tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54678550098358945442024-02-19T21:33:50.499-08:00Today, is the best day of my life!whitedestinyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04205523860212555199noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5467855009835894544.post-10533933677821049362012-04-16T08:43:00.003-07:002012-04-16T09:39:10.550-07:00Thank you LarryIt's never easy saying good bye to a friend. Loosing someone so quickly and unexpectedly is always shocking to all who knew them. This past year I have started experiencing death on a more personal level and because of you, Larry, I now have the words to write.<br /><br />When I was really young death showed itself. My grandparents passed away. At this point in my life relationships didn't hold near as much value as in the coming years. In high school death sprang up again. It was a kid who was 3 years younger than me who fell off a wave runner straight into a running boat motor. Devestated the whole town. I didn't fully understand the pain. And once again in college, fraternity hazed a student until he drank himself to death. The whole campus went dry and mourned for the loss of someone so young.<br /><br />It wasn't until I was reading a poem at my grandmommy's funeral this past May, when death really hit home. As I was looking out into the audience seeing all the red faces, teary eyes and runny noses; I, truly experienced saddness. My heart ached, my forehead wrinkles doubled and I knew my grandmother was never coming back physically. So this is what death felt like. I didn't have to imagine any longer.<br /><br />Everyone experiences death at one point or another, and no one fully understands it. We can ask so many questions, but we can also look at it on a positive note. There's a reason why we are placed on this earth and some people fulfill their mission sooner than others. Just like our dear friend Larry.<br /><br />I was taking one of my life sabaticals, as I called it, to Ecuador. Some of the best times of my life happened in this country, right alongside of my dad. I can't believe it's been over a year since I experienced everything in that quaint little town beside the ocean.<br /><br />Walking up the dirt road to the prettiest looking townhouses in the community was Larry and Shirley's la casa. There was Shirley waving from the front porch with a big smile on her face. Not too far behind was Larry. Her soulmate, and best friend. They had found each other later in life and were enjoying the adventure of their lifetime together all the way down south. My dad had told me they had a wonderful feeling about this place and they purchased their townhouse before ever stepping foot in Ecuador. I was speechless. To have such confidence and passion was a stranger to me.<br /><br />I had the pleasure of getting to know Larry and Shirely. They were such wonderful, positive people or should I say Canadians. I enjoyed the back porch wine discussions and the walks to town. They had adopted a stray dog who was on her death bed and nursed her back to life, naming her Lady. She was our greeter. She followed us everywhere and was always protecting us. I know that was Larry's girl.<br /><br />Larry, Shirely and my dad were always thinking of new ways to have fun! They bought motorcycles to one day take a cruising trip. They took shopping trips and were always enjoying their surroundings. They fought hard to keep their community the dream they all had. They made friends with anyone and everyone, but they stood their ground when necessary. They took care of each other, because that's what friends do.<br /><br />Unfortunately, Larry passed yesterday. Thanks to him I have found the words to write again. He deserves much more than this. He had a light about him, a love he spread to many. I know he fought hard, but he must have been ready. He has fulfilled his mission here. The ocean wrapped him up in her sparkling glory and he is onto his next adventure! RIP Larrywhitedestinyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04205523860212555199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5467855009835894544.post-34209733738576938652011-01-09T12:55:00.000-08:002011-01-09T15:19:54.665-08:00Parque Nacional CajasI am taking you back to September 2010....<br /><br />Well I had just started my first week of Spanish classes and I met a nice gal from New Hampshire named Bre. She was backpacking through Ecuador and had always wanted to visit the Galapogas Islands. She convinced me to sign up to hike the Cajas Mountains with her, where were about 30 kilos outside of Cuenca. I said sure, why not! Little did I know what I was really in for....<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgATkLSZm2mMS-ABi1HAvlVF7523osHOPYlN4dlBndrGHrClU9N9OjmN-eblgiS8zeaUYyhWyEA8bh2fiCR5boevcMGhDGvDDbTpAoreKw7yk7PnDuJ9NuvJO3f0uRc5deOD61Xe_PQGf42/s1600/cajas17.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgATkLSZm2mMS-ABi1HAvlVF7523osHOPYlN4dlBndrGHrClU9N9OjmN-eblgiS8zeaUYyhWyEA8bh2fiCR5boevcMGhDGvDDbTpAoreKw7yk7PnDuJ9NuvJO3f0uRc5deOD61Xe_PQGf42/s320/cajas17.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560326170806965282" border="0" /></a> <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_QQsUrXhJoLnUteRRvhNNqYSjBVtSmfwIr1Wo6R_zNwuOMd-lvlysJiaGF-C5XNsgBsiYu5jc9gaOdh5LewtP3L_L4mcRzyDOWx-RNuRX5xoYX2F72jso6WQD9haObMZeGaLleRe0uQW5/s1600/cajas1.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_QQsUrXhJoLnUteRRvhNNqYSjBVtSmfwIr1Wo6R_zNwuOMd-lvlysJiaGF-C5XNsgBsiYu5jc9gaOdh5LewtP3L_L4mcRzyDOWx-RNuRX5xoYX2F72jso6WQD9haObMZeGaLleRe0uQW5/s320/cajas1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560324427291560914" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The name Cajas was originally from the indigenous language, Quichua, that meant "gateway to the snowy mountains," but in Spanish Cajas means "boxes." These mountains surround the Historical city of Cuenca and the highest point in the National Park is about 15,000 ft. If you know me at all, I am always up for an adventure, but little did I know I would be hiking a total of 6 miles through the freezing cold.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXnYErAN3mgKw2JQHEYQKPFScLELVSIxBUqLWU8fLGb0dXTbYZZ_i02KpY8AEhCdHj9SbL7hdx89uThCeLEulyUuH_MDrhJw8r4Y4mLM-nffHy1qzmGX97LP_L-IYiEd-Kfw3hZ3j0ZmKZ/s1600/Cajas6.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXnYErAN3mgKw2JQHEYQKPFScLELVSIxBUqLWU8fLGb0dXTbYZZ_i02KpY8AEhCdHj9SbL7hdx89uThCeLEulyUuH_MDrhJw8r4Y4mLM-nffHy1qzmGX97LP_L-IYiEd-Kfw3hZ3j0ZmKZ/s320/Cajas6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560324962992971986" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Sidenote: always do your research before attempting to say yes to any adventure. I hadn't even packed the necessary attire, let alone even brought that attire to Ecuador, thinking, Ecuador=equator...if you were to say I would be hiking in sleet and wind and temperatures in the teens I would have laughed at you and said, "I think I will go to the mall instead."<br /><br />But the small mini van with our tour guide who spoke mainly Spanish, and called us all "muchachos" meaning buddies, paid little to no attention as the roads got steeper and the weather turned icy. At first we ventured into the park at the lowest point of the mountains and saw some llamas and an old brewery. The whole area of the park spans over 285 kilometers with over 270 lakes/lagoons. My camera couldn't even capture all of the beauty throughout our hike.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Cchh1FLaUA_spSFRQyjzkNng0ikWlSNQrlEsDuEFgx0T-7rwQnFJ1tZW5VslK58rnsIPsD-_qq2UnDSolOg0uTz8LMHHNQwBrNkDnwMPmu2QjSypupWvDR9J6Twr-nVrW8QaMYz17duO/s1600/Cajas3.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Cchh1FLaUA_spSFRQyjzkNng0ikWlSNQrlEsDuEFgx0T-7rwQnFJ1tZW5VslK58rnsIPsD-_qq2UnDSolOg0uTz8LMHHNQwBrNkDnwMPmu2QjSypupWvDR9J6Twr-nVrW8QaMYz17duO/s320/Cajas3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560324436903984146" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZjqqrh4ZPSZIb6lLhlQELbbgRfh5IdcqRFCk-nBiYqJt44-B4wEb8CmWvOPQ4uZQmtKNuVewVkFCUSTOxiQZ4dRffd1RTo_tz1Ld2kCr9CZkeCL8jZ9de1ivvgwwhsK2TjYJir3R450XF/s1600/Cajas5.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZjqqrh4ZPSZIb6lLhlQELbbgRfh5IdcqRFCk-nBiYqJt44-B4wEb8CmWvOPQ4uZQmtKNuVewVkFCUSTOxiQZ4dRffd1RTo_tz1Ld2kCr9CZkeCL8jZ9de1ivvgwwhsK2TjYJir3R450XF/s320/Cajas5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560324443847536018" border="0" /></a><br /><br />After arriving to the part of the park where we would begin our hike, I was told to put on a pancho, because I was not even prepared for the next venture. I was freezing cold once we stepped outside the van and I started to turn to Bre with this look of "I'll meet ya back in the van when you guys are done." Don't get me wrong, I enjoy hiking, but not in the wind, ice and cold temperatures. Bre coming from New Hampshire, was use to hiking through freezing cold weather. (Don't worry, I got her back though when we hiked miles through Vilcabama where the temperatures were well into the 90's-look forward to that post!)<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix8TCh-9y8Q3H7FTePxUxYFRZrm5kIhbiVvMKq04igDLP6WJvQIsBmmV-YQGv18ZfIiN4iRPhBJmVAkKHnKtwbTMSvvSvR0lbkQ1rFaGb29XCEp-WCIezfvkqhZqjTQOA63dWuS6SWEdKU/s1600/cajas9.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix8TCh-9y8Q3H7FTePxUxYFRZrm5kIhbiVvMKq04igDLP6WJvQIsBmmV-YQGv18ZfIiN4iRPhBJmVAkKHnKtwbTMSvvSvR0lbkQ1rFaGb29XCEp-WCIezfvkqhZqjTQOA63dWuS6SWEdKU/s320/cajas9.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560324977811691330" border="0" /></a><br />We ate this leaf in the van. It apparently helped us from getting high altitude sickness.<br /><br />The interesting thing about the Cajas is there are 5 different ecosystems throughout the 285 km, which is a lot of different types for being such a small area.<br />-The high grassland (contains over 19 different types of plants, the main one being straw grass)<br />-The cloud forest (located in the lower part of the Cajas)<br />-Quinua (also known as the paper tree forest-this was my favorite!!)<br />- Perennial high mountain forest<br />-Avifauna which is a place for bird watching<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMaBCVv5hVsaTJSn6xcEkIPshJBmtO2ZEWZUApgsC2NyVU8ZKU3xBjYFQMXhb7M2A58nnTx1n9fWkUd9tmxfWQRNQ0hWTwplIxF0Ai3Kryo6cZ11J1peB33YO8zcjvP2lWzFzxOtR1ha2q/s1600/Cajas4.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMaBCVv5hVsaTJSn6xcEkIPshJBmtO2ZEWZUApgsC2NyVU8ZKU3xBjYFQMXhb7M2A58nnTx1n9fWkUd9tmxfWQRNQ0hWTwplIxF0Ai3Kryo6cZ11J1peB33YO8zcjvP2lWzFzxOtR1ha2q/s320/Cajas4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560324444748725026" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijMjELlXgCKAcFDTdQxPAkMcruzZiIEyacNbeaB-GoXmiiJyXqPfyH4z0d9oKvqgOgyxQg_C9OKmwUFq0Lj9C_ODmUGjFM7lDntub9sWWG5J6hWcyDFOSDFX0d6klVM1PRFLTN4Ov8CDLc/s1600/Cajas2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijMjELlXgCKAcFDTdQxPAkMcruzZiIEyacNbeaB-GoXmiiJyXqPfyH4z0d9oKvqgOgyxQg_C9OKmwUFq0Lj9C_ODmUGjFM7lDntub9sWWG5J6hWcyDFOSDFX0d6klVM1PRFLTN4Ov8CDLc/s320/Cajas2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560324431100088194" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkv8Ui3R058L7KBnlL_psTii4f0nxyRax9uusM06zb27LMux9-MJLSsySZqSN0_i-Tr0Y4F0cCubQK6ovYyAwJjbuXv92piJNW6-Zqu4cotH4IwV1iyY5EUz0I0-3JNwJJ2T-rswxd0iYe/s1600/cajas7.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkv8Ui3R058L7KBnlL_psTii4f0nxyRax9uusM06zb27LMux9-MJLSsySZqSN0_i-Tr0Y4F0cCubQK6ovYyAwJjbuXv92piJNW6-Zqu4cotH4IwV1iyY5EUz0I0-3JNwJJ2T-rswxd0iYe/s320/cajas7.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560324969169029202" border="0" /></a><br />A ribbed feeling leaf from the trees<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwkvZwciSluEVRSaS0c7wyuJE2cqpVZNbAilkBLGW2ou1QlVEnmV0ghg8Jm8c7poLH5biz63Y1C3QZPEFCoXFm0-RDEwkOMBHFg9_6gIHYzqLRv7fQy0SQzro8pRuB7ps1KjI-qklJxFLx/s1600/cajas12.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwkvZwciSluEVRSaS0c7wyuJE2cqpVZNbAilkBLGW2ou1QlVEnmV0ghg8Jm8c7poLH5biz63Y1C3QZPEFCoXFm0-RDEwkOMBHFg9_6gIHYzqLRv7fQy0SQzro8pRuB7ps1KjI-qklJxFLx/s320/cajas12.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560325510009149090" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGdWrEO1Aa9J5AB1g9zvW2a7MzpBQYmt0xuETTlGJE4TiArRLGrIdacjaxcs6_D2XJ7tcMLCwudjNPrKt33kxOJbgqx1EzrKSZd5jSMG0eU9Iryhm0pPI-CyLQY5S_DkfCnXU6ctPt1xmR/s1600/cajas8.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGdWrEO1Aa9J5AB1g9zvW2a7MzpBQYmt0xuETTlGJE4TiArRLGrIdacjaxcs6_D2XJ7tcMLCwudjNPrKt33kxOJbgqx1EzrKSZd5jSMG0eU9Iryhm0pPI-CyLQY5S_DkfCnXU6ctPt1xmR/s320/cajas8.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560324973715809138" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The Cajas are home to a large variety of animals, 80 of which remain only in Ecuador including the giant hummingbird, the South American Condor and the Black and White Raptor.<br /><br />So we hiked and hiked and hiked with our group of about 8 from all over the world. My favorite areas were when we saw the Llamas in the high grassland area and the paper tree forest. The llamas were just hanging out in the fields and looked so peaceful even out in the coldness. At that point I wish I could have had their fur coats! After hiking up and down over mountains and under we came upon a forest out in the middle of no where. It was like a tangled woods, we had to climb over and under limbs and watch the slippery slopes. Our tour guide told us they were going to film a horror movie out here...which would be perfect! It was definitely eerie and you could easily get lost in it!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8HK6YZN4Pg_wVpQLgCwTO8OF-yZI_TQ53lcV0kFszyc1zjVO3JTWqHoYwtwrgQ9rNd_bKwq6XgZD0Vd3PHMiTjRW7uQ4o7uQRjuARm4TJZINcLk2LZMGP46OCp893PdPNK1_ASGUNWk7h/s1600/Cajas16.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8HK6YZN4Pg_wVpQLgCwTO8OF-yZI_TQ53lcV0kFszyc1zjVO3JTWqHoYwtwrgQ9rNd_bKwq6XgZD0Vd3PHMiTjRW7uQ4o7uQRjuARm4TJZINcLk2LZMGP46OCp893PdPNK1_ASGUNWk7h/s320/Cajas16.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560326167697881506" border="0" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi508NM087-u33qCdYMaAxdtG2fM8hOd1CGlQiwUJmONIZ7dZGwKpfMye9CSQntagEKETuRrU743yqq4D_pGofrsF6bZmZ1FuO-iVjtWaSGjxB2sKjoqWWB-xkif1ONxGJBQH7Gcjc_h07-/s1600/cajas15.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi508NM087-u33qCdYMaAxdtG2fM8hOd1CGlQiwUJmONIZ7dZGwKpfMye9CSQntagEKETuRrU743yqq4D_pGofrsF6bZmZ1FuO-iVjtWaSGjxB2sKjoqWWB-xkif1ONxGJBQH7Gcjc_h07-/s320/cajas15.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560325524218763906" border="0" /></a><br />We hiked out of the forest and down the mountain to a valley were there was a huge lake filled with stalks of hay looking plants. It was a neat site, except for when we found out the stalks were actually taking over the lake and consuming all the water, which eventually the lake would disappear.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVYZJGibftYOqniHj0qJLoEBXMar1F3PDrKq8HZJYY2acSBy2h4bg2mn6ZpZkr95llI9gjxk-AOJ1GgjGj2KeI4-q_uo09H5tuFrqc_zXeX0Z84CGEm9TBeuLaWQJ_wCZBlFndyjtvVdNW/s1600/cajas18.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVYZJGibftYOqniHj0qJLoEBXMar1F3PDrKq8HZJYY2acSBy2h4bg2mn6ZpZkr95llI9gjxk-AOJ1GgjGj2KeI4-q_uo09H5tuFrqc_zXeX0Z84CGEm9TBeuLaWQJ_wCZBlFndyjtvVdNW/s320/cajas18.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560326179138615890" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Another cool point along the way was the rock of a thousand faces. If you look closely you will see this rock has a ton of faces!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp59qaMnaNAftVjx5Q3SDuwl1UpG3fFxHVJJMDRyhKBh7dPwlTuBl7FilrgJbyfJjpQckgrSvMWnHhlgcLdLcMBnj0mWlcS0MaUzaUspMW9rw7cFdEbJtIm6wxxUJ-mSGhWbtzeg2s-3sQ/s1600/cajas14.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp59qaMnaNAftVjx5Q3SDuwl1UpG3fFxHVJJMDRyhKBh7dPwlTuBl7FilrgJbyfJjpQckgrSvMWnHhlgcLdLcMBnj0mWlcS0MaUzaUspMW9rw7cFdEbJtIm6wxxUJ-mSGhWbtzeg2s-3sQ/s320/cajas14.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560325522349066754" border="0" /></a><br />A few times we all had to stop and take a breather cause the air was so tight it was hard to breathe! I was really proud of myself, because I could breathe almost the whole way til we got to the top of the highest point and then it was very hard to breathe! At least it was only a temporary thing, but man my heart sure was thumping away!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNZnAk0zl2GOr4XQprCjORjJGN_p4oZ6mYYQbwf9ilOuqXnmSThdJvCUabc7eD1gNFa5etGp_cjvy0NFSLVajIZBZKsQwl5H8RhWjKOd0j-NELFVTn1vE0FgnXY7TFHQldeZNjDdjBS-Df/s1600/cajas13.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNZnAk0zl2GOr4XQprCjORjJGN_p4oZ6mYYQbwf9ilOuqXnmSThdJvCUabc7eD1gNFa5etGp_cjvy0NFSLVajIZBZKsQwl5H8RhWjKOd0j-NELFVTn1vE0FgnXY7TFHQldeZNjDdjBS-Df/s320/cajas13.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560325514443504802" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh13NC31EUsLwLgH3pBBqZr85_dZk7xmotKsUaq8_xUc8uTdO4-4lyeTNJl3VknU03x4nm-FlCf9_KloYEOcWO8ruArrOy1Oh1iWn-iwoaMwVJSRbPLn3CRFYZKch6HFqLXj6mXmYqGQvXq/s1600/cajas10.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh13NC31EUsLwLgH3pBBqZr85_dZk7xmotKsUaq8_xUc8uTdO4-4lyeTNJl3VknU03x4nm-FlCf9_KloYEOcWO8ruArrOy1Oh1iWn-iwoaMwVJSRbPLn3CRFYZKch6HFqLXj6mXmYqGQvXq/s320/cajas10.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560324983389055458" border="0" /></a><br />A memorial to fallen hikers<br /><br />By the end of the journey, with no potty breaks, because honestly who would want to take off 5 layers of clothes, we could see the van about a mile away. We all picked up the pace, our faces and bodies numb to the cold, but we didn't care anymore! We were home free!<br /><br />Afterward, our guide took us to a popular restaurant where we all ate a whole Cod, Yucca root and a shot of cinnamon Canelazo (a traditional alcoholic drink from Cuenca). I think the whole gang was just ready for a nap!<br /><br />It was quite an accomplishment to hike that high for me, even though it was freezing cold, Bre and I cheered each other on the whole way! Just another adventure in Ecuador!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim_CIJhgxfSKnVj2WP-VIujUubSYudHCazF893OmagGi8KKfF3NciZ_xpi6DVl_kL271KX5o3LjBiw9O7GBMnraI3eMqJURlvXWGZzr3hHgCyLEfLyzH_aH9L2my4Xrz4i-JGD_0AWM8qP/s1600/cajas11.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim_CIJhgxfSKnVj2WP-VIujUubSYudHCazF893OmagGi8KKfF3NciZ_xpi6DVl_kL271KX5o3LjBiw9O7GBMnraI3eMqJURlvXWGZzr3hHgCyLEfLyzH_aH9L2my4Xrz4i-JGD_0AWM8qP/s320/cajas11.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560325505254128498" border="0" /></a>whitedestinyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04205523860212555199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5467855009835894544.post-35619008770301657942011-01-09T11:29:00.000-08:002011-01-09T12:55:36.788-08:00Hello are you still there??<span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: trebuchet ms;">Hello? Hello? You still there? </span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: trebuchet ms;">For all my readers out there, I haven't totally fallen off the blog thing. I think its important to continue writing about my adventures, even though its been awhile since they happened. So stay tuned because I am still here and back to writing again! </span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: trebuchet ms;">First off I would like to let everyone know I am back in the US safe and sound after a full day of traveling. 5am on December 7th I left via taxi for an hour to the bus station in Porto Viejo, then I had the pleasure of riding a really nice bus for 4 hours to the bus station in Guayaquil and then a journey of a few minutes via taxi to the airport where I jumped aboard a plane after having my baggage thoroughly searched and took off to Miami. My friend Bre, who has traveled to many countries, warned me about feeling weird once I arrived back in the states. She said I might get this annoying sensation with the people and sure enough she was right! After finally adjusting to the "manana" attitude, I quickly felt bombarded and rushed and annoyed. I literally walked around the corner, misread a sign and the elevator closed and reopened for me to step in. I instantly got chewed out by a male flight attendant for taking too long to get into the elevator. I quickly shut him up when I replied "Merry Christmas to you too."<br /><br />I must say it took me a few weeks to actually start resuming the American lifestyle. Wal-mart was a huge shock, way too many choices and the prices for produce were ridiculous and not even fresh. I put a pineapple in the buggy and was later confronted by my friends boyfriend that he had never heard of just cutting a pineapple to eat it. But still after being here a month as of two days ago, I feel like Ecuador is just a dream. Life really passes you by so fast! I am still forever grateful for my daddy for allowing me the opportunity to travel to such a beautiful country and to have an unforgettable experience. And to my mom and step-dad who watched my little baby boy, Tucker while I was away, this experience wouldn't have been possible.<br /><br />I again stress to those of you out there reading this traveling and living/learning about another's culture is an eye opening experience. Life is too short to sit around and talk about back packing across Europe or visiting the Great Wall in China, DO IT! So, HAPPY 2011 to all my friends and family out there! Make it one you will never forget, do something you have never thought possible and live tomorrow like its your last! </span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Keep reading because I am posting the rest of my journey in Ecuador! </span></span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;">CHEERS!!!!<br />~Ally<br /></span></span></span></span></span></span>whitedestinyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04205523860212555199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5467855009835894544.post-50954958800144093402010-10-20T19:39:00.000-07:002010-10-20T21:22:40.927-07:00The beginning of Spanish School in Cuenca<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> 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class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZKdG7L6-256Bia7vy412lBhJ_0h4CMHiiq8lDD0bg9jfxuEZCDCAsPmp6eVyjwzFRR9tagqgvtcbZ8A1ggV8N_XhnhP0SPfimdL2LguZ5HXsXkqjqY75oP42mTl3BF4k7ofQKwlTYoxPJ/s1600/school+13.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZKdG7L6-256Bia7vy412lBhJ_0h4CMHiiq8lDD0bg9jfxuEZCDCAsPmp6eVyjwzFRR9tagqgvtcbZ8A1ggV8N_XhnhP0SPfimdL2LguZ5HXsXkqjqY75oP42mTl3BF4k7ofQKwlTYoxPJ/s320/school+13.