Days 32-33

Day 32: En Route to Cuenca (12/29/09)

Our bus from Bahia to Guayaquil leaves at 7:15, so we are up early (6:15) and I am pretty much ready to go. We load the truck and pile in. Jack sits in the truck bed with the luggage because there aren´t enough seats for all of us now. They drive to San Vincente to the passenger boats and Camila and I hop out. We hop a boat and then a taxi to the bus station.
We are still about 30 minutes early, so we figure out which bus is ours and wait.
Our bus is very nice. The steering wheel, gear shift, and hand rail are all red and marble-y like a fancy bowling ball. There´s a rosary hanging from a mirror surrounded by blue fuzz. There´s also a Virgin Mary decal on the driver´s window.
The bus is very full. The ride is supposed to last 6 hours. Luckily I´m back on my altitude meds so I turn on my iPod and fall asleep quickly. Camila, thankfully, manages to do the same.
We both wake up while the bus makes a stop, but once on the road again we´re both out (again).
When we get closer to Guayaquil they start a movie (one of the ¨The Fast and the Furious¨movies, I figure out later).
We eat a snack and pack up our things as we enter Guayaquil. The bus station in HUGE. It's got a food court and small mall attached and is 3 stories.
We miraculously find a counter for a bus to Cuenca. The tickets are $8 and the bus is leaving in 5-10 minutes. The woman at the counter told Camila her when the bus was leaving and where to find it, but she wasn't listening. We manage to find it with the help of a security guard and a ticket collection lady, once I convince Camila that I need her to ask because the bus is about to leave.
The bus was half full this time and not as plush, but the ride is only supposed to be 3 hours long, so no big deal. This bus also had a fair amount of decorations similar to the last bus. The wheel, gear shift, etc. were all silver and gold checker this time.
The drive was much prettier and greener, but we made more stops between Guayaquil and The Cajas National Park (I think mostly because they wanted more passengers).
On the second bus my bladder was about to explode while in The Cajas, so I finally gave in and used the bus bathroom. There was no toilet paper, no seat, no soap and no towels (not surprising). But there was a giant window right about butt level. Of course I didn't even think anything of it, until we passed a car and I realized I was mooning them while trying not to sit of fall.
Getting through The Cajas took forever because of fog and road work. The bus had to drive very slowly and at one point stop completely (for 20+ minutes) because of road work. The ride that was supposed to last 3 hours wound up lasting almost 6 hours.
They put in a movie ¨The Fast and The Furious¨(a different one than on the last bus). Who knew there was actually any plot aside from racing cars? The whole thing was in Spanish with Castellano subtitles, but lucky for me it was not a difficult movie to understand. Seriously though, I had no idea the movie was supposed to be about anything.
We were thankful to finally get to the Cuenca bus station and find a cab that would take us to our hotel. Santiago (a friend of Elsa's) met us at our hotel and helped us get set up. Then we all walked (in a down pour) to the mall to see a movie.
Unfortunately, when we got there, there weren't any movies playing soon that we wanted to see (or could because Camila is too young). So we ate dinner instead.
On the way to the mall we got to walk by the Tomebamba river and through the park of mothers. The river is beautiful with green space on either side and many nice bridges crossing it.
When Santiago told me the park was called the park of mothers I laughed. I laughed because there is a giant statue of a man speed walking. I asked him why it was named that if it has a giant jogging man. He explained that the man was the first Ecuadorian Olympic Medalist, and then pointed to another statue. This one was of a woman and two children (it's a pretty nice statue). One thing I´ve noticed is that Ecuadorians love their statues. Even smaller cities/towns have a prominent few.
When we got back to the hotel (¨Hostal Sante Fe¨) Camila and I got ready for bed. We were in bed by 8:15-8:30 and started watching TV. Camila let me choose. ¨Twins¨with Danny Devito and Arnold was on, so I chose that and promptly fell asleep (thank god for altitude meds). I think Camila watched most of it before falling asleep.

Day 33: Waiting For The Others (12/30/09)

Elsa called Camila around 7:30 and said they were about to eat breakfast and then head out, so they would be there about 11. Camila and I ate at our hotel and then walked to the small mall close to our hotel (the one we´d tried to see a movie at last night) to see if we could find tights to match Camila´s dress (she was pretty concerned that she had mismatched tights).
The night before Camila had not wanted to wear her tights because their stripes didn´t match the stripes on her dress. So she wore my black skirt over her dress and zipped her hoody all the way up.
We weren´t successful. There is a lot of food and knick-knack shops, but only two clothing stores and one shoe store (none of them had tights, unless you count the thigh-high fishnets at the clothing store called ¨Sweet and Sexy¨or something like that).
We looked at movie times and decided to go see ''Avatar'' at 5:30. Camila is only 11 and the age requirement is 12, but she is very tall for her age so it shouldn´t be a problem.
After the failed mall trip we walked along the river back towards our hotel. On the walk we decided to go look at the church. I say the church because out of all the churches here (and there are quite a few) the one church is on almost every brochure in the city (for hotels, schools, etc.).
It takes us a little while to identify it because most of the photos are not of the whole front, but of the top. From street level it looks like a chapel within a separate church.
The outside is a red-y/orange-y brick structure and the inside layer (which is what most of the pictures are of) has three distinctive domes. The domes are light blue with white detailing (very different in style and coloration than the outside layer).
Camila wants to eat, but I suggest waiting until Elsa, Brent, Margaret, and Jack get to Cuenca (because I´m sure they´ll be ready for lunch). On our walk back towards the hotel we walk through a flower market. The flowers were beautiful and very fragrant. After making our way through we stop at a cart so Camila can buy a little snack. It's a small plastic bag. In it the woman puts 3 different kind of bean/nut things, plantain chips, marinated onion and tomato, salt, pepper, and then poured a lot of some type of juice or marinade over the top. You eat it with a little spoon, similar to ice cream taster spoons.
When we got back to the hotel we watched some TV and ate a snack.
When Elsa, Brent, Margaret and Jack arrive around 1, we unload the truck and go in search of food.
Brent had his heart set on eating "cuy" a.k.a. Guinea Pig, but had not looked into it at all. We asked a businessman on the street if he knew of a good place to go for cuy and he recommended two restaurants nearby. Unfortunately, at this point it was kind of past lunch hours so a lot of places (including the recommended cuy places) were closed until dinner.
Elsa asked some women on the street and she said to ask a taxi driver. Margaret and Jack decided to grab lunch at a restaurant we´d just passed and the rest of us piled into a cab. The driver took us to a street with a few places next door to each other that had cuy. He said he didn´t know much about them and personally didn´t eat cuy. I had been hoping to try it at one of the restaurants recommended in the guidebook, but Brent had his mind set. Both of the places looked pretty sketchy, but one actually had some customers and the other was empty. We ended up at the empty place because the other one was too smokey for Brent and Elsa (the smoke was from the fire they were cooking the cuy and some pork over). It was gross. It was dry and tough and not worth the effort it took to cut and chew it. It was obviously poor quality (which I had guessed before Elsa articulated it). I´d like to say that I´ll give it another shot while I´m here (at an actual restaurant with a good cuy reputation), but I might be too scarred to try again.
After lunch we headed back to the hotel and Elsa and Brent took a nap. Camila and I went to the internet place on the corner and then head to the mall around 4:30 to get tickets for the movie and hour later. The movie was sold out and again there were no movies playing soon that we wanted/could go to. Camila got upset when I suggested we go back to the hotel, but had no ideas as to where else to go. I told her that if she could come up with something I´d consider it, but if not then we should just go. She asked me why she had to come up with something and I told her it was because I was happy to go back to the hotel and she was not. Eventually, she stopped whining and agreed to go back to the hotel, so we head back. On our way, we decide to try to find a cafe that has hot chocolate too. We find one promising place, but it looks a bit like a bar and Camila doesn´t want to go in. So, we wind up back at the hotel anyway.
A while later everyone is ready for dinner and Elsa and Brent are excited to go to "Tiesto's," a restaurant around the corner from the hotel that they go to every time they're in Cuenca.
Unfortunately, they were booked for the night and the waiter said we´d have to try another night. They would be closed the next two nights for the holiday, so we´d have to try Saturday. Elsa talks to the chef for a while and then we go in search of another place.
Hardly anything near us (that seems decent) seems to be open or reasonably priced.
We wander into a hostal/restaurant/bar and take a seat. After looking around they became worried that there isn´t a real dinner menu. But, to our pleasant surprise, there is and it´s pretty extensive (and reasonable).
I order chicken in lemon sauce with rice and a small side salad, and a glass of wine. Almost everyone orders pasta. The meal is good and Camila and I order crepes for dessert.
Elsa asks the waiter about Spanish programs and he writes a list for me (of ones he's heard of). He also tells me that he thinks homestays and other school arranged housing is a rip off.
He said that if they heard of a cheap room for rent they would let me know the next time I stop in.
After eating we head back to the hotel for a bit. I think we just ended up going to bed after some TV.

