Evening Stroll??

A typical square in Ecuador

A short overnight stay in the town of Guaranda is needed for our hike to Salinas the following day. Following the advice of our travel bible (Lonely Planet), it suggests arriving in Guaranda early enough not to miss the evening local tradition of the elders ¨strolling¨ through the park or square (Each city seems to have a centally located, beautifully manicured square. The magnificent Catholic Churches are also adjacent to the square. At the center of each square there is some sort of monument erected in honor of an important figure in Ecuador´s history.)
Decked out in our newly bought Alpaca sweaters (mainly because we have been freezing our you-know-what´s off) our bus from Latachunga made it just in time to hit the square just about sunset. Arm in arm, we hit the square ready to get our ¨stroll on¨ only to find a few teenagers sitting on a bench listening to music and a lone couple with their two children... one in a ¨stroll¨er (I don´t think this is what Lonely Planet meant).
Not wanting to break a tradition, we slowly begin to circle the outside of the park, talking about life´s more simple things such as weather, which square has had the best church so far on our trip and whether or not we want to try the helado (ice cream) in this particualr town. I kind of like this strolling thing.
The evening announces it´s arrival as the church lights up from the inside out. We feel the cool mountain air on our cheeks and the warmth of our bodies locked together in perfect strolling position. Carl asks ¨¿Quiero cafe?¨ (Do you want coffee?)
¨Claro¨ (of course)