One thing Troy and I have learned is that sometimes the trip just comes to the traveler. We were having a coffee this morning and heard the distinctive clip clop of horses hooves. These gorgeous animals were making their way down Calle Garcia Moreno and we followed them back to the Plaza Grande. This was the traditional time that the president of Ecuador greets his people but this was done with more ceremony than usual. Mounted soldiers rode onto the plaza followed by the lancers. A band marched in and played patriotic tunes and the President waved and the crowd enthusiastically shouted VIVA. Horses and lancers circled the square, circled the fountain and made a grand exit. Policemen kept the crowd well in hand, surrounded two ladies and moved them away and sent another character away from the scene. There was a small protest at the end of the ceremony when six or eight ladies shouted and waved a poster saying they did not want four more years of the President. No one paid them any attention, dignitaries disappeared and vendors reappeared and business when on as usual.