Day 29-31

Day 29: Coco Loco (12/26/09)

Woke up tired. Tried to sleep longer, but had difficulty. Got up at 8:30, felt like it was much later. Ate the last of the gross yogurt with some granola, then had more with the good yogurt.
After breakfast I started some laundry and did some reading. Blogged for a bit. Then a bit later swam with Camila.
After swimming I grabbed my laundry and ate lunch. Blogged some more, then headed back to the condo because Brent and Elsa were about to make some dinner.
At our condo Margaret made some potatoes and burgers. Brent and Elsa showed up at our door ready to head to Canoa, but we were still eating. We apologized for not being ready and they waited 30 minutes. When we finished eating we all piled into the truck and headed one of the cabañas on the beach in Canoa. Unfortunately, the place Brent wanted to go to was closed so we headed across the street to ¨Coco Loco¨a hostel/bar for a drink (my whiskey and ginger was really a scotch and ginger... hmmm). After our drink we all piled in the truck again and headed back to the condos.
Margaret and Jack went straight to bad and I stayed up and watched ¨The Brave One.¨ I don´t really care for Jody Foster, but I like Terrence Howard a lot.
I´ve been in my room writing for probably close to an hour now and I'm finally feeling drowsy.

Day 30: Vino Tinto at Sunset (12/27/09)

I didn't do much of anything today. I woke up early and went back to bed. Then woke up again and just stayed in bed for a while. Finally, I got up and Margaret and Jack were out y the hammocks with Brent (and probably Elsa too). It was only 8:30. I made myself some breakfast and a short while later Margaret and Jack came in. They ate some pancakes and we did a little talking.
I went to ask Elsa about the bus details for getting to Cuenca. She was busy cleaning out her bedroom, and I told her it was no problem, I could come back later but she tried to call her friend Santiago anyway (in Cuenca). He didn´t answer. So, I checked my email (etc) and also looked online for flights to Costa Rica (from Portland and from Ecuador). They seem to be going up a bit, but are still fairly reasonable. I was gonna write a few emails, but left instead because Brent and Elsa were still cleaning and I felt like I was in the way.
After that I went back to the condo and was getting ready to take a siesta in a hammock, but then a group of people sat at the tables next to the hammocks.
So, instead I read the very last of my book and then tried to nap in my bed. I made myself a couple playlists and listened to both as I dosed in and out. I keep getting a sample, from a song I don´t even have, stuck in my head.
One of my last dreams involved someone (I think it was my parents) tricking me into eating pizza when they promised me sushi. Very strange.
I peeled myself out of bed around 5:30 and ate a snack. After my snack I went back online to write some emails. While I was online Sebastian (and his son Thomas) came over and invited us all over for some wine while the sun was setting.
We all walked over (we didn't have wine, so we brought beer) and a short bit later some other neighbors joined us. Michel, his wife, Dominica (one month older than Thomas), and their baby came. Michel is originally from Germany, but his wife is Ecuadorian.
We ate cheese and crackers and drank while the sun sank. Michel's wife took the baby to bed and Michel went with her to grab some booze. It was some kind of sugar cane liquor and it was surprisingly smooth.
Dominica and Thomas went inside with Sebastian´s wife to play (Camila went with them), and the rest of us stayed and talked. Apparently, Sebastian had been feeling sick all day, so we left early so he could rest up.
We went to Brent and Elsa's and the adults talked while Camila and I watched ¨The God´s Must Be Crazy.¨My mom had sent it as a gift for Camila. I had forgotten how good it is. Camila liked it too.
After that Elsa talked to me about maybe taking Camila on the bus with me and then Camila and I started watching ¨The Goonies¨(another gift from my mom).
I borrowed a couple movies and came back to the condo only part way into ¨The Goonies.¨ I watched a movie called ¨(something or other) Mariposas.¨I think the English title they gave it was just ¨Butterfly.¨I really liked it, but it was a little sad. When the movie ended I headed to bed.

