Saturday, April 19, 2008
Happy Birthday Kathy! I am pretty sure this will come to you a day or two late but that seems to be the best we can do here.
Steve left yesterday and it was hard for all of us. We talked to him today while he waited for his plane from Miami to St. Louis and he said his trip from Puerto Lopez to Guayaquail to Miami went well. We have to do the exact same trip next Friday and Saturday so I was curious. The only stress is the four hour bus ride that does not stop for bathroom breaks. I am going to have to learn the phrase, “Cora is going to pee on the bus if you do not stop,” by next week.
The kids and I went to an Ecolodge called Hotel Alandaluz today. It is about 15 minutes from Puerto Lopez and Tito took us in his truck. Every time I see Tito it costs me $10. Anyway, it is a hotel/resort that is committed to ecological preservation. Everything is composted and the food is all organic. I expected to pay $5 to $10 a person to be able to use the pool and grounds for the day but the guy at the desk told me that as long as we had lunch in the restaurant we could stay for the day. We were there for 5 hours, swam in a clean pool with no sand (we are getting tired of sand), played on their playground, swung in the hammocks, and ate a fantastic, fresh meal (including juice and dessert) for $17.25. That is very pricy for a meal in Ecuador but considering the quality of the food and the days activities, it was a total bargain.
Another great thing about Alandaluz is how clean and quiet it was. I must admit, I am getting a little tired of the grime and noise of Puerto Lopez. After my shower last night I was sitting on my bed and noticed that my ankles were looking dark. I figured I was just not getting sunblock there until I looked closer and noticed that it was caked on dirt. The sand and dirty streets leave everything covered with a layer of dust. It does not rain here except for a few months of the year and we are not in that time. We just wear flip flops all the time because it is uncomfortable to get sand and rocks in our sport sandals. That leaves our feet filthy by the end of the day.
In the last post Steve was right about the 4000 dogs and 2000 motorcycles. For such a small town it is very noisy because of this. There are dogs everywhere all the time and last night about 20 of them decided to bark outside my window. The morotcycles start at 5:30am because the fishing boats arrive at the beach before 6. The main mode of transportation here is a mototaxi. It is a type of 3 wheeled motorcycle with a covered bench seat in the back. Think of a rickshaw. They are everywhere and it is supposed to cost 25 cents to get anywhere in the town. We pay more because they always ask for $1.00 so we just smile and hand them a 50 cent piece.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
We took the bus to Montanita today. The town was very touristy. It was full of young backpackers. That meant that the prices for everything were higher but it also meant we got to eat some pizza. I was a little worried about what it would be like but was pleasantly surprised. It was a bit like Imo’s and had a good flavor. $6 for a large pizza and 3 cokes. Not bad. The beach was great and had a lot of waves, which the kids loved. I paid $4 for the use of two chairs and a beach umbrella so that we would not fry in the equatorial sun. Cora still has very pink cheeks but she was in the water a lot.
Speaking of the sun, it is very direct here. When it is shining on you, you can really feel it. We use sunblock and wear hats all the time. Even in Quito when the sun was out it felt really hot on your skin.
Tonight there is a big futball match on TV here. Two teams with huge rivalries are playing. I have never heard the town so quiet. There are probably only 10 motorcycles out instead of the usual 100. I guess even the dogs are watching since I don’t hear much barking either.
Just so you all know, when I get back don’t expect me to be able to speak fluent Spanish. Or even passable Spanish. I would call it toddler Spanish. I am limited to simple sentences that are in the present tense. I can express my needs, can understand the price of something (nothing here has a price tag, you have to ask every time) and can have very simple conversations, but four weeks are just not enough. One thing I will say is that I can understand a lot. Much more that I can talk.
Happy Birthday Kathy! I am pretty sure this will come to you a day or two late but that seems to be the best we can do here.
Steve left yesterday and it was hard for all of us. We talked to him today while he waited for his plane from Miami to St. Louis and he said his trip from Puerto Lopez to Guayaquail to Miami went well. We have to do the exact same trip next Friday and Saturday so I was curious. The only stress is the four hour bus ride that does not stop for bathroom breaks. I am going to have to learn the phrase, “Cora is going to pee on the bus if you do not stop,” by next week.
