Emily's Ecuador: Beach Therapy!!

   On Wednesday, October 31, I left to go to Manta for four days! Since we had a day off for in-service and for the holiday the Day of Dead, the Roselands and I thought that it would be a good time for me to go! So I left at 11:00 PM for an all night bus ride by myself to Manta! I was at the very front of the bus...I was actually glad so I could ask questions if I needed to! It was fine at first, but after 2 or 3 in the morning it started getting really cold! The AC was on! I was more cold on that bus than in Quito!

   I got to the Manta station at about 7:30 Thursday morning..I think, I was kinda in a dozy! Jonathan was there to pick me up and we went to the house. Mena's parents were already up...probably because Lani had woken them! I was so tired that I fell asleep for about an hour and 1/2! After remembering where I was, I had breakfast and Jonathan took me to the beach! I'm surprised he took me because he (and a lot of Ecuadorians) don't like the sun. The beach was really different from the beach that I usually go but it was really cool!! The sand was like a grey color and it was flat! It had this really cool part where you could walk on it, it looked kinda like sand and an old coral reef mixed together! We walked around a little bit on the beach, then we went home! About an hour later we (Jonathan. Mena's mom and dad, I) had lunch! Her cooking was really good! When Lani woke up from her nap two hours later! Lani Mena's mom and I went to a park that was 5 minutes away! It was kinda hot there, although there was shade! When we saw that Lani was getting tired of the playground we went back home! The rest of the day was just hanging around the house being lazy...I was being lazy with them not the other way around!! My diner that night was more like a potluck but out on ! First we went to this little cafe type restaurant we had pan de yuca... which is bread made out of the yuca plant! With that we had a drink that was yogurt with berries. It was soo good! We then went somewhere else to eat some colado morada and some wawas! Its the traditional food that they eat for the Day of Dead! Colada morada is a hot drink that has a variety of berries mushed in it! By the third time I had it in Manta, I was liking it even more! Wawa..Spanish for baby...is the bread that goes with the colada morada! It's made special for this holiday with some sort of fruity filling! Our last stop we went to eat at a patio place that served chuzos! Chuzos are literally shush kebabs! You could dip the meat into two different kinds of sauces...so good!! I would have eaten more, but I was already so full! Also served with the chuzos were fried plantains!
    PS. Sorry pictures 1, 3, and 4 are from the Internet! I didn't get a picture of the food!!!

YUM YUM!!!! Pan de yuca

This is the first of three times that I had this! It gives you a good example of the wawa and the colada morada

You would dip the chicken (or beef) in the sauce!

Chuzos!

That's not the sauce but its the closest pic that I could get to how I had the plantains.

Friday was a blast...literally!! Mena's mom, Lani and I went to the beach! More like we walked to the beach! It was really cool though because I got to see the coast at a slower pace than if I were in a taxi or car. When we got on the beach (we were there for two minuted) I ended up going on a tourist boat for the harbor!! I was surprisingly fun..even though no one seemed to want to sit by me! I have no idea what the guide was saying! I was just in my little world and thinking of who and what those boats had been through! When I got back from the tour boat Lani was playing in the sand, so I decided to join! After about 20 minutes we left to go home, but not before getting an ice cream cone! When we got home we ate and Lani went down for a nap! About an hour later everyone in the house was asleep. I woke up to Jonathan laughing to cartoons...it was strange to say the least! We had pizza of all things for dinner! But really good pizza! It was almost as good as Papa Murphy's. While eating our delicious pizza we were watching the reina de Manta! It's like our Miss America or Miss Tennessee pageant show!! I was about a 5 minute drive from where it was being showed! I had even seen the setup just thought that it was for some concert!!! That night I went to bed early..for some reason I was really tired!

I'm pretty that those are herons. You can't see them but there

were blue and red crabs!

Love the lighthouse in background!

This is my only photography skills you'll see!

The steel reminds of the one in Sahara!

It's literally a boathouse!! hahaha

On Saturday, we went to a beach that was about 45 minutes to an hour away. It was really pretty and majestic looking!! They brought along a girl who was around my age. She seemed to be really sweet, but since we didn't know each others languages it was kinda hard to tell...or communicate! The girl and I ended up walking to some sight seeing where you could walk around rocks and it was at the waters edge! The water was freezing, but it was worth it to see those jagged and tall rocks! By the time we walked there, around the rocks, and walked back; our food was ready for us to eat!! I ate fish, rice, plantains, and some sort of onion and tomato salad!! It was a big plate and I ate all of it, I don't know if it was because it was so good or I was hungry! When we got home we relaxed the rest of the afternoon! That night was the night that the new president of Ecuador was being announced and presented in Manta. So the main strip was closed to cars and different food stands were up! They went for about 1/4 of a mile! I had another chuzo but this was with sausage that was wrapped around the stick in a weird way! It was good with some condiments though! Then we went to find a spot to see the President come by! We waited there for about 30 minutes or so after the announcer had introduced the President!! That's an Ecuadorian for you, hardly ever on time. but once he came it was so cool because I was 5 feet from him! After when we were leaving...trying to get out, that was the squashed I've EVER been. Everyone was literally hip-to-hip and walking in the somewhat same direction! If you were "connected" to someone you might have gone with them if you didn't "connect" to someone else that was going the same way you were! By the time I got home from that I was exhausted! I finally went to bed!

Lani and her Grandfather!! You can kinda see the

food stands behind them!

Where the President would come down!

This is how packed it was!! This is on the other side of the

street!

I'm pretty sure that the white haired dude is the Pres.

The next day was Sunday and I went to church with them! It was really hot compared to the one in the mountain!! Lani, Mena's mom and I left after the first service so Mena's mom could get Lani fed and get her down for a nap. I honestly don't remember what all specifically we did. I think we just hung around the house. After a little bit I packed and then later we went out to eat. We got some pan de yuca and went to eat some gato encerrado:. They are like beignets, but instead of bread its made from plantains, and have sugar on them! We went back to the house and watched TV before it was time to leave! On the way back it was Mena's mom, Lani and I! At first it was fine, but about 15 minutes on the bus....I started literally sweating. I made myself because on Monday I was starting with a new class and wanted to not fall asleep in class!