Days 7 & 8

Day 7: Bahia de Caraquez (12/4/09)

I thought that maybe if I forced myself to stay up later I would be able to sleep a little later. I was wrong. I was wide awake at 6:30 again. I heard Margaret get up a short while later, but I was convinced I needed more sleep. After a little more sleep (and a lot of tossing and turning) I thought it had to be around 11. I pulled myself out of bed and realized that I had a terrible headache and that my right eye and eyelid (and surrounding area) were swollen. As I went to grab an ice cube, I noticed it was only 9:30. Oh well.
I held ice on my eye and ate some breakfast, then went in search of Advil. Thankfully Brent had some. Margaret probably had some too, but I didn't want to go through her stuff to find it (she was out walking).

When Margaret got back from her walk, Brent stopped by to see if we wanted to head to San Vincente with him and Elsa. We did. So, I got dressed and we all piled into the truck. Our first stop in San Vincente was a fabric shop to try to find Mosquito netting. We found some that Elsa said still allowed good air flow, but they only had enough to make one Mosquito net with and it was quite a bit more expensive than they had originally thought. Elsa and Brent agreed to pay for the one, since they would be able to use it in their guest room (once their house was finally built) when we left. The store next door had some pre-made Mosquito nets for cheap ($10) and Margaret decided to go ahead and buy one. Elsa said it would work fine for the duration on Margaret's stay probably, but that they tend to catch on things so we should be careful putting it on the bed.

After that we parted ways. Margaret and I headed to Bahia, and Brent and Elsa continued to run errands. There were two ways to get to Bahia: by ferry (which was free for pedestrians but the ferry only left once an hour) or by a smaller pedestrian only boat (which left every few minutes and cost only 30 cents). We opted for the smaller boat because the ferry wait was still about a half hour. When you pay they hand you a life jacket and you head down a ramp and then get on the boat next in line to leave (usualy the only boat with people on it). They pack around 20+ people on to the boat benches and then start the 15 minute trip across the Chone river.

When we got to Bahia our first stop was the Banco Pinchincha so Margaret could withdraw some cash. Our next stop was supposed to be a restaurant that Elsa and Brent had suggested (with a $2 lunch special), but their directions were a bit confusing and we didn't end up finding it. Instead we did some walking around. I managed to find the post office, we also found the market and then, after some more walking, we found ourselves outside of a hostel. We asked the woman at the desk about restaurants in the area and she suggested one right around the corner.

The restaurant was tiny, but they had a lot of customers, so we decided to give it a try. We took a quick look at the menu, but at lunch here they had the $2 lunch special so you don't actually order off of the menu. We didn't really understand at the time, but basically if they still have all the options available you get to choose one soup, one entree and a juice. They only had fish soup left that afternoon (we got there a little late to expect all the options to still be available) but there was still a choice of entree: fish or chicken and only one option for juice (the juice was good, but we couldn't figure out what kind it was). The soup had really great flavor, but the giant chunk of fish wasn't my favorite (I gave it to Margaret), so I just had the broth. The entrees were big. They each had a large piece of meat (Margaret had the fish and I had the chicken) and a heaping pile of rice and a small side salad.

After eating I headed back to the hostel to use the bathroom (bathrooms are hard to find here, even at restaurants), and then we made our way back towards the pier. We made a stop at the Tia (a small grocery chain with some clothes etc too) to pick up a few things. I was under the impression that our stop was going to be a quick one just for milk (Margaret put it in her morning coffee) and maybe granola or something, but getting Margaret to leave was like pulling teeth. I like Margaret a lot, but shopping with her gives me anxiety. She's definitely a bit of an impulse shopper.

When we were done at the Tia, we headed back to the dock and hopped a boat to San Vincente.

Back in San Vincente we walked around a bit and checked things out on our way to the bus stop. They don't really have many set bus stops, so we had been a little concerned that we would have trouble catching the right bus. After only a short walk though there was a man standing next to a bus about to leave saying "Canoa" so we paid and then hopped on.

To get a the bus to stop (because there aren't really any designated stops), for you to get off, you have to walk to the front and ask for them to stop when they are approaching your destination. Our condos were approaching faster than either of us realized (the bus drivers drive like maniacs a lot of the time), and by the time I made it to the front and the bus stopped, we had passed them. Thankfully it was only a short walk back to them.

