This morning we ate breakfast with Oscar and Alexandra one more time before they told us goodbye. They helped us get loaded up on the bus, and off we went. It's several hours to Quito...but the view is BEAUTIFUL!! Wow! Have I mentioned that I love the mountains?!!
Buddy and Isabel were waiting for us when we stepped off the bus. What joy to see familiar faces!! They took us to their house and feed us really well! We washed clothes and took hot showers...oh so nice! Buddy and Isabel had to run some errands and had an appointment this afternoon, so Chris and I worked on e-mail while they were gone.
When they got back, we had supper and packed up. We where taking a night bus to Manta. From there, we'd head out to Puerto Cayo. The bus usually takes 8 hours, but the roads are in really bad shape because of mudslides and flooding. Parts of the road are still closed, so it will take us 10-12 hours to get there! We are pretty excited to see some of the coast. Ecuador is divided into 4 parts: Amazon Jungle, Mountains, Coast, and Galapagos Islands. We know the Mountains, so now we'll get to know the Coast a bit!
Sunday, March 9th
We had breakfast this morning...an interesting combo...frosted shredded wheat, granola, yogurt, and milk. Maybe you've had it, but I never have...I'm pretty much a Cheerios girl...I loved it though!! Definitely a new favorite!
Buddy and Isabel rented a car after breakfast. They showed us around Manta a bit, and then we headed to Puerto Cayo. Yikes...it's been raining a ton...the road into their place at Puerto Cayo was flooded...we even got stuck a bit. Thankfully, Pablo (the caretaker) and his boys were nearby, so they helped us get out!! Buddy and Isabel showed us around the house...it was about 5 or 6, and Chris and I were exhausted. We fell asleep until about 8...by the time we woke up, Buddy and Isabel were going to sleep. We were all really tired. So Chris and I had no problem going back to sleep!!
Monday, March 10th
Buddy and Isabel are still working on this house and working out details. Because most of the houses in this area are vacation houses, they are low on the totem pole when it comes to electricity and water. So it's common for the power to go out and not come back on until the next day. They have to have a tanker come in to fill us their cistern with water. Poor things...all of this stuff is pretty new to them. Chris and I just tried to help out however we could. We are used to pretty much anything, so it wasn't really out of the norm for us!! ha, ha, ha!
Just before lunch, we went out to walk on the beach...oh there are tons of beautiful rocks and shells!! The waves were really rough though, so they only got in to swim for a few minutes.
We went to have lunch in the actual town of Puerto Cayo...really good seafood...it's as fresh as you can get!!! From there we came back to the house, and Chris and I learned why their house is called Mi Atardecer (My Twilight). When the sun is setting, Buddy and Isabel like to sit on the porch and watch the sun set! Oh, it's beautiful!!! We talked about how they met and what they've been up to over the last couple of years. It was a really nice time.
Tuesday, March 11th
This morning, the electrician came to straighten out some problems that they had been having. Then we went to Al Andaluz...it's a place a little further south where Buddy studied Spanish on one of his trips to Ecuador before he met Isabel. On the way home, they stopped to get some plants for the yard. We had a nice day seeing lots of pretty views. While they were working with Pablo and the plants, Chris and I enjoyed another beautiful sunset!
Wednesday, March 12th
Today we headed back to Manta. We made it there to have lunch at one of Isabel's friend's restaurant on the beach. We have eaten so well...lots of fresh seafood! This afternoon, we all walked on the beach. We collected shells, rocks, and sea glass!! Then it was time to catch the bus back to Quito. We had to take an alternate route because of closed roads, so it took us almost 12 hours to get back!!
Thursday, March 13th
We got to Buddy and Isabel's apartment in Quito around 9:30 am. It was pretty much a low key day. Chris and I were able to work on e-mail and call our parents...Buddy has Skype! We went to bed at a pretty good time tonight...again we were tired from the long bus trip!
Friday, March 14th
Today was about the same as yesterday. Buddy and Isabel had some errands to run and quite a bit of work to take care of. Chris and I worked on e-mails and journalling.
Well, it looks like we are going to keep hanging out with Buddy and Isabel until Chris's parents and Brett get here. We were worried about being a burden, but they said that they wanted us to stay. We'll be in touch again soon! God bless you and keep you! We love you!
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