Dia de los Disfuntos

Tomorrow and Thursday are national holidays here in Ecuador for los dias de los disfuntos or the days of the dead. My university, having to be different, has Thursday and Friday off. For me, they´re days to go to the jungle, for the rest of the country, it's a bit different. The traditional custom is to go to the cemetary and eat the favorite food of your dead loved one who supposedly joins you. Now most people just go to the cemetary to decorate their loved ones graves. The flower vendors love it. And where there are people, there will be food venders. By the cemetary by my house, there are tents of food vendors set up for people to buy food just in case they get hungry during their visit. It was crazy busy on Sunday. Another tradition is the colada morado and gua-guas de pan (bread). (Gua-gua is pronounced wa-wa) We've had gua-guas for breakfast the last couple days. It's bread shaped like a baby, more or less. Elman brought some from Ambato (a city about 3 hours south of Quito). Supposedly, they´re better. They look prettier than the other ones I've seen here. Yesterday I had a gua-gua head for breakfast. Today I ate a torso and arms. Myriam and Gloria (our maid) have been making the colada morado the last two days. It's a hot beverage made with lots of fruits, herbs and spices. Moras (similar to blackberries) are one of the main ingredients. Other ones I've seen go in are cinnamon, cloves, lemon grass, blueberries, pineapple and narajilla. I'm sure there's more. I'll have to let you know how it tastes. We're going to have it tonight.