When we got back to the condo Margaret and I took naps. Mine ended up lasting nearly 3 hours (I was exhausted after hardly sleeping last night). When I finally woke up from my nap Margaret was cooking dinner, chicken and potatoes. We invited Elsa etc. over for dinnner.

After dinner Camila ran home and the rest of us stayed and talked for a while.

Brent and I swapped iPods so he could download some of my music to his computer. A short while later, Juan (one of the sons in the condo maintanence family) came by to let Elsa and Brent know that one of their contractors was at the gate. So, they went to have a meeting with him.

Camila came back to show us her homework assignment (a glittery, red, popsicle stick Christmas star) and asked me to swim with her. I agreed.

After swimming a while, I showered off and then wound up talking to Margaret til around 11.

It was very humid, overcast, and windy today. The wind was really nice though. I probably would've melted in the humidity otherwise.

I had wanted to send some postcards today while we were in Bahia (since the only post office in the area is there), but I haven't seen a single one yet (except for a few I saw at the bascilica in Quito).

When I got to bed I listened to Brent's iPod hoping to fall asleep quickly, but after listening to one full albums and a few other songs I just turned it off. After tossing and turning, I think I managed to fall asleep around 1:30.

Day 8: No More Naps (12/5/09)

I woke up at 6:30 again this morning. I tried to force myself to sleep more, but just wound up tossing and turning until 9:30.

Breakfast was followed by a swim (my hair is going to be in such bad shape by the time I get home). The swim was followed by a walk to Canoa with Camila. Walking to Canoa was nice, but tiring. The walk was a lot longer than I had expected. Along the way we saw a lot of little crabs, a lot of shells and sand dollars, and a lot of trash. Nearly half way to Canoa we saw a sealion carcass with between 50 and 100 crabs on and in it. As soon as they realized we were getting closer, they all fled the carcass and ran to their homes.

The whole walk Camila was climbing up a sand ledge and then running for a bit and then hopping down, and then doing it again. One of the times (we were nearly to Canoa by now) she climbed up and (after only a few seconds of being up there) turned and ran towards me with a terrified look on her face. All she said was "dogs." I thought there were probably only one or two sketchy looking dogs, but then about 5 or 6 dogs lined up on the edge where Camila had jumped and started barking and staring us down. Luckily we were a little further down the beach at this point and they stayed put (still barking though).

Once in town, we went in search of ice cream bars. While walking around, we decided we'd ride the bus home afterwards, instead of walking like we had originally planned (since walking took over an hour). We got out ice cream and then realized we'd spent all our change, so we went on a mission to break my $10 bill. I decided to buy a bottle of water. The boy working the counter couldn't find quite enough change, so I bought some yogurt too (we were going through it pretty quick for breakfast) and he found enough bills that he didn't have to give me all coins.

The bus wasn't there yet (it comes about every 15-20 minutes) so we did some more walking around. Camila really wanted me to try "corviche" (I don't know how it's actually spelled, but that's my guess), which turned out to be basically a corndog with fish instead of other meat inside (and no stick). Of course people usually eat it dipped in mayo, just like everything else here (gross). It wasn't my favorite, but it was alright. I let her finish it. It made me want a corndog.

The bus was coming now, so we hurried to a bus stop sign I had seen earlier and waited. There was an older man (like 60s), as well as some younger guys (teens), near the stop making comments. I had no idea what they were saying but Camila looked freaked out, so I pretended not to notice them talking.

On the bus we managed to find seats near the front and Camila asked for our stop at the perfect time, so we got dropped right at the gate. It was nearly 4 o'clock when we got back. We watched "Slumdog Millionaire" with Margaret, the Camila went home for dinner. Margaret and I ate lentils and rice for dinner. We talked a while and then watched "Margot at the Wedding" and "Burn After Reading."

After the movie fest, I returned the movies to Brent and Elsa, and went online for a bit. No emails, but I got to talk to Brant for a bit on IM, which was nice. I tried calling a few people, but got voicemail, so I headed back to the condo to hit the hay. Please let me sleep easier than last night and for longer. No nap today.