Atacames

This weekend was really fun. We went to Atacames, a beach in the northern coast of Ecuador. It was beautiful and so nice to be at the beach again. I missed large bodies of water. The bus ride there was nice but I felt motion sick the whole way. We started out in the mountains which were absolutely beautiful and majestic. Love the Andes. Slept most of the way to try to deter the sickness and then we got to Atacames around 11pm. We found our hotel, in which we were the only guests but I guess we had 17 people and 3 cabanas to stay in. We got ready and went out to the beach. Ran straight for the water to stick our toes in the ocean. Wouldn't be the last time we did this that night. We did what college kids do at bars and eventually, but probably not the best idea, went swimming in the ocean around 1am. Liberating. Then we just went to bed around 3.

The next day everyone woke up by 8 which was a terrible idea but we couldn't sleep anymore. I would have slept longer but I heard the word "panaderia" and wanted food immediately. We eventually ate at the hotel a breakfast of eggs, ham and bread. Delish. We later headed for the beach and swam, although the water didn't feel as warm as it did the night before. We went to explore some cool rocks and caves that had a ton of little crabs and critters to observe. Haha later we buried Jeff and Thomas in mud, making them mud men. We eventually covered Jeff's face and everything in mud, and that sand does not come off when you try to wash it off. Then we went into town to try to find food, ate at this seafood restaurant which was pretty good. Everyone was getting tired so we went down the beach a bit, saw a few other gringos, and I took a nap. Others made a sand castle which eventually was washed away in an epic manner by the tide. We swam a lot; the waves were fantastic and perfect for riding. Some of them pulled me into the shore, like up on the sand. So fun! After that, we went back to the hotel, showered, rested, and headed out for another night. Ate shish kabobs of meat for dinner. That night I had lots of good conversations with Ben, Jeff, and others about life so that was fun. It was just a good, fun night.

Next day we got up and found out Jeff had had a little mishap while sleeping. He got up in the middle of the night to get water/go to the bathroom and his bed collapsed! He was on the top bunk and it just pivoted wrong and he fell. Got an epic mark on his foot from something, so that was funny. Luckily he was mostly okay. Ate another delicious breakfast and then went out to explore the rocks again. They were absolutely fantastic. Lots of caves and rocks to explore. Me, Ricardo, Thomas, Jeff and Jessie swam out to this island which I later learned had lots of sharks swimming around. The island had lots of sharp rocks and shells before it so it was a bit of a challenge to get to, but we did eventually. Then the tide came in so we had to get back to the hotel, shower, pack, and head for the bus station. Ate at this nasty place that had zero sanitation so that was nice. Slept on the bus ride home but didn't get motion sick- score!

I got really sick after this trip. Like I've been sick for a week now with an intestinal infection. I went to the doctor Tuesday to get everything checked out and they did a poop sample and I have amoebas, parasites and bacteria that are causing problems in me. Didn't go to school for 3 days and probably shouldn't have the other days this week. It was bad, and it's really hard to be sick in another country with another family taking care of you. I was craving my mom's chicken noodle soup all week. I think I'm starting to get better so that's good!