The kids and I went to an Ecolodge called Hotel Alandaluz today. It is about 15 minutes from Puerto Lopez and Tito took us in his truck. Every time I see Tito it costs me $10. Anyway, it is a hotel/resort that is committed to ecological preservation. Everything is composted and the food is all organic. I expected to pay $5 to $10 a person to be able to use the pool and grounds for the day but the guy at the desk told me that as long as we had lunch in the restaurant we could stay for the day. We were there for 5 hours, swam in a clean pool with no sand (we are getting tired of sand), played on their playground, swung in the hammocks, and ate a fantastic, fresh meal (including juice and dessert) for $17.25. That is very pricy for a meal in Ecuador but considering the quality of the food and the days activities, it was a total bargain.
Another great thing about Alandaluz is how clean and quiet it was. I must admit, I am getting a little tired of the grime and noise of Puerto Lopez. After my shower last night I was sitting on my bed and noticed that my ankles were looking dark. I figured I was just not getting sunblock there until I looked closer and noticed that it was caked on dirt. The sand and dirty streets leave everything covered with a layer of dust. It does not rain here except for a few months of the year and we are not in that time. We just wear flip flops all the time because it is uncomfortable to get sand and rocks in our sport sandals. That leaves our feet filthy by the end of the day.
In the last post Steve was right about the 4000 dogs and 2000 motorcycles. For such a small town it is very noisy because of this. There are dogs everywhere all the time and last night about 20 of them decided to bark outside my window. The morotcycles start at 5:30am because the fishing boats arrive at the beach before 6. The main mode of transportation here is a mototaxi. It is a type of 3 wheeled motorcycle with a covered bench seat in the back. Think of a rickshaw. They are everywhere and it is supposed to cost 25 cents to get anywhere in the town. We pay more because they always ask for $1.00 so we just smile and hand them a 50 cent piece.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
We took the bus to Montanita today. The town was very touristy. It was full of young backpackers. That meant that the prices for everything were higher but it also meant we got to eat some pizza. I was a little worried about what it would be like but was pleasantly surprised. It was a bit like Imo’s and had a good flavor. $6 for a large pizza and 3 cokes. Not bad. The beach was great and had a lot of waves, which the kids loved. I paid $4 for the use of two chairs and a beach umbrella so that we would not fry in the equatorial sun. Cora still has very pink cheeks but she was in the water a lot.
Speaking of the sun, it is very direct here. When it is shining on you, you can really feel it. We use sunblock and wear hats all the time. Even in Quito when the sun was out it felt really hot on your skin.
Tonight there is a big futball match on TV here. Two teams with huge rivalries are playing. I have never heard the town so quiet. There are probably only 10 motorcycles out instead of the usual 100. I guess even the dogs are watching since I don’t hear much barking either.
Just so you all know, when I get back don’t expect me to be able to speak fluent Spanish. Or even passable Spanish. I would call it toddler Spanish. I am limited to simple sentences that are in the present tense. I can express my needs, can understand the price of something (nothing here has a price tag, you have to ask every time) and can have very simple conversations, but four weeks are just not enough. One thing I will say is that I can understand a lot. Much more that I can talk.
Comments
I bet you guys will enjoy a nice hot shower and quiet night's sleep when you get home!
Can't wait! take care! If I don't post again have a safe trip home. We will see you on Sunday!
Love, G
G-Ma on her "birtfday," she really enjoyed that. Weather is getting warm, everything is growing and very green. I cut the grass on Sunday afternoon and actually say it growing by the evening. Tate,
I found a fencing class that you might like to take, Dad will give you the specifics, need to check with Mom to see what activites you have planned. If it works out I would be happy to take you on Thursday evenings, class is from 6:30 to 8. Miss "2" hope you are
ready for the pool. A number of movies coming out, I wonder if we should go? No popcorn. Take care all, be safe.