Canoa Parte II

Bueno, the rest of the time was spent on the beach, claro. On Saturday, after settling in the hostel, we were on the beach by 8:30 I'd say. So we got the best cabana on the beach with reclining beach chairs for $5/day. We tanned and swam until about 7pm, only stopping for yummy lunch. The town is of course made up of hostels and great, cheap restaurantes, a lot of pizzerias and burger places; food that hits the spot after swimming in the sun all day. The water and waves were amazing, except a little too salty and with an undertow. You would be dry five minutes after leaving the water, so we went in often for about 10 minutes. The beach was not crowded all day. We walked up to the sand stone cliffs and climbed over the rocks. These rocks looked like they were from another planet. First of all, I could crack them into big chunks like I was a super hero. Why do they do that?? And they formed with all these irregular rings and layers so that they look super science-fictional. Jess told me it's because of the different points of pressure on the minerals when they form into rock. We had fun picking up rocks and being able to break them in half, etc., hah! There were beautiful shells, and lots of little snails with spiral-cone shells homes. Crabs too.

At night we hit up the bars and then danced the night away with a dj and large music video screen on the beach. Dancing on the beach was so fun...met some great dancing partners :) The town was about 4/5 Ecuadorians and the rest gringos; an excellent balance. A good part of the gringos are surfers, as Canoa is known as the best surfing spot in Ecuador. In fact our hostel neighbors, who we listened to or joked with often through the cracks of our walls, and face to face, were hard core unprofessional surfers, if you know what I mean. They had been living in Canoa for 2 years. Our cold showers felt so refreshing after a day laying and a night dancing on the sand.

Sunday was crowded! I had to track down the cabana people and wait for them to set up an additional one. And today they were charging $7!!! More lying on the beach with a Pilsener (Ecuadorian beer) or fruity cocktail, it was the life. Although, I'd had a cough for a few weeks, and it was getting worse. We discussed how we wanted to do our independent study projects (ISP's) on the coast, for obvious reasons. Of course in class after we had returned from Canoa, our director Xavier told us that ISP's are no longer allowed on the beach, except if you're doing mangrove research (coastal-ecosystem), because students would just party the whole month and submit a pathetic project!! Lo creo, sin duda.

This weekend into Monday was Carnival, a huge Mardi-Gras like fiesta. One tradition is to throw water on everyone; people on the street, family, cute strangers, etc. Ecuadorians also use spray foam stuff that tastes like soap/slash shaving cream (yes, my neighbor sprayed it in my mouth). We had a fun competition with our surfer dude neighbors, when they surprised us with Carnival spraying. I managed to steal a can from one and get him back!!! The ordeal worked out well, as I was covered in soap right before I had planned to take a shower. We also got sprayed on the beach. Guys would just walk by and spray, and there's nothing we could really do. My brother Andres got my mami Rosa real bad in the house with water. I could hear them yelling and running around for 15 minutes! Rosa looked infused with new energy and a satisfied heart when she was talking in the kitchen with me afterward. On another note, when I asked Rosa what she and her family usually do for Carnival, she explained that her husband died around this time, about ten years ago, so the fam doesn't really celebrate it. There are many legends as to why people pour water on each other, but a few are because it clears you for a new season, refreshes your soul and gets you ready for the rainy season.

So the plan was to leave Monday at midnight and get back Tues. morning. We had Mon. off from classes for Carnival. I was feeling sicker and sicker every hour with my cough and congestion, and knew I must return a day early. I wanted a day to recuperate and get a hold on the two essays and Udall application I must finish that week! Ginger (well Gina, but I call her Ginger because if you knew her would see how perfect that name is for her) returned with me, and the trip was unfortunately similar to the arriving one. But the humidity was less and less and we drove up the mountainside. That was lovely!

But oh man, the stories about what went down after I left=locura. Chris and Dan fell asleep while the bus tickets were being sold at 4pm, and therefore didn't get tickets to ride with the rest of the group. BUT they found an interesting man named Rafael who offered to take them in the back of a truck for $2. They accepted. They rode and slept on hay in the back of the questionable truck, with a pig resting on them a part of the way. I think they told me another dude joined them for part of the ride. I was mostly worried about them freezing to death, zooming up the mountain in the cold of the night. Yet there they were, alive and a bit wide eyed, Wed. morning at school.
Tori was robbed at gunpoint by a police officer and a guy. Unfortunately she was alone and had no money with her. So they didn't let her go for half an hour, because they thought she was lying. This all happened while the bus was boarding to leave. And so everyone missed the bus, because they weren't leaving without Tori of course. So what did they do? After they missed the bus? Not even sure, oh maybe got one that left during the day Tuesday. Oh right, and they had to find another hostel for Monday night. But they got back alive, with great stories and already peeling tans.