Pedernales then Santa Domingo

Bus to Pedernales then Santa Domingo
We made up some peanut butter sandwiches and drank on more pineapple juice then started for our bus to another bus to another bus to arrive at Santa Domingo de Los Colorado...about undefined hour bus ride on really good roads. The first bus had pretty dirty windows...and right away the symbolism hit me....only if you look beyond the dirt will you see the true beauty. This lesson we have felt in all our travels. As always, we get to see many scenes that in USA are hid behind closed doors: tossing wash water, brushing teeth, butchering chickens & pigs, kids riding sticks as horses, a lady riding the bus with two live chicks on her lap, locals peering out the openings in their homes as we pass, laundry being hung and some cute little piggies eating the scraps outside a restaurant. We pass many homes we would consider shacks but with breathtaking views or right on the beach. Location, location, location! Most villages are about the same as the last...with very few autos but lots of horses as the terrain is very mountainous... and all are plastered with election posters. Here and there...seems like in no where land...there are little restrurants with big steaming pots and a table or two...they too are plastered with election posters. Lots of cows around and since we see milk cans by the road and being carried by horses, guess they are dairy cows. The bus is a constant flow of people as it seems to stop where ever people want on or off. Quite often, a vendor or two will hop on the bus selling various food items...and hop off at the next stop. When we got into the area with lots of banana and cocoa farms, the houses were better constructed...with cement and blue glass in the windows and we saw more and more autos. Obviously more money. The only part that bugs me is when they are showing a movie as it is usually very violent or full of sex...why do we feed minds with such junk? But overall, we have really enjoyed our many bus rides. And the price is right...from 25 cents for short ones, $1 or $2 for 2or 3 hours to $10 for our 9 hour ride. Wish it was this easy and cheap to travel by bus in USA!

Templor
While in Santo Domingo de Los Colorados we were traveling by taxi to visit a local indigenous village when we heard some girls shriek alongside the road, then our driver stopped the car and we noticed that the car was still moving as if it were being buffeted by strong winds. I opened the window to see if it was windy and then noticed telephone wires and poles swaying back and forth and finally realized that we were experiencing our first tremor (temblor- in Spanish). It lasted about 10 to 20 seconds and later we spoke with a local tourist guide who told us that it was centered in Colombia and was a 7.0 earthquake there. It was the strongest tremor that she had felt in Santo Domingo de Los Colorados in ten years. What luck! We hope there were no bad effects of the earthquake elsewhere.

Santa Domingo & Mucho Help
When we got off the bus at Santa Domingo, we noticed an info center so we went in. What luck! An extremely helpful, English speaking girl not only got us lined up for a visit to a nearby Tsachitas Village, but also loaded all our photos onto a flash drive, directed us to the local Flora celebration, helped us get the next bus tickets we needed and gave us a map of Quito marking the bus station we will need to find there!

Tsachitas Village
The Tsachitas are the indigious people in the are around Santa Domingo de Los Colorados. We think Colorado might mean color as this tribe's custom includes wearing skirts with many bright colors and head pieces with colored ribbons hanging. The men have red dyed bowl cut hair cuts and wear a ring of sheep wool on top. All have black lines on their faces and black rings on their legs and arms. Our personal guide was none other than the village shaman. She walked us through the forest showing us various plants used for medicine, mood altering and body painting. She also performed various rituals over Rog...so if he acts different when we get home...you will know why. She must be well respected as she is also running for some political position and her face is on several election posters! We were treated to a music and dance demonstration and watched as they prepared a fish meal in banana leaves. A TV crew was there as well...and we got interviewed by them. How do we rate!!!!

Earthquake

Yup we felt the earthquake today--we were in a taxi and the whole car started to wobble and all the wire around us were swaying. We heard it was in Columbia and registered at 7.0....wow...another experience!!! We just got to Quito and are leaving for the jungle tonight via an all night bus ride. Can't seem to pass on any of the great adventures in Equador! Not sure where the next computer will be...we will be in the jungle 4 or 5 days...take care! And Bek, enjoy the Bahamas...like I needed to tell you that! The rest, enjoy the snow!
Love ya lots,
Mom

While in Santo Domingo de Los Colorados we were traveling by taxi to visit a local indigenous village when we heard some girls shriek alongside the road, then our driver stopped the car and we noticed that the car was still moving as if it were being buffeted by strong winds. I opened the window to see if it was windy and then noticed telephone wires and poles swaying back and forth and finally realized that we were experiencing our first tremor (temblor) in Spanish. It lasted about 15-20 seconds and later we spole with a local tourist guide who told us that it was centered in Colombia and was a 7.0 earthquake there. It was the strongest tremor that she had felt in Santo Domingo de Los Colorados in ten years. What luck! We hope there were no bad effects of the earthquake elsewhere. Now in Quito at the very modern bus station (Quitumbe Station) using their computers but will soon leave Quito for Coca where our jungle trip is scheduled to begin on Monday.
Love Dad

Mompiche

Bus to Mompiche
Looking out the bus window is like watching a documentary. You see lots of landscape and snippets of the daily life. Here are a few: freshly washed green everywhere; balsa trees with thick, smooth mossy green trucks & canopy of leaves on top; rolling hillsides pastured by cows who are herded by cowboys; scores of isolated bamboo or board houses with rusted tin roofs on stilts with hammocks strung under them and lines and lines of clothing drying all around them; children playing in mud puddles that often surround these houses; scores of small towns with tiny stores made of rough cement or homemade red bricks covered with tin roofs; all in slow motion and peaceful. My favorite site was right beside me on the bus...the face of a 13 day old infant in her mother's arms. He little whimpers, content expression after nursing and then as she slept deeply on the over crowded bus as the worn tasseled curtains flapped above her. I wondered what her life would be like. I reflected back on all the precious infants I have cradled...my children & grandchildren...and I could almost feel the wind of time blast by me!

