Goodbye Ecuador

Well I left Galapagos after a wonderful week of diving fun and a great way to end my trip to the Galapagos.   Gordon Rocks was amazing.  I went twice and both times found the dives truly amazing.  Large schools of griant mantas and large schools of hammerheads and sharks.

I then made my way to Montanita a surfing and beach town to relax for a week before leaving.  Apparently I am not the only one who had this idea as I met many travelers ending their trips there.  Yesterday I was walking on the beach eating a wonderful homemade pizza when I heard someone call to me and realized it was a one of the guys that I started my trip in Ecuador with.  He was one of the first people I met as we both started our journey in Ecuador and then randomly we bump into each other as we are both preparing to leave this weekend.  

In Montanita this weekend is a festival with a big concert last night.  But the power went out for about 6 hours but that of course didnt stop the party. I heard the music going and what sounded like a parade at 6am.  And when I got up this morning and walked into town at 8am there were people still drinking from the night before and a couple people passed out on the street.
Today was a great day. The spanish school (http://ecuador-spanishschool.com/) arranged for us to take an excursion to Agua Blanca an isolated community that has been untouched by the spanish and have pure bloodlines going back from ancient times.  The guides took us through the archaeological site and to the hot springs where we took fresh mud and slathered it all over our bodies and then laid in the sun to dry followed by a swim in the hot springs.  Then to lunch in Puerto Lopez a fishing community.  Then I took the bus back to Guayaquil.  It was a beautiful ride watching all the fishermen pulling in the nets to the shore as we drove down the coast with the sun starting to set.   The excursion was fantastic.  I highly recommend the school too.

Then we arrived in Guayaquil and in typical Ecuadorian fashion an American of Ecuadorian descent helped navigate the large bus station and made sure I got in a taxi OK and that the taxi driver knew where to go and the price. 

I will miss Ecuador and hope to come back another time to explore more of this country as I only was able to scratch the surface of all that it has to offer.