Day 31: Getting Ready For Cuenca (12/28/09)

I woke up on a mission today. My room here was pretty messy, considering how little I brought. I leave for Cuenca tomorrow morning around 6:15 so I´ve got to get all of my cleaning and packing done today.
I got up and ate some breakfast. I wanted to make some tea, but Margaret was using the pot to boil sausages. I decided to go to Brent and Elsa´s to heat some water.
I came back to the condo and drank my tea while packing and listening to music. Jack is going to take my two books back to Portland with him and I managed to fit everything else in my bags. I thought that there was a good chance that some of it wouldn´t fit, but it did! It was a tight squeeze though. If I pick anything else up I might have to find another bag.
After packing I hand washed my bra and went for a swim. I swam in the ocean for a while first and then swam in the pool. The ocean felt nice, but the sun was so hot.
Just as I was getting out of the pool, Camila, Brent and Elsa got back from Bahia.
Of course, Camila wanted to swim, so I got back in the pool for a bit.
I got out with just enough time to shower before the power went out. After getting dressed I ate some lunch then headed to Brent and Elsa´s to drop off goggles and a magnet (for Camila).
Elsa talked to me about the trip tomorrow and gave me our bus tickets for the first leg of our trip. The tickets from Bahia to Guayaquil were only $3.50. The part that Elsa is most worried about is our time in Guayaquil. It´s the largest city in Ecuador and very dangerous. I´m supposed to hold hands with Camila and only talk to the people at the ticket counters. Apparently, there are several who walk around with papers that come up to ask questions and then blow drugs in your face so they can kidnap you.
She told me not to talk to anyone, even if they´re dressed like a nun. They caught a woman at the airport with lots of drugs while dressed like a nun (police dogs apparently went nuts). I promised Elsa that I would be very careful.
I milled around for a while and then decided to sit by the pool with Margaret. Camila came and begged me to swim, but I told her I was done swimming for the day. She begged and begged. I got up and started a load of laundry and then started watching ¨The Straight Story.¨It´s another Davis Lynch movie.
I swapped laundry and ate snacks then finished the movie. When it ended I went to Brent and Elsa´s. Brent was going to make some of his ¨famous¨margaritas.
When it became clear the neighbors weren´t coming, I wasn´t getting a margarita and I couldn´t make any calls I went back to the condo.
Margaret and Jack went to bed shortly after that and I watched ¨Memoirs of a Geisha.¨ I was packed and ready for the morning.

Days 28

Day 28: Christmas Day (12/25/09)

Got some pretty good sleep last night. Slept almost all the way til 10. I dreamt about Portland stuff again, but it was good.
I peeled myself out of bed and had some breakfast. Sat and talked for a bit then came out to the hammocks to write and read. I´ve technically finished my book, but there are a few articles at the end and a Q&A with the authors that I´m reading now.
After a while Margaret wandered out and talked to me for a bit and then walked down to the beach while talking to one of the neighbors (Sebastian, here for the holidays). I continued to read then Jack came out. He told me to let Margaret know that he was going to lay down because of a migraine.
When Margaret made her way back up from the beach we talked for a bit and then Jack came out of hiding. All of us talked a while and then Brent joined us.
Jack and Margaret decided to go for a walk, but first got Brent to take pictures of them by the ocean. Jack came back up and took a picture of me in the hammock, so I would have a picture with the date on it. Then off they went for their walk.
After reading a bit more, I ate some lunch. I read some more after lunch and then called my mom and my nana. Then did more reading. When Brent, Elsa, and Camila came out for a swim, I went and wrote a few emails and called Gabe (briefly. He was busy with family stuff and asked me to try calling again later).
After talking to Gabe for a bit I went back to the apartment and read some more. Camila came by to bring me a bracelet she made for me. I asked if dinner was soon and she said ¨yeah¨and then headed back to her condo. I thought someone would probably let me know when we were eating, but after a while I decided to go check things out. When I got there they were all finishing their last few bites. So I sat down and ate.
While we were still sitting and talking Sebastian and his son Thomas came to invite us over for some drinks. I thought about skipping it, but then decided that I could maybe just slip out a little early (or if it didn´t go too late, just wait until after) to call Gabe (since it had only been 2 hours since I called).
Sebastian´s was very nice. His wife (I can´t remember her name to save my life) was very nice and they were both quite the hosts. Their son Thomas is super cute. He kept playing peak-a-boo with me (hiding mostly behind furniture and then popping out).
Their condo is part of the same complex as the ones we are staying in, but they are the newest ones and are set up differently, better. They live in Quito, but they have the condo as a holiday getaway.
First we all went to the terrace, which was huge and perfect for Thomas because it was more or less fenced in. It had a great bird´s eye view of the beach.
Next we all headed back to the living room. Sebastian made some Pisco Sours for us (a Chilean drink with Pisco, lime, sugar and egg white. Sounds gross, but it was delicious) and they brought out some little things to snack on.
Sebastian works for a TV station in Quito and told us about a couple of shows he´s been working on lately. Kind of similar to True Life. He´s done one on aging where he interviewed elderly people about a bunch of different aspects of getting old, documentary style. One that he´s worked on more recently was an episode about people who were blind. They talked to people who were born blind as well as people who became blind. He told us about one of the people they talked to that they weren´t going to include in the episode. It was a 24 year old man who had only become blind at 23 years old. He said it wouldn´t make the final cut because of the circumstances. When he was 23, the young man had been convinced to drink industrial strength alcohol by his girlfriend at the time. The alcohol made him blind and undoubtedly caused other serious internal damage.
Anyway, he offered another round of drinks, but to my surprise everyone declined. It was probably for the best because Margaret and Jack were about done drinking and Elsa doesn´t drink (which means Brent doesn´t drink much).
There was no sneaking off for a phone call and no time to call after either (Brent and Elsa were headed straight to bed). So, I watched ¨The Hangover¨instead with Margaret and Jack and then went to bed.

Days 24-27

Day 24: Laundry (12/21/09)

I had taken Melatonin again and hardly had any trouble getting to sleep last night, which was really nice. I woke up a little before 7 and Margaret was already up, sweeping. I went to the bathroom and then back to bed.
I woke up again a while later and just stayed in bed thinking. I did some stretching (my body needed it after all the exercise from the day before) and finally got up around 11.
I made some breakfast and fresh squeezed grapefruit juice and tea. I gathered up laundry and dropped it in the laundry room, but the was a load still going in the washer.
I came back and finished my drinks, did some writing and listened to some music.
Went back, started my laundry, came back and hand washed my pillow and did dishes. Went back to swap my laundry, but the stuff in the drier was still damp. I added some time to the drier and came back (to the condo) and did some more writing. Went back, swapped laundry, but took all the smaller things to the condo to air dry and just put sheets and a towel in the drier.
After hanging up all the small things to dry, I came inside and the power had gone out. So, I did a bit more writing. I´d like to go to Bahia to mail the letters I wrote last week, but I might swim instead.
While the power was out, I read part of one of the Spanish books my mom sent. I like the book a lot. It´s organized well. Some of the vocab is different because it´s Spain Spanish not Ecuadorian Spanish, but the basics are the same.
After reading a while, I went for a good swim. I just did laps for 20 minutes or so, but it felt good.
When I got out the power was back on so I showered and went to check my sheets. They were dry and folded. I threw the small stuff and my pillow in the drier because they weren´t drying fast enough on their own.
When everything was dry, I made my bad and we ate some dinner. After dinner we talked a while and then I watched ¨Love Actually¨and went to bed.