Mompiche
We are awed by the beauty of this bay and the quiet village of Mompiche. It has everything that gorgeous beach resort have...except high rise hotel, large gift shops, lots of tourist and diet coke. Our hotel is mostly bamboo and thatched roof with a large veranda and a panoramic view of the bay where frigates and pelicans swoop...for $30. Several young surfers have found this place and we watch as them as they ride the waves. One of the couples...Dan and Michele...we met in Canoa followed us here so we have shared laughs, stories and meals...one where they had ordered grilled chicken before we arrived and found out there was pizza...so we shared both meals. The pizza was cooked in a portable oven on the beach and topped with fresh peaches and pineapple ... the costliest meal so far $22! For breakfast we all got crepes with rich bananas and a thick caramel topping.l We also have sucked down more delicious juices. Today Rog was encouraged to smell a variety of fruit before it was put in the blender. He found another great tasting juice, araza. Mostly we dine on fish and shrimp served with rice and deep fried fresh cut potatoes. Not losing any weight! Our long beach walks hopefully help me from gaining weight!!

San Jacinto Beach Days
Why leave? We dragged this stop to 3 days...reading, playing Bridge on the veranda, taking dips in the pool and walking the beach. We admired the pelicans vigilant hunt for food as they skimmed the waves the the fishermen's skill in getting their boats from dry land, over the breaking waves and to calm sea. In short, we just relaxed.

Weekend Crowd
On Sat, the weekend crowd came in with bathing suits on (locals just wear clothing= and even saw one kid with muscles (floaties). Also saw the first car seat since leaving USA. Two soccer games played on the low tide beach drew a crowd...and tarps and hammocks were strung on the bamboo poles stuck in the sand. The sun came out strong and turned the ocean from gray to a sparkling turquoise. Loving it!

On to Canoa
We hopped buses until we got to Canoa...another beach town though bigger than the last and busier. We arrived on Sunday so the beach was loaded with people chasing the waves or eating at the beachside bamboo stands. Rog found a beachside hotel for $25 and soon we met 3 couples from Vancouver. We ate dinner...shrimp in coconut sauce...with one couple who like us love the adventure of traveling. The woman lived on the Galapagos Is for several years and actually knew the Angermeyers...the family that the book we are reading, My Father's Island, is all about! Another couple also combined their travels with missions. They are connected with gfs.org (I'll have to research that later). We plan to eat dinner with them tonight. The other couple are newlyweds. She is an online teacher (so I got her info for Bek & Jake) and he is going to take a leap of careers...from nursing to scuba diving instructor. It is comforting to spend time talking in English to kindred spirits...as we sat in the ocean breeze with the crashing waves as a background.

Ecuador

String of Photos and Resume
The young Spanish girl that I wrote about who is looking for an American husband must have stayed up all night because the next day, she gave me a string of photos and her resume...giggling the whole time. So I am looking for her match...any ideas?

Tanzania Connects to Guayaquil
The more we travel...the more connected the world becomes for me. Who would ever imagine our Tansania trip would ever connect to Guayaquil! And yet, I am using the same set of felt bible story pieces here as I cut out while gazing at Mt. Kilamajaro...made by the same USA company. It feels like another comforting nod from God.

Last Day in Guayquil
When we left USA a month ago, I really thought we'd be working and living in an orphanage...wrong. Instead God...cause we sure had little say in it...gratiously placed us in the home and hearts of the Orellana family. And through Sonnia, we met with over 250 kids mostly whose parents were squatters. Using our teaching skills, we could create lessons ... hopefully foundation blocks for solid Christian lives...using crafts, games and storytelling that adjusted to the space, time frame and # of kids ...as we never knew anything for sure when we walked in the door. And God also gave us Tatiana...an able and spirt filled translator. The last group of kids were worked with were filled with kind and thoughtful kids. We got so many long, loving hugs as we said goodbye to the kids and the staff and the pastors...all thanking us over and over and wishing blessings on us as they walked us to the door. My warmest and biggest hug came from Sonnia....with tears racing down our cheeks, we whispered "Amigo" to each other. Tatiana insisted on driving us to the bus station, helping us buy our tickets and then walking us to our bus line. How lucky can you get?

Two Gringos on their Own
For the first time since we left USA...we're alone with just our loaded backpacks, peanut butter (and a few m&m's) and the survival skills we have learned...two gringos in a sea of Ecuadorians. We took the bus to Manta...transferred to another....and then later another and finally arrived in San Jacinto...a small fishing village with miles of almost empty beach very close to the equator. We are in probably the nicest hotel here right on the beach with a pool, hammocks and a full breaKfast for $40. We strolled down the dirt road that lines the shore thinking how valuable these homes would be in the USA. Local kids played in the waves...did they realize how lucky they were? We sure knew how lucky we were!!

Hi Kids,
We are packing up tonight and will take off in the a.m. so thought I would try to send a couple pictures...try anyways. Not sure when we will be by a computer again so don't worry if you don't hear from us right away! All is good. Love ya lots!
Mom

A few pictures!