We arrive in Guanquil around noon. I have no place to stay, no idea where to go or even what the currency is in this new place. I probably could have sacrificed an hour of sleep to do a little Lonely Planet research of this country. Alternatively, I think it is a sign that I am getting really good at traveling. Stress levels are at an all time low even if I have no money or a place to sleep at the moment. I start talking to two guys who were on the bus with me as we wait for luggage. They dont have a place either and we agree to team up on a taxi into town to find a place to stay. An hour later I am wandering the streets with my new friends from Israel, we have a place to stay and turns out the currency is the US dollar. It all worked out quite smoothly. Good karma or master traveler? Maybe a bit of both. Well one night in this ugly, cement prison of a city and we are on our separate ways. They are off to the Galapagos Islands. I have nowhere near the funds for that amazing trip so catch a bus to the recommended beach town of Montanita.
An Ecuadorian chats me up on the bus also headed to the beach. She gives me some Ecuador history, recommendations on what to see and things to do and most importantly assures me a place to stay at her friends hostel because of course I have not booked a room anywhere. She works on the Galapagos and is on a holiday inland. We hop off the bus on the side of the road and are greeted by Cheebo, the happy and helpful hostal owner of my new home. After a good meal and meeting some more friends, I am guided up 3 intense flights of stairs to my corner room (my own room!) with a balcony and hammocks that face the street. Perfect! I sleep like a rock and wake up for a beach date with Elizabeth.The next 4 or 5 days blur together as we wandered the small town, lay on the beach, eat the freshest seafood and catch almost all happy hours. Montanita is packed with surfers, tourists and lots of Argentinians all looking for some fun, waves and sun. By the time we leave, it feels like home. We have our routines, our favorite bars and restaurants but the best is walking down the street and greeting new friends from all directions. I could stay here for a long time, like many do. The sun is much needed after cold Peru and more importantly it is a place that feels like 'home' which is a very loosely used term and harder to find when you only stay in a place for a couple days at a time.
Well we go out with a bang the night before departure. Ladies night at a bar means free drinks until midnight. Free drinks are great, free drinks on a travel budget are amazing and I dont take this lightly and I lap the bar like a profession athlete. The next morning we race to catch our bus, lacking sleep and clean clothes. I cant resist one last bowl of ceviche - super fresh shrimp, fish, octopus, and clams 'cooked' in lots of lime juice. Really not the best selection on a hungover stomach before boarding a rough bus ride. Miraculously, I keep it together and arrive back in Guanquil's bus terminal. Elizabeth is heading in another direction to visit her family. I have a new travel partner who I met in Montanita. We are going to Cuenca, a colonial town in the south. Anna will be living there and enrolling in Spanish school and Im just stopping in for a few days.We proceed to spend the next few days wandering around town and getting so lost that we finally hail a taxi to a point of reference. Beautiful city and of course more great people from everywhere. Laundry is in desperate need of being washed. I have said "in the next town" for about five towns now. We drop it off in the morning at a lavanderia before an all day adventure. Everything needs washing and I wear the least dirty of my clothes. We return around 6pm to find the place closed and the woman near the shop says it is closed for the day and tomorrow as it is Sunday. All my clothes inaccessible for close to two days and I planned to leave tomorrow, shit. I am able to get a phone number and beg the hostel receptionist to call. I am still not confident in my spanish over the phone. You can't gesture if needed and they dont automatically speak slower and easier when they see my blonde hair and pale skin. A few phone calls later and over an hour waiting and freezing outside the place and I am in possession of my clothes again...much fresher and more appreciated now.
Departure day, I know I am leaving but dont know where to. Riobamba for a wild train ride or Banos for some nature and a bragged up tourist hot spot. I decide on Banos at the bus stop and am on my way shortly after. All day on the bus and arriving at a hostal lucky enough to grab a bed. The next day my Australian roommate is checking out but first taking a bike ride to some villages and waterfalls. Sounds like a lot of work, but she ensures me its downhill. I fight my laziness to read and wander the city for the day and rent a bike with her. Well, it definitely is not all downhill and hiking up and down the big hills and cliffs to numerous waterfalls is sweaty and exhausting but we made it. 26km biking and a good amount of hiking. Nothing too intense but a little shocking on my mostly sedentary body. The landscape here is absolutely beautiful. Green, rivers, volcanoes and lots more green. We return exhausted, sunburned and very happy. She is off to her next destination and I have new roommates-an American and Israeli. We make plans to go white water rafting in the morning.
Any day I have to set an alarm is pain. We manage to get out and meet our fellow rafters. I get some good Spanish practice with an Ecuadorian from Cuenca. The water is cold and rafting is great. No near death experiences like The Nile which is fine. Also no serious injuries or lost people and once again, absolutely beautiful landscapes. Another successful day!
I love those moments when you can step outside of the immediate time and place to really appreciate where you are and what you are experiencing right then and there. Those moments seem to be happening to me a lot and I am doing my best to take it all in gratefully.
No comments:
Post a Comment