Day 25: Bahia (12/22/09)

I had dream about Fat Straw last night. I wish I had written what I remembered this morning, because now it´s evening and I´ve forgotten it all.
I woke up about 7, slept ´til 7:30 and then finally got out of bed at 8:15. Not only were they working on the road again, but also the groundskeeper was adding a window to one of the condos (knocking bricks out of the wall).
I made breakfast and then sat around chatting with Margaret and Jack for a while. They headed to Brent and Elsa´s to use the internet and Camila and I did some yoga and went swimming.
After showering off Camila and I got ready to go to Bahia. Our plan was to go to lunch, then the post office, then the museum and then sandal shopping (for me).
Camila and I ended up at the restaurant that Margaret and I had gone to on our first trip to Bahia. Today the $2 lunch special included your choice of cheese or meat soup, and a meat or fish entree, lemonade or jugo de tomat (which is not tomato juice apparently, still gotta figure that on out). We both ended up getting cheese soup (the cheese here is really weird, but the soup wasn´t too bad), fish entree (with rice and a side salad) and lemonade. Pretty darn good, just like last time.
Next we headed to the post office, but it was closed (AGAIN?) so we went to the museum.
It looked opened from the outside, and the front door was unlocked, but the inside looked closed. It was open they said (the security guards), but I guess the lights are all motion sensor-ed.
I had to sign in with the security (name, passport #) at the front, check my purse and pay $1 admission. They gave Camila a brochure in Spanish and me one in English. While we were walking around on the first floor, two (younger) girls came up to us and asked if we´d like a guide. Camila said yes, but told them that I only spoke English. So, they tried to find me a guide that spoke English.
I didn´t really know what was going on, so I just kept looking at stuff with Camila. When we exhausted the first floor visuals, we headed to the second floor.
The two girls from before followed us up. After a while they told Camila that the English guide was downstairs.
The man that was my guide (Camila got one of the girls to be her guide) was wearing a pink Playboy bunny polo shirt. His English was not perfect, but he did a very good job of explaining all of the exhibits.
The first floor was all artifacts. Most of which had, surprisingly, been discovered in the last few years. All of the pieces were either pottery, musical instruments, jewelry, or human figures.
The human figures were often positioned sexually, and some of them were part human part animal (there were only a few that were entirely animal). The guide talked about the importance of sexual practices in the culture (fertility, masturbation, etc.) as represented by the sexually oriented figures, and the influence of hallucinogenic drugs represented by the part (or full) beast figures.
There was a lot of jewelry and other metal works on display. Everyone in the culture wore nose rings (children, men, women) a lot of which were made with half gold and half copper.
In the front part of the museum, when you first walk in, is a giant replica of a boat that one of the first Spaniards (in 1526) described with great detail in his journal.
The second floor connected a lot of the pieces and practices to certain regions of the country. It tied the old with some of the more modern practices.
The third floor had two sections: an Ecuadorian hats (¨Panama¨hats) exhibit, and an art gallery.
Ecuadorian hats are commonly known as Panama hats because they were originally distributed through Panama. A lot of people here seem to take this misunderstanding very seriously (I´ve been reminded on several occasions that they are Ecuadorian hats). This room had a documentary playing as well as actual examples of hats at different stages of completion.
The art gallery was filled with art by different Ecuadorians, but unlike most museums or galleries I´ve been to the artists were not necessarily famous ones. The guide told me that every so often the museum goes out and collects art from artists that wish to donate it and they store it until there is an opportunity to show it.
After this we went to the sixth floor to get an overhead view of a portion of the city and of the bay (it was a perfect day for it).
Next we walked back the way we came. The post office was still closed, so we went in search of sandals. Once sandals were found, I dragged Camila to the shop next door to check my email.
We got some ice cream and the hopped a boat back to San Vincente. And from there, hopped the bus to the condos.
When we got back, I wrote some, then went to Brent and Elsa´s (while they were swimming, so I wouldn´t be in their hair) to use their internet. In Bahia, I had only read emails, and promised Camila not to write back while we were there. I wrote my mom and a few others and then looked up info about Rio Muchacho (an organic farm a little ways outside of Canoa) and a couple of the Spanish programs in Cuenca. The internet quit abruptly, so that didn´t last long.
For dinner we all ate fish tacos at Brent and Elsa´s. Afterwards, I went back to the condo and watched ¨Ghosts of Girlfriends Past.¨ (I´m starting to run out of movies to watch, I think there are about 5 that I haven´t seen yet)

Day 26: Online Research and Blogging? (12/23/09)

Today got off to a slow start.
Brent and Elsa are headed to Manta today to take back one of the remote control cars they bought because they got two that worked on the same frequency (so you can´t race them). So, it was a good opportunity to look up Spanish schools without being in the way.
It looks like most of the school are pretty similar in price, and programs. A few of them were quite a bit more. One of them that was highly recommended (according to Lonely Planet) was nearly $100 more for just one week worth of study (than the others). All of them offer home stays, but most of them require at least 2 weeks of commitment. I´m going to look in to it more when I actually get to Cuenca.
When the power was about to go out I went back to the condo and made myself some lunch. After eating and reading for a while, Camila came over and we left for Canoa.
We were more than half way to Canoa when Camila decided she wanted to go back. I needed to buy some groceries in Canoa and she had been so enthusiastic about walking there and back earlier. I pretty much had to beg her to go the rest of the way with me.
We went to two different stores and neither of them had the large size of the yogurt we usually get. At the second store (which is where we usually shop in Canoa) I bought a different brand of yogurt and my other groceries. We got out of the store and Camila was concerned that the bus wasn´t there and said she didn´t want to walk. A taxi dropped off a couple girls about a block ahead of us and Camila lit up. ¨We could take taxi, no?¨ I asked her how much it was and she asked the driver. It was only $2 so I agreed.
When we got back I figured out why she was so eager to get back. Her mom and Brent pulled up about 10 minutes later and she instantly started scamming on the possible presents in the truck bed.
We ate dinner a short while later and then Jack, Margaret and I watched ¨¨(something or other) Heist¨with Morgan Freeman, William H. Macy and Christopher Walken.
After the movie we talked a while, then Margaret and Jack went to bed and I read for a while.

