The month long celebration of the Virgin of the Holy Waters ended yesterday with a parade to the stadium where the priests gave mass. One of the larger statues dressed in all of her finery traveled by a hand-pulled trailer behind a 20 piece band and followed by the towns people carrying flowers. After the mass she was paraded back to the Basilica and entered under a shower of rose pedals, where she will remain until the next holy event. Why not plan to be in Baños next October and join in the festivities.
Today is the 1st of November and the start of a three day holiday in honor of the dead. Wednesday is the independence day of Cuenca, which is a holiday in that city, and since it follows the two day holiday for the Day of the Dead, the President declared the holiday for the whole country. Therefore this provided a five day weekend to most Ecuadorians. Needless to say Baños is bursting at the seams. Most people come without reservations and walk the streets looking for a room. There were no rooms for many, and many of the hostels raised their rates a few dollars to take advantage of the unexpected windfall.
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