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5530326502311774194" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">I am back in San Clemente! It was a great month in Cuenca! I studied, partied, traveled, met new friends, learned to cook and took salsa lessons. Wow! It was quite a trip! I met people from all over the world and learned of their stories, very interesting! But one thing I learned is no matter how hard I try, I will never be Ecuadorian <span style="font-family:Wingdings;"><span style="">J</span></span> But, THAT’S OK! I learn something new about this culture everyday and that’s priceless.<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdGL5L-zyWg2c-VE5IHdL4AE8B5z2fV62XLF2bgGjiL0axD4eoWmVMjkxUmCykoBrFNfK4SIS9AL8HV_iZYyta3vICaPjJmEG1ber9fajam1uv8U8bo5G1XSQUYMsjqXGKBv4ky8R5con4/s1600/school+21.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdGL5L-zyWg2c-VE5IHdL4AE8B5z2fV62XLF2bgGjiL0axD4eoWmVMjkxUmCykoBrFNfK4SIS9AL8HV_iZYyta3vICaPjJmEG1ber9fajam1uv8U8bo5G1XSQUYMsjqXGKBv4ky8R5con4/s320/school+21.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5530327900129462386" border="0" /> </a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic-KiD5B8UdS5d4pDi0uFg97jz3cCJjqtx1lGm5yldWUi57z_x-vJ7SzYEp6vevqSBCcZZf1FYMzpcyYCaVw0VKXv2i391drQbNO4uEi3MgxmveDTvMEUwR7wc_BnvXpn7E5tlAdozE3Hq/s1600/school+17.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic-KiD5B8UdS5d4pDi0uFg97jz3cCJjqtx1lGm5yldWUi57z_x-vJ7SzYEp6vevqSBCcZZf1FYMzpcyYCaVw0VKXv2i391drQbNO4uEi3MgxmveDTvMEUwR7wc_BnvXpn7E5tlAdozE3Hq/s320/school+17.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5530326581014451522" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitK1vkxE282KwYO8EOGrD6g2h2xeUAtZwZSlB3n_kFetyCk1B3e90emXSSqeWNi5IMFlhpi-iTkmsEWEUAS8rb4FNtg1YMoLUCRigKDCDyTKPNG4E56gHCDqOiFXL6BaGyKOODzLOy4VrZ/s1600/school+19.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitK1vkxE282KwYO8EOGrD6g2h2xeUAtZwZSlB3n_kFetyCk1B3e90emXSSqeWNi5IMFlhpi-iTkmsEWEUAS8rb4FNtg1YMoLUCRigKDCDyTKPNG4E56gHCDqOiFXL6BaGyKOODzLOy4VrZ/s320/school+19.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5530327885544488722" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih7N5VdN7zLNdw1bZhTNk6OdMRILOWI14OH4rr_ldX_fP9LzPsNFVsOQjBUv_7izTzNNQ-2vbnTks6w2lTLA_G65Ex7Xj5qxZXNvpH79-qWcO0u4yI87P7eam4YXvaEfHv2PgymvhoCuip/s1600/school+18.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih7N5VdN7zLNdw1bZhTNk6OdMRILOWI14OH4rr_ldX_fP9LzPsNFVsOQjBUv_7izTzNNQ-2vbnTks6w2lTLA_G65Ex7Xj5qxZXNvpH79-qWcO0u4yI87P7eam4YXvaEfHv2PgymvhoCuip/s320/school+18.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5530327877202921154" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWhjuKznhpNbBOQx_vfLWe3bNM_gZOwRGEaEziQoa-LW1SMwaeh-V439tbWnVXCq8kp2ASVfoX1kS3hx0bhOoLlZ_N03VQgwcvQY5LkFE6-ygD9MYPlw1YQkknVMUsK6jxYQWoQyCi2F4g/s1600/school+20.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWhjuKznhpNbBOQx_vfLWe3bNM_gZOwRGEaEziQoa-LW1SMwaeh-V439tbWnVXCq8kp2ASVfoX1kS3hx0bhOoLlZ_N03VQgwcvQY5LkFE6-ygD9MYPlw1YQkknVMUsK6jxYQWoQyCi2F4g/s320/school+20.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5530327890223907410" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal">A traditional meal of Motepillo (large corn kernals boiled with queso, egg, green onion and aji) very delicious, very filling!<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I had decided early on going to Spanish School was a necessity. I remember bits and pieces from high school and college, but it had been almost 6 years since then. I definitely needed to brush up on my skills. I decided after enjoying our trip to Cuenca so much I would rather go to school there. A week after my decision I was on the bus to Cuenca, which took a total of about 10 hours to get there (6 by car). The bus ride was quite an experience, especially since it was my first one by myself.<span style=""> </span>As I said before the Guayaquil bus terminal is bigger and nicer than the airport here. The ride was smooth except for the police man who was kind enough to show me my gate and was also so kind as to hit on me. He asked for my digits and I thought eh what the heck, I don’t have to answer his call and I will probably never see him again….WRONG! (update: on the way back to San Clemente, after not answering his calls for 3 weeks, guess who I saw in the bus terminal again…HIM!!! It was quite amusing…and he made sure I got on the correct bus once again and then called me to make sure I arrived safely in San Clemente.)</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The first day of Spanish School was EXHAUSTING! My brain literally hurt. 4 hours starting at 8am with a private tutor, who only spoke Spanish…I was beginning to rethink the whole idea! I swear my eyes just had this blank stare about them and my drool was collecting on the floor. I felt dumb. <span style=""> </span>But by the 3<sup>rd</sup> day I seemed to be picking up a lot of the words she said and after the first week I started talking more in response to her. I started meeting all these new people too with different stories from all over the world. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>Bre , a teacher from Boston pursuing her dream of going to the Galapogas. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>Felicity and Mark traveling all over South America for a year from Australia. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>Another couple from England doing the same thing. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>A family from Wisconsin taking a sabbatical from work to enjoy another culture.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>Holly and Andy a couple from Washington DC, teaching English for 6 months and learning <span style=""></span>Spanish for work back in the states.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>A girl studying abroad from Norway for a few months. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">The list grew. People from all ages came and went. We all got together a few times at the local pub after salsa class at night to learn about each other. We compared cultures and reasons for leaving our countries and why we had come to Ecuador. I realized we all had something in common. We lived for adventure and weren’t scared of risks. It’s not every day you come across people who have hiked up mountains 12,000ft above sea level, or jumped off cliffs or woke up to insects the size of your head clinging to the outside of your mosquito net in the Amazon.<span style=""> </span>So riding a bus throughout three countries in South America is a piece of cake.<br /></p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtXJeWulwqMUaVt9D2GHITKwBRFEE-cH-9PZZ2rAE8g2UINzbIhtGnTCZ2NDZonV8IXgnb-bxuG9JVcn85NiwC65ZBxxQz3uImDRwmNL2HsHzr493HXO4pV9j3S0C7-geSM6zT_fRpR2La/s1600/school+22.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtXJeWulwqMUaVt9D2GHITKwBRFEE-cH-9PZZ2rAE8g2UINzbIhtGnTCZ2NDZonV8IXgnb-bxuG9JVcn85NiwC65ZBxxQz3uImDRwmNL2HsHzr493HXO4pV9j3S0C7-geSM6zT_fRpR2La/s320/school+22.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5530348487390690706" border="0" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">The group saying wishing Felicity and Mark good travels.<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal">And right from the start Mateo, my boyfriend, was a hit! I would invite him to hang out with the tourists or gringos and they would ask him every question in the book! But he was great and he even enjoyed hanging out with us too. <span style="font-family:Wingdings;"><span style=""></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="">The first 2 weeks I stayed with a host family in Cuenca while attending the school. The house was fairly huge that I stayed in and there were 3 brothers, 2 already married and out of the house. The mom was very welcoming and I had a nice bedroom, but it just wasn’t for me. After living on my own for over 5 years I really wanted to stay on my own. My friend Bre was staying in a hostal for $6 a night so I transferred there and saved over $50 a week! The hostal overlooked the river, I shared a bathroom, kitchen and living space with 2 other people. It was great!</p><p class="MsoNormal" style=""><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWY274QXqNC8jc8ZVxo5EqPZ4Hj6cdPpu-3wvFN-O6H0RTu4OvlNCui-uhl8vK28yai_jvFQRktc4Wt_pCeBNsLjUGMTPay7QMmS-aAfK89mcAPPIxgE-KCHsgz1QBGvpEpXYa88gV_v50/s1600/School1.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWY274QXqNC8jc8ZVxo5EqPZ4Hj6cdPpu-3wvFN-O6H0RTu4OvlNCui-uhl8vK28yai_jvFQRktc4Wt_pCeBNsLjUGMTPay7QMmS-aAfK89mcAPPIxgE-KCHsgz1QBGvpEpXYa88gV_v50/s320/School1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5530328407539399218" border="0" /> </a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6eB3BJppENLjvlkoK5YDoBeSlQBK-R6hBvrHGz8sQZK8mGd_FxQd9P8Nbeio3UTvsHQTHziU8ovOUUdNsWkIFfnkIKSdQ272wym_hilUfucMCo_kd-q0wG6d658TM-QNGQP2dhnW9snnv/s1600/School+2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6eB3BJppENLjvlkoK5YDoBeSlQBK-R6hBvrHGz8sQZK8mGd_FxQd9P8Nbeio3UTvsHQTHziU8ovOUUdNsWkIFfnkIKSdQ272wym_hilUfucMCo_kd-q0wG6d658TM-QNGQP2dhnW9snnv/s320/School+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5530324504511408562" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="">During the first week of class, one hour was dedicated to going out in the city and doing some sort of activity.<span style=""> </span>This particular day I visited the local Shaman. For $2 every Wednesday and Thursday the Shaman from the mountains would come into town and do this ritual on people. It was quite the ordeal. First they make you close your eyes and smell this concoction of herbs and flowers, then they started beating you with it and saying these weird things! After, this lady took this black charcoal looking stuff and<span style=""> </span>made an X above my belly button and then on my forehead. Then, she took a swig of what looked like alcohol and spit it all over my back and then my front!!!<span style=""> </span>The finale was when she rolled an egg all over my body, cracked it and then read my fortune. She said I didn’t have too many evil spirits in me!!! <span style=""> </span>PHEW, I was worried!</p><p class="MsoNormal" style=""><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY4P9xi5IOK3FgjBPgrnTvkF68fvjrYlIliZi_ysXm2Y47Lt1VaYN_VcKvnNqfsWiqo6Ad8oCseSg4u_WfDT-UrzCK74uLdQyJTmjWS303TdwAJQu37CtKahXCDzaz-wIpEwmlrBWckWi0/s1600/School+3.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY4P9xi5IOK3FgjBPgrnTvkF68fvjrYlIliZi_ysXm2Y47Lt1VaYN_VcKvnNqfsWiqo6Ad8oCseSg4u_WfDT-UrzCK74uLdQyJTmjWS303TdwAJQu37CtKahXCDzaz-wIpEwmlrBWckWi0/s320/School+3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5530324510311781106" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="">The Market with all handmade items.<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style=""><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_kQJWWUYak06JkzxgMHTIZ79UKP14idOzNT3nPtC_JCbzrJzNjvRD8pin_ugIl5JjcekdE8tjysWOkLhD7p0SOYJXHZHoSj3HnMcIEdK-lenvD1UWjf1_NI5gwowrLN4Mqk_WN0HmmNZm/s1600/School+4.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_kQJWWUYak06JkzxgMHTIZ79UKP14idOzNT3nPtC_JCbzrJzNjvRD8pin_ugIl5JjcekdE8tjysWOkLhD7p0SOYJXHZHoSj3HnMcIEdK-lenvD1UWjf1_NI5gwowrLN4Mqk_WN0HmmNZm/s320/School+4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5530324514871916690" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style=""><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWxl8e-KN4ySmMTE5xLj7gQaKjctbVgo8RYRChlz2Hegl6hzXxeDJmwvPFat6P3yREVDXVkcSD6cJJXAsoKNaLyYnxqhJwrstP9gUTKxBuSe8krXHUdWuwFL2xpTWzSmyt4k0BKaTpZVHc/s1600/School+5.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWxl8e-KN4ySmMTE5xLj7gQaKjctbVgo8RYRChlz2Hegl6hzXxeDJmwvPFat6P3yREVDXVkcSD6cJJXAsoKNaLyYnxqhJwrstP9gUTKxBuSe8krXHUdWuwFL2xpTWzSmyt4k0BKaTpZVHc/s320/School+5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5530324520580825250" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style=""><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9b5Fq0bYG-ECWnUi5Psff-W9xH9Y3TcgUjnq0rZDp7Py78mFn3_24boGJwheqTZUtznBW59iMr08alIWpythTEgrsK3KEAO8mCfmnOZWnuzhPDAa8zf1mU5nQFp1qZjmyp8XvXrtTaGw4/s1600/School+6.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9b5Fq0bYG-ECWnUi5Psff-W9xH9Y3TcgUjnq0rZDp7Py78mFn3_24boGJwheqTZUtznBW59iMr08alIWpythTEgrsK3KEAO8mCfmnOZWnuzhPDAa8zf1mU5nQFp1qZjmyp8XvXrtTaGw4/s320/School+6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5530324526268310962" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style=""><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivBKRgQIkNHMAfZSpXoiaZhiBo8zEtRhQDgEV1F31M8RqoyFlbo5qPnKMwecy1N0l3omEBPFBEdwCOALstG-95gX_XVmdYuQcG4VGcXEcXqI0HVcsTmqTzxDWciD2il1Q1XaI0LK3VoBHR/s1600/school+7.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivBKRgQIkNHMAfZSpXoiaZhiBo8zEtRhQDgEV1F31M8RqoyFlbo5qPnKMwecy1N0l3omEBPFBEdwCOALstG-95gX_XVmdYuQcG4VGcXEcXqI0HVcsTmqTzxDWciD2il1Q1XaI0LK3VoBHR/s320/school+7.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5530325737042753762" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style=""><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidKfHowPth6iJ99SnS6JU6RyfJ1s56B8CU_txozDUq5kr7Uu35Vp2vmlAlcKp5nI0LxIEDcU_r_uJp_3uOgCMVHjQFUsLieqnkBV6tGWDjHMqsJF6bpxnhuDOGoyRXnhksA1uDJ88PAr8b/s1600/school+8.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 262px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidKfHowPth6iJ99SnS6JU6RyfJ1s56B8CU_txozDUq5kr7Uu35Vp2vmlAlcKp5nI0LxIEDcU_r_uJp_3uOgCMVHjQFUsLieqnkBV6tGWDjHMqsJF6bpxnhuDOGoyRXnhksA1uDJ88PAr8b/s320/school+8.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5530325735491353298" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style=""><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbD6ZxWiH_wIdWJy5sG6tVP9mwsvh4_Pd7l3m2IrmD7l8CZgRgjZ8QM-5s9JZchjBbU9HeVvajB1zhLHysgYp-IwR8I-agi-Ukj5I2hyyxEobRstsMYqrQtthwqCv3oCVfuVTKz9C71Z2j/s1600/school+9.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbD6ZxWiH_wIdWJy5sG6tVP9mwsvh4_Pd7l3m2IrmD7l8CZgRgjZ8QM-5s9JZchjBbU9HeVvajB1zhLHysgYp-IwR8I-agi-Ukj5I2hyyxEobRstsMYqrQtthwqCv3oCVfuVTKz9C71Z2j/s320/school+9.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5530325737200576034" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style=""><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizSHsru3qBiZP1p_y7BbAjrP696egXvoMMLp0_tMYI58yuZvIHTzulcOYGvPJksd-po2YKwMJTxi9-qlhq2enSzfpkTkYvJEwDGLZojPG7hwPCx2C-AoS18jNyeSWeAnd4zaFYBt4TE0Ns/s1600/school+10.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizSHsru3qBiZP1p_y7BbAjrP696egXvoMMLp0_tMYI58yuZvIHTzulcOYGvPJksd-po2YKwMJTxi9-qlhq2enSzfpkTkYvJEwDGLZojPG7hwPCx2C-AoS18jNyeSWeAnd4zaFYBt4TE0Ns/s320/school+10.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5530325745586431314" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style=""><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="">My friend Bre and I ventured to a few places together, but our first outing was to see an Argentina Jazz concert. It was very interesting! The cool thing is that there is a whole book of free concerts, movies and arts festivals throughout every month in Cuenca. This was during the first week of Spanish class so we couldn’t really understand what the guy was saying, BUT he was making the audience crack up. He would play his saxophone for like 5 minutes hard core and then the piano and guitar would take over and the guy would leave the stage. He would come back after like 10 minutes and take a swig of his water, then stamp out the beats with his head and feet. This process went on the whole time, he would sometimes switch back and forth between the saxophone and the oboe. The music was great!</p> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_PcXIIlq8G0RpUrIOX2zVmGogKr9sheDyaok1WUtj18ERg6z7YrAhyphenhyphenMrI9Ik7PKpQulqoJhifQ4hp8oPqTOs1EbF4KBCeSisjqWBM60I1_rHth-1aXg3lcNK_xH1CG5ezkQDDzgI6QIf2/s1600/school24.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_PcXIIlq8G0RpUrIOX2zVmGogKr9sheDyaok1WUtj18ERg6z7YrAhyphenhyphenMrI9Ik7PKpQulqoJhifQ4hp8oPqTOs1EbF4KBCeSisjqWBM60I1_rHth-1aXg3lcNK_xH1CG5ezkQDDzgI6QIf2/s320/school24.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5530328411724070546" border="0" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdUYWKFvDuGGehz6l98pRtoZ-u3gERbALba7gm7IHVJ9Is9PSSy9nwT8vZvLFvnaFnB5j6Dj94s5e8xQzJR-0PdElOavojHGx9LPCVwMYtikrUJOtb5sYnixUm3h5FXXbDxT1UeD-03MKz/s1600/school+23.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdUYWKFvDuGGehz6l98pRtoZ-u3gERbALba7gm7IHVJ9Is9PSSy9nwT8vZvLFvnaFnB5j6Dj94s5e8xQzJR-0PdElOavojHGx9LPCVwMYtikrUJOtb5sYnixUm3h5FXXbDxT1UeD-03MKz/s320/school+23.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5530327902881585538" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Look forward to my next entry about Bre and I hiking the Cajas up 12,000ft above sea level through rain, sleet, wind and freezing cold!!! Always an adventure here in Ecuador!!!<br /><br /><br />Te Amo,<br />Ally<br /><br /><br /><br />T.I.E moment. This was walking through the center of town. A guy with three goats just hanging out with his goats tied to the lamp post. Goat milk anyone?<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx8w6NwEqqsdT2ORmbYnsooeGaC9ed9qHKGcVDzR5E9bSEkNPlSFiHyq-sBeg3CQp_a_Fm0pZUst-3Yd0Yyjc_79dCfyROh4wLnK0DUJhytmVgdug5nobEB8efLm-XBuEngzGKGOyJJ7eL/s1600/School+11.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx8w6NwEqqsdT2ORmbYnsooeGaC9ed9qHKGcVDzR5E9bSEkNPlSFiHyq-sBeg3CQp_a_Fm0pZUst-3Yd0Yyjc_79dCfyROh4wLnK0DUJhytmVgdug5nobEB8efLm-XBuEngzGKGOyJJ7eL/s320/School+11.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5530325743650904354" border="0" /></a>whitedestinyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04205523860212555199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5467855009835894544.post-48807084885674973362010-09-22T21:25:00.000-07:002010-09-23T00:35:12.667-07:00Festival of the Virgin- San Clemente<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvs4qflX3z2JsUKAhHEmpLHo3NDzaGFJACLunr17ZDy3fciKhfrXqCJF9b7YXxxdDr3GuODRiErjYwmMOyeiVJK4az2C-o09-lyEUjuPgqhwRm6_5z4T_XtmYR6-G5c87jx2dX60LVHZne/s1600/Festival+6.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvs4qflX3z2JsUKAhHEmpLHo3NDzaGFJACLunr17ZDy3fciKhfrXqCJF9b7YXxxdDr3GuODRiErjYwmMOyeiVJK4az2C-o09-lyEUjuPgqhwRm6_5z4T_XtmYR6-G5c87jx2dX60LVHZne/s320/Festival+6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519962646581925282" border="0" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Festival of the Virgin takes place in San Clemente every year on September 8th. This is a time when the people celebrate the Virgin of Charity of Copper, a patroness of Cuba.The Virgin of Charity is a statue of the Virgin Mary on the mining town of El Cobre, Cuba. It is said a slave boy and two Indians in 1608 were hanging out on the coast and saw something floating in the water. It was a statue of Mary holding baby Jesus on a board with the inscription, "I am the Virgin of Charity."<br /><br />Every year the festivities in San Clemente begin 9 days prior to the grand finale, where everyone gathers in the town center every night to pray and sing to the Virgin statue. People from all over the country come to celebrate all the festivities; the parade, singing and dancing, drinking, eating, shopping and the morning of the last day is the fisherman fiesta on the water.<br /></span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr9JMiQSMTe_WNzrTO5a8DYg_mbhec-DhxblZhOql4AGkRJwVLn9mhNsbRPGrTmPvmns6kG9rUnLcp-leq_SUUkepzVlTF3Oo2E7K9omu9U6bZefSzsLm7cAXq6ffGWEeS-44bX5ntzD2l/s1600/Festival+9.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr9JMiQSMTe_WNzrTO5a8DYg_mbhec-DhxblZhOql4AGkRJwVLn9mhNsbRPGrTmPvmns6kG9rUnLcp-leq_SUUkepzVlTF3Oo2E7K9omu9U6bZefSzsLm7cAXq6ffGWEeS-44bX5ntzD2l/s320/Festival+9.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519962675301323122" border="0" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVU-jJXfNwRjRoO3KfO2TphZcOVO1KxonXbG3PobkZqmS6Xat6UgOsbNgv8rL7kMoKE0jr6K1zh5WmLemFN0MtvVKxboDAll8RtoxqS6Jwv-X83kANRWTNmUQpkZ7QkwcWG1wPjjraq7fL/s1600/Festival+10.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVU-jJXfNwRjRoO3KfO2TphZcOVO1KxonXbG3PobkZqmS6Xat6UgOsbNgv8rL7kMoKE0jr6K1zh5WmLemFN0MtvVKxboDAll8RtoxqS6Jwv-X83kANRWTNmUQpkZ7QkwcWG1wPjjraq7fL/s320/Festival+10.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519962677783064482" border="0" /></a><br />Yes, that is a donkey painted like a Zebra! A man dressed as a black woman!<br /><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />It was very interesting for me to go to the town center and witness a night of the praying. Chairs are put in a circle around the statue in the center of town and little girls in pink and white dresses go up to the microphone to say prayers. Then they sing and food is given to all who have come.<br /><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD0y0VxDUb8tGm5rU1qBNk79fcLN4hanNKSg7a8zjMyE8utLQ-KMt6iL_zV_H2-EMWSY2AzAIrCBLb39cUS3B8FDLN5TDSk5qTfyHoLxl5vcrDpdb7AHvubUMDNyWudlNP3Q-AWOhI5rTV/s1600/Festival+11.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD0y0VxDUb8tGm5rU1qBNk79fcLN4hanNKSg7a8zjMyE8utLQ-KMt6iL_zV_H2-EMWSY2AzAIrCBLb39cUS3B8FDLN5TDSk5qTfyHoLxl5vcrDpdb7AHvubUMDNyWudlNP3Q-AWOhI5rTV/s320/Festival+11.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519965887583875266" border="0" /></a><br /></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />The fun part was all the partying! Unfortunately, I had lost my voice a few days prior to all the fun, so it was pretty difficult talking, let alone talking in Spanish! There were so many tiendas (small stores) set up along with a big inflatable slides for all the kids. Everyone just danced in the streets all night long and the bands were so loud you could hear them all the way down to my place (about .5 mile away). A few friends of a friend came and showed Megan and I how to traditionally dance, it was fun! The streets were just completely filled with people....you could barely walk!<br /><br /></span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWBLROaZFvsXhxFC-JmXmZrx7g2JAeGsb5F2d_bboLmlAWuX-iRdyGYl6Tl77fOoR9MOk0_Pu6QZC_a2Q466euJvN5wibv-h3umeNaTYdQPGpeFuSG7OMVath0mlw9I1mpAV4rHUuplEqv/s1600/Festival+2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWBLROaZFvsXhxFC-JmXmZrx7g2JAeGsb5F2d_bboLmlAWuX-iRdyGYl6Tl77fOoR9MOk0_Pu6QZC_a2Q466euJvN5wibv-h3umeNaTYdQPGpeFuSG7OMVath0mlw9I1mpAV4rHUuplEqv/s320/Festival+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519961440968348690" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTKVlHBdQ9xqAmorjupE4OwINboS8F0M_n89sBstZR7w4iTHdbhVk4sH8wCz2KD4GbhYo91V3rJpMDA1LFRcM1VLC6Nm4sIrd0QQx3i2MX-1OranCbP_xg5apSuwrxg5sQe7FQAvRFXh-P/s1600/Festival+1.