Day 27: Christmas Eve (12/24/09)

The yogurt I got yesterday was disgusting. I am bummed. I put a bunch of granola in it and it masked the flavor well enough to make it edible.
Brent and Elsa were headed to Bahia to check out a cement mixer and Margaret and Jack were gonna hop a ride to San Vincente with them. I thought about going, but decided to stay and read instead.
I´ve already finished the book of short stories my mom sent and now I´m part way into the other book she sent. It´s been so long since I´ve done much reading and now I´m just swallowing up these books, it feels strange.
After a while of reading, I headed to Brent and Elsa´s to update my blog (as of today, I´m only up to my 8th day, only about 20 more to go). Just as I´m signing off Brent, Elsa, and Camila get back. Camila and I go swimming and Brent joins us as soon as he takes the turkey out of the grill and puts it away.
I swim for a while longer after they get out. When I got out of the shower Margaret and Jack were back from town. Margaret managed to find some of the better yogurt and a bit more granola. She was in charge of mashed potatoes for our turkey dinner, so they also brought a bag full of potatoes back.
We talked and drank while the potatoes were cooking. Margaret and Jack were both a little toasted by the time the potatoes needed mashing.
Dinner was delicious. Jack managed to get the wine open (by pushing the cork in, because no one had a cork screw) and a few of us had wine with dinner. Jack and Brent drank Cuba Libres (rum and coke and lime). For dinner we had turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, broccoli salad (with mayo, ick) and for dessert we had chocolate flan (SO much better then the weird carmel flavor they usually get).
Camila opened all her presents and we went outside and played with her new remote control car (and Brent´s). After a bit I grabbed my list of phone numbers and made some calls. I got to talk to my sister for a second and to Katie Sim, my old boss (my sister was just about to start work). I also got to talk to Nat for a sec and Steph for 15 minutes or so. Rachael didn´t answer when I called, but Gabe did. We got to talk for almost an hour. It was really good to get to talk to him.
When I was done calling I went back to the condo and watched ¨The Jacket¨and then hit the hay.

Days 21-23

Day 21: Feliz Navidad The Remix (12/18/09)

Today we woke up early and left the condos around 8:15.
We dropped Camila off at her school to get ready for their Christmas program, then headed to a few places for Brent and Elsa´s house building project.
Brent dropped us off at Camila´s school to watch the program and then went to drop the truck off in Bahia.
The program didn´t start until 10 and we had to leave before Camila even performed. Everyone at the school (kids and teachers) were all dressed in ¨nice¨ normal clothes, rather then their usual uniforms. People, especially older women and teachers, dress a lot differently than I´ve ever noticed in Portland. Can you imagine coming to parent teacher night and having your 5th grade teacher wearing a sheer lace cleavage showing tank top with booty shorts and 4-6 in. heels?
We were supposed to take the smaller passenger boat to the truck and then drive to Manta to pick up Jack, but the ferry wasn´t running (because the tide was too low). So, we had the pleasure of driving an extra 30-45 minutes on an extra torn up road around the bay. Even with the road as confusing as it was, we made it to Manta a bit early.
We ate lunch on the beach and were harassed by several vendors. There was only seafood, but the fish I has was pretty good.
After lunch we went to the airport to pick up Jack. His flight was late and he was one of the last people off of the plane.
It turns out that he had a run in with the Ecuadorian security over some PVC glue he was bringing for Brent. They pulled him aside and did a little questioning and took his passport and boarding pass for a while. They wound up letting him on the plane without the glue.
Once we had Jack we went to KFC so he could have some lunch before our grocery shopping trip.
We went to the SuperMaxi to the toy store so Elsa and Brent could pick up a Christmas present for Camila. Then we went to the food part of the store and did our shopping. They didn´t have a lot of the random stuff I was looking for, but I won´t die without it.
After shopping we piled back in the truck and headed to the condos.
We made it back to Bahia in less than half the time it had taken to get to Manta. And made it in time for the ferry to San Vincente.
Once we were back we unloaded the truck and had snacks and scotch.
Margaret and Jack went to bed and I attempted to watch a movie (something about parting waves?) but it was very slow and strange (it reminded me a bit of ¨Dancer In The Dark¨). I watched half and went to sleep.

Day 22: Bahia/Letters? pt. 2 (12/19/09)

Today I woke up at 6, as per usual, then headed back to bed. Woke up at 8:30 or so and quickly decided to get up because they were working on the highway about 25-30 ft from my bedroom window. Margaret and Jack were up making breakfast so I joined them for some crepe/pancakes.
A little while after eating they decided to walk up the beach to Canoa. I watched the second half of the movie from the night before.
After the movie, I got ready to go, then ate some lunch. Just as I was grabbing my purse to leave, Camila came home. She wanted me to wait, then she would join me.
I waited while she showered and got ready. She showed me the dresses her oldest sister had sent from Sweden for her, then we waited for the bus.
There were a few other people waiting. A man, his wife and son (I think) were waiting. The man said something about being from L.A. and could speak perfect English, but with a heavy accent. They were pretty friendly, they asked if I was Canadian.
We took the ferry to Bahia and went to Tía to buy a couple things and break my $20.
We walked to the post office next, but it was closed, so we walked to an internet cafe. It was surprisingly nice and well kept inside. The most confusing part was the keyboard. To get an ¨@¨symbol you have to press Ctrl+Alt+2, because the normal shift+2=" the guy next to me explained it for me.
I emailed my mom to let her know that everything went pretty smoothly with Jack and to thank her for sending things with him for me.
After the internet cafe, we looked for shoes for Camila and then took the ferry back to San Vincente. In San Vincente we went back to the shop where I had seen a shirt I liked. I tried it on, but it didn´t fit, so we hopped a bus back to the condos.
I had told Camila I would go swimming, but once we got back I changed my mind. A short while later I ate some dinner with Margaret and Jack.
Jack took apart one of the ceiling fans that wasn´t working properly and tried to fix it. About 5 minutes later the power went out. He didn´t want to give up get so he was trying to reassemble it by candle and flashlight. He was forced to give up even after the power had come back on.
With the power back on I started reading one of the books my mom sent for me. ¨Throw Like A Girl¨is a book of short stories about different women. I´ve read two of the short stories so far. They´re easy to read, but not that engrossing.

