This morning at 6:47 an earthquake of a 5.3 magnitude rumbled through Ecuador. The quake was centered just outside of Ecuador's largest city and major seaport, Guayaquil, in the south. Apparently, this isn't enough to stop a good fiesta.

Guayaquil won a battle with the Spanish and declared their independence from Spain 195 years ago today. They became known as the Free Province of Guayaquil, and would become a part of the country we know as Ecuador later on. For those of you looking for a calculator, that's October 9th, 1820! That's only forty-four years after our own American Revolution.

As I did my morning drift through Facebook I saw several posts about Guayaquil. There were some about the earthquake (which apparently is not a big deal there), and there were some about the celebration. The party was definitely getting the most press. Here's a photo of Ecuador's President, Rafael Correa, arriving for the parade.

  

         

                               Courtesy: Presidencia de la República del Ecuador

And here's an Ecuadorean dragon, I presume. 

                                                 Courtesy of Twitter Users

What parade would be complete without a few beautiful women?

                                           Courtesy of Twitter Users

How about a brass band?

 

                                                   Courtesy of Twitter Users

I've been told that Ecuador is a land of fiestas. It seems they celebrate everything there, and no little earthquake is going to stop the fun. I'm moving to an Ecuadorean beach town called Olon on the Pacific coast in three weeks. It's a relatively quiet little town, but is only about five miles away from the surfing and partying capital of the coast, Montanita. I'm told that a $1.50 cab ride puts you in the middle of the action, so I'm sure I'll be venturing over the hill that separates the two towns on a regular basis. 

As my travels to Ecuador unfold, I'll be sharing my experiences and photos. I hope you'll watch for them, and enjoy them as much as I plan to. 

I want to thank David Sasaki of Cotacachi, Ecuador for posting these great photos of the parade. David is an amazing guy who spends most of his free time enlightening the expats of Ecuador and the soon-to-be people like me.