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 202px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTKVlHBdQ9xqAmorjupE4OwINboS8F0M_n89sBstZR7w4iTHdbhVk4sH8wCz2KD4GbhYo91V3rJpMDA1LFRcM1VLC6Nm4sIrd0QQx3i2MX-1OranCbP_xg5apSuwrxg5sQe7FQAvRFXh-P/s320/Festival+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519961440618001858" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br />Before all the partying there was a parade that last almost 5 hours! It had really funny floats and then some really cool bands too. Each school in the area was to participate. Even the hotel employees walked in the parade! The bands were amazing...I am including some videos of them at the bottom of this blog! Enjoy!<br /></span></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguIPikxy2BUsk0O5nVBizAVqW4p6ZEyyN-FY-DB-CfhFMc0E8HpI1t7F9dDbzdBGyAQo4K_4yu-8x5oXxleq1IZhRbi58MBJOqPCPDSMpK7IrFY5G4bR9H7oHABqq5jR5k3vx4gSXf3e29/s1600/Festival+3.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguIPikxy2BUsk0O5nVBizAVqW4p6ZEyyN-FY-DB-CfhFMc0E8HpI1t7F9dDbzdBGyAQo4K_4yu-8x5oXxleq1IZhRbi58MBJOqPCPDSMpK7IrFY5G4bR9H7oHABqq5jR5k3vx4gSXf3e29/s320/Festival+3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519961449518813170" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbJkyHDpeI7FyhWKJ6ZMtQj3WkWRFSDYMpBFLa_lTlQm3lznqwTpvgkDuOqSw_Jp8jEgvBN4BDC4QtKebwtXjXW0kQf5LHROjEe-GQAvQ8AyujDl74DQ8U7rDaiYMBv1aLLC6KDnKkiEwL/s1600/Festival+5.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbJkyHDpeI7FyhWKJ6ZMtQj3WkWRFSDYMpBFLa_lTlQm3lznqwTpvgkDuOqSw_Jp8jEgvBN4BDC4QtKebwtXjXW0kQf5LHROjEe-GQAvQ8AyujDl74DQ8U7rDaiYMBv1aLLC6KDnKkiEwL/s320/Festival+5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519961469158494930" border="0" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy9DlrxWq70wqyZPEKhpER8lW7o0h-C0ro-NnCgtx7l6lgdVgZIDYkpuZ14tCEbGkU8llnT5fdFkmbbnM5-FwlxNbiDkUg5s3WA47gMksolBVHu2YfyhecLsOoBBjFh3-gX7B5BQHwyNuc/s1600/Festival+7.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy9DlrxWq70wqyZPEKhpER8lW7o0h-C0ro-NnCgtx7l6lgdVgZIDYkpuZ14tCEbGkU8llnT5fdFkmbbnM5-FwlxNbiDkUg5s3WA47gMksolBVHu2YfyhecLsOoBBjFh3-gX7B5BQHwyNuc/s320/Festival+7.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519962651389041522" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig-lu9STgbMdajmTZTHjJ8LG1Io8W7LmAH2bfBqThvCsgfkTzEBGTilcDq6QGvGZI_-Nw97PJ1_I_mvQMzlmT9AjFtUoKeuJoO6m741Zmg-46eHScFb2B5QvNcKSqIRge7y_YDCEY9n91n/s1600/Festival+4.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig-lu9STgbMdajmTZTHjJ8LG1Io8W7LmAH2bfBqThvCsgfkTzEBGTilcDq6QGvGZI_-Nw97PJ1_I_mvQMzlmT9AjFtUoKeuJoO6m741Zmg-46eHScFb2B5QvNcKSqIRge7y_YDCEY9n91n/s320/Festival+4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519961457576394290" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF_Dn1oWKRZEIXXbidstjcM_G5oQ79Rw7PWAyzbZwwDO74sLEpuCiouDLUYrHuTNFM6qimc1sFBwSe7IUm4pEdUy-UXPfTDaYkLoNaygdBUYLQDD1aFjvMFbgTaOsDogLsQYdTJMfKDVD0/s1600/festival+8.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF_Dn1oWKRZEIXXbidstjcM_G5oQ79Rw7PWAyzbZwwDO74sLEpuCiouDLUYrHuTNFM6qimc1sFBwSe7IUm4pEdUy-UXPfTDaYkLoNaygdBUYLQDD1aFjvMFbgTaOsDogLsQYdTJMfKDVD0/s320/festival+8.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519962662790451250" border="0" /></a></div></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">On the morning of the Saturday of the final fiesta, everyone gets up early and see's the fisherman off to sea. They have a prayer to the Patroness of Fisherman and then they all sail out to sea. All day long there are small boats carrying people back and forth to the large fishing boats. There is just one big party after the next on the ships. These people know how to party! They party for ANY reason! I missed the farewell part...it was WAY too early in the morning, especially after a long night of partying.<br /><br /><br /></span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbxbCO1LtLVcZ4RXatVBXW7xgE482Bn6Sh2pAK38IrtwIjWCX9aYyU8JaGdDSfdD-R1awHk-C-eA84hUHmFm-SWMP7ciUID0nFo0REAahQWYSp8xCVb8n2bWwaNjsuLkkBr5UtOYZElIDj/s1600/Festival+12.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbxbCO1LtLVcZ4RXatVBXW7xgE482Bn6Sh2pAK38IrtwIjWCX9aYyU8JaGdDSfdD-R1awHk-C-eA84hUHmFm-SWMP7ciUID0nFo0REAahQWYSp8xCVb8n2bWwaNjsuLkkBr5UtOYZElIDj/s320/Festival+12.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519965895170518242" border="0" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl-fljeK73hdkX3jlSNE64_ZdxSL6VKqLwhyphenhyphenOFy0Wp7lnN_yF7t-iEYWsvCoZeBU1sX8uRetsrOM7hl-wTfXi9qbM3FuqwtNwYlQxAOuaeYY3opTnBCThTi7sDj_JtO4S0o-JVFouG9f8w/s1600/Festival+15.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl-fljeK73hdkX3jlSNE64_ZdxSL6VKqLwhyphenhyphenOFy0Wp7lnN_yF7t-iEYWsvCoZeBU1sX8uRetsrOM7hl-wTfXi9qbM3FuqwtNwYlQxAOuaeYY3opTnBCThTi7sDj_JtO4S0o-JVFouG9f8w/s320/Festival+15.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519965909291888722" border="0" /></a><br /> <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUiQyznNFx6zhkpnPTe6yORnZFF3eO_S_87YHHi9C1v8OdqOmWNVTWV0Rf5t78r93CgDIaH8Sv5mbAGNPt1afnMP8QC6_ymlV5RFAc8PnEHo_4hRhi9rLID6N9ygdUVCXUjdUpRJeKInut/s1600/Festival+13.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUiQyznNFx6zhkpnPTe6yORnZFF3eO_S_87YHHi9C1v8OdqOmWNVTWV0Rf5t78r93CgDIaH8Sv5mbAGNPt1afnMP8QC6_ymlV5RFAc8PnEHo_4hRhi9rLID6N9ygdUVCXUjdUpRJeKInut/s320/Festival+13.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519965902283746130" border="0" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKdrmFl0v5UQaRg3C_ydz-USXbvkv8RRxo-214HLE6KKlQmPw-uPghjlbY9npXblL0qVEKDW1GFyU98B2w7LHJhPVP1Ow9rohyyDvg4ex0dCVBlR51ZyP4Y3VEZlh5sWTPnKwpznWvrO6I/s1600/Festival+14.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKdrmFl0v5UQaRg3C_ydz-USXbvkv8RRxo-214HLE6KKlQmPw-uPghjlbY9npXblL0qVEKDW1GFyU98B2w7LHJhPVP1Ow9rohyyDvg4ex0dCVBlR51ZyP4Y3VEZlh5sWTPnKwpznWvrO6I/s320/Festival+14.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519969112428323250" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2obLwfN7wMgaGwEwJCDsGqEn7qSSeYyIm4Y7O5f0p2HiTBc4FL33rfiMNzeI0JFV2Okr5Zag4iSffpriBQyvCzuCPUtJwY-MZbuqdqqXnpTYiECPm_KZ1BpGujYJKib8-vVyTARkp1tpi/s1600/Festival+16.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2obLwfN7wMgaGwEwJCDsGqEn7qSSeYyIm4Y7O5f0p2HiTBc4FL33rfiMNzeI0JFV2Okr5Zag4iSffpriBQyvCzuCPUtJwY-MZbuqdqqXnpTYiECPm_KZ1BpGujYJKib8-vVyTARkp1tpi/s320/Festival+16.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519969118150283666" border="0" /></a><br />Some of my favorite people!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqDaQQ7FJw1IVSpD19uL1dE4XcCe9jewQiIDmAEUPe3MT62QZz21zqI31n5gbMPFWnoYDdh0eytRwoVnNCYHGwuDoscAPkCCjhmHqgnWwuVTsf8bG0vxW8AfEgUGl5bgCFa09GlswzNM4y/s1600/Festival+17.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqDaQQ7FJw1IVSpD19uL1dE4XcCe9jewQiIDmAEUPe3MT62QZz21zqI31n5gbMPFWnoYDdh0eytRwoVnNCYHGwuDoscAPkCCjhmHqgnWwuVTsf8bG0vxW8AfEgUGl5bgCFa09GlswzNM4y/s320/Festival+17.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519969125233483202" border="0" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIry5IK_aS72_XV_VPLkaIoH5Q-jBWwnQ5buM8B3DJ18qUsU6fp2COKzuS0wTjIgi5j7Wvgnd0LfzjZWg-CVllBzxHBLWCbxFQ4x2Qo14iX4eEo2bv89DN2QN6xHubncW0pdfJYjJyYJ6W/s1600/Festival+18.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIry5IK_aS72_XV_VPLkaIoH5Q-jBWwnQ5buM8B3DJ18qUsU6fp2COKzuS0wTjIgi5j7Wvgnd0LfzjZWg-CVllBzxHBLWCbxFQ4x2Qo14iX4eEo2bv89DN2QN6xHubncW0pdfJYjJyYJ6W/s320/Festival+18.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519969139282920418" border="0" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span></div>This boat is all decorated and ready to take people out to the big fishing boat!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixsSnf5FmEYaQsBlAW54a3z6BM-jKXjE5NHDVF7k0uAHEZJ9sihKymEIBu38rxM7t6EOQ89N-vAf3m4tbnzlLv1s2ZY9FLpSkc4yfV1xdpXfrMx4uZ66N9ZVgZ_r8vC-Ed_hO2daPwZkiq/s1600/Festival+19.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixsSnf5FmEYaQsBlAW54a3z6BM-jKXjE5NHDVF7k0uAHEZJ9sihKymEIBu38rxM7t6EOQ89N-vAf3m4tbnzlLv1s2ZY9FLpSkc4yfV1xdpXfrMx4uZ66N9ZVgZ_r8vC-Ed_hO2daPwZkiq/s320/Festival+19.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519973649486529570" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Yes that is a snow cone machine!!<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The weekend ended perfectly!<br /><br /><br /><br />NEW: Bahia Bridge....I traveled with Santiago to the new bridge they are building in Bahia. In a few short months the new bridge will replace a lot of jobs in the area. You see, for the longest time the only way of getting over to San Vicente from Bahia were the ferries. The ferry ride was $.25 to get a mile to the other side and the ferry also held vehicles as well. This new bridge is going to change life for Ecuadorians in Bahia. It is going to expand business as well as tourisim. I got lucky and was able to take a tour with the construction manager of the cement portion. Santiago and I had some fun taking pics of the new bridge!<br /><br /></span></span></div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_xj-ndToCgLrDNEJnMwFpYL2Cnq1JyfyOzpSAcgbW2oYcqcsornSQ7M5rSvUnn0Az15dw0DgMdCZaZ0CRsIcJWPXTZUFtP5XJQVF9ZrKAZm0qtDD6O9CW9cSh73ZC50-S2tSqVJT8lfXa/s1600/bridge+4.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_xj-ndToCgLrDNEJnMwFpYL2Cnq1JyfyOzpSAcgbW2oYcqcsornSQ7M5rSvUnn0Az15dw0DgMdCZaZ0CRsIcJWPXTZUFtP5XJQVF9ZrKAZm0qtDD6O9CW9cSh73ZC50-S2tSqVJT8lfXa/s320/bridge+4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519973674486104194" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The bike/walking ramp.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNlEn1EIIQHA1bVi_vvq2qWFl4DDsZ8HT11pftPYGLud-Pk9pcmTR_zQSQFr41O08ZroKL4IfoFTkdWbNOjxoMG46xQdMq9bbkucJgNmka7kszBZbuG9Wschi_-qZgBiKvB0_5ZNQTMSfa/s1600/bridge+3.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNlEn1EIIQHA1bVi_vvq2qWFl4DDsZ8HT11pftPYGLud-Pk9pcmTR_zQSQFr41O08ZroKL4IfoFTkdWbNOjxoMG46xQdMq9bbkucJgNmka7kszBZbuG9Wschi_-qZgBiKvB0_5ZNQTMSfa/s320/bridge+3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519973671183582082" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The temporary sign introducing the bridge!<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghJwXKw7vVWUnaEq0ESaXoEhkNQjRMdxh8QGpq9js3X9MiQaMxyTN7qudmSatblIBXEgc_fooU6gttLqzHp0xVbPNrA06Tp99eA2SocgsqsyV-oNBtLDLVO_4fpnW8Kmvuf8UX5NezaBB9/s1600/Bridge1.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghJwXKw7vVWUnaEq0ESaXoEhkNQjRMdxh8QGpq9js3X9MiQaMxyTN7qudmSatblIBXEgc_fooU6gttLqzHp0xVbPNrA06Tp99eA2SocgsqsyV-oNBtLDLVO_4fpnW8Kmvuf8UX5NezaBB9/s320/Bridge1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519973659565364130" border="0" /></a><br />The beginning of the bridge on the Bahia side.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqeIGCEAcNrKVgp59Hur6dI5MJNRmXlj-K93YkpZtQpD2B8m7Ov5ITqrvGMPoW4FfRR3RurEyr5_gcHQ_yDBxps12QZLC0JvZ-NKu08J533FIFU3rhViBaOSmXyadE1I5kP-6uSawx6CCo/s1600/bridge+2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 176px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqeIGCEAcNrKVgp59Hur6dI5MJNRmXlj-K93YkpZtQpD2B8m7Ov5ITqrvGMPoW4FfRR3RurEyr5_gcHQ_yDBxps12QZLC0JvZ-NKu08J533FIFU3rhViBaOSmXyadE1I5kP-6uSawx6CCo/s320/bridge+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519973655818639378" border="0" /></a><br />Me, sporting the hard hat.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwJBARoQtlPCHoEfrhBoWAiExKmCO2Gg9PS1O743s0UsTJTjA90O3woTPAl8uMDaHE2EIanb5svuoxTcsCqkQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxPMrLkMcHLw5PJcjfAao_mJTaqhIzvsWojgfs7Z0V-9Kpmsi4uwhlfXreb1sVBzRQjDRiKNmSaEU7jVzPdMQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dywIbrEpMdaZKyMiCt6lb1WPhmqYP8nh6t6AZwdAspkJoaU0cr9f9toDZj7til46AXCQdZtPyTDPn0_VmxjKQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxkdgbNU63oWhJZyhe4r19ShfIVGIGNCfYo05kj06w8_ZHcmOMbzgSBO5GwRhfCMx17GmqCgd03oQIgpT5rwQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>whitedestinyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04205523860212555199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5467855009835894544.post-60620447992324273152010-09-01T18:36:00.000-07:002010-09-01T23:52:38.334-07:00Cuenca<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9aHop3hWZGnpJsAiVCGS15A-iv6I4BkWgknSn31A7iW6xHai6UejkwLTlxjUO4Hown3UhAUq4BYmPOxnU9I6lymv8lECbWk4XwkpCQWSSkftZP137AkMgSJiotb96KKTHpFrAZkYYeAzw/s1600/Ecuador+Map.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 659px; height: 597px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9aHop3hWZGnpJsAiVCGS15A-iv6I4BkWgknSn31A7iW6xHai6UejkwLTlxjUO4Hown3UhAUq4BYmPOxnU9I6lymv8lECbWk4XwkpCQWSSkftZP137AkMgSJiotb96KKTHpFrAZkYYeAzw/s320/Ecuador+Map.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512150173191760226" border="0" /></a>
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<br /><span style="font-family: courier new; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-size:100%;" >Its hard to see this map, however the yellow star is where I live in San Clemente and then the red dot in the center of the furthest south yellow province is Cuenca.
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Today, the population exceeds 450,000 of which 267,000 are urban occupants. The city has 8 Universities and was named after Cuenca, Spain.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Cuenca means a basin caused by a confluence of rivers. The city is surrounded by mountains and has 3 rivers that run through it. There are two seasons in Cuenca; rainy and dry.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Rainy season is from January to May, where the mornings are bright with afternoon showers. The dry season is from June to December. The average temperature falls at about 58 degrees.
<br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center; font-family: courier new; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsNUpLYZilybJ1WQmWNH9eHBChfb0xUEOn4sQuy50kIvMf9E3_hQ8ue_7BK9sA9835QTCg_kkyEuKY4RWPl2y9R4Nf02lmgxkqx56MmVH-O8rqXUGYxxGoK8HkKFgENLWbpFwrRVd0jAH8/s1600/cuenca+7.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 349px; height: 261px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsNUpLYZilybJ1WQmWNH9eHBChfb0xUEOn4sQuy50kIvMf9E3_hQ8ue_7BK9sA9835QTCg_kkyEuKY4RWPl2y9R4Nf02lmgxkqx56MmVH-O8rqXUGYxxGoK8HkKFgENLWbpFwrRVd0jAH8/s320/cuenca+7.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512125334105997570" border="0" /></a></span></p><p style="font-family: courier new; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvwXGdPU7lwTiyeQrJfixNWSm5D-wiqvikiZkLfMa_Yb7FWQvaAnAO8CsxmKczOIqKSKUailPm4IgdIj-C-NhXtGfRFcnIS1xLhALm3M-lj68OkUDP_YvdqiSnoj043l5Q6t3w05txT2ZA/s1600/cuenca+6.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvwXGdPU7lwTiyeQrJfixNWSm5D-wiqvikiZkLfMa_Yb7FWQvaAnAO8CsxmKczOIqKSKUailPm4IgdIj-C-NhXtGfRFcnIS1xLhALm3M-lj68OkUDP_YvdqiSnoj043l5Q6t3w05txT2ZA/s320/cuenca+6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512125318758131890" border="0" /></a></span></p> <p style="font-family: courier new; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">Since I came to Ecuador everyone told me about this magical, historical city that rests in the Andes Mountains. I had wanted to visit this town and we finally made plans over this past weekend! We (my dad, Carmen and I) decided to travel at night since by bus it takes anywhere between 8-10 hours to get there, depending on road conditions and bus schedule.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">We left at 8pm from San Clemente and stopped in Bahia to pick Carmen up. Then from there the bus traveled in the dark to Porto Viejo, Guayaquil and finally Cuenca.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Arrival time was at 11am the following morning.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" >
<br /></span></p><p style="font-family: courier new; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5H7ATC8tSjvoac1UONLynH2aDk6HugRHR6HRyrKPD-CfRRToWwy0cM449Q3n7GVUSZbpVY2aW1ToA_UzT3Dw6ugulJv6GdwjJrJq8hIOdsaWNSwzamJ0kMgSavtJzs7YGJwlP3Hl0Oojq/s1600/cuenca+5.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5H7ATC8tSjvoac1UONLynH2aDk6HugRHR6HRyrKPD-CfRRToWwy0cM449Q3n7GVUSZbpVY2aW1ToA_UzT3Dw6ugulJv6GdwjJrJq8hIOdsaWNSwzamJ0kMgSavtJzs7YGJwlP3Hl0Oojq/s320/cuenca+5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512125310724221506" border="0" /></a></span></p><p style="font-family: courier new; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">Guayaquil bus station. 3 stories high, bigger than the airport!
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<br /></span></p> <p style="font-family: courier new; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">The bus from Guayaquil to Cuenca was so beautiful. I slept until about 8am and when I woke up I looked out my window and was literally gasping for air! I was looking straight down hundreds of feet off the mountain. After I caught my breath, I noticed just how beautiful the mountains were, they were everywhere! The bus winded along the sides of the mountain like it was floating on the clouds. We came across a few small towns that were brightly painted with “indigena”( indigenous) women wearing colored skirts, tall socks and funny looking hats (unfortunately I didn’t get any pics), but I did get to talk to one that sat next to me on the bus. Then I noticed out the window these people were amazing! They would be walking literally on 90 degree angles down the side of the mountain while carrying a huge load on their back. Incredible!
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<br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center; font-family: courier new; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR9Az5MgRHFXD39p3litZVW7BReKrtWBgYjYD0pYWfBUarcrpNK9RiEFagnGriLE0tsCFXVI-DYj3sxwQIlTYmlF_8Wdegi3RR_px9VAE_TUJ2Gg2jVEjcQh01DCyrZyUyn63_LyMUN7sy/s1600/Cuenca+17.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR9Az5MgRHFXD39p3litZVW7BReKrtWBgYjYD0pYWfBUarcrpNK9RiEFagnGriLE0tsCFXVI-DYj3sxwQIlTYmlF_8Wdegi3RR_px9VAE_TUJ2Gg2jVEjcQh01DCyrZyUyn63_LyMUN7sy/s320/Cuenca+17.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512141995057283042" border="0" /></a></span></p><p style="text-align: center; font-family: courier new; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left; font-family: courier new; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO000ba4FOuTOoifHqpJjNexfabex7bytBalnmM1rFjhjGAxUY2v08dFkC_w5EO8NsTc5eJ19hFw3Uz6b_fppyxMatT5Mwu9OfJhDAVpnkyvCTT0JdN40Mo_sD7ifah0IhCoNsHHjroxvx/s1600/Cuenca+15.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO000ba4FOuTOoifHqpJjNexfabex7bytBalnmM1rFjhjGAxUY2v08dFkC_w5EO8NsTc5eJ19hFw3Uz6b_fppyxMatT5Mwu9OfJhDAVpnkyvCTT0JdN40Mo_sD7ifah0IhCoNsHHjroxvx/s320/Cuenca+15.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512140827757045106" border="0" /></a></span></p> <p style="font-family: courier new; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">When we arrived to the city and found a hotel we walked around the center of the town and into the church downtown. As I walked into the church I felt this strong power surround me. </span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">We bought a few candles and brought them inside to pray. The pictures I took don’t even describe the beauty of this church. </span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Then we went to eat at this little gourmet restaurant and they gave us 6 scoops of helado (ice cream) on the house. It was so yummy!</span></p><p style="font-family: courier new; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center; font-family: courier new; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2WFnhw4c4c893u-KFSIp9A743VHtH2-6UXHWOoah1_MZYN5ZR2e8sFJ47M7G_bdieeS3l0KJnlXnL3iEanKpJHiP-Z0jakZZiMo3t0OaMxf5K9u1QyB_OhrXuG4SLj2Qux3QBuvEKc1bQ/s1600/Cuenca+14.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2WFnhw4c4c893u-KFSIp9A743VHtH2-6UXHWOoah1_MZYN5ZR2e8sFJ47M7G_bdieeS3l0KJnlXnL3iEanKpJHiP-Z0jakZZiMo3t0OaMxf5K9u1QyB_OhrXuG4SLj2Qux3QBuvEKc1bQ/s320/Cuenca+14.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512140812980058546" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisX2JwAqgeaK4-IBrKmHuS98omaNnO2FY1U_mdI7FSXLa8RPaRBtHzzxDCsQ8QXYv-vCaKriOoGzBO92XBosoUyDjSG2Ct3avrav39cVPPGQMZHUXh9kM9PGKcEldm2J40v6GSYA3g6r31/s1600/cuenca+12.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisX2JwAqgeaK4-IBrKmHuS98omaNnO2FY1U_mdI7FSXLa8RPaRBtHzzxDCsQ8QXYv-vCaKriOoGzBO92XBosoUyDjSG2Ct3avrav39cVPPGQMZHUXh9kM9PGKcEldm2J40v6GSYA3g6r31/s320/cuenca+12.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512140792557144194" border="0" /></a></span></p><p style="text-align: center; font-family: courier new; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center; font-family: courier new; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtqBvCyx6Enu45sWDhn02Mndx4MOZn5yz_aP64cbWdX4TGfPcZnWroV_uV3QXxzd7Ir-PYVScv7uBiSwCjlZg5iMf2-m6W9CnfMPPHz5mVqO7NdkRG7Gvgt2coic81KP9Ln-s2WP24GcOg/s1600/Cuenca+13.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 292px; height: 389px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtqBvCyx6Enu45sWDhn02Mndx4MOZn5yz_aP64cbWdX4TGfPcZnWroV_uV3QXxzd7Ir-PYVScv7uBiSwCjlZg5iMf2-m6W9CnfMPPHz5mVqO7NdkRG7Gvgt2coic81KP9Ln-s2WP24GcOg/s320/Cuenca+13.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512140804368806162" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2WFnhw4c4c893u-KFSIp9A743VHtH2-6UXHWOoah1_MZYN5ZR2e8sFJ47M7G_bdieeS3l0KJnlXnL3iEanKpJHiP-Z0jakZZiMo3t0OaMxf5K9u1QyB_OhrXuG4SLj2Qux3QBuvEKc1bQ/s1600/Cuenca+14.jpg"> </a></span></p> <p style="font-family: courier new; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">I met someone special a few weeks ago in San Clemente and he lives in Cuenca. His name is Mateo and he showed us around the city the whole weekend. It was a blast! The first night he took us to have a traditional Cuenca meal, called Cuy (sounds like coo-ie) aka Guinea Pig! I will have to say, when I saw the Cuy grilling over the fire I felt a little sorry for the creature, especially since we have them as pets in the US.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">The first bite definitely made me a little nervous, it looked like dark meat on chicken, but it tasted completely different.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">After a few bites, it was starting to grow on me. Then Mateo drove us up on one of the mountains to a lookout called Turi, that overlooked the entire city. It was an amazing view at night! Later on we made our way to the local disco called Zo.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">It was a ton of fun!