Day 23: El Matal (Jama/Manantial) (12/29/09)

My favorite part of this weekly picnic is getting to talk to Elsa. Most of the time she is too busy with Brent and Camila (and the house building errands) to really have a conversation, but when we come for the picnic we always get to talk. Today, because the tide is low, we take our ¨treasure hunt¨walk first.
Elsa asked why I might not go to Quito with Margaret when Jack has to leave. I told her that I was hoping to stay in Cuenca and take some Spanish then maybe head to the Galapagos or Peru after. And that there is a chance that one of my friends might meet me in Central America for a week or two.
She said that when we get to Cuenca she´ll introduce me to a lawyer friend of hers that can help me figure out my Galapagos trip. She said that he is 28, gay, and really nice (my guess is that she knows him through her son Leo).
On our drive to El Matal that day she had called him and made reservations for us in Cuenca, so we´re all going for sure!
We walked for a lot longer that before. It was nice though. I think it was good for me because I´ve been pretty stagnant lately.
After walking we went to our usual leafy hut and ate sandwiches. Brent, Camila, and Brigit we swimming. I talked to Margaret and Elsa for a while and then did some reading.
I read for about an hour and then realized I had to pee really badly. So, I grabbed 25 cents and some toilet paper and headed for the baños we used last time. It was closed, so I walked back to ask if Elsa knew of another place, but she didn´t. I walked down the road a long ways, but didn´t see any other baños.
When I got back to the blanket Brent and Jack were back from wandering. They said that the guy who´d been kite boarding earlier let them use the bathroom at the shrimp lab across the street. So, I did the same.
When I got back they were about ready to leave so we loaded the truck and headed back towards the condos.
We stopped by the gas station for gas, water, ice cream and chips. Then we stopped by the cabaña ¨Margaritaville¨to pick up some chairs and empty beer crates.
When we got to the condos Camila, Brigit, me and Tasha (? the Russian kid) went swimming. I think we swam for about 2 hours.
It felt so good to take a proper shower after swimming (the water didn´t stop running 2 minutes into the shower).
Then I ate and got to go online. I guess when I emailed on Saturday I had accidentally sent the email to myself instead of my mom. So I resent an email to my mom and emailed my grandma.
I also got to talk to Natallie and Hana for a bit.
I went back to the condo and drank some wine and talked to Jack and Margaret for a while. When they both went to bed I watched ¨Wild At Heart.¨t was good. Nicholas Cage and Laura Dern (and a few others) were in it. It´s by David Lynch, who is kind of hit or miss for me, but I liked it.

Days 17-20

Day 17: Laser Lights (12/14/09)

I had a mosquito net on my bed last night! (Finally!! Thanks Elsa!) It was great. I didn´t acquire any new bites for the first night since being here. I didn´t sleep well though.
I tossed and turned all night. I probably actually slept 2 hours.
I got up at 9:45 and had breakfast and talked to Margaret. Brent and Elsa had left around 8:30 or 9 to run errands. Margaret and I had talked to them about going to San Vincente with them today, and both thought that when they left this morning it was for San Vincente without us.
Margaret got ready and went to Canoa to get a few things. About 15 minutes later Brent came back and asked if we still wanted to go to San Vincente with them. I told him that Margaret had already left for Canoa to get some of our groceries. He offered to pick up eggs, water, and Cauliflower for us (all the things Margaret can´t get in Canoa), I said that would be great and thanked him.
I would really like to do some swimming and walking, but the sun is SO strong today. Later in the afternoon some clouds rolled in and helped make the sun a little less intense.
I went to Brent and Elsa´s to see if I´d gotten any emails. I was disappointed to find only junk mail. I think when the power comes back on (it´s been out for nearly 4 hours now) I´ll check again and maybe try calling my sister.
When Camila got home from school we ate lunch, went swimming, played ball, played on the playground, and then sat on our butts.
Elsa and Brent finally got back around 4:45 from San Vincente. They had been looking for wood for the new house they´re going to build. They brought back more than just eggs, water, and cauliflower. They also bought bread, 2 milks, a whole cooked chicken, and fried green plantains. Between Margaret´s shopping and Brent´s we have plenty of bread, milk, and water for a while.
When the power does finally come back on, I need to do some laundry too.
I hope Gabe´s written today. I hate writing multiple messages in a row. I really need to only go online a few times a week, but we´ll see.
So, the power actually ended up being out for nearly 8 hours. We lit a candle and talked and had some drinks (Margaret and I). Around 8 or so Brent, Elsa, Camila, and Brigit´s family were outside near the pool playing with a couple of Brent´s laser pointers.
We joined them a short while later. I was enjoying the drinks and the power outage. I was thinking about our plans for while Jack is here. I was looking forward to whatever Gabe was sending and getting excited to be heading out of Canoa. We´re going to Cuenca for New Years, which I am really excited about.
When the power came back on I went and checked emails. Natallie had left me her phone number and address, which I was excited about and I got a quick message from Gabe.
After writing back I headed back to the apartment. I tried to go to bed. I was very restless though, so sleep didn´t happen for a long while. I tossed and turned all night, and woke up at 4 and tried reading to fall back to sleep, but it didn´t help. I finally fell asleep around 6.

Day 18: Nap All Day (12/15/09)

I woke up about 7 and then ever half hour after that til 8:30. I just layed in bed a while, but had given up on more sleep. Lack of sleep is making my anxiety a lot worse. I hope that taking Melatonin when Jack gets here will help (my mom is sending some with him).
So far today I´ve accomplished nothing.
I ate breakfast and watched a movie (¨Qué Tan Lejos¨my mom had gotten it from the library for me, but I hadn´t watched it before I left).
Margaret, Elsa, and Brent went to San Vincente. I was going to do some laundry, then take a walk, but the machine was in use (and had a bunch more loads lined up), so I hand washed my necessary items. The sun is too strong for a walk right now, so I am eating lunch instead.
I wanted to lay in a hammock to read a while, but there were people taking their siestas in them.
I did some reading in the condo and then tried to nap. I figure if I can fall asleep at any time of day I should take it.
I woke up just as the power came back on (a bit after 5). Margaret was swimming and watching the sunset. It was a really nice one today. Hardly any clouds and the sun was a magnificent burning red/orange.
I attempted to do laundry again, but the was still some lined up (and the machine was in use). So, I left my basket to try again in a couple hours.
Margaret and I watched most of ¨The Elephant Man¨and then Camila summoned us to dinner.
We had beef tacos. They were simple: seasoned ground beef, lettuce and salsa (Mango salsa that Elsa made).
After dinner we talked a while and Camila covered me in the leftover fabric from her angel costume (for her school´s Christmas program). Brent took a funny picture of the two of us, hope it makes it online.
Later, we went back and finished ¨The Elephant Man¨and I tried to watch a Pedro Almodovar movie, but it didn´t have subtitles and I had no idea what was going on.
Then I tried to sleep. It took a while, but I finally slept.

