Halloweeeeeeeen!!!

In spite of the fact that Halloween in Cuenca is largely reserved for tweens and university students attending costume bashes (do people still use that word? Bash?) we somehow managed to make the best of it.  We didn't pack costumes and although we could have borrowed a couple the boys wanted to pick their own.  Luckily Cuenca is filled with costume stores where for a mere $7.00 you can rent whatever you want in any size.  So we fought the crowds of scantily dressed 20 somethings looking for sexy devil, police maiden or what have you (yes, halloween translates pretty accurately over here) to pick out......GHOULS.   There were two basic requirements the boys had 1) they had to be scary and 2) they had to have masks.   Masks that literally only stayed on for that picture to  the left.



Jack-o-Melon

We were invited over to Diego and Inga's (yet again!) to enjoy the holiday along with a few other familes.  It ended up being a great night!  The evening started with John carving a watermelon.  Pumpkins/squash are rare here and even if you are able to get your hands on one they are expensive!  So thanks to a brilliant idea from Inga, we were easily able to carve this melon.  The bonus is the insides are way more delicious then a bunch of salty seeds.

After dinner the kids put on their costumes and we prepared to trick or treat. Inga and Diego have a couple of other buildings on their property, so one to two adults camped out at each 'house' to pass out candy.  The kids walked around twice to maximize their 'treats' and fill their bags.  It ended up being just the right amount of candy for everyone. 

Lastly, to share one of my favorite pictures I have ever taken, give you this gem...

Two little girls didn't make it

 





















I can't decide, but I think it is even creepier in black and white...