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<br /></span></p><p style="font-family: courier new; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_VEf70nVQ17JGq69zv7JW3rh91VJhaW9iEnBVnaUf54kkLlGcVK4yr9gWpvVbrbfEi36Btou7WFbap2jC834OzzeLZtWEYVQ8Byj13KYgGt1aGFCin949sFI616uGs5PQXuxSQldSkJMQ/s1600/cuenca2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_VEf70nVQ17JGq69zv7JW3rh91VJhaW9iEnBVnaUf54kkLlGcVK4yr9gWpvVbrbfEi36Btou7WFbap2jC834OzzeLZtWEYVQ8Byj13KYgGt1aGFCin949sFI616uGs5PQXuxSQldSkJMQ/s320/cuenca2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512150163930508530" border="0" /></a></span></p><p style="font-family: courier new; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">Mateo and I at Turi overlooking Cuenca.
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<br /></span></p><p style="font-family: courier new; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil9AN5u_PfRl_gRrdciEHHis2bL5Vn_vsyr_X82oB9RQW2ied5YTdhmhQ0QM7payjN1AkcoOZSsvAtF5sx1xGfxd8nBcETzTqWv2MIVuU-1EmXLm88Pxu24W3QTzBcJw6TZg8aTkYs-OLf/s1600/Cuenca+19.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil9AN5u_PfRl_gRrdciEHHis2bL5Vn_vsyr_X82oB9RQW2ied5YTdhmhQ0QM7payjN1AkcoOZSsvAtF5sx1xGfxd8nBcETzTqWv2MIVuU-1EmXLm88Pxu24W3QTzBcJw6TZg8aTkYs-OLf/s320/Cuenca+19.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512142015099101570" border="0" /></a></span></p><p style="font-family: courier new; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p><p style="font-family: courier new; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwDDne4kOK-OEicFIyMwVEf_jjFuz9QeWNdcyz81beNdV54wZi_A2AcmpbPwo64l2MogXYWSROqL9ybneW_fCjcz-tgcVD3cG0siFG9Fvx0sBBrdAlrwYdTHnq2IdxT04grlebE23UET_H/s1600/Cuenca+18.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwDDne4kOK-OEicFIyMwVEf_jjFuz9QeWNdcyz81beNdV54wZi_A2AcmpbPwo64l2MogXYWSROqL9ybneW_fCjcz-tgcVD3cG0siFG9Fvx0sBBrdAlrwYdTHnq2IdxT04grlebE23UET_H/s320/Cuenca+18.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512142001006246802" border="0" /></a></span></p><p style="font-family: courier new; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">The Chancho</span></p><p style="font-family: courier new; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p><p style="font-family: courier new; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpRTZBSoThnSqAjzSdnA0goMKULT-E6ksESnEInfPY1koQGdkPz45z_oYpECSOUxBqMcxyuvP_Aujg-SgpAZuanTHYtyPLguAU-wMSjckOLhjXxNUgZyYitp17SvRZat_ly-mjAdGVbh4_/s1600/Cuenca+20.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpRTZBSoThnSqAjzSdnA0goMKULT-E6ksESnEInfPY1koQGdkPz45z_oYpECSOUxBqMcxyuvP_Aujg-SgpAZuanTHYtyPLguAU-wMSjckOLhjXxNUgZyYitp17SvRZat_ly-mjAdGVbh4_/s320/Cuenca+20.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512142033534930066" border="0" /></a></span></p><p style="font-family: courier new; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">Cuy...aka guinea pig!</span></p><p style="font-family: courier new; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p><p style="font-family: courier new; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrcN-ohdlF7oWAabBS3XGWkMST8ikLnq5n0e_PzN89xtHn36aZSUgXaGGF-oMZCim3duyjfHkNQsmvV8gspzj6Xnmjda-gKCTYXpYSzax3vr3pUlIjgbVWv_m_MhIl_Cm7AAmtkALYeXXa/s1600/Cuenca+21.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrcN-ohdlF7oWAabBS3XGWkMST8ikLnq5n0e_PzN89xtHn36aZSUgXaGGF-oMZCim3duyjfHkNQsmvV8gspzj6Xnmjda-gKCTYXpYSzax3vr3pUlIjgbVWv_m_MhIl_Cm7AAmtkALYeXXa/s320/Cuenca+21.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512199194601473122" border="0" /></a></span></p><p style="font-family: courier new; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">And yes you can eat the head!!!
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<br /></span></p> <p style="font-family: courier new; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">The next day, we ventured to the mall and watched Agent Salt at the movie theater. $4 for a ticket, that is so cheap! </span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">We then walked around town a bit and ended up at this Sushi place! It was really yummy…a Sushi place in Ecuador, who would have figured! But it was delicious. They didn’t know what edamame was, but other than that the food was great! Carmen and Mateo had never eaten with chopsticks before, so it was an adventure for them and I LOVE washabi so they thought I was crazy for putting so much in my soy sauce. After this we did a little bar hopping! The first bar we went to was called Monday Blue and it had all kinds of cool things on the wall. We had a pitcher or liter as they call of beer and then headed to Relax bar. Mateo wanted us to try this drink called Canelazo, it’s traditional in Cuenca. The drink is served warm and has an orange flavor to it plus cane juice, so yes it is an alcoholic drink! It is extremely strong for us Americans, the Ecuadorians it doesn’t even phase them!
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<br /></span></p><p style="font-family: courier new; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXzsOWVUrd_-pXNv09b1n6ekfn-6fTCzbb0IBJwLbzyCgUli0INHiZ4w-p-837GrqkoHp5Z58FeeDKbIzE86mqRz7t6rrg3agaPD3iK1otmFe5hilCNUpXcAMdRtAriQXYSfRqJI-DdoP3/s1600/Cuenca+3.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 393px; height: 294px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXzsOWVUrd_-pXNv09b1n6ekfn-6fTCzbb0IBJwLbzyCgUli0INHiZ4w-p-837GrqkoHp5Z58FeeDKbIzE86mqRz7t6rrg3agaPD3iK1otmFe5hilCNUpXcAMdRtAriQXYSfRqJI-DdoP3/s320/Cuenca+3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512125295263466338" border="0" /></a></span></p><p style="font-family: courier new; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">Sushi Dinner</span></p><p style="font-family: courier new; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p><p style="font-family: courier new; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjASg-ws-0HzSTmxebSVv_kGLt93Vcv11XthMqUauPnpiAvPmM0r23LvmruhIOnXajqJhMIuqYb4pMSWMoExKJ9QUct48JaueqAuh3be38WOCOQy4b9PA-hnQPzaM8AzM9qECaDrrgK2EQn/s1600/Cuenca+22.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjASg-ws-0HzSTmxebSVv_kGLt93Vcv11XthMqUauPnpiAvPmM0r23LvmruhIOnXajqJhMIuqYb4pMSWMoExKJ9QUct48JaueqAuh3be38WOCOQy4b9PA-hnQPzaM8AzM9qECaDrrgK2EQn/s320/Cuenca+22.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512144602396656882" border="0" /></a></span></p><p style="font-family: courier new; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">Mateo pouring Canelazo into little shot glasses</span></p><p style="font-family: courier new; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p><p style="font-family: courier new; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg99R-OBcwDzA9OX3AoriXYvIkMP_uLf_xJ4R0ARuOcUkNtqYYRvxDxKmKH8XPYvo_9q4Y5LmB0M4snT3MrsSVvKE3F4ydYOw3dTMgPLva93jSte4qgeQxHSAsV1WMi8QuKBt9d8nTe8Vnj/s1600/Cuenca+23.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg99R-OBcwDzA9OX3AoriXYvIkMP_uLf_xJ4R0ARuOcUkNtqYYRvxDxKmKH8XPYvo_9q4Y5LmB0M4snT3MrsSVvKE3F4ydYOw3dTMgPLva93jSte4qgeQxHSAsV1WMi8QuKBt9d8nTe8Vnj/s320/Cuenca+23.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512144609410023362" border="0" /></a></span></p><p style="font-family: courier new; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">The gang taking yet another shot of Canelazo.
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<br /></span></p> <p style="font-family: courier new; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">Sunday was a special day. Mateo’s mom invited me over for Sunday lunch. She cooked an amazing meal of Duck; that was the first time I have ever tried it. I loved it! I also got to meet a lot of his family, even though they spoke mostly Spanish. I am determined now to learn Spanish! I have the basics; I just need to learn how to put all the sentences together. His family was great and I had a lot of fun! </span></p> <p style="font-family: courier new; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">And then we were on the road again…the fog going back was extremely thick, but this time we took a small van for part of the ways, which took off a few hours. The view was stunning and I can’t wait to go back to Cuenca for Espanol escuela in a few weeks!
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<br /></span></p><p style="font-family: courier new; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH_kHXEusxEx_I7i_-If3vBa-IXK5LWHldOZpKdAs5Sk1pkZBswKb7NAnF-gfaMctBTXzuCV389sqZJ1xG4WtUeKAToDXj2JYRwU7nV6YdLkYW2VH_azzbbY_D8mF8CrVLSk8jt37PfXg6/s1600/Cuenca+28.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH_kHXEusxEx_I7i_-If3vBa-IXK5LWHldOZpKdAs5Sk1pkZBswKb7NAnF-gfaMctBTXzuCV389sqZJ1xG4WtUeKAToDXj2JYRwU7nV6YdLkYW2VH_azzbbY_D8mF8CrVLSk8jt37PfXg6/s320/Cuenca+28.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512147807842469282" border="0" /></a></span></p><p style="font-family: courier new; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p><p style="font-family: courier new; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg93t9ynxtPGegD92aXgIbvMjeDrnzrT68jA2mFVgTU_zA33N37BYcrUhaNKAj2oH3hH3pBkBtDM-0dYkXKvNxobgdmiCBx_eVTo8pV8IgB8IOHxniB-3V57ckxSR98Kd_S0sLV9W5yIb83/s1600/cuenca+26.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg93t9ynxtPGegD92aXgIbvMjeDrnzrT68jA2mFVgTU_zA33N37BYcrUhaNKAj2oH3hH3pBkBtDM-0dYkXKvNxobgdmiCBx_eVTo8pV8IgB8IOHxniB-3V57ckxSR98Kd_S0sLV9W5yIb83/s320/cuenca+26.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512147783639472722" border="0" /></a></span></p><p style="font-family: courier new; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">Little kids on the side of the road trying to sell us stuff!</span></p><p style="font-family: courier new; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p><p style="font-family: courier new; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3LBEYbxuAUos-qjBT5GgYg9l7TN_pVhi93boOH1TZeV0EKnCBJzt_16UGHUQlkDtd88S-8TQGI_JUn_kT-yreaGA0USxdUi2Q_fckgu7r5N4fbl9FtS9m6RkEd91a9Lsu0qUVLJlbQiwi/s1600/Cuenca+27.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3LBEYbxuAUos-qjBT5GgYg9l7TN_pVhi93boOH1TZeV0EKnCBJzt_16UGHUQlkDtd88S-8TQGI_JUn_kT-yreaGA0USxdUi2Q_fckgu7r5N4fbl9FtS9m6RkEd91a9Lsu0qUVLJlbQiwi/s320/Cuenca+27.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512147792270942642" border="0" /></a></span></p><p style="font-family: courier new; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">The start of the fog....</span></p><p style="font-family: courier new; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd4KYbRchBnTIq1RWMXFxXp0u_7jH5_Ch8wM6biKgGpmEwj5LLG0HAhNB62Riwp6iFh7yKhC-P9lXp5muXhPahQp7jGXm2dymK7P12ST9sFBKYybSwJqVvvPm2icbfzytlfGSue1gL4Esy/s1600/Cuenca+29.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd4KYbRchBnTIq1RWMXFxXp0u_7jH5_Ch8wM6biKgGpmEwj5LLG0HAhNB62Riwp6iFh7yKhC-P9lXp5muXhPahQp7jGXm2dymK7P12ST9sFBKYybSwJqVvvPm2icbfzytlfGSue1gL4Esy/s320/Cuenca+29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512147820571648386" border="0" /></a></span></p><p style="font-family: courier new; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">It kept getting worse...</span></p><p style="font-family: courier new; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p><p style="font-family: courier new; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBip8zoTr713ITXhFw3NmBOKgEWd8IqamrJ48By6Tfb4kZsEfuez9WJ0LToywdlsBlh-oEs_raheoJpkkN_J5tkYIgiWAM_YLtzMcKiNr8iJLfvHw5Na6IjBxKpqhxp-Jfjay7JLL3VZL1/s1600/Cuenca+30.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBip8zoTr713ITXhFw3NmBOKgEWd8IqamrJ48By6Tfb4kZsEfuez9WJ0LToywdlsBlh-oEs_raheoJpkkN_J5tkYIgiWAM_YLtzMcKiNr8iJLfvHw5Na6IjBxKpqhxp-Jfjay7JLL3VZL1/s320/Cuenca+30.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512147832667539938" border="0" /></a></span></p><p style="font-family: courier new; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">Until it covered everything!
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<br /></span></p><p style="font-family: courier new; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh99ljVWWbDYVa74Z4pz45r6LQa97_dIsh1008H-knSI7YQHd-_M4M-8qvI99gNKwiYOXNECq2DtxFr8gFvVR0S0ngyilPSr6HoHcslpazf6pAzkMMbWpd0bubRRV43C0r4W6_giB76l8B/s1600/Cuenca+31.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh99ljVWWbDYVa74Z4pz45r6LQa97_dIsh1008H-knSI7YQHd-_M4M-8qvI99gNKwiYOXNECq2DtxFr8gFvVR0S0ngyilPSr6HoHcslpazf6pAzkMMbWpd0bubRRV43C0r4W6_giB76l8B/s320/Cuenca+31.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512150129972599378" border="0" /></a></span></p><p style="font-family: courier new; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">Carmen and I on the journey back.
<br /></span></p> <p style="font-family: courier new; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">This weekend is the Festival of the Virgin in San Clemente! Everyone from all over comes to celebrate this festival for the whole weekend. It actually starts 9 days prior with prayers and singing at the virgin statue in the town center every night. Then over the weekend they close the streets down and party! I will tell you all about it in my next blog!</span></p> <p style="font-family: courier new; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">Adios amigos!</span></p> <p style="font-family: courier new; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <span style="font-family: courier new; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-size:100%;" >
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<br />whitedestinyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04205523860212555199noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5467855009835894544.post-54429845836082722902010-08-21T20:16:00.000-07:002010-08-21T23:27:11.271-07:00Party City<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7wTYQ01YusVQTmG4SW7hiCXhd67Vwl6iD5JviGPJmAW5NvPYP5RON7_u-BiF16Nio8Clc7wszq1SsBom3dpi3BfC7H_HL8Xjk5IcYSl6b7llZ_kWCGnGQjOehwoAoNc87G40IFmAF9a-p/s1600/Montanita+5.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 404px; height: 302px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7wTYQ01YusVQTmG4SW7hiCXhd67Vwl6iD5JviGPJmAW5NvPYP5RON7_u-BiF16Nio8Clc7wszq1SsBom3dpi3BfC7H_HL8Xjk5IcYSl6b7llZ_kWCGnGQjOehwoAoNc87G40IFmAF9a-p/s320/Montanita+5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508099110138179410" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Montanita Coast</span><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"><span style="font-family:courier new;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:180%;">Tourists. Surfing. Bars. Dancing. Drinking. 24- hour partying. Life in Montanita.</span></span></span></span><br /></div><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"><span style="font-family:courier new;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />Montanita is considered to be the Surf capital of Ecuador and People from all over the world travel to this quaint town. I got the pleasure of visiting this town for one night. It was a surprise visit after I explored the town of Porto Lopez (whale watching). For those of you who know me well, I really enjoy the night life scene and I instantly fell in love with this place.<br /><br /></span></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk03GacEpuhJMOZ9pj9tbZrJSa4zd_xqXKUFcoUSiCKBZhleAcUvzlJVYm-xll2eRAFcc-jPL27BpZb2RIoj6LXa49zOCkzbGEwVmHJKlxAnVVzYQmWX4Rql71y_1gECGiFahxElnHesZf/s1600/Montanita+1.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk03GacEpuhJMOZ9pj9tbZrJSa4zd_xqXKUFcoUSiCKBZhleAcUvzlJVYm-xll2eRAFcc-jPL27BpZb2RIoj6LXa49zOCkzbGEwVmHJKlxAnVVzYQmWX4Rql71y_1gECGiFahxElnHesZf/s320/Montanita+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508093776809762706" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguxS3KAa0N6mxjQZgw5w35KVQj9P462QeWSYsTiMQWfh2yGtSLiDzHHl8VKVjvar_6YCE3oxnydtNzjAJaW5vqDN3E5pZgt5TW8QoIZIC7Fk-bHIFrt1MDU0KFSGfnkgV0HpH5E88gTdIM/s1600/Montanita+2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguxS3KAa0N6mxjQZgw5w35KVQj9P462QeWSYsTiMQWfh2yGtSLiDzHHl8VKVjvar_6YCE3oxnydtNzjAJaW5vqDN3E5pZgt5TW8QoIZIC7Fk-bHIFrt1MDU0KFSGfnkgV0HpH5E88gTdIM/s320/Montanita+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508093782945378290" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"><span style="font-family:courier new;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />The bus pulled in around 6pm and we jumped off. I remember looking up and seeing tall hostels all around us all made of wood with thatched roof's. It was so unique! The town is very small and there is only one main street, but as I walked down it I just stared at all the hippie like vendors selling hand made crafts and the many surf stores lining the way. Immediately I made reservations at a hostel and after refreshing myself walked back outside to watch the sunset on the beach. It was stunning...there were still surfers out there enjoying the last bit of sun before the night begun.<br /><br /></span></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpbMSHjZ-qiezhxp-zvNsT_p-PPffSNSOrQs9UufaTPM7DTxtF5iHx8qjf7FLaiqxscAn7-Z02oBc0iRdLMWBpzSwMc0UgY2owuSPTW7hXaPVNO7zi5GGFUBVEAxjrmC90cG4r12YQTgH2/s1600/Montanita+3.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpbMSHjZ-qiezhxp-zvNsT_p-PPffSNSOrQs9UufaTPM7DTxtF5iHx8qjf7FLaiqxscAn7-Z02oBc0iRdLMWBpzSwMc0UgY2owuSPTW7hXaPVNO7zi5GGFUBVEAxjrmC90cG4r12YQTgH2/s320/Montanita+3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508093790455816898" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXuhFPihXVeXaG-UiTvXyo_gI_fk7-CdXWCSj0gX9WeVQ9jNG2QWhh3T7cD_BFpROKTJvrq4Nuq_Y383E1VW2HjCwlQtrRKp3VFzdsfQsaRHHH1L5vivbQMSJJ-i9X58aHpgdIWX0ULmRT/s1600/Montanita+4.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXuhFPihXVeXaG-UiTvXyo_gI_fk7-CdXWCSj0gX9WeVQ9jNG2QWhh3T7cD_BFpROKTJvrq4Nuq_Y383E1VW2HjCwlQtrRKp3VFzdsfQsaRHHH1L5vivbQMSJJ-i9X58aHpgdIWX0ULmRT/s320/Montanita+4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508093797904687522" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"><span style="font-family:courier new;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />After the sun disappeared behind the horizon the night officially started. We made our way to a side street with lots of grass hut shacks aka bars and started sipping on cuba libres. Then Martin ran into some of his surfer buddies and I met a lot of the locals in town. It was ladies night! But of course that didn't start until way later...in the meantime we drank and met a ton of cool people.<br /><br />As the night wore on everyone gathered in the main street to watch some of the local guys juggle fire and doing crazy flips down the center of town. Oh the life! Needless to say the music didn't stop til 5 in the morning and then the workers were pounding away next door at 8am. Definitely not sound proof walls in hostels...<br /><br />I think the pictures tell the real story!<br /><br /><br /></span></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi08H4g8_UBS5H6VddXBwyxhABptUwHDu1_CJjwvcec6WawLhcFF7OHcDnHUdQgaUrfUpvrRIK_Spwwf9aFW6-1GTusglhpofh6o4gRimGTMI-BBKZshTL1-My3G3yVxGPlvvHO_d4u4pm/s1600/Montanita+8.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi08H4g8_UBS5H6VddXBwyxhABptUwHDu1_CJjwvcec6WawLhcFF7OHcDnHUdQgaUrfUpvrRIK_Spwwf9aFW6-1GTusglhpofh6o4gRimGTMI-BBKZshTL1-My3G3yVxGPlvvHO_d4u4pm/s320/Montanita+8.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508099134309385026" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyLEnhnM1kzZv4G_ERmIXsSjt4AhE3BDq-GZfphX5x5RJWY1B1AKLA6sYjfOiUCufdUYoGfUj8I_fqQMLgzzHbYf3sEOI8o4JnGjdkThZSFqbu1Zs3gB_DwjaFMGOswKNLVv9y-WAihHGH/s1600/Montanita+7.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyLEnhnM1kzZv4G_ERmIXsSjt4AhE3BDq-GZfphX5x5RJWY1B1AKLA6sYjfOiUCufdUYoGfUj8I_fqQMLgzzHbYf3sEOI8o4JnGjdkThZSFqbu1Zs3gB_DwjaFMGOswKNLVv9y-WAihHGH/s320/Montanita+7.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508099126504147026" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4EdJUDxjuiqgfit9qHGzQP90DFVlZ2dmJvcteRKXQR6kIYwpJpEsYIhbhTgoc2AYV02TI-jf7BAhnDGB8AibFNkbSIwCB64oxKyFg1X_h8lsMVu30TK-YfMQl4AgIl01pyenc4oo14PXJ/s1600/Montanita+9.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4EdJUDxjuiqgfit9qHGzQP90DFVlZ2dmJvcteRKXQR6kIYwpJpEsYIhbhTgoc2AYV02TI-jf7BAhnDGB8AibFNkbSIwCB64oxKyFg1X_h8lsMVu30TK-YfMQl4AgIl01pyenc4oo14PXJ/s320/Montanita+9.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508099136814946882" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1vUbRZFhJZiawUdWDxeNGIJ-DOsGSLDj7apycu-Lu7wS7L_MqAwNH6YlQ3euqTgtGTSGXsw1Pc_IcReNcARMwc-iMSBxt4inlHgP78-WfPtCrkJn1dpc0aNkYY9EnwJs7XYFQE1TJEFFo/s1600/Montanita+6.