Carinval

P2130008, originally uploaded by A Family On A Mission.

Carnival here in Ecuador is much different then in Brazil. It's funny that in a country that is not really hot would be the country that celebrates the holiday with water. Yes, water! That means about two weeks before the actually holiday you need to be careful while walking around your neighborhood. As any moment you might get bombed by a water balloons from anywhere, cars, apartments or buses. It's crazy how much water gets used during this holiday. Our neighbors brought a whole bunch of kids over one day and spent the cold afternoon soaking each other. They use water guns, hoses, water balloons and buckets. As well as this specially made soap sprays in various colors. This picture is our neighbor driving by as the kids try to get their friend wet and he tries to get them wet.
At first our kids just cried when people would throw water on them or put the soap spray in their hair as they didn't understand what was happening. We bought them a kiddie pool and filled it with warm water so that they could actually enjoy the party. After a few days of repetitive getting soaked, they finally got the hang of it and in the end were enjoying the holiday. We even went to our neighbors for supper one night and we were doused in cornstarch after being wet. Makes for a long shower that night trying to get out the powder but fun none the less. So be prepared that if you chose to come visit in the month of February then be prepared for some wet days!