So we all met at USFQ at 6:00(ish) p.m. and started to load onto a bus that we had rented. Unfortuanetly, the bus/very large van was made for 20 people and there was no way we could fit al of us on it for a 6 hour trip with all our luggage. So we crammed on temporarily and rode to the bus driver’s house where he convienently had a 30-person bus as well!
We then piled onto the new bus, and headed out of town. By this time it was about 7:30, so we were getting a late start, but everyone was in a pretty good mood. Unfortuneatly, we made about a million and 42 stops, so by the time we got to Esmeraldas it was nearly 2:00 a.m.
We all tumbled out of the bus into hot, humid low-altitude air into a compound owned by Maria’s family where volunteers often stay in. There were three houses and then a bamboo-like fort with lots of hammocks. Five of us girls claimed one room and I got the top bunk of a bunk bed! Woo-hoo! I hadn’t gotten to sleep up high since last semester, so it was a sweet deal.
Malaria is still somewhat present in Esmeraldas, so I sprayed about a bottle’s worth of bug spray on me and crashed.
The next day Megan and I woke up early (well, ok, around 9) and headed towards the beach for a run. To get there, we had to pass by a heifer and her calf chowing down in the middle of the road, but we made it by without an incidence. Hey, I guess compared to a herd of bulls, a simple cow isn´t much to worry about.
So though the village of Tonsupa was pretty quiet at that hour, the minute we hit the beach there were people everywhere. There were tons of stands selling all types of food and people renting tents and families laying out and kids running around and it was definitely the place to be. The beach was also huge thanks to the low tide, so we had plenty of room to run. We found a section of compact sand and had a fun run and enjoyed the large supply of oxygen thanks to the low altitude. And I got to wear shorts to run in, the first time of my semester here! Shorts are pretty uncommon in Quito, but in Esmeraldas they`re practically the dress code.
After our run, we got back to the compound, once again dodging the cow and calf, which we didn’t name, but should have. By that time, people were getting up and dressed, so we changed into our swimsuits and hit the beach!
Much cooler than bumps on a log
I always thought that the Pacific Ocean was freezing, but the water was almost like a bathtub. Then for lunch, I went with Sarah, Stephanie, Ailey, Liz, and Liz’s (real) parents who were visiting Ecuador to a sweet restaurant, where I had ceviche, a very common Coastal meal that’s a cold soup, almost like a salsa. It’s usually made with seafood with is plentiful and fresh on the coast. Yum.
Apparently I didn't realize that you need to put your arms IN the water if you want to swim (I'm the crazy person on the left)
After hanging on the beach a bit more, we went back to the compound, and Liz, Sarah, and hung out in on the hammock roofish area. It made me miss the hammock back home, but it was a decent substitute!
We then cleaned up, got some dinner (rice with shrimp for me!) and headed back to the beach where there was lots of salsa dancing which randomly turned into American oldies. Haha, I never thought I`d be dancing to “Rock Around the Clock,” “Wake Up Little Susie,” and Elvis on a beach of Ecuador.
We then headed back to the compound (ok, compound is a funny word, I feel like I’m saying he headed back to a hippie farm or something, but there isn’t really a better word), and crashed again. The water had run out of the house, but that was ok, because we had to brush our teeth with bottled water anyway.
The next morning, Saturday, I woke up and went for another fun run, dodging the water as it splashed up. I wasn’t too successful and came back with sopping shoes and covering in sand, but it was totally worth it.
By this time we had gotten gas (and water!) in the house, so we cooked up lots of pancakes and chowed down. I mostly helped with the chowing down.
Breakfast time!
Then Megan and I met up with Liz and her parents and we found some taxis to take us into the town of Atacames.
Though the vehicles we rode in definitely were used as taxis, they were quite a bit different than your average bright yellow taxi. Instead, they were bench carts that could cozily sit three people side by side towed by a motorcycle. Haha, it was a pretty exciting ride as our not-very-fast-or-big “taxis” dodged large busses and speeding cars. Still, it was an awesome way to see the surrounding towns. Everything was green and there were tons of houses with brush roofs.
A view from our taxi...Liz's parents are in the taxi in front of us
After about 20 minutes, we arrived in Atacames, a larger beach town. Our driver told us that we just had to cross a bridge, take a few turns, and we’d be at the beach. Sure enough, after a short walk, we came to a crowded beach. It reminded me of the beach in Rosarito in a lot of ways because there were tons of people and a large market selling all kinds of trinkets.
We were hoping to go on a whale-watching tour, and the moment we stepped onto the beach, a boat owner approached us, offering to take us to try and see whales and then go to la Isla de Pájaros (Bird Island) to see birds for $10 a person. At first he said we wouldn’t have to pay if we didn’t see birds, but we really wanted to see whales, so then he agreed that we wouldn’t have to pay if we didn’t see whales. It sounded like a good deal, and we knew we had to get going before the wind and waves picked up too much, so we agreed.
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