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1vUbRZFhJZiawUdWDxeNGIJ-DOsGSLDj7apycu-Lu7wS7L_MqAwNH6YlQ3euqTgtGTSGXsw1Pc_IcReNcARMwc-iMSBxt4inlHgP78-WfPtCrkJn1dpc0aNkYY9EnwJs7XYFQE1TJEFFo/s320/Montanita+6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508099118155783794" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dy2RL635WYlg7n4hAiwjmUaVTLvx3mo1Px_OTqwxXyM_ykDEED83bhr9CLry2wmvaAy_CgtvofFgg_epUQlVg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>whitedestinyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04205523860212555199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5467855009835894544.post-87138611679160529252010-08-20T10:41:00.000-07:002010-08-21T19:21:03.130-07:00Little things we take for granted....<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family:arial;">I was just thinking about all the little things I took for granted living in the states...and its not to say these aren't available in Ecuador, they just aren't AS available. Do keep in mind I am living in a very rural community here, there isn't even a local grocery store, only small vendors. Everything is a trip to the bigger city, Porto Viejo, about an hour away, including the movie theatre!<br /><br />1. Paper products are seen as a luxury here, they can be fairly expensive as well. A short roll of paper towels is about $2.25 that's an off brand too. Whenever you use the bathroom at any public store they will offer you toilet paper for about $.25 for a wad.<br /><br /><br />2. Dishwasher- Washing dishes is my new favorite sport! I say, whoever cooks doesn't have to clean, but I have started enjoying my time with the dishes. They even have names now! haha... It was so easy to put dirty dishes in the dishwasher whenever they were dirty and let the dishwasher do all the cleaning back in the states. However, here, if we cook we have to clean immediately, cause otherwise our little friends come to collect their portion of leftover crumbs (aka ants).<br /><br />3. Dryer- also known as, air dry here. The weather is so beautiful year round, its almost stupid to buy a dryer. But this means if you need something dry quickly to wear later that day, more than likely isn't happening! We do about a load of laundry a day and then we have a clothes rack we lay everything on. The doors are always open here with the wind blowing in and out, so its very breezy!<br /><br /><br />4. Electricity/ Air Conditioning- Almost like clockwork the lights go out in San Clemente around dark (dark is always right at 7pm year round). Of course we are of the lucky since the hotel and townhomes have a backup generator, but for about 4 seconds the electricity goes out. I just hope I am not on the toilet when this happens! Thanks to my daddy, I have an AC unit in my room. The condos here don't come with AC because the weather is just beautiful and you don't really need it. However, I am apparently really sweet and the mosquitoes love me, so not only do I sleep with a princess net (mosquito net) over my entire bed at night, I also get the luxury of having some cool air :) Thanks daddy!<br /><br />5. Fresh water- a lot of people living in the smaller towns don't have running water, or even a bathroom in their house. They have to go get the water from a local source or share with their neighbors. The complex we live in and the hotel have their own water tanks and the water will be treated with the reverse osmosis system soon!<br /><br />6. Cell phones-this is my favorite! I was a texting queen back in the states and here I haven't really had a phone. It took a lot of getting use to at first, but with Santiago's help I should have a working phone soon! However, it is easier to text people in Spanish here...otherwise you use your minutes up trying to put one sentence together! There are 3 main cell phone companies here: Porta, MovieStar and Allegro. All incoming minutes are free. Most phones use the prepaid system, however I am lucky enough to have the hookup with a plan which is cheaper. My dad and I haven't quite figured out though how much one minute to talk to someone is. We just know that after putting $10 on a phone it has an expiration date and can poof be gone in a few days... then the lady comes on in Spanish and says blahblahblah, por favor...which means time to recharge!<br /><br /><br />7. Car- I think I have forgotten how to drive!!! Here it is very typical to use your horn for everything. Honk when passing, honk when you see a friend, honk when you are wanting someone to move out of your way. Mostly we take the bus, which is nice, cause I can sleep on it. Although, that never seems to happen since people are standing up in the aisles a lot of the time and there are vendors selling food. The bus is a social networking place! Oh yeah and if you fall asleep and miss your stop, you are in trouble!!!<br /><br /><br />That is all I can think of right now...thanks again for reading my blog! I enjoy all the comments and am very thankful for each of you. Life is beautiful, don't take a second of it for granted! I know its hard to stop and enjoy moments in life through the daily bustle, but take the time to do something that makes you happy. You will see a huge adjustment in your attitude and people will notice too!<br /><br />Te quiero<br /><br /><br /><br />R.I.P Tequila. She will be missed! She passed away a few days ago. Thank you to Santiago for helping us through everything and being there with her.<br /></span></span>whitedestinyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04205523860212555199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5467855009835894544.post-21298741327595380382010-08-09T20:38:00.000-07:002010-08-21T20:13:49.687-07:00Finally Whales!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTV7onS0aHj3MAU-k4Z0liQbfd7pNNsGSBYjf2J4_VN_qC7VgO7Gz0OPglGXoj5Svcu0s9nJtXH2c0jzf4c1RzU_TtMD-rX6OITUZFC3lkvcP_X5Blt9U9N-GB7unlbGSsbyFPhIRB2weW/s1600/snorkliing.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTV7onS0aHj3MAU-k4Z0liQbfd7pNNsGSBYjf2J4_VN_qC7VgO7Gz0OPglGXoj5Svcu0s9nJtXH2c0jzf4c1RzU_TtMD-rX6OITUZFC3lkvcP_X5Blt9U9N-GB7unlbGSsbyFPhIRB2weW/s320/snorkliing.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503631132050335698" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Snorkling after seeing the whales.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfsd3h8EQeoGwbUaC_JV6ls_Fl6SyG47ZlXI4YH9eX8KADfHBWa9arPZg7bOf0lhxdAKk8DzYBf8Uv0HH6KcJqOCOwI6lktPiDKJP6f1unCJ35ZDOrBiJbRP_3L8OVWak1fF8ikzAqgRO7/s1600/Porto+Lopez3.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfsd3h8EQeoGwbUaC_JV6ls_Fl6SyG47ZlXI4YH9eX8KADfHBWa9arPZg7bOf0lhxdAKk8DzYBf8Uv0HH6KcJqOCOwI6lktPiDKJP6f1unCJ35ZDOrBiJbRP_3L8OVWak1fF8ikzAqgRO7/s320/Porto+Lopez3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503631119923324050" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The boat we took to see the whales! They crammed 2o people on this boat.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8AhPs_eyyY3DtdBlOV8KhOHYA-wbZb3i54qKYPOgXTxXFBLwcgvywJMmtLyr7Slx6QQIq8aYN5bjEBbJIz4shm3VTXUavN2_NGA9u-hwyfi0V_CCkoUGHY1qa-MsLs_vXi9bz_x_v-5y7/s1600/porto+lopez2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8AhPs_eyyY3DtdBlOV8KhOHYA-wbZb3i54qKYPOgXTxXFBLwcgvywJMmtLyr7Slx6QQIq8aYN5bjEBbJIz4shm3VTXUavN2_NGA9u-hwyfi0V_CCkoUGHY1qa-MsLs_vXi9bz_x_v-5y7/s320/porto+lopez2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503628844276941314" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Porto Lopez- on the way to see some whales<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrMglPph4lWtrWuFRaevYzzDkSHthFAuRX6rV2RMUdJxINhKYhSmRD7fiPpYo5RXWIUeNVWGJ13fU4WeutArOGoPN18ALlq9LHybzuj-j6pq7kFWlG7wffKw7E5hnJs7CUa66krbnyeGHe/s1600/porto+lopez.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrMglPph4lWtrWuFRaevYzzDkSHthFAuRX6rV2RMUdJxINhKYhSmRD7fiPpYo5RXWIUeNVWGJ13fU4WeutArOGoPN18ALlq9LHybzuj-j6pq7kFWlG7wffKw7E5hnJs7CUa66krbnyeGHe/s320/porto+lopez.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503628838467692706" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />The beach at Porto Lopez<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZWoMkqIrYB_UIeaoKoAMnwctMS1ohaMrJVZUb0-hpcB0v832Qf0Ta69EEahQA2AlmDDIHSREMvaDWmBeYqMxy1kzJnv4uPma22b9wzi-uMk2qGBDDYYtr6bk0AfF1vHGl5gndKe8vONVu/s1600/martin+y+yo.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZWoMkqIrYB_UIeaoKoAMnwctMS1ohaMrJVZUb0-hpcB0v832Qf0Ta69EEahQA2AlmDDIHSREMvaDWmBeYqMxy1kzJnv4uPma22b9wzi-uMk2qGBDDYYtr6bk0AfF1vHGl5gndKe8vONVu/s320/martin+y+yo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503628819450711154" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Martin and I about to board the boat to see some whales!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3S5uqIjx0r4P3V1_T1RcTKBOJt5U3ZgUTkM6wMhCHCY_6YZy4WPvjlBzi49wORnobMqVG_Po-VJ4RSXOWiqjnyAt7ifac9_Mjkstk4XEAKxrYrkqKFki6B71imAgfzG_Re3UBXVlE1CFK/s1600/fisherman.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3S5uqIjx0r4P3V1_T1RcTKBOJt5U3ZgUTkM6wMhCHCY_6YZy4WPvjlBzi49wORnobMqVG_Po-VJ4RSXOWiqjnyAt7ifac9_Mjkstk4XEAKxrYrkqKFki6B71imAgfzG_Re3UBXVlE1CFK/s320/fisherman.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503628816065927266" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />This fisher boat was sinking and we towed it in on the way back to shore.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihlTGLACP5M3QqkWx1NO_372O0HACzXP0eLY89Hof-mU4tmJgm0LulEFN4xT7wM41qOfUW3dYEPwWONrncB2byWcAnXounBD6acF8yckQUbTQ7AXQmVeNKWZCoKAHkmNwY7fLSKQWpU1p4/s1600/birds.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihlTGLACP5M3QqkWx1NO_372O0HACzXP0eLY89Hof-mU4tmJgm0LulEFN4xT7wM41qOfUW3dYEPwWONrncB2byWcAnXounBD6acF8yckQUbTQ7AXQmVeNKWZCoKAHkmNwY7fLSKQWpU1p4/s320/birds.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503628805138241986" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The birds followed us back because there was fish in the boat<br /><br />I marked another thing off of my bucket list, whale watching! What a site! Martin (he works for the hotel and is from Norway) and I went to Porto Lopez, which is a town about 5 hours south of San Clemente on the coast. We woke up really early and caught a bus from San Clemente to Porto Viejo and then from there to Yipiyapa (sp?) and then from there to Porto Lopez. You never know with the bus system here. You could have a brand new bus with A/C and a movie playing or you could get a bus like we did that is rusting so bad and everything is literally falling apart. It's always an adventure here! We were literally holding on tight when the bus was taking sharp turns all the way around the mountains here. But the driver was just whistling away to some salsa music like he knew the roads with his eyes closed! And yes the following is a true statement and I must repeat this is a TIE moment...people DO bring their chickens on the bus with them, dead and alive!<br /><br />Next stop! Porto Viejo...we got off the bus and was immediately bombarded with people wanting to take us on the whale tours. They gave us a ride to the beach and we waited and waited and waited to get on a boat. Finally after waiting about an hour we were loading the boat. Europeans, Ecuadorians and Americans...oh my!<br /><br />***Please note I have been on many boats before and rarely get sea sick, but the following will help you understand WHY I WANTED TO PUKE MY GUTS OUT!<br /><br />The boat we got on (picture above) was small, but fierce! Little did I know what I was getting myself into. Whales! YAY! 2 hours of full force wave slamming- NO THANKS! The trip started out great! Splashing through all the waves, bouncing the boat up and down-water flying everywhere, everyone was laughing! I mean EVERYONE! We thought it was great, our hair whipping in the wind and the spray of the water making our eyes water. The water was glistening from the suns reflection and I was so excited to see some whales!<br /><br />So, 20 minutes goes by everyone still laughing, then 30 minutes goes by. At about 45 minutes into the trip out to find whales everyone is quiet, holding onto the rails and holding their breath....<br /><br />After an hour and a half of water spraying and boat slamming I was about to puke and we had still not seen whales. At this point I was questioning whether or not whales existed and I was glad I didn't eat anything. Plus, they crammed us so full we were touching shoulders. I turned around to find land and hope the world would stop spinning and there was none in sight, just waves upon waves.<br /><br />Just as I was about to make my way to the toilet, someone yells "Ballena's" (whales). My eyes lit up as the boat comes to a swaying halt. And this is what I saw....<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjjJJZduJCgIDnymIzOUOID8WL2JAElANaXwWTMnBDCwCnzHOB3S7if9l-t3qvRs0fJElQtdCUfD7mNccU8XqMs5XhvSAqbLcd05yDhlyI0FewTs7NdP3XFft148MMVJs7R3czSioJCwo4/s1600/whale2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjjJJZduJCgIDnymIzOUOID8WL2JAElANaXwWTMnBDCwCnzHOB3S7if9l-t3qvRs0fJElQtdCUfD7mNccU8XqMs5XhvSAqbLcd05yDhlyI0FewTs7NdP3XFft148MMVJs7R3czSioJCwo4/s320/whale2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503631155151213378" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoGy7HgH4qpSPSbOAic1FH-4y9Ln88bqoR91AWGXsBS3d1JW4QK51l8AqbvMIdXKO_FZj2NhcZ6J2yyJDxmWeUBF9COo1WCSnHu3CPP7Hvh-CL1pQQvwSehRxNehgkDZLehJ8L6zZm8uUw/s1600/whale4.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoGy7HgH4qpSPSbOAic1FH-4y9Ln88bqoR91AWGXsBS3d1JW4QK51l8AqbvMIdXKO_FZj2NhcZ6J2yyJDxmWeUBF9COo1WCSnHu3CPP7Hvh-CL1pQQvwSehRxNehgkDZLehJ8L6zZm8uUw/s320/whale4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503642857149765762" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzF-Eft5fbxhZlRmkETXkr_hPuyBJaazBpeokFVVP6bkQJEbiXH3PSSEBsA4aRkqO_NiD3J4xAqBO7XOE-wYL0yd6Ih8AaVOx2MTg82m5mFZ5Lw0PnJKTXQa6fqDVhQ6jKSz0npcwaYVB5/s1600/whale3.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzF-Eft5fbxhZlRmkETXkr_hPuyBJaazBpeokFVVP6bkQJEbiXH3PSSEBsA4aRkqO_NiD3J4xAqBO7XOE-wYL0yd6Ih8AaVOx2MTg82m5mFZ5Lw0PnJKTXQa6fqDVhQ6jKSz0npcwaYVB5/s320/whale3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503642848734172018" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_V3CXkfqML1PBNXGEduglPJ3XrGcSmvq2uiy-Njnrq5UL-xKXEQb1Ryzq5FxqF7u-Gq_1XCg4Fc3ikE5RkPMlozxFggz_a1hCByIQSVM8_hqdPtmqgE1ulq_VIaDiGMVq7X310ZM2Jz0a/s1600/whale.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_V3CXkfqML1PBNXGEduglPJ3XrGcSmvq2uiy-Njnrq5UL-xKXEQb1Ryzq5FxqF7u-Gq_1XCg4Fc3ikE5RkPMlozxFggz_a1hCByIQSVM8_hqdPtmqgE1ulq_VIaDiGMVq7X310ZM2Jz0a/s320/whale.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503631141485298610" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi_2afMgqvJdA13dchVN1tlZZ8DxfZwZ-PXYOk0OsyiHj3ElDDUFw50v2B7CT_qQTbmSp_L2zrS8klKREhHKcltlaU948Um2_2mw1BAAj3xHi2kzXJwKQ8sFl5NiwHdlLqpISY_NTannaK/s1600/whale1.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi_2afMgqvJdA13dchVN1tlZZ8DxfZwZ-PXYOk0OsyiHj3ElDDUFw50v2B7CT_qQTbmSp_L2zrS8klKREhHKcltlaU948Um2_2mw1BAAj3xHi2kzXJwKQ8sFl5NiwHdlLqpISY_NTannaK/s320/whale1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503631146845138226" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />These pictures don't even describe what I saw! The most beautiful creatures in the world. So big, yet so graceful! They always came around the boat in pairs and just seemed to glide through the water. The little boys on the boat kept looking for the shadows every time they went under and would shout ballena's! Everyone would be talking on the boat, but the second the whales appeared it was dead silent, like everyone was holding their breath! It was really hard to get pictures of them though, because as soon as they would come out of the water they were back in it. I took some videos, that I have attached.<br /><br />The ride back to shore wasn't nearly as long as the one out there. However, we did make two pit stops. One was to pick up a few pirate looking guys in a little fisherman's boat and the other was to go snorkling. The fisherman boat we picked up was literally sinking as we pulled by it. One guy was paddling and the other one was throwing buckets of water off the side as the seagulls hoovered over them waiting for some fish. We tied their boat to ours using a small rope. It was pretty entertaining watching them!<br /><br />Then we stopped at this cove to do some snorkling...none of us knew this was part of the plan and it was an extra $35 to use their mask and snorkle, which is flat out ridiculous! So I let the guys from Spain use my waterproof camera and he got one fairly good picture (at the top).<br /><br />Needless to say...my whale watching adventures in Porto Lopez turned out to be a life long memory!<br /><br />Look forward to my next blog about Montanita...the party town!!! Coming soon....<br /><br />Buenas Noches!!<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxc0LQ2LYf7pfztNLLicX_5HAUrTiczQoSwMHz2b4KaHwR8NnIm-YLyU1pQys1ETSeV_pg_XwY1K2ULRYn76Q' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dz3RNuAsMshCV_LX09YYLTDqcVnzPyyIEso4-rNR8ynbjGcr2ASUAES8Sx1I2Im8v4ShgOBDJ7VXroQnwhFSg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyTh0F9YMPeTc6jBJghN0OgW2FWSYEfzso2rNja5AehQVip8w5Sdo6hr1QIxnlB9Uc2cFPWHx4MC5xpykEGdg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>whitedestinyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04205523860212555199noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5467855009835894544.post-13468546736748124992010-08-01T16:30:00.000-07:002010-08-01T21:00:00.164-07:00Always an Adventure<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_fR12JhPneZKSrpnVztXwkn4yz5GnP916Ktdxz-fx42uQlFpMEUh2pbuja6bzpg6XSH8h335Ewg6vSzNy44d0hDZjDaZaKQ5P_9fU6VZh39wL7XsVGoFtl2HHDWhMAedoYQOuilRf8PbW/s1600/train.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 169px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_fR12JhPneZKSrpnVztXwkn4yz5GnP916Ktdxz-fx42uQlFpMEUh2pbuja6bzpg6XSH8h335Ewg6vSzNy44d0hDZjDaZaKQ5P_9fU6VZh39wL7XsVGoFtl2HHDWhMAedoYQOuilRf8PbW/s320/train.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500651133604264866" border="0" /></a>
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<br />First train in Ecuador
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4rBD8yOpu6atulv7rtEJlGgrDOnL1RWZ38PMXdaRrmp5WIC5cKpPfpkmuyKpAbm2zAiTK4ApSrzTQ1YjlyZpJNY-gvMfsOw6lbizimNztcIYbdOgDxFGbWgdl9LhkBIQLqGp7dPU59IEk/s1600/train+with+navy.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4rBD8yOpu6atulv7rtEJlGgrDOnL1RWZ38PMXdaRrmp5WIC5cKpPfpkmuyKpAbm2zAiTK4ApSrzTQ1YjlyZpJNY-gvMfsOw6lbizimNztcIYbdOgDxFGbWgdl9LhkBIQLqGp7dPU59IEk/s320/train+with+navy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500651128061077122" border="0" /></a>
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<br />All the Navy guys and I on top of the train!
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyo8n2jtEBAv5mmE2d-BXs9VlZy-EDJonbjboVXlCZwaItQ-jasplrrWd9-9xgNZlqFhKEYBuFiDhaE1hHLZBNtkB8atsCaxmMHZhBJ79khLssCZ0xD1y9XerzSz1DntX2dnMPnDTtoAH5/s1600/traditional+food+2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyo8n2jtEBAv5mmE2d-BXs9VlZy-EDJonbjboVXlCZwaItQ-jasplrrWd9-9xgNZlqFhKEYBuFiDhaE1hHLZBNtkB8atsCaxmMHZhBJ79khLssCZ0xD1y9XerzSz1DntX2dnMPnDTtoAH5/s320/traditional+food+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500651123992148994" border="0" /></a>
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<br />Traditional Ecuadorian food...queso omelette, sweet
<br />bananas dipped in chopped up peants and carne con arroz
<br />(beef with rice) Those yellow disc looking things are banana like chips
<br />mi padre y yo no quieres (we don't like them). They come with every meal!
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW4pbOtewpBeBKiSSWNVWv_3eFQ6XWkfwQgkm4Q5XoWmKJ11ZubOb0mOAo-XAda03VQgzpGndqxD83oowIOEo1dXNUGhoiuXTJqT6q6CPy35OR4TM2DUI6ivxYhNYN3VJGdsVsdlqyRlRX/s1600/Traditional+Food+1.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 183px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW4pbOtewpBeBKiSSWNVWv_3eFQ6XWkfwQgkm4Q5XoWmKJ11ZubOb0mOAo-XAda03VQgzpGndqxD83oowIOEo1dXNUGhoiuXTJqT6q6CPy35OR4TM2DUI6ivxYhNYN3VJGdsVsdlqyRlRX/s320/Traditional+Food+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500651122518129346" border="0" /></a>
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<br />Me, Alexandra y Pammy!
