Guess he should know what he is doing. The place is a family affair. Many generations involved. There was a young boy, about five, who climbed up behind the wheel and stared shaping a piece of clay before his grandfather took over. Later he climbed under the wheel table and spun around on the kick wheel. Really growing up in the trade.
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