Origami Alien

In Vilcabamba Ecuador I met a man from Saturn.
He sat atop a mountainside folding an origami pattern.

Paper Pegasus in hand, a tranquil look in his eye,

why shouldn't I believe him, why would he tell a lie?

¨Music comes from Saturn,¨ he whispered in my ear

and suddenly I realized it was his clarinet that drew me near

as I struggled up the spine
of that treacherously beautiful climb.

Kindness of Strangers

There are times during travel that the place itself does not make much of an impression, but rather it is the people you are surrounded by that define your experience. This was the case for us in Cuenca, Ecuador in which we spent four nights with the Scherr family. Through one of those ¨random¨ chance meetings, Jessica had met a Canadian lady in Canoa who was happy to put up five traveling gringos in her home in Cuenca. By the time we had arrived, she had family in town but gave us the contact information for another family that she was friends with.

Until next time...

                 

Yesterday was our last night with Nard in the group, our last week in Canoa and the first time the traveling foursome (Ehren, Jonas, Vern and myself) were surfing and sharing waves together. The sunset is my favorite time in Canoa and my favorite time to surf. Things seem quieter at this time. Like the waves this particular afternoon, the vibe in the water is playful and jovial.

Puerto Lopez

 The quiet and tranquillo town of Puerto Lopez is bordered on three sides by Machilla National Park. In the evenings, to the west, the sun sets slowly across the Pacific, a shimmering sea gives off the final pink and golden glows of light before darkness secretely steals in.   The beach here is long and drawn-out, it takes over an hour to walk from end to end.  The beach is cresent to the Pacific, the north and south points terminate into rocky slopes and the sand is clean except for in the middle near the center of town.

Chillin' in Canoa

Ehren and I took the night bus from Quito to Bahia which we were told was close to our destination of Canoa. We had no plan and no idea where we were headed, but so has been the way of Ecaudor so far. The bus ride was abnormally bumpy for us gringos in the back and the smell of cheap air freshners didn't help us feel comfortable but we arrived safely in San Vicente before la madrugada (dawn). We grabbed the first mototaxi that passed and made our way to Canoa in the dark, with the smell of ocean air heightening our intrigue of what we were to discover come day time. We knew little of the surf and fishing town but hoped for prospects of work and board. We first found Olmito Hostel where our friend Nard was staying and then found hammocks to finally get some peaceful sleep.

San Agustin

Stars shine like pearls in a black sea over the mountains of San Agustin. The night air refreshes the senses after long hours of the the sun drenched day. Birds quiet their singing and are replaced by an orchestra of crickets and frogs. The moon illuminates the white clouds that drift overhead washing out bits of the glittering darkness. Sleep is easy...

Año Nuevo

January 1st, 2011
¨Año Nuevo, es bueno comenzarlo por encima de las nubes¨ - Avianca Aerolineas