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo_R2YRialb9SVwlnOZfk3F08g17czldV6YGp4ZnaBZpNcUwoCvpqS-8haXbjZYf4l2gfodBuWQj3FcUJAPTRGoZfjqO3Tt6gNnAbsWwlwCYlzurT34tBY8tqiw5rfvhprvvg2ANtsrIrT/s1600/Monte+Cristo.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 202px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo_R2YRialb9SVwlnOZfk3F08g17czldV6YGp4ZnaBZpNcUwoCvpqS-8haXbjZYf4l2gfodBuWQj3FcUJAPTRGoZfjqO3Tt6gNnAbsWwlwCYlzurT34tBY8tqiw5rfvhprvvg2ANtsrIrT/s320/Monte+Cristo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500616871636390722" border="0" /></a>
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<br />Monte Cristo view from the mountain
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSAT5Mslg1zh5tZfQ9t_qTdHef9yYUOiBqI2cBb7LoLLeMAZTnYGG2ezT94e1jc82WCROSj5XmgGiYYNSd3ZRx2y0WgsxJJUJF38oqTrga0wS3WSkLPj8XaBdIOPVv3656uyg6h9Em4R7A/s1600/ciudad+civico.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 210px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSAT5Mslg1zh5tZfQ9t_qTdHef9yYUOiBqI2cBb7LoLLeMAZTnYGG2ezT94e1jc82WCROSj5XmgGiYYNSd3ZRx2y0WgsxJJUJF38oqTrga0wS3WSkLPj8XaBdIOPVv3656uyg6h9Em4R7A/s320/ciudad+civico.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500616866811313842" border="0" /></a>
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<br />Santi, Alexandra, Carolina y Pammy
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDTTU0xbUhxLfHBVGBg1vu0Dyy52H6vckU03DRj4o0KUIu1qsLC7uZ8a8ntQht_oFUbcrE60uZeA1rzbVeHTP8ylM_1G-Ua6X1DBTUUL0ec_AkblE5DcpBvYxBkGxcpWFXH-2hBYYOlNkv/s1600/ally+seat.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 234px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDTTU0xbUhxLfHBVGBg1vu0Dyy52H6vckU03DRj4o0KUIu1qsLC7uZ8a8ntQht_oFUbcrE60uZeA1rzbVeHTP8ylM_1G-Ua6X1DBTUUL0ec_AkblE5DcpBvYxBkGxcpWFXH-2hBYYOlNkv/s320/ally+seat.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500616864145465234" border="0" /></a>
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<br />Me sitting in one of the chairs used for congress
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiu5V8f-R9rKUcRfzWtB1fpiZ_5ow8NW_l_5wElKLwLCZInfJuVlEZvrieEx06xDBLsITIOBRo9zDvoWim_5EmEe0e6Pdw8hb0ud-IbWFs9YtfDj_5Sy1prOf3vKA6JPTEkTN7aafA9Mwp/s1600/ciudad+civico+2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiu5V8f-R9rKUcRfzWtB1fpiZ_5ow8NW_l_5wElKLwLCZInfJuVlEZvrieEx06xDBLsITIOBRo9zDvoWim_5EmEe0e6Pdw8hb0ud-IbWFs9YtfDj_5Sy1prOf3vKA6JPTEkTN7aafA9Mwp/s320/ciudad+civico+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500616859612853778" border="0" /></a>
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<br />Civico Ciudad-Monte Cristo
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPwE0FVRrRpdd0efJGjwPNHDxgTjlHhCJYDyrM3EoZG0b0-3r2vzW0i4aTG7Off1GMb6CeBWgnJpdsmR8xhRkVHJyCxfJ-snQhalmH-NtlmFRqn-a9nmmddBIRVXzehw13lBTMdlZbogZb/s1600/225px-Eloy_Alfaro_Delgado.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPwE0FVRrRpdd0efJGjwPNHDxgTjlHhCJYDyrM3EoZG0b0-3r2vzW0i4aTG7Off1GMb6CeBWgnJpdsmR8xhRkVHJyCxfJ-snQhalmH-NtlmFRqn-a9nmmddBIRVXzehw13lBTMdlZbogZb/s320/225px-Eloy_Alfaro_Delgado.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500616852340534530" border="0" /></a>
<br />Alfaro El Presidente
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Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> <p style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);" class="MsoNormal">As you have read before, it is always an adventure here in Ecuador! We all now have a saying T.I.E (This Is Ecuador). For example: as we are driving down the street and all of a sudden we have to stop in the middle of the road because cows are being herded down the street. TIE!! Or when we get behind a pickup truck overloaded with people, I mean people are hanging on the sides of the truck for a ride down the street. TIE!! My favorite is when everyone just crams on the bus, basically on top of each other to get to point B or just to cruise down the street. You gotta love this country! TIE!!</p> <p style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);" class="MsoNormal">Santiago, our tour guide y amigo, has been an amazing friend! He took us on a ride to Monte Cristo to visit the Civico Ciudad of Alfaro, one of the best Presidents Ecuador has had.<span style=""> </span>A little history about him: He was the president twice of Ecaudor from 1895 to 1901 and from 1906 to 1911. His biggest feat was linking the railroad together, but he also gave women rights and more rights to the citizens. Ecuador was the first country in South America to give women the right to vote. As we were looking at all the statues and the museum 5 buses loaded with the Navy came up. It was crowded within minutes with the whole military…lots of men!! You know how I am…can be a little boy crazy at times, so I was just in awe. AND of course since I am blonde, I stand out easily…they were ALL staring! As we were leaving the museum we came across the train outside and I was trying to get some pictures of the Navy guys to show you guys of course ;) and Santiago yells to them all that “he has a present to give them.” A bunch of them had climbed the train at this point so they are yelling at me to come up there with them! At this point I am red in the face and completely embarrassed, but I got a few pictures.<span style="font-family: Wingdings;"><span style=""></span></span> </p> <p style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);" class="MsoNormal">Next stop was going to the tiendas (little shops) in the town of Monte Cristo. This town is known for making Panama Jack hats, you know the ones you pay hundreds of dollars for in the country Panama? Well, they are made in Ecuador and cost me only $7. HAHA! Unbelievable…so I bought two!
<br /></p><p style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);" class="MsoNormal">Hasta Manana! More to come tomorrow!
<br /></p> whitedestinyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04205523860212555199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5467855009835894544.post-88656742837599304812010-08-01T15:22:00.000-07:002010-08-01T15:34:05.215-07:00A feeling so good<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiHwcB-rl8_fiUmtsQeFjRWfx5A9cJVZVqiZTYPy8JAiB2zq_Nquj3RTXffjV6hUYU-h_LBpPE5awpCbTU-k2QUCwe7gABzb1rYB7e8AEAwUAbNrWD31zvuB2EgEcJEoOgkxXWElwpH639/s1600/Escuela+5.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiHwcB-rl8_fiUmtsQeFjRWfx5A9cJVZVqiZTYPy8JAiB2zq_Nquj3RTXffjV6hUYU-h_LBpPE5awpCbTU-k2QUCwe7gABzb1rYB7e8AEAwUAbNrWD31zvuB2EgEcJEoOgkxXWElwpH639/s320/Escuela+5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500572178723715362" border="0" /></a>
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3IH08yvbdSQ769wdcFHHdrKs1VooJyq_JPdCix2XgkeiZHgNriNzL3grlbL2fXAuLYceaTbhCC8CSnGZxBknUnLpl0hLZuxE4_UzIuNFDRSD4HNcvsKKJhRq34KZmbwJ_iw_ULzDsuULY/s1600/Escuela+4.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 220px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3IH08yvbdSQ769wdcFHHdrKs1VooJyq_JPdCix2XgkeiZHgNriNzL3grlbL2fXAuLYceaTbhCC8CSnGZxBknUnLpl0hLZuxE4_UzIuNFDRSD4HNcvsKKJhRq34KZmbwJ_iw_ULzDsuULY/s320/Escuela+4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500572173900545410" border="0" /></a>
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The way they greeted a complete stranger who looked nothing like them melted my heart. What an experience! The minute I walked through the lush garden of the church to the outdoor gym I felt so warm and fuzzy inside.<span style=""> </span>It’s amazing the unconditional love a child of special needs can give. They don’t have a worry in the world! I decided when I came to Ecuador I wanted to start giving back, I was too caught up in the hustle and bustle of daily life back in the US to take the time to give back. I am so fortunate to have such a wonderful life with many opportunities.<span style=""> </span>So I received the opportunity from Santiago’s nieces who have vacationed the last month in Bahia and were volunteering every day at this school.<span style=""> </span>
<br /></p><p style="font-weight: bold;" class="MsoNormal">After the kids greeted us, they stood in a line on the concrete floor to stretch. The teachers informed me (through translation) the kids were training for the Special Olympics which was that weekend. They were so excited to play futbol (soccer)! We played guys vs. girls and everyone got to play. Every time a goal was made everyone would jump up and down! I have never smiled so much in my life. Then after futbol everyone had snack and hung out. It was great for me to interact with each of them and learn a little more Spanish.<span style=""> </span>Pammy, Santiago’s neice, translated and told the class who I was and that I wanted to take a picture. Once I got the camera out, the looks on the kid’s faces were priceless! They wanted to see the picture after it was taken AND they wanted to take a picture themselves. So, of course after seeing the smiles on their faces I couldn’t resist.<span style=""> </span>I told the teachers I wanted to come back and volunteer at least once a week from now on and they seemed really excited! The kids played with the camera until the battery was dead and then they all gave me lots and lots of hugs and kisses.<span style=""> </span>I plan on going back after their vacation this next week at least once a week if not more. <span style=""> </span>Nothing like unconditional love from a child! </p>
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<br />whitedestinyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04205523860212555199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5467855009835894544.post-7903836063850773142010-07-24T22:41:00.000-07:002010-07-24T22:54:56.190-07:00Hairy Negotiations<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioDu0ELDracDULeThBlMlfVWV0ilse21S2RNX3VSPK8Avk2eaa7DCdvfW0a2VIR_s6rPjcsHfyAZD4bqRvF-hBP0Ql_ibfZTSW7TTin6zRWLCu3d9ACrXJXVMOCarJhcgphuYVi5lFUT_w/s1600/greenhills.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 645px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioDu0ELDracDULeThBlMlfVWV0ilse21S2RNX3VSPK8Avk2eaa7DCdvfW0a2VIR_s6rPjcsHfyAZD4bqRvF-hBP0Ql_ibfZTSW7TTin6zRWLCu3d9ACrXJXVMOCarJhcgphuYVi5lFUT_w/s320/greenhills.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497715542743389922" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;font-size:100%;" ><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255); font-weight: bold;">I didn’t make it out to the Discotecha on Saturday night, because I was exhausted! My dad, Carmen, Dwight, and his daughter Megan set out in search of some horses. The idea is to start a small horseriding business outside of the hotel. One of our friends said he knew of a guy, who knew a guy, who could show us some great horses to buy. We set out at about 10:30 to Bahia to catch the ferry. It is $.30 a person to take the ferry from Bahia over to San Vicente and they get their moneys worth by loading 20 people onto this small boat. Once you are on the ferry everyone just sits in silence and/or stares at you! HAHA some ferry’s have disco lights on them and play music, but mostly it is a quiet ride across the waters. WARNING: To those who get sea sick often, do not climb aboard!</span></span><p style="text-align: center; color: rgb(51, 102, 255); font-weight: bold; font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigfZUnkZyrPqPUjXZ90LnsTf30Io3X0Rlj2MSf8038FK_Cdg44VluYsSmFVNMluTRD5FACx9Sp7pMCZfG9slSAFAoR7Q1bWqHnyAraV74vrxWg_OVJgaLlYK5hSLZ4agrix2HpVSw6cwub/s1600/san+vicente.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigfZUnkZyrPqPUjXZ90LnsTf30Io3X0Rlj2MSf8038FK_Cdg44VluYsSmFVNMluTRD5FACx9Sp7pMCZfG9slSAFAoR7Q1bWqHnyAraV74vrxWg_OVJgaLlYK5hSLZ4agrix2HpVSw6cwub/s320/san+vicente.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497716386408353634" border="0" /></a> San Vicente, Ecuador<br /></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255); font-weight: bold; font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">Once we climbed off the ferry onto land again, we passed by a ton of vendors before reaching the truck we would be riding in. Sausage, queso, cowboy hats, veggies, pollo (chicken), horse saddles and etc… we climbed into the back of an old pickup truck where they said it would be another 5 kilometers.<span style=""> </span>An hour later, we were still going! However, the countryside was BEAUTIFUL! Extremely lush with tons of vegetation and huge trees with white blooms and banana trees everywhere! We passed a few shrimp farms and picked up some Canadian hitch hikers on their way to go paragliding off a nearby cliff. I saved a perro from being run over as well. The dogs here LOVE to sleep in the middle of the road and as we know from my previous posts that when riding in a vehicle here you shut your eyes! I whistled and almost screamed when a car was about to hit a dog going the other direction! He got up in the nick of time and flew out of the way!<br /></span></p><p style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255); font-weight: bold; font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><p style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255); font-weight: bold; font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipF9-USC8yjQupdJMnOJfWyM0ET6wkLnoua_lVkiP89-QXRrvaTpcpxMi1326wYunnl1Ij1IzjGTpVcWdrrewMACXNHZdo-MmG9x4xuRGRoN8CESM5C00EsLXMs1vi5YNaWsHR8pndfkK-/s1600/cowboy.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipF9-USC8yjQupdJMnOJfWyM0ET6wkLnoua_lVkiP89-QXRrvaTpcpxMi1326wYunnl1Ij1IzjGTpVcWdrrewMACXNHZdo-MmG9x4xuRGRoN8CESM5C00EsLXMs1vi5YNaWsHR8pndfkK-/s320/cowboy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497715525188913666" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcniODZyj88FwEKnDfpMfaKS0RmMTI5q8S5phaZbX3nv5SzryPhNg8JCnbLCHLim-FpKiGD9w-0u1tWxPQPwIqkemEskS8L9hdiA5-1Df-h-VuK_BtP7r62zjGdkq7os4HkwywOYegl4Vu/s1600/truck2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcniODZyj88FwEKnDfpMfaKS0RmMTI5q8S5phaZbX3nv5SzryPhNg8JCnbLCHLim-FpKiGD9w-0u1tWxPQPwIqkemEskS8L9hdiA5-1Df-h-VuK_BtP7r62zjGdkq7os4HkwywOYegl4Vu/s320/truck2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497716394766792466" border="0" /></a></span></p><p style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255); font-weight: bold; font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255); font-weight: bold; font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">We pulled up to the first farm and out comes a 6 year old male horse. They wanted over $250 for it, which Megan pointed out is too much even in Canada .<span style=""> </span>It was really muddy and of course I wore flip flops….I don’t know what I was thinking. The second farm we went to just had two horses and they were too young. The 3<sup>rd</sup><span style=""> </span>No negotiations were made unfortunately. We felt like there was some hairy business going on, so we made our peace and left! The wind whipping at my face, the air cool and crisp, the view of the land so green and lush and my mind at ease, life can’t get much better than this!<br /></span> ranch/hacienda we went to we had to climb down a huge steep hill and when we finally made it down there they told us they didn’t have any horses. AH! So we had to climb ALL the way back up! I thought the coastal regions were so quaint and peaceful, but nothing compares to these inland regions…pictures don’t even give the life here justice, but of course I always include some pics just for you to get an idea of what I am experiencing.</p><p style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255); font-weight: bold; font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFfnhV00gCqWT_963jHViA5RRpz78hmO_1hCM_6CMr0GxAkRYrBp16kMgGPRHHyky9ux92Dd9L6x95tTytvU6coujCOG47ZhSBkvlr828CW4-xORuxOUEWfswg202V8tMrsfpicBj9-FPt/s1600/ranch1.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFfnhV00gCqWT_963jHViA5RRpz78hmO_1hCM_6CMr0GxAkRYrBp16kMgGPRHHyky9ux92Dd9L6x95tTytvU6coujCOG47ZhSBkvlr828CW4-xORuxOUEWfswg202V8tMrsfpicBj9-FPt/s320/ranch1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497716379058376370" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPwNFIqY1ugOeCaMx-_N7h-hPK9pa8mjF4DBnHyhAqIAwh19AYQDkyqq3cxI8lviTPobH6cXuzEhEycIVJyt5foonTAKD0zq64zL8y_ZZJzj9HzshT_ZvWDcapZopOtE4mCUMVAuSeOeDn/s1600/horse.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPwNFIqY1ugOeCaMx-_N7h-hPK9pa8mjF4DBnHyhAqIAwh19AYQDkyqq3cxI8lviTPobH6cXuzEhEycIVJyt5foonTAKD0zq64zL8y_ZZJzj9HzshT_ZvWDcapZopOtE4mCUMVAuSeOeDn/s320/horse.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497716371018523106" border="0" /></a></span></p><p style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255); font-weight: bold; font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzOyzx3KFRjEd5eSnXjFBntP3glhs785BSf-1KjIAbvENLtg8GkWMc7B-ydsnH0nP2wkJ-pqvudelG4Ei2rfomMokt9gJQEofFQ33EH6lodxI5e3EYlKK_p9CHKUdd72w55yk0jWUlAUnU/s1600/longhill.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzOyzx3KFRjEd5eSnXjFBntP3glhs785BSf-1KjIAbvENLtg8GkWMc7B-ydsnH0nP2wkJ-pqvudelG4Ei2rfomMokt9gJQEofFQ33EH6lodxI5e3EYlKK_p9CHKUdd72w55yk0jWUlAUnU/s320/longhill.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497716378129091154" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUSWpQkqg9v1uDtnyKeaEB5r737NRMnzMHD-FsHWM2-n3L1xgOeSPv2tVFvQRg5tnaqBZ8c2-wHVLrrbB2qsNGVa8P9oE8Iol_1hudOipdXa4CrWLbkqP-yFwPNIQjeXOs9r8i9yMXNiBz/s1600/frutas.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 270px; height: 202px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUSWpQkqg9v1uDtnyKeaEB5r737NRMnzMHD-FsHWM2-n3L1xgOeSPv2tVFvQRg5tnaqBZ8c2-wHVLrrbB2qsNGVa8P9oE8Iol_1hudOipdXa4CrWLbkqP-yFwPNIQjeXOs9r8i9yMXNiBz/s320/frutas.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497715537800347394" border="0" /></a></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255); font-weight: bold; font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">On the way back to the ferry there was a huge rush of people in the streets and then a man on a stretcher carried out of the crowd. It looked like he had a heart attack…but the nearest hospital was in Bahia, across the water on the taxi. </span></p> <p style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255); font-weight: bold; font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">We had dinner at Porto Amistad, hambergesas con queso and watched as a 16 year old pregnant girl had a huge baby shower right there in the restaurant. They had a cerveza baby bottle contest, a blind folded feed your partner contest and measure the belly contest, What a day! Needless to say I took a well deserved nap on the way back to San Clemente.<br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center; color: rgb(51, 102, 255); font-weight: bold; font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMeu2SOcfY7TnlAnxt8YJh3x8AOmAoNg4ljhBDQidTK0l3ziVfGT917_QgFbkUgt4CqGerTVLM4Liz1gf4eh8kNquqUP4oMVa88V1Jdltssc5E0cJBrJ7fnIVmDO72II6zJP9a2W5r9e8V/s1600/babyshower.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMeu2SOcfY7TnlAnxt8YJh3x8AOmAoNg4ljhBDQidTK0l3ziVfGT917_QgFbkUgt4CqGerTVLM4Liz1gf4eh8kNquqUP4oMVa88V1Jdltssc5E0cJBrJ7fnIVmDO72II6zJP9a2W5r9e8V/s320/babyshower.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497715517748631234" border="0" /></a></span></p> <span style="font-family: georgia;font-size:100%;" ><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255); font-weight: bold;">Hasta Luego!</span></span>whitedestinyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04205523860212555199noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5467855009835894544.post-41465878976108423312010-07-24T22:13:00.000-07:002010-07-24T22:35:23.677-07:00Gumbo Fiesta<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFMEwjJK9DHDIpgrdVdhke5HZet8VISg_4XFA_k7Eh0elp0Y2JMri9UUIIZ3ePM4EldVejPgwtesqB_lxzKRAbHdX9QfoiRF9gof-CIGBrplRm60rIuxQVs-uJ9uW9mgsbB-yNvUedaSRq/s1600/santigumbo.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFMEwjJK9DHDIpgrdVdhke5HZet8VISg_4XFA_k7Eh0elp0Y2JMri9UUIIZ3ePM4EldVejPgwtesqB_lxzKRAbHdX9QfoiRF9gof-CIGBrplRm60rIuxQVs-uJ9uW9mgsbB-yNvUedaSRq/s320/santigumbo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497712869180748978" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpvyRd-vdVDDz6jS5glxWmqzrFgHtbGaCo30pcwHtUvjH9fE8wzFqxxuDqRfTjJfdW6fMZO_pGiNC-NsOky29QHbR-YOmS-0tIFUVeD0YwtTuXzAVRX3AO6rPrRe6MC-i_Zsxp4ghjcKzt/s1600/lordesgumbo.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpvyRd-vdVDDz6jS5glxWmqzrFgHtbGaCo30pcwHtUvjH9fE8wzFqxxuDqRfTjJfdW6fMZO_pGiNC-NsOky29QHbR-YOmS-0tIFUVeD0YwtTuXzAVRX3AO6rPrRe6MC-i_Zsxp4ghjcKzt/s320/lordesgumbo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497712858593018258" border="0" /></a>
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mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> <p style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">Yesterday my dad and I decided we should have a gumbo party. We gathered all the ingredients and invited the crew. It was so much fun! People came from close by cities to gather for the occasion.<span style=""> </span>Santiago brought out Dwights guitar and started playing country music on it, took me back home! He also played some local tunes and everyone sand along. <span style=""> </span>It’s funny how everyone knows each other through friends here.<span style=""> </span>The gumbo chef, mi padre, did an excellent job and everyone wanted seconds of the gumbo. We included freshly caught shrimp and local sausage as well as fresh veggies from our garden on grounds.<span style=""> </span>There were about 15-20 of us and we finished off about 15 20oz bottles of Brauma beer, a bottle of rum and most of the tequila…now that’s a party!!</span></p> <p style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">PS. The picture of the door is because our downstairs bathroom door is broken. If you use the bathroom and shut the door it automatically locks you in. The more we drank the more fun we had with people going in there and trying to get out. It was so loud you couldn’t even hear anyone knock! </span></p>