Day 19: Walking (12/16/09)

Woke up at 6, went back to sleep ´til 8:30. Got up, changed, made breakfast, started laundry, ate. So far I´m feeling relatively productive.
Talked with Margaret and was getting increasingly impatient trying to explain Skype to her.
Swapped my laundry, ate some lunch, more frustrating conversation, walk.
The tide was coming in, but I was hoping to go for a little ways before getting trapped. This time I walked towards San Vincente, because all the other times I´ve gone in the direction of Canoa. I didn´t wear shoes because they´re too difficult in the sand.
Just a little ways down the beach there was a sea turtle being eaten by several vultures (belly up). For a long while there wasn´t much else, just crabs and shells and garbage. I was listening to ¨What Is Soul?¨by Parliament Funkadelic. I had traded iPods with Brent a short while after getting here, but today I traded back. A little while later there was a small bird that looked like a stork, but was only about a foot tall. I took a picture. Later I ran into a group of them, varying in size (one was at least 3 times the size) and color (some white, some gray/brown).
Just past the birds was a ¨shrimp lab.¨It was fairly rundown (like a lot of things here) with roof tiles missing etc. I think it´s non-functioning, but I can´t be sure.
The shrimp labs are where they farm shrimp and also try to genetically modify them to be larger. Took a few pictures.
I walked until the water wouldn´t allow me to walk further. (Further? or farther?) I may have been able to find a way around but I wanted to make it back to the condo before getting stuck.
On the way back I tried to take pictures of the vultures eating the turtle, but they kept stopping each time I looked at them.
When I got back I sat on one of the beach stairs and wrote for a while. Camila surprised me. She asked me to swim then go to San Vincente with her. I agreed.
The power was out and there was no water, so I had to rinse with my water bottle. Swam for about an hour, then rinsed off in Elsa´s big water tub on her deck. The power/water were still out.
Elsa wouldn´t let Camila go to San Vincente until tomorrow because the bus wouldn´t be running for much longer today.
Dinner with Margaret. Attempted to check email/make calls, but the internet was down. Partial movie with Margaret. Attempt #2 for internet was successful. Got to talk to Gabe and Georgia for a bit. When did having a decent phone conversation become so difficult? It used to come so naturally when I was talking on the phone all the time, but now with texting etc., people never have actual conversations on the phone.
Finished a weird movie and watched a second. Now time to attempt to sleep.

Day 20: Letters? (12/17/09)

Slept ok. My objective for the day was to send a couple letters.
Camils had asked me to go to San Vincente after lunch, so I thought I would just hit Bahia before coming back.
We ended up leaving a bit later than expected (to head to San Vincente) so we didn´t have time for Bahia.
In San Vincente Camila and Brigit bought a few things to decorate for school (for Christmas). I bought a few more envelopes.
After going to ¨Globo¨(the place with envelopes, etc.) we walked around for a while. Camila asked if I wanted to look at swim suits, but I had already bought a second one last week.
We went in and looked around anyway. She bought a swim suit (they´re all $5, just about everywhere it seems) and I found a shirt I liked, but hadn´t brought enough money with me.
After that we walked through most of San Vincente and caught a bus back to the condos.
It was nearly dinner time, but the power was still out. It´s a good thing out stove top is gas. The water was still out too. Margaret and I ate and talked a while.
The power eventually came back on and I went to check if Brent was able to get an internet connection (since I promised to call a few people). No internet. So, I came back and watched ¨Cassandra´s Dream¨(it was a pretty good movie, by Woody Allen).
I went to bed pretty early because we have an early morning tomorrow.

Days 13-16

Day 13: The Mail (12/10/09)

I woke up with the intention of sending a few emails and making a few calls. I also hoped to make it to Bahia to send a few letters and buy a glass to replace the one I knocked over/broke last night.
I did a little emailing and called my parents. Things seem to be going okay in Portland. It´s really cold, but my parents have been staying busy. The dog´s (Penny) back legs are still bad, but not any worse than when I left. She´s in good spirits and happy to get the few walks she gets. Katie is finished with finals and on break now. My dad is loving my phone (I knew he would). I´m afraid I may never get it back.
After talking to them for a bit Camila came home from school and we ate lunch. Elsa made ceviche. I´ve never actually had it before, but in the U.S. I´ve always seen it served more like a salad, but here it´s served almost like soup (with a lot of broth) with popcorn. I guess in Ecuador a lot of places serve popcorn with different foods. After lunch Camila and I got ready for the trek to Bahia.
The only thing on my agenda was to buy larger envelopes and to make it to the post office. I thought Camila also had things to do in Bahia (school supply shopping or something), but she didn´t.
We hopped a bus to San Vincente and then hopped a boat to Bahia. We walked close to the water for a while and Camila asked me what I wanted to do. I told her I didn´t know and asked where she usually goes when she comes to Bahia with her mom. She said the dentist and I laughed.
We turned around and walked the other way. She decided we should go to the museum. On the way to the museum we stopped at the Tia grocery store and bought my replacement glass. Then walked past a lot of other small shops, until we came to one that Camila thought might have envelopes. She was right.
We continued to the museum, but it was closed. I wanted to sit for a minute to finish up one of my letters, but she didn´t know of a good place to sit (and I couldn´t see one). So I leaned against the museums fence and finished my letter, and put all of them into the new envelopes while Camila whined. On our way back towards the post office, we stopped so Camila could buy a corviche (I don´t know how to spell it), a fried cornbread cover piece of fish.
At the post office, Camila talked to the man at the counter for about 5 seconds and then turned into a deer in head lights when I asked what he had said. So he and I played charades. I payed for the letters, he gave me a receipt, and I thanked him.
I asked Camila what she´d like to do next, but she didn´t have any ideas. I suggested we head back to San Vincente so we would be sure to catch a bus (it stopped running in 45 minutes).
So we hopped a small boat back towards the other side. There were a ton of sailboats in the water near Bahia, and they had made some obvious progress on the bridge.
I would really like to wander around some of these small towns and do some knick-knack shopping, but to be honest, it´s way too anxiety inducing at this point. Every vendor (probably closer to 80% of vendors) seems to be one or both of two things: 1. really pushy or 2. a gawk-er. In the U.S. pushy street vendors (etc) give me anxiety as it is and this is like that times 100-1000. At least in the U.S. I understand what people are saying and the context of their body language. The gawk-ers are nearly as bad. I´ve discovered I really don´t like being stared at blatantly.
The way going to a lot of places here makes me feel is similar to the way I felt in college. I hate feeling like that.
Anyway, we hopped a bus in San Vincente and made it to the condos just before dinner.
After dinner I tried to watch movies. The first one skipped a ton, so I moved on. The second one had a huge crack in it and the third one I only watched briefly, then headed to Elsa´s to call Gabe.
Brent was on Skype talking to his Oregon realtors office about the sale of his house closing. I was gonna leave and wait until tomorrow, but then Elsa got off her computer so I checked email (etc) until Brent was done. I managed to get a hold of Gabe. It was really good to talk to him even though it felt brief (we talked for 45 minutes, but when you´re used to talking everyday, it feels like very little). He had gone to a doctor about being sick and got strep tested (negative). He started looking for jobs, which I think is great. He seemed to think it was a good idea too. He only started yesterday though, so we´ll see how it goes. Looking for jobs sucks. I was yawning a lot so we said goodbye, but he asked me to call again tomorrow.
I think I might start forcing myself to go online less frequently, maybe only a few times a week, to avoid getting sucked into it (like I always seem to). I think I´ll start limiting my calls too. I probably shouldn´t be talking to people a bunch, ´cause who knows if I´ll be able to wherever I end up next.
Maybe I´ll try going for walks everyday and try talking to people at the hostels about what to do in town.
After talking to Gabe, I headed back to the condo and watched part of ¨Dogville.¨It´s very strange so far. It´s basically a play on film, but shot like a movie (hard to explain in writing). Then I slept.

