La Playa

Hola, this may or may not be my last post of this Ecuador trip so hope you have enjoyed some of my rants and raves of what Ecuador has to offer. This past week was maybe the most fun I have had in my life. Our group took a trip to Montanita and Puerto Lopez on the Ecuador coast. Only 2 days of 10 hour bus rides through the morning darkness were required for this trip - but it was well worth it. Our first two days were spent relaxing, lounging on the beach, eating ceviche on the beach, getting sunburned, swimming for hours with some very big waves and riptides, and wandering the streets where Bohemians and extranjeros have set up shop in this bustling surf town. Very relaxed vibe and quite the place to relax and enjoy the last of our trip. Got to watch most of the semifinals of Copa de Sur America and see Uruguay and Paraguay take down the juggernauts of Argentina and Brazil. Unfortunately, also got to see the US womens team lose to Japan in the World Cup which was no bueno. Our third day was spent going to Isla de la Plata where the following things happened: 1) saw multiple groups of humpback whales surfacing and spouting; 2) went on a 1.5 hour boat ride each way and did not get sick, 3) saw blue-footed boobies and frigate birds; 4) went snorkeling for the first time which was incredible because I saw starfish, a pufferfish, one mahi mahi, sea turtles, and many other fish and a few types of coral; and 5) capping the night with banana juice and cake. Hard to beat any of that. Our hostals were phenomenal and cheap and actually quite the digs for hostals. Finally our last day was spent at Los Frailles beach in Machalilla (sp.??) National Park. This was a secluded park with some fun tide pools, lots of tiny crabs scampering everywhere, and very mellow waves to relax in. When all of our activities were over we had quite the bus trip back to Loja. The first bus back to Guayaquil was extremely crowded, had one guy playing a moracca for some unknown reason, had a ticket officer strung out on some kind of drug, and made random stops just about everywehere. Needless to say not the safest 5 hour ride, especially for Guayquil which has a reputation for being not the kindest to foreign travelers. The next bus taken (going to Loja) just happened to be stopped by the Ecuadorian military and everyone on board was lined up and searched outside the bus with random assualt rifles, shotguns, and pistols aimed and at the ready. Like I said, Guayquil, not the safest place especially when it comes to drug trafficking and everything else. Finally, 8 hours later, we arrived in Loja and this is my last day in the office. Hard to say goodbye to Ecuador, especially after this weekend, but am looking forward to being stateside again. Hasta luego