<br />whitedestinyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04205523860212555199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5467855009835894544.post-41223212662251339722010-07-22T18:01:00.000-07:002010-07-23T09:45:08.245-07:003 Weeks<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy8aiML1fSGqtXt3YC2MOMI6_hyphenhyphenP8sQ3-UGR_KoS4B5FOt1RoPblPjAgvs-vcKUUKe8BbWbony5Bj1uYD9Y0ALG39yjZ5eCt9aQKrDXAXZzXwdOh8GMaJicl4QYZ35i451d8q0tHMkfd1v/s1600/ceibotree.jpg"><br /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7RolT_BuTvmRw8AJvSesgMUoKmc87Oc2UmAHqy72JnHLfXMuKsG6ylUYk0pFF4C6OK6LvGGsM8gCVeF-zUiPe3ntScfWcZRF1WoOukBMvk7YFvA57pLJd0jakvwaKHz_uiD4nZsIpF5IL/s1600/pug.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7RolT_BuTvmRw8AJvSesgMUoKmc87Oc2UmAHqy72JnHLfXMuKsG6ylUYk0pFF4C6OK6LvGGsM8gCVeF-zUiPe3ntScfWcZRF1WoOukBMvk7YFvA57pLJd0jakvwaKHz_uiD4nZsIpF5IL/s400/pug.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496916958131056514" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">A friend for Tucker...first pug I have seen in Ecuador. His name was Goddy<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvMImItG4GIg7h5s5RSKBoRpPvM6O3Vhd17DNNV-OIC1IgzK0hvSQzoC-mZ2BtcZ_KGaA3glf_i0yWCRa-WfGwECP2oZ33vEQG5lMSBPdV_R8othEBG7LDdYrozkgx4UtRNI5fXLM-mmkT/s1600/us+3.jpg"><br /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9ZC0TLXAlffVtGpdJ2z78XfSLI1WOZQDqiWG6MxbB-fQX54OaQHneWUS2hAfRbtPeRv3wpKbEfzuXEOhYis-SdnN-foiwNEiX4vtWHC0TbgHdAKND7I0iiNDHF8HtFh-Q1qNTIdLHVBo0/s1600/beautiful.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9ZC0TLXAlffVtGpdJ2z78XfSLI1WOZQDqiWG6MxbB-fQX54OaQHneWUS2hAfRbtPeRv3wpKbEfzuXEOhYis-SdnN-foiwNEiX4vtWHC0TbgHdAKND7I0iiNDHF8HtFh-Q1qNTIdLHVBo0/s400/beautiful.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496912915690939938" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Yesterday was perfect! </span><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic_DmaPYyVriBtWeUQJ8wbimBNwgHvRrQBq-WioHECJB-9jkkDHeedBCXud_ckKQorF8fyoMdlpZfqRWSzHj6eu51QA2G4gF0hHFCK_zZs74kNAX7KP4PWQwunqnoNx3TQeHr0CiDBqmsD/s1600/ceibotree.jpg"><br /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhboM_mId6XtgBCYMHma-0Lo9FR1iSN5-2m-LCFEyYZMKfYWthACkKRlwvdyksYp8q05a2EiMB43OJhItVwEI8NmBnSBPsYghMzmeFu_vuksFyOE5-wobR1ttZrmJabGBndGGY9PN50eEiL/s1600/hammock1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 353px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhboM_mId6XtgBCYMHma-0Lo9FR1iSN5-2m-LCFEyYZMKfYWthACkKRlwvdyksYp8q05a2EiMB43OJhItVwEI8NmBnSBPsYghMzmeFu_vuksFyOE5-wobR1ttZrmJabGBndGGY9PN50eEiL/s400/hammock1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496906297980940994" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">My hammock on the beach</span><br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnGXXMkSbGH5UIVRQRTxQRZ3FnBtk6GUqro4HgN-h3gSZfk-WL9TVlrkXpWg5BUn7Je-SQHlxlM-cb6uIEivt435v8rmJzX-lUeyUcZXUmJ0GOKzWm1tdORNQfGzBm9x-_VAGTtjnWfe_y/s1600/dinner.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnGXXMkSbGH5UIVRQRTxQRZ3FnBtk6GUqro4HgN-h3gSZfk-WL9TVlrkXpWg5BUn7Je-SQHlxlM-cb6uIEivt435v8rmJzX-lUeyUcZXUmJ0GOKzWm1tdORNQfGzBm9x-_VAGTtjnWfe_y/s400/dinner.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496906014296492306" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Dinner at Dwight's place...yummy curry chicken</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXMwImfRX8Pf-KUmV6CJkXP-PByUiuaZf8fKyTxPNb5ScFytj5_HgiDIi1uJh9m0FHIqtf-KMCNr0qTe7klqrkk5clNfjLUdV2FgiOi8VZQ60GzY2dFBcLEXvKneW_N5JGTgYxBJxPIoxc/s1600/3+stooges.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXMwImfRX8Pf-KUmV6CJkXP-PByUiuaZf8fKyTxPNb5ScFytj5_HgiDIi1uJh9m0FHIqtf-KMCNr0qTe7klqrkk5clNfjLUdV2FgiOi8VZQ60GzY2dFBcLEXvKneW_N5JGTgYxBJxPIoxc/s400/3+stooges.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496904066880659490" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Tres amigos....Dwight, Daniel (mi padre) y Santiago</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho5Mzxg78roHoTCR07Mh050ry5MfEoZk9BeY1gNSbIjixnl4MyawkXFPJQpNRvVedQ4Vj39kyhUnWmbjaONeLFlNAcuP-zfTfZnXIunxXXnrgf5zMug2xhDWznRp020ZrM5TFA3syc9jbS/s1600/ceibo+tree.jpg"><br /></a><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">HAPPY 3 WEEKS TO ME! Yes, I can't believe it, its been 3 weeks since my arrival to San Clemente. The weather the past few days has been kind of cloudy, but yesterday the sun came out and I got some great pictures! Thanks to everyone for their comments, I really enjoyed reading them!<br /><br />I should be getting a phone here soon. Everyone has the prepaid phones here from either Porta or Allegro. You can get plans here for as little as $10 a month, but most everyone just buys the minutes on cards. This is what I had when I was 16 in the states. BUT its amazing how caught up with cell phones everyone is here, even in the rural towns.<br /><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy8aiML1fSGqtXt3YC2MOMI6_hyphenhyphenP8sQ3-UGR_KoS4B5FOt1RoPblPjAgvs-vcKUUKe8BbWbony5Bj1uYD9Y0ALG39yjZ5eCt9aQKrDXAXZzXwdOh8GMaJicl4QYZ35i451d8q0tHMkfd1v/s1600/ceibotree.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 152px; height: 224px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy8aiML1fSGqtXt3YC2MOMI6_hyphenhyphenP8sQ3-UGR_KoS4B5FOt1RoPblPjAgvs-vcKUUKe8BbWbony5Bj1uYD9Y0ALG39yjZ5eCt9aQKrDXAXZzXwdOh8GMaJicl4QYZ35i451d8q0tHMkfd1v/s400/ceibotree.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496916964001048194" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Trees like the one shown above are seen all over the Manabi province area of Ecuador. They remind me of something out of the Wizard of Oz...with human like branches. These trees are called Ceibo. They actually feed the larvae of moths and butterflies. The flowers on these trees are like fluffy white blooms. Very pretty! They are the national trees for Argentina and Urguay, but are only found on the west part of Ecuador. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Every Sabado (Saturday) is discotecha night. All the locals come out to the center of town and there is the town bar/club where everyone dances. I enjoy these nights, it makes me feel at home :) I will say though, I really miss country music. Salsa dancing is the main type of dancing here...its like they learn the steps while they are still in their mother's tummy! The men here LOVE to dance, and they are good at it! When I go to clubs in the US you have to beg the guy to come dance with you or they have to get a few drinks in them beforehand. It's just part of the culture here...everyone dances! It releases stress!!<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyvWxDdl9JQEQzymEj27zl20wuw9DKGGrMmWYer8KeLuf4DVvQ3VXZils56JHR8owqBzDc8_7GV2TFIXHoZkDLHNHBo-uS5RHYFkGk52gE_ditCwV2iD7QUUyp3pYDLCoOZopp0OvA4cmd/s1600/us+3.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyvWxDdl9JQEQzymEj27zl20wuw9DKGGrMmWYer8KeLuf4DVvQ3VXZils56JHR8owqBzDc8_7GV2TFIXHoZkDLHNHBo-uS5RHYFkGk52gE_ditCwV2iD7QUUyp3pYDLCoOZopp0OvA4cmd/s400/us+3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496916979870717858" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2WvsU8gYEQ36EpFfIZRR2T1179YT4zYOhKnSaTBHDKNjcpbSe-Bp155w8-KmuQN9mB-fzDoJvkqpg_wOO7SBukHrOy4360lcvpxrQudBEUUJR2xHvuG0IG4rym4TJ7rGsA79tWQFPJlwz/s1600/sabado.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2WvsU8gYEQ36EpFfIZRR2T1179YT4zYOhKnSaTBHDKNjcpbSe-Bp155w8-KmuQN9mB-fzDoJvkqpg_wOO7SBukHrOy4360lcvpxrQudBEUUJR2xHvuG0IG4rym4TJ7rGsA79tWQFPJlwz/s400/sabado.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496916971835327058" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Thank you everyone for following my blog! We are so blessed in many ways! I am so thankful for this opportunity to travel and learn about other cultures. It has been quite the adventure thus far and I still have about 5 more months!! I will be returning to the US, December 7th.<br /><br />Love you all!!<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuFJ0XVL8kg3lMCoYIsXUYyz30mc8Eg1N0UHc__nC1ciFt1zeriNk5exZAuozD2MK9pETHFcBezOpwcg8w2wPxxLIgR6WJkyGWWRT88DTXjr5cMlfzr19mc5I32SEqXPu9nwp0B6Kz33Ih/s1600/sunset.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuFJ0XVL8kg3lMCoYIsXUYyz30mc8Eg1N0UHc__nC1ciFt1zeriNk5exZAuozD2MK9pETHFcBezOpwcg8w2wPxxLIgR6WJkyGWWRT88DTXjr5cMlfzr19mc5I32SEqXPu9nwp0B6Kz33Ih/s400/sunset.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496950757087664770" border="0" /></a>May peace be with you<br /></div></div></div>whitedestinyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04205523860212555199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5467855009835894544.post-25885106805039970882010-07-17T15:18:00.001-07:002010-07-17T16:23:12.074-07:00Tequila<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1xECB7C6E6n4Txt3HJafwdPZn9wr6Nt-OjLkXfVBS9SJ6skRFPJ6gFRsp6LAKzSWJhX3aLNZeHkViqZ9Ys84Jeo9rr2o50ThUtygS5yeJCaFPFpdYNvVXn48U0dVlnDhkP-8y80YtTQLM/s1600/beach2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1xECB7C6E6n4Txt3HJafwdPZn9wr6Nt-OjLkXfVBS9SJ6skRFPJ6gFRsp6LAKzSWJhX3aLNZeHkViqZ9Ys84Jeo9rr2o50ThUtygS5yeJCaFPFpdYNvVXn48U0dVlnDhkP-8y80YtTQLM/s320/beach2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5495004347514532034" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">High tide<br /></div><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGZstS_UIA9PX1zGCQbBoa98mjXsfF-TgxyNrOm4uBodY2YWNo-GtDSf6xGN89vOAOwmS7Jp3nFZKVZUzhapp05S9Gu5iKrtTixFfKIo2l8Shtut6V56uJkQAOmY7nAIDhR7QFPNjcNc-T/s1600/beach.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGZstS_UIA9PX1zGCQbBoa98mjXsfF-TgxyNrOm4uBodY2YWNo-GtDSf6xGN89vOAOwmS7Jp3nFZKVZUzhapp05S9Gu5iKrtTixFfKIo2l8Shtut6V56uJkQAOmY7nAIDhR7QFPNjcNc-T/s320/beach.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5495004338828785138" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">The beach outside the hotel<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102);"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Its amazing how fast the time flies here. Even though it seems like I might not have a busy day, things are always coming up to do here. Someone is almost always making a trip into one of the bigger cities and anyone can catch a ride. What I have started to realize is what you planned yesterday never quite turns out the same for today.<br /><br />Originally the plan was to go to Manta with Andrea on her day off...Miercoles (Wednesday). Well, it turned out Andrea's daughter was sick so instead of taking the bus, Dwight our neighbor picked me up and then our driver George (pronounced Hor-hey) picked up Henry on of the managers at the hotel and then we went to San Jaciento to pick up Andrea and her baby Amy (she is 4). So needless to say it was a full house with a sick baby going over the bumpy roads about an hour into Manta.<br /><br />Manta is the capital city of the Manabi county, which is located on the east coast of Ecuador. It is very busy with lots of stores, a big mall and the market. Let me explain to you the road system here in Ecuador; you close your eyes when you ride in the car! Haha...its amazing how few of accidents there are, the people here really know the roads. Even the buses just weave in and out of traffic passing cars on a one lane road curving around a mountain. So I have learned if I am on the bus to shut the curtains and if I am in the car to say a little prayer and shut my eyes!<br /><br />After we dropped Andrea and Amy off at the doctor, Dwight, Henry and I had to run some errands. First stop was the mall...Did you know KFC is the most popular fast food restaurant here? I bought a few long sleeve shirts for the night time here. It has been unusually cool at night for this season. Since Ecuador (means equator in Spanish) is located right by the equator, the seasons are reversed. They still call it summer and winter like we do, however their summer is the cooler months and winter is their hot, sunny months! Its kinda hard to get use to, but either way its their "winter" now and its been in the 70's. Just beautiful. Perfect!<br /><br /><br /></span></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWuw7pA5pu-8myxH_09XGn9AYZ9i__JDLmeDRjlL1DjpFEiDsGHRiEDkPq0jfjY3_D0J7xyLd_ZkzGYf26w2slGRBWwOGew8I6mlCLdMEaJdVV_WMqddswUYWu1queGaAu-OdE9XmCAGLn/s1600/kfc.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWuw7pA5pu-8myxH_09XGn9AYZ9i__JDLmeDRjlL1DjpFEiDsGHRiEDkPq0jfjY3_D0J7xyLd_ZkzGYf26w2slGRBWwOGew8I6mlCLdMEaJdVV_WMqddswUYWu1queGaAu-OdE9XmCAGLn/s320/kfc.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5495004363615414322" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102);"><span style="font-weight: bold;">So our second stop was to visit Dwights lawyer in a really tall building downtown. On the way there we passed by all these vendors and one was holding up the cutest puppies! They looked like teddy bears, they were so fluffy. I pointed them out to Dwight and then we went to the lawyer. On the way out Dwight was like lets find those puppies. Long story short, we found them and after 20 minutes of me using what little Spanish I knew, bartered with them and got BOTH puppies for the price of one! Go me! And that's how I ended up with this cute little Tequila. (For those of you who know I already have the cutest puppy on earth named Tucker- no Tequila has NOT taken his place :) Thanks mom for babysitting him while I am gone!)<br /><br /></span></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqcevrRFasLUidyPurKJ-gn3kemvslCnK-i9UqpmIia81vFFG2BorR11F3368UBNIMarYMUvjb4qEdb_BDVWHm5WCxH2Z4IUXiwYMziFc530SCOJ7h-LbAosCDFY7jJooA0NDLa55cskCQ/s1600/Tequila.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqcevrRFasLUidyPurKJ-gn3kemvslCnK-i9UqpmIia81vFFG2BorR11F3368UBNIMarYMUvjb4qEdb_BDVWHm5WCxH2Z4IUXiwYMziFc530SCOJ7h-LbAosCDFY7jJooA0NDLa55cskCQ/s320/Tequila.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5495004371601156946" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn7RLvdxzS1pFraV4kDW2KzwJRJHEwwSF9JIdbEvrzo14hQY-cJ5Dqj6FNiuY1QV3QZlKgY80kWS__lM_MKno0307eCwajhQ_g_0W_TJeWktLLA8JhpLN5Ntz9EdTt_7x0NfK9b1rH2fs8/s1600/matty&teq.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn7RLvdxzS1pFraV4kDW2KzwJRJHEwwSF9JIdbEvrzo14hQY-cJ5Dqj6FNiuY1QV3QZlKgY80kWS__lM_MKno0307eCwajhQ_g_0W_TJeWktLLA8JhpLN5Ntz9EdTt_7x0NfK9b1rH2fs8/s320/matty&teq.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5495010468214105506" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Matty and Tequila<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102);"><span style="font-weight: bold;">By then we picked Andrea back up and she had asked me to go to a funeral with her. One of her friends father had passed away a few days earlier and I told her I would go. The funeral started at 2 and it was 4 by the time she got out of the doctors. She said lets go, its probably still going on. Now I have been to maybe two funerals in my life and had no idea what a Latin American funeral was going to be like. Turns out we missed the funeral, but we drove through the Cementery looking for her friend. </span></span></span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 204, 153);"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiv0R72yWLDxJmB_Q2v7opSROnRQqPl7nS67MYsP-ubBbv4XG0JlszGgiJ7Zv0VWP3vmKHQVRN6iDzuATM8rQlNB5sHaAb8GZYdTalQhOLQnaiXHYfADiMyG8sud6_mw9M1669IvJOzYXO/s1600/Graveyard.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiv0R72yWLDxJmB_Q2v7opSROnRQqPl7nS67MYsP-ubBbv4XG0JlszGgiJ7Zv0VWP3vmKHQVRN6iDzuATM8rQlNB5sHaAb8GZYdTalQhOLQnaiXHYfADiMyG8sud6_mw9M1669IvJOzYXO/s320/Graveyard.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5495004358101058226" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102);"><span style="font-weight: bold;">What I realized was how colorful the graveyard was. I remember visiting ones similar in the states and they were just so plain and a few flowers here and there. I saw a woman weeping with her husband at a site. But what really stood out was the HUGE bouquet of flowers she was placing in a vase on the gravestone. All these flowers are so fresh and beautiful! It was almost like visiting a garden rather than a graveyard. The plaques were simple and not many statues, but the flowers just made the whole place come to life. It made me think maybe family and friends visited these sites weekly. It seems like even the dead here are given more respect and love than some of us give our family at home! Which brings me to something else I have learned here about the Latin American culture.<br /><br />It is fairly normal for a woman to be pregnant at an early age here. Most of the girls in their early twenties have at least one child. And since it is predominately Catholic religion here, the Catholic church doesn't recognize divorce. Plus divorce is really expensive, so most married couples just split and go on to have significant others. But what really gets me is the way the children are raised. Its not uncommon to leave a small child at home by themselves. And its not uncommon for the mother to still go out and have fun til wee hours and leave the child at home with a mother or grandmother, no problem! I guess that is why the family unit is so important. Abortions are illegal here. But what I thought was so ironic was when I asked about birth control this is what I learned. Birth control is $15 for a months worth of pills and it requires no prescription. So why aren't women taking more precautions? My guess is because of the religious aspect? It's just so funny that women in the US go out of their way to pay for birth control and to prevent unwanted pregnancy, when here it is as common as brushing your teeth- ok not THAT common, but you get my point.<br />*These are just conclusions I have made based on my experiences thus far.<br /><br />Well tonight is Sabado...which means the local discotech (club)! Tequila is asleep at my feet right now and I am about to get ready for dinner at Dwight's and then heading out to the town. I am going to start trying to write a new post at least every other day now, if not everyday! I appreciate all of those who continuously read my posts! I enjoy hearing all your comments. I have a trip planned for next Thursday to Isla de Platas to go scuba diving and whale watching, so I will have some good pics coming soon.<br /><br />Buenas!<br /><br /></span></span></div></div></div></div>whitedestinyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04205523860212555199noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5467855009835894544.post-32307188159606703632010-07-16T18:54:00.001-07:002010-07-16T18:54:54.533-07:00Stay Tuned...Stay tuned for a new blog tomorrow!!!!whitedestinyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04205523860212555199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5467855009835894544.post-82710874656750362752010-07-11T14:31:00.000-07:002010-07-11T17:47:04.635-07:00I'm back!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-h3IIXbQRw93aa1knsvTA-rugox8TixZqhi5FW6LALHi3zUdo1KnWv8DKmFhHVxcenaeM8qIBcqgq6PoWvM04lYYqmlIgjrPN4198YWHq_tTCM7_Vfxfldi9d5kTnOmoV1YcZkJyTASfy/s1600/Bahia.jpg"><br /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKFIcZQOns2zOdIJmlTOSuWmS0KkQKy0pKhPRQTKWSWwb3YN3ExfUJwHqAZn4EFwEvs7ODCYvjcQYqL-YHNiPPQObqwy_cPNMKYMOnFJKHnxxpn2MHegMjuTEGXKfwZCG2TYXco3XIbePa/s1600/Bahibeach.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKFIcZQOns2zOdIJmlTOSuWmS0KkQKy0pKhPRQTKWSWwb3YN3ExfUJwHqAZn4EFwEvs7ODCYvjcQYqL-YHNiPPQObqwy_cPNMKYMOnFJKHnxxpn2MHegMjuTEGXKfwZCG2TYXco3XIbePa/s400/Bahibeach.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492787015694641986" border="0" /></a><br />Bahia<br /><br /></div><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br /></span></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-h3IIXbQRw93aa1knsvTA-rugox8TixZqhi5FW6LALHi3zUdo1KnWv8DKmFhHVxcenaeM8qIBcqgq6PoWvM04lYYqmlIgjrPN4198YWHq_tTCM7_Vfxfldi9d5kTnOmoV1YcZkJyTASfy/s1600/Bahia.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-h3IIXbQRw93aa1knsvTA-rugox8TixZqhi5FW6LALHi3zUdo1KnWv8DKmFhHVxcenaeM8qIBcqgq6PoWvM04lYYqmlIgjrPN4198YWHq_tTCM7_Vfxfldi9d5kTnOmoV1YcZkJyTASfy/s400/Bahia.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492787789139400274" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Church on hill in Bahia<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvQsP9ZhW_JpisojKRV2szISXc8h5NcGsUVabec8TaNfp1k7Kdg4W3xOsXNOnN5J1NyUQTYmRz83ZAfLDTqcePmTZyTsRTFe9DH_l5ahK4COXhJd29LAgYaxL7IU-0fRi1NaqrHYrjVgFu/s1600/IMGP0121.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvQsP9ZhW_JpisojKRV2szISXc8h5NcGsUVabec8TaNfp1k7Kdg4W3xOsXNOnN5J1NyUQTYmRz83ZAfLDTqcePmTZyTsRTFe9DH_l5ahK4COXhJd29LAgYaxL7IU-0fRi1NaqrHYrjVgFu/s400/IMGP0121.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492788293152536370" border="0" /></a> triceleta<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR25YWoT8_166MIs7HddRxmoOP5Q7Awi7rXJigSY6COC4HDOqC583AZ7nkyD8F-6Cpc2zsb-Ln6-HYFJ6zXyBsb5vUvxHKUo33jSFv9u5dMp-K3aZEGP7Xal3YAxGSlxm1jqMaJxXknRrA/s1600/Santiago.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR25YWoT8_166MIs7HddRxmoOP5Q7Awi7rXJigSY6COC4HDOqC583AZ7nkyD8F-6Cpc2zsb-Ln6-HYFJ6zXyBsb5vUvxHKUo33jSFv9u5dMp-K3aZEGP7Xal3YAxGSlxm1jqMaJxXknRrA/s400/Santiago.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492788871750755474" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Santiago en tienda de computadora<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />I'm back! The internet has been in and out, so I haven't had a chance to write as much, BUT I have a lot to say!<br /><br />Time is endless here. It's so easy to loose track of it. No clocks except on your phone and no reason to keep track anyways. No important stressful deadlines, just living day to day in paradise. I am truly grateful to have such an amazing opportunity. In the little time I have been here my outlook on life has changed to being very stressed always on the run, to enjoying life's little moments. Like last night for instance, the stars finally came out, they were beautiful reflecting on the water. Also, the sunsets here are absolutely breath taking (I will post pictures soon).<br /><br />The people I have met here, the ones that come to visit for a long period of time from other countries all have one common bond. The attraction of peace and harmony into their lives. They want to live blissfully and be surrounded by people who feel the same way. San Clemente offers this to anyone who comes here. I have met people from California, Canada, Arizona, Germany, Italy, Norway, and other countries too. Its fascinating talking with them to understand just why they came all over the world to a little fisherman town, San Clemente.<br /><br />The first night I hung out with the local "kids" was quite an experience. A few of them spoke English and the rest told me solamente Espanol (only Spanish). I have been picking up the dialect here and there, even had a dream in Spanish the other night. I am hoping to have it down pretty well by the time I leave! haha It was midnight after we finished watching a movie and we all decided to go to the center of town. It was completely dead. Even the dogs were asleep. I was wondering how they were planning on getting some alcohol, but sure enough, where there's a will, there's a way! One of the girls whistled and Nayos the liquor man takes down a few boards that opened up to a window on the 2nd floor of his store. Then she said a few words in Spanish and a plastic beach bucket attached to a rope was lowered with the alcohol in it. What a great idea! Then she placed the money in the bucket and we were on our way to the beach. Everything here is an adventure! Everyone taught me this new drinking game too! Its called "My Ship." This game is played in a circle and one person is "it" and says My ship comes to port with....then they proceed to name a category for instance cars. Then everyone in the circle has to name a brand of car and if it takes you more than 3 seconds to think of one then you drink and you're it! It was really fun, cause even though I didn't know a lot of Spanish I could still play!<br /><br />A few days ago, Santiago, Carmen, my dad and I took a trip to Bahia. Santiago showed us around the city a bit and then took us to the escuela (school). He asked if we wanted to see Miguel. Well sure we said, but who is Miguel??? Miguel is the 180 year old turtle who lives at the school, there are only 25 left of him in the world. Miguel is very taken care of by the students, he even gets to hang out in the classroom!! Santiago is making it his goal to turn this school into a technical school. He works at a computer repair shop and will also be teaching computer classes at the school soon. That night we went to an American style restaurant and then headed to the local discotecha (aka club). The news people were there with cameras taping a promotional advertisement for Bahia and guess who was in it?! ME! haha Fun times... It just proves you can have a fun time anywhere!<br /><br />Last night was another disco night! I met up with a few of the locals to go to a fiesta and then to the discotecha. The locals are great here! They love to have fun and the whole night was full of dancing and hanging out!<br /><br />Well the past few days have been a blast...and to top it all off Espana won!!!