Trip to Ecuador- More Adventuring...

Hola!

Today is another travel day, just like the day after my last update. After Banos, the group got up and left after breakfast where we stole fruit from the buffet for snacks on the bus. (How can you beat apple slices and Nutella?) We then drove 10 hours west across the country that is about the size of Nevada and ended in the small beach town/surf haven that is Montanita. Our first night here was a Saturday night so we went out. It's weird having cocktail stands and creepy surf hippies all over the place. It was a really fun night.

The next day we went whale watching, which wasn't so fun for the people who had had too much fun the night before. We went out of Puerto Lopez, about an hour north, then got into a ridiculously small boat. We actually got to see a lot of whales and one jumped out of the water about 20 yards from the boat. Sweet. After watching on a rather rough ocean for about an hour and a half, we went to a calmer area to snorkel and eat lunch. A couple people got sick, but after that zodiac snorkel trip in Hawaii a few years ago, I don't think anything could be as bad as that. Andrea and I napped. Went snorkelling, then back to shore to eat some lunch and chill out for the rest of the day.

Surfing was what occupied our time for the next two days. We had to go through some lessons, which once again my balance proved to be lacking slightly. After doing some running in the sand, because the locals think that the ocean is freezing this time of year but its really nice, we got in the water. On the first day I almost got the hang of it. Unlike many of the girls on the trip, I had no problems with the paddling part, just the getting my feet on the board part. After the first day we went back to Montanita and shopped and hung out in the sun throwing a frisbee. The second day was more overcast, but the whole group was out to have a beach day and I caught some sweet waves from my spot in the intermediate group. Andrea made it into the advanced group... darn it. Then we played some volleyball, some ultimate, and played in the surf. 

Montanita was really relaxing and a great way to end our stay in mainland Ecuador. The next morning we drove to Guayaquil and hung out at the hostal while people caught various flights. This morning we flew out of Guayaquil to San Cristobal, Galapagos Islands. It was sad to say goodbye to the people that we have been hanging out with, and working and playing with for the last 5 weeks, but being here now is worth it. Right after getting off the plane we had the strangest baggage claim I have ever seen, then straight to the hotel and 20 minutes later in swimsuits and off hiking to the Galapagos museum and overviews. We got to chill out with a creepy Darwin statue, and check out some cool stuff, then we walked down to the rocky shore and went snorkelling. There were a lot of sea lions and they aren't afraid to swim with you, as close as 2 feet away! And we saw tons of fish and various other forms of sea life as well as blue footed boobies. And all the hard-core stuff comes in the next couple days. It is going to be exciting. Tomorrow is hiking to a lake and seeing the giant tortoise refuge. 

Hasta luego!