Day 14: BBQ Chicken (12/11/09)

I finally got out of bed around 9 am. I ate my usual yogurt and granola plus half a PB&J for breakfast. I grabbed the movies that hadn´t worked last night and headed to Elsa and Brent´s. They were headed out shortly to go to their property (future home site).
I put up 3 more days worth of blog (which took a ridiculous amount of time) and checked emails, etc.
I came back to the apartment and ate some lunch. I went back to Brent and Elsa´s to find Margaret´s Ecuador book and then did some reading at the apartment.
I tried to take a nap, but it was no use. There was too much noise from the road and the pool. So I just ¨rested my eyes.¨I wanted to go for a swim next, but the Russians had the pool, so I took a walk instead.
I walked almost to Canoa and then turned around. I took the camera with me this time. I walked until I got to the dead sea lion (there were several vultures eating it), took some picture. I also took pictures of an old light bulb I had seen and the sunset and crabs, etc. When I was nearly back I ran into Margaret. She wanted to get a little walk in before dinner. BBQ chicken and mashed potatoes tonight.
After dinner I tried calling Gabe, but he didn´t answer so I tried Christina. She did answer, but the reception was terrible. It was still nice to hear her voice for 5 seconds. I tried Gabe again, but he was watching a Blazer game so we only talked for a couple minutes. He asked if he could still send stuff with my mom´s friend´s husband (Jack). I told him that I thought he could because Jack was supposed to be having dinner at my parents´house later that week.
When I got back to the apartment I hit the hay.

Day 15: El Matal/Jama/Manantial (12/12/09)

I woke up around 8:30 and talked to Margaret while I ate breakfast. Brent and Elsa were walking to the truck with a few things and said that they wanted to head out at 10.
Today we were going back to their weekly picnic beach.
When we got there, there were hardly any clouds. It was very hot, but thankfully there was a good breeze. The waves were to big and strong to swim, so I went for a walk.
I walked nearly to the end of the beach.
The water kept speeding up the shore and kept my legs nice and cool. There were tons of birds out, but hardly any fishermen.
There were gulls, small black birds, large black/white (fork tailed) birds, vultures and pelicans.
When I got back to the blanket it had been about an hour and a half. Time for lunch.
Deviled egg sandwiches. They were alright, but were too mayo-y for me. We all sat and talked a while, then all of a sudden the waves were making it to out toes. Margaret, Brent, and Camila disappeared, so Elsa and I packed up the truck. We waited a while, but Camila was the only one who came back, so Elsa locked the truck and the three of us walked down the beach (in the opposite direction of my first walk) to look for ¨treasures.
We didn´t find any, but Elsa and I talked a lot. It was very nice. She is really a very sweet woman. Brent is very lucky to have met her (through craigslist). We walked a long ways and Camila was bored and thought we should go back to find Margaret and Brent.
We were almost all the way back before we ran into them.
We piled into the truck again, and except for a couple short stops, went to the condos.
When we got back I called my parents and then called Gabe. Gabe said the stuff he wanted to send would be ready by Sunday and luckily enough Jack couldn´t make dinner tonight (Saturday) so Gabe´s stuff should make it to Jack in time.
I after the calls I hopped in the pool and played some ball game similar to volleyball (but no net, and apparently no volleying) with Camila, Brigit (the maintenance family´s daughter) and a girl from down the road.
We played in the pool until the sun was set. I showered and then Margaret and I had creamy chicken noodle soup and talked til 10:30.
I got a little sun today. Mostly near my chest/neck and my calves and feet. My feet/legs was because the water washed off my sunscreen while I was walking. But I guess I should´ve reapplied some to my chest/neck/face too. Oh well, the burn isn´t that bad.

Day 16: Cartwheels (12/13/09)

Today I woke up around 6, slept again til 6:30, then 7, then 7:30, then 9. At 9 I finally got up.
I made myself some breakfast and fresh squeezed grapefruit juice, while listening to Ray Charles.
Camila and Brigit came by to ask me to teach them cartwheels. I agreed to after I finished eating and washed the dishes. As I was finishing the dishes Margaret came in and we talked a bit about plans while Jack is here. Then I went to find Camila and Brigit.
We did some cartwheels, but I couldn´t do too many because I haven´t been stretching and I was pulling muscles.
Then we decided to walk to Canoa because they needed something to do and I needed a few groceries. The walk was long and hot. The temperature is definitely going up here.
There were so many vultures on the sea lion today. You could see it´s ribs through the holes that had been ripped in it.
In Canoa, we got mosquito spray for the house (mosquitoes are breeding in our shower and living in my closet), a new swim suit for me (mine is starting to get thin because of all the pool swimming), and ice cream sandwiches. We walked around for a while and then got groceries and ran to the bus.
When we got back Margaret was napping and Brent and Elsa were laying in the hammocks.
I ate lunch and started thinking about napping. Camila really wanted to swim in about an hour, but I decided to nap anyway.
When I woke up and went to Elsa´s, Camila said that Brigit´s dad had to clean the pool, so no swimming for a few hours.
I checked emails, etc and tried to make some calls, but no one answered. Camila asked if I wanted to swim now, but it´s dinner time.
After dinner Margaret and I talked for a long time and then I tried to sleep.