<br /><br />Hasta Luego,<br /><br /></span></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglkxIwZ2uQKIX0N9qIro_a_4ZtB9PlnBbNUC9bYOKToLdsT8XApwHEIf4DzT8WB5HTvj-GmhzYSFSor26xQ9gMTfARICQsZDJkXw4ccyCkXq6gTe06gpAH87ib_t491CwVaddVWlPTRuC2/s1600/fruitbike.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglkxIwZ2uQKIX0N9qIro_a_4ZtB9PlnBbNUC9bYOKToLdsT8XApwHEIf4DzT8WB5HTvj-GmhzYSFSor26xQ9gMTfARICQsZDJkXw4ccyCkXq6gTe06gpAH87ib_t491CwVaddVWlPTRuC2/s400/fruitbike.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492790265915535138" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Portoviejo triceleta con frutas!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNe8PuS3g7X14HvrxF9CEWfnSQkK1Es1Oc3V4cyJMnDVnm5_B7DDkBZRLiI3_xyoRQhHqLFrQGexoPFFv5kYUB9ME-ShLgVle8hHwqIO_6jzWYDGRkpWhl824nDxJOX7NY6JOyGYyRnebP/s1600/girls.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNe8PuS3g7X14HvrxF9CEWfnSQkK1Es1Oc3V4cyJMnDVnm5_B7DDkBZRLiI3_xyoRQhHqLFrQGexoPFFv5kYUB9ME-ShLgVle8hHwqIO_6jzWYDGRkpWhl824nDxJOX7NY6JOyGYyRnebP/s400/girls.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492814082614810018" border="0" /></a>The girls!!<br /></div>whitedestinyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04205523860212555199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5467855009835894544.post-1328923831548676152010-07-08T15:20:00.000-07:002010-07-08T15:41:06.745-07:00Trip to Portoviejo<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOyMbA3aeCA92tywRmHUC0G3tnfoFmnifDSHry9I9vhyOiI3a3t6N9cA6M-rKsoHLPetKfrp6tKph-7uIsQ6hZzcQl6Fxb9Tu3_Td4-XJjLZe4CeTOTSCe3vYX6pgIxyXlz-t-0Ukia2vU/s1600/littleboy.jpg"><br /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy0KkrRLKLP46f-R305FaiQJ-si9yXkNvqXoJY5ZR3g4psAkFMpZH7-foOYrNm4AWnRHfpAWoHx65Y4yZR6_4KlsdGGltB5Xk4xoxPn-azF5KoXELD_BK8W-caaOI93Czyb8jXFIUlf28g/s1600/lordesandi.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy0KkrRLKLP46f-R305FaiQJ-si9yXkNvqXoJY5ZR3g4psAkFMpZH7-foOYrNm4AWnRHfpAWoHx65Y4yZR6_4KlsdGGltB5Xk4xoxPn-azF5KoXELD_BK8W-caaOI93Czyb8jXFIUlf28g/s400/lordesandi.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491665968146519618" border="0" /></a><br />Sorry its been awhile! The internet at the hotel/condos has been down with very little connectivity. We are hoping they get this fixed soon! I will post as often as I can! Also, even though you are a follower of my blog doesn't mean that it will email you updates. You have to go into your account settings and ask them to email you when I have an update!<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">I took a trip with Lordes the manager of Palmazul to Portoviejo a few days ago. I traveled on the bus for the first time. We got lucky cause most of the azul (blue) buses are muy malo (very bad), but I think ours was new! The ride was very easy, except for everyone staring at the gringo (ME!). The bus ride from San Clemente to Portoviejo was about an hour long, with many stops. When the bus was full people still piled on and just held onto the seats or the metal bars on the ceiling. A little boy not more than 10 years old got on the bus and started making an announcement loudly...he then proceeded to start singing and walking up and down the aisle. He stopped in front of me and sang a romantic song and of course I gave him 25cents for his effort. He could have been an orphan or just a beggar in general...this is common. </span></span></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOyMbA3aeCA92tywRmHUC0G3tnfoFmnifDSHry9I9vhyOiI3a3t6N9cA6M-rKsoHLPetKfrp6tKph-7uIsQ6hZzcQl6Fxb9Tu3_Td4-XJjLZe4CeTOTSCe3vYX6pgIxyXlz-t-0Ukia2vU/s1600/littleboy.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOyMbA3aeCA92tywRmHUC0G3tnfoFmnifDSHry9I9vhyOiI3a3t6N9cA6M-rKsoHLPetKfrp6tKph-7uIsQ6hZzcQl6Fxb9Tu3_Td4-XJjLZe4CeTOTSCe3vYX6pgIxyXlz-t-0Ukia2vU/s400/littleboy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491668409383158338" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">It was about $1.00 each way to travel to Portoviejo. Every stop along the way a vendor got on the bus to sell something...water, ice cream, banana chips...you couldn't go hungry!!<br /><br />-I will post more later...I have to go! On our way to see a huge tortoise!!!<br /></span></span></span></span>whitedestinyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04205523860212555199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5467855009835894544.post-1757535787209941922010-07-03T21:33:00.000-07:002010-07-05T12:32:33.433-07:00A little adventure!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw-drMf8sSFj-fPQay25Pt7pniXuQblRpM2886OWZrIWD6vbaXGpEx-qycDji1nThuyjVDexWkd9guHcfcN1PefnisDIU0Gd5U6JDZSw4ygXlf0S0VPiUVTlF-8kLzrtR4vZNp1y3YV9-2/s1600/rocks.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw-drMf8sSFj-fPQay25Pt7pniXuQblRpM2886OWZrIWD6vbaXGpEx-qycDji1nThuyjVDexWkd9guHcfcN1PefnisDIU0Gd5U6JDZSw4ygXlf0S0VPiUVTlF-8kLzrtR4vZNp1y3YV9-2/s320/rocks.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489903538016033666" border="0" /></a>For some reason it is dark in some of these pics.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPe2lLldZa3qjGxdbbJeWFFOkEfL9pnT8SkASIYBREZaMgRwCsfNBGsJmlFYlgP9vJjQMHAiKzfP58w5o9dMVv8x3qT4GnbO0YXg78YpY7z5uCc1nTKpM0DFz09LCxFw8b9CvhRA1huUJx/s1600/wedding4.jpg"> <img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPe2lLldZa3qjGxdbbJeWFFOkEfL9pnT8SkASIYBREZaMgRwCsfNBGsJmlFYlgP9vJjQMHAiKzfP58w5o9dMVv8x3qT4GnbO0YXg78YpY7z5uCc1nTKpM0DFz09LCxFw8b9CvhRA1huUJx/s320/wedding4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489903531235041282" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCK3EkP9Uv7dUge5QQeLcHwKC1X9u9TxrFZGUEU_N6Mt0SlLOMFiIcmvjhtk7Y_33RFEjDGC6jfl0iwhfMQL9ELtOQ8fjBXWe3hWuVATtTEtt12IDtYG6YNgzUm0uz_lZMW60vkKJMWbeh/s1600/Wedding1.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCK3EkP9Uv7dUge5QQeLcHwKC1X9u9TxrFZGUEU_N6Mt0SlLOMFiIcmvjhtk7Y_33RFEjDGC6jfl0iwhfMQL9ELtOQ8fjBXWe3hWuVATtTEtt12IDtYG6YNgzUm0uz_lZMW60vkKJMWbeh/s320/Wedding1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489895732220900898" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib81W0TWUKpc-vvcp6yYjk1_2YKShCSOpJ9sqWAjYHC1qp_eyCbSY7DTVvnoFF88NgWRkm0RwMnGwSpe2GlxyXEh0Q_ffPAgN6rhc7SdIqI4XSEwaiESnYQQeHHxB1AtNqOfNuoDs_D2lV/s1600/Wedding3.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib81W0TWUKpc-vvcp6yYjk1_2YKShCSOpJ9sqWAjYHC1qp_eyCbSY7DTVvnoFF88NgWRkm0RwMnGwSpe2GlxyXEh0Q_ffPAgN6rhc7SdIqI4XSEwaiESnYQQeHHxB1AtNqOfNuoDs_D2lV/s320/Wedding3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489895725432123634" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdtRShW_jIZUiWJbo5lTFd6mGIlQ-Xs4wB9hUTrln9bmw_26yvVZneaWFVwT5nepl7zUF4DmZ-brAoGjz2m18j3hNhjJqsr0ZKLY6_pBiMW52rsf7Klhv4ZQiZbMdjZDlHDKF4s-QMP7HS/s1600/Wedding2.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdtRShW_jIZUiWJbo5lTFd6mGIlQ-Xs4wB9hUTrln9bmw_26yvVZneaWFVwT5nepl7zUF4DmZ-brAoGjz2m18j3hNhjJqsr0ZKLY6_pBiMW52rsf7Klhv4ZQiZbMdjZDlHDKF4s-QMP7HS/s320/Wedding2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489895702774677778" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br />The before pictures of the wedding (la Boda)at Palmazul hotel in San Clemente. What an amazing day it turned out to be for the bride and groom. Jessica and her staff did an outstanding job and worked really hard to get every detail in place to make today a special one!<br /><br /><a style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" href="http://www.manabihotel.com/">http://www.manabihotel.com/</a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 204, 204);">The wedding was just icing on the cake today! My dad and I decided early on to venture towards Crucita, a nearby ciudad (city) about 10 miles away. He had purchased a motorcycle a few months prior so we thought today would be a perfect day for a countryside stroll. Right outside of San Clemente, we felt a thud and when we slowed down we realized the back tire had a flat! Just another adventure we decided as we made our way to the nearest tire shop about a mile away. </span></span></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8eHT8fv3jyXRz5LgiXxbM8MiwwkiHn0CEQyS7wA7YqNuwAa4tSjWnqWtx6h_VBWRP0sSvUQYim0k_nCy6ldsAS1JO2vxHcR6eh3zw-XIX4lL3Um9HjAbRWtlNjXJJzabycM3JHK8yWqQu/s1600/motorcycle+flat.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8eHT8fv3jyXRz5LgiXxbM8MiwwkiHn0CEQyS7wA7YqNuwAa4tSjWnqWtx6h_VBWRP0sSvUQYim0k_nCy6ldsAS1JO2vxHcR6eh3zw-XIX4lL3Um9HjAbRWtlNjXJJzabycM3JHK8yWqQu/s320/motorcycle+flat.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490490890069328946" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7NxksMkdc5kZT4ncm_e6Uq56G70iqsPb3_CJF_SdHyw2RZeEEjsjCGTa6eBgTWc9ND_IPljhaPqrQ16zwXBNgsemwYHbRRzWTQ356RD5crWiLZjkCZ4htHacEIKBBdfjexAtxVUOj3M6u/s1600/dadroad.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7NxksMkdc5kZT4ncm_e6Uq56G70iqsPb3_CJF_SdHyw2RZeEEjsjCGTa6eBgTWc9ND_IPljhaPqrQ16zwXBNgsemwYHbRRzWTQ356RD5crWiLZjkCZ4htHacEIKBBdfjexAtxVUOj3M6u/s320/dadroad.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490487409259758226" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 204, 204);"><br /><br />When we got there no one was around, so we thought maybe it was closed. Mi padre yelled "Hola" and a man next door sleeping in a hammock got up to greet us. Three little boys, Yonathan, Bryan and Jose sat there watching his father fix our tire. I managed to get their names and how old they were! I am really glad my 4 years of Spanish lessons in school paid off...haha. This tire repair guys technique's were amazing! He was fast, yet very detailed on everything. In about 30 minutes our tire was fixed and we were on our way back. He told us he repaired it, but that we should get another tube to ride around on. Guess how much it cost?! I mean I was shocked! I kept thinking, its not going to be expensive, but maybe like<br />$10- he did spend 30 minutes on it! Nope! I was wrong...$2 later, we hit the road.<br /></span></span></span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCq6dIALGRWNRP0zSCkYV9uLmcnpEh809kSTZnOpnQsz5u3PTkhdlnXkxx3Ks0UbzFzbHQGHP_s6g2tYp4VzmToMXTqpVnx_mzZ0FR9ZeLmA4dGEwqvEAV6GbgXXgY1H-Cfzjj99wM4DuC/s1600/tire.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCq6dIALGRWNRP0zSCkYV9uLmcnpEh809kSTZnOpnQsz5u3PTkhdlnXkxx3Ks0UbzFzbHQGHP_s6g2tYp4VzmToMXTqpVnx_mzZ0FR9ZeLmA4dGEwqvEAV6GbgXXgY1H-Cfzjj99wM4DuC/s320/tire.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490493813393228418" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdHH4OXSQf4DccRLbaEyejEZjqvdj4FuwbpfJOJt2ZiTBqiYjXfhluhgELUR6DCIAOHPhI5DQ-zY9TV_UQr9bV_Q0Tbxxdp8BwMMOe7c7B6l7e_HWFvxTSkN-R9IPgRr4wfaeXkimXgFMF/s1600/tireshop.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdHH4OXSQf4DccRLbaEyejEZjqvdj4FuwbpfJOJt2ZiTBqiYjXfhluhgELUR6DCIAOHPhI5DQ-zY9TV_UQr9bV_Q0Tbxxdp8BwMMOe7c7B6l7e_HWFvxTSkN-R9IPgRr4wfaeXkimXgFMF/s320/tireshop.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490491625091987394" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHKp8s9JI4TOD_ZLl7yCxvp64iemgp-JyHxhcgVrLp2ayy7XeGsotr8MKbyzZlxJ5X6Fiw4o3-Ddi5Ov4upoMnw4xiYSPg8aPpAQI1CSJuTLR9rekmsH1O0j3xUNbGlgqTGCKXc5VFCVK3/s1600/popsandi.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHKp8s9JI4TOD_ZLl7yCxvp64iemgp-JyHxhcgVrLp2ayy7XeGsotr8MKbyzZlxJ5X6Fiw4o3-Ddi5Ov4upoMnw4xiYSPg8aPpAQI1CSJuTLR9rekmsH1O0j3xUNbGlgqTGCKXc5VFCVK3/s320/popsandi.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490490378253832002" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><span style="color: rgb(0, 204, 204);"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Later that night we went to Graziani's Pizzeria. Gabriel the Italian made us fresh brick oven pizza, his specialty! It was yummy! Gabriel (the Italian) and Meyers (the German) are the hot spots in town and not too far from the hotel. They both ventured down to the little town of San Clemente to get away just like a lot of people do when they come down here.<br /><br /></span></span></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1FPIiPlxusEDlok97rUIWR8LeOI67ZjrLiw9Zl0xPUSxMgdrBL6BLWVpb7fDgKM8bxAWSTYFB9dQg0p6eRJAPMVg6BgYVcvRHRVGmmUJc293dDf9_WNkQyG1w8iJb8EOeBfkCwMg2RY7Y/s1600/meandpizza.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1FPIiPlxusEDlok97rUIWR8LeOI67ZjrLiw9Zl0xPUSxMgdrBL6BLWVpb7fDgKM8bxAWSTYFB9dQg0p6eRJAPMVg6BgYVcvRHRVGmmUJc293dDf9_WNkQyG1w8iJb8EOeBfkCwMg2RY7Y/s320/meandpizza.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490496284268459922" border="0" /></a><br /></div><span style="color: rgb(0, 204, 204);"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />It is utopia here, the flowers are picturesque, vegetation is lush, people are friendly and happy, the sounds of the waves crashing on the rocks are lullaby's to your ears, and everyday is an adventure. There aren't enough words to describe living in paradise. I am so thankful for this experience! My wish is for you to be able to find your own paradise!<br /><br />La vida es muy excellente!<br /><br /><br /></span></span></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH7FnhGDIInXHAheJwTD8tqpYX62gkFU88mdfIAl43uBJqumIg46O0dP4df8WGcl5v0JSPgHSQzGkGLllLr-5ShXhrQkhTwJc4jPgyLrEEqp_SIOqLvEARA1Hzfx_PoHsh3iVpU_yccJB2/s1600/hammock.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH7FnhGDIInXHAheJwTD8tqpYX62gkFU88mdfIAl43uBJqumIg46O0dP4df8WGcl5v0JSPgHSQzGkGLllLr-5ShXhrQkhTwJc4jPgyLrEEqp_SIOqLvEARA1Hzfx_PoHsh3iVpU_yccJB2/s400/hammock.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490503046530331058" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAZoRHHZLm2nq36wJc334UB7aQTeFAZqXAsi1QcdL5i8guGSmfqpPkSTQhS5JiCiJAJHYCy32dANcGdJqtHvQZk1jtkhfvBq0C4gKqOk4Qzegh_zMz_1JZt2pvBNHFf2Tp-7CcQokc5WRE/s1600/Flower1.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAZoRHHZLm2nq36wJc334UB7aQTeFAZqXAsi1QcdL5i8guGSmfqpPkSTQhS5JiCiJAJHYCy32dANcGdJqtHvQZk1jtkhfvBq0C4gKqOk4Qzegh_zMz_1JZt2pvBNHFf2Tp-7CcQokc5WRE/s200/Flower1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490503955414136418" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7KdQTYfCS8Il9tzkmNEdlIjskNIzfzTAHjBdyoWOlIHMV9Rv22yOKjEniub6aKR07jcZcqr42uo1fGdTkJCxIZK947rg83TM-XTrqz-L1Iisfp0POPu8vDapRJbL8TlXKYeNqJkAJWzno/s1600/landscape.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7KdQTYfCS8Il9tzkmNEdlIjskNIzfzTAHjBdyoWOlIHMV9Rv22yOKjEniub6aKR07jcZcqr42uo1fGdTkJCxIZK947rg83TM-XTrqz-L1Iisfp0POPu8vDapRJbL8TlXKYeNqJkAJWzno/s320/landscape.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490506825293476226" border="0" /></a></div></div><span style="color: rgb(0, 204, 204);"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></span></span></span>whitedestinyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04205523860212555199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5467855009835894544.post-57978378732996363592010-07-02T15:33:00.000-07:002010-07-02T20:32:57.139-07:00Numero tres!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicb1ZKIGjWnRspZ5QxDHPyvRuOOQeyJGmMcLgBYc4vz7RLE9ftQe3IimiMU51icS8JKJB4RPxVa-yzUlhSb2MF3GBP2x9TDtcCCbIqwksh4v0za2csjJsRDOPvW_MJQyH81UH-t5vk1fFB/s1600/passionfruit.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicb1ZKIGjWnRspZ5QxDHPyvRuOOQeyJGmMcLgBYc4vz7RLE9ftQe3IimiMU51icS8JKJB4RPxVa-yzUlhSb2MF3GBP2x9TDtcCCbIqwksh4v0za2csjJsRDOPvW_MJQyH81UH-t5vk1fFB/s320/passionfruit.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489516625928182322" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiUaTjhrfzB1EBbxAMEejW90QYOZw8z4X3Tr9mw0RA7nTkvBgGEVImqk10CKhlNjwDHeemGWsGplHDTuO8wD3T-YBFgv4DPyieyvCT-Lpple6zzq-NMEX2ETOT66wgwTzuVWMESSuJxoyq/s1600/lobster.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiUaTjhrfzB1EBbxAMEejW90QYOZw8z4X3Tr9mw0RA7nTkvBgGEVImqk10CKhlNjwDHeemGWsGplHDTuO8wD3T-YBFgv4DPyieyvCT-Lpple6zzq-NMEX2ETOT66wgwTzuVWMESSuJxoyq/s320/lobster.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489516359856130850" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilKq3GCsQb-1JxV6zF3pSlExZ-616zjOwhCSSjirw9AUmOvA4mXdXbye9VT6BqPfZrsTqYr-f9QGp5UBP5B3REsBjS_8sJQywQeB5Eao3UOrg4KV7sYXrzhC0idnLtXKpejwae4BGUN4oY/s1600/hotel+guys.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilKq3GCsQb-1JxV6zF3pSlExZ-616zjOwhCSSjirw9AUmOvA4mXdXbye9VT6BqPfZrsTqYr-f9QGp5UBP5B3REsBjS_8sJQywQeB5Eao3UOrg4KV7sYXrzhC0idnLtXKpejwae4BGUN4oY/s320/hotel+guys.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489511741123784786" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKrXSIpAOcRhJcc119NgwzSW06ryjSE2ypF3MixCHu2eOM3q7VSz0kln0BbelTZRrV_DflqrCYnvP9B-5nT_I0Y24OKyz5v_0aiIN3Rw_grsTFW7owpnizUCNtU6OGtO3yV9en6PTcUSXE/s1600/Cliff.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKrXSIpAOcRhJcc119NgwzSW06ryjSE2ypF3MixCHu2eOM3q7VSz0kln0BbelTZRrV_DflqrCYnvP9B-5nT_I0Y24OKyz5v_0aiIN3Rw_grsTFW7owpnizUCNtU6OGtO3yV9en6PTcUSXE/s400/Cliff.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489509148962962450" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFgavxCNrZoCaEojJr4eGKoTf633IT4j4fo5m655YTWyguSfX1yiI1jlzAJRENmZL2A0nXSQMT5SJ7ljPoKfjYiPhHb9_9FlV_yytOA4rWDFT8e4juKeGsM-Ie5MTA4jzfjRKm50S_G661/s1600/IMGP0052.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFgavxCNrZoCaEojJr4eGKoTf633IT4j4fo5m655YTWyguSfX1yiI1jlzAJRENmZL2A0nXSQMT5SJ7ljPoKfjYiPhHb9_9FlV_yytOA4rWDFT8e4juKeGsM-Ie5MTA4jzfjRKm50S_G661/s320/IMGP0052.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489468716580528018" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 204, 0);"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><br /><br />On the left is the beach and cliff right by the apartmento. Above, is the walkway from the apartmento to the road. Tropical flowers are plentiful here. Cathy, your camera would be full of flower pictures!<br /><br />Did you know that the Panama Jack hats, been around 30 plus years were made in Ecuador? Just a little fact I learned today.<br /><br />Most of today was spent organizing my living quarters and reading at the pool. Another pic of the guys working on the boardwalk to the beach for the wedding tomorrow. 80 guests are staying at the hotel...and the party goes all night long!<br /><br />The weather was in the 80's today bright and sunny! Its beautiful at night too, the wind is perfect. There isn't AC here...everyone just leaves their doors/windows open. The bugs will get ya though!<br /><br />Two more pics I want to add to this post...one is of the passion fruit! It grows plentiful here and makes an amazing drink, especially when mixed with rum :) Also, the picture of the lobster we ate...2lbs for $10!! You can't beat that anywhere! Freshly caught that morning from the local fisherman. Vegetation is fresh, colorful and tastes extremely mouth watering.<br /><br />Traditionally we learn in school that Hola is another way of saying hello. Locally, everyone says buenas, a very informal way of saying hello how are you?<br /><br />Buenas Dias amigos!<br /></span></span></span></span>whitedestinyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04205523860212555199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5467855009835894544.post-8935473492446437142010-07-01T20:23:00.000-07:002010-07-01T21:53:13.623-07:00Dia Dos<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Today was a great day! Everyone here has been telling me it takes at least a week to get use to the slower pace and the relaxation down here. I have been waking up anxious like there is a lot of stuff for me to do, when in reality the only thing I really need to do is enjoy life. It's so easy for us to take life for granted in such a busy fast paced environment, even when we take vacation we come back needing a vacation.Down here time is of no importance. I am very blessed to have this opportunity to completely be at ease and find such a high vibration in San Clemente. My wish is for you to find peace in reading these posts.<br /><br />My dad and I walked along la playa (the beach) this morning. The sand isn't fluffy like most beaches, it is very compact, thus walking/running/playing soccer isn't too hard! There are so many whole sand dollars here, its unbelievable. I picked up 5 the other day and saw many more. We met the neighborhood dogs...a couple of boxers and some other mixed breeds. They followed us down the beach and then they sometimes come onto the property at night trying to scrounge up any scraps they can get. I am going to get some doggie treats next time we go into town and train them! haha<br /><br />The weather here is perfecto! It is in the mid 70's to 80's in the day and then at night it gets in the low 70's with a light breeze. The seasons are backwards here so right now it is almost winter time. There has been a lot of cloud coverage, but that doesn't stop anyone from getting a tan.<br /><br />This weekend the hotel is having an 80 person wedding. I am really excited to see how it all goes! The hotel is shut down and the apartmentos aka the condos are rented out to familia of the wedding. All of the staff and owners are really busy running around doing last minute things.<br /><br />On Monday I will be having my first Spanish lesson and tomorrow I think we are going to have dinner at Gabriel's the crazy Italian pizza man.<br /><br /><br />Buenos Noches!<br /><br /><br /><br /></span></span></span></span>whitedestinyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04205523860212555199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5467855009835894544.post-10170949390334751692010-06-30T21:36:00.000-07:002010-06-30T21:51:54.101-07:00Here at last!<span style="font-family: lucida grande;"><span style="font-family: lucida grande;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I am finally here! Safe and sound on the beach in South America. The flight brought us in at about 11:30pm and we took a taxi to the little town of San Clemente which took almost 4 hours to get to. They have fixed a lot of the pot holes since I last visited so the drive wasn't too bad. Every city has huge speed bumps which force you to slow way down. During the day when you are passing through towns people are out at the speed bumps trying to sell you everything, including food! I guess you could call this "fast food" cause that is the closest thing you will get down here to Mcdonald's.<br /><br />My dad and I woke up kind of late considering we didn't go to sleep until really late and we ventured to the hotel restaurant to grab a bite to eat. Most everyone speaks spanish here, its not like Mexico where people speak broken english and know what you are talking about. Here its either Spanish or you sit there and smile looking like a tard. Towards the afternoon we walked on the beach and saw all the fisherman coming back from fishing and then made it down to Meyer's Bar/hangout. Meyer's is a guy from Germany who married an Ecuadorian woman. They have a few hostels on the beach and everyone likes to go hang out there in the afternoons most days and chat. We drank the only beer they have here called Brahama's- a basic pilsner style. Very light. I met another older German guy named Heinz, his wife died about 5 years ago and he has been coming with her to San Clemente for the past 40 years. I also met Peter and his wife who are Swiss and own one of the condos at Vistazul.<br /><br />After buying a few groceries from Meyer's, we made our way back on the dirt road about .5 mile to the condo. Along the way we ran across a few farms with cows, chickens, and pigs. I have been relaxing ever since!<br /><br />There is something about this place. Its very simple and relaxing. The people are friendly and you don't feel stupid trying to speak spanish here. Plus its special because it is such a small town, yet there are people from all over the world here, because they find the same happiness I do here.<br /><br />La vida es bueno!<br /><br /></span></span></span></span></span>whitedestinyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04205523860212555199noreply@blogger.com0