Playas

               6 am waiting for the bus

We are now on the coast if Playas. Our journey here was hot, long and confusing.  The bus rode through the Andes mountains, which are absolutely breath taking. We were as high as the clouds and slowly wound our way down to Guayaquil a big, dirty, tough city in the south, where we needed to take our connecting bus, to the coast.

 The station was what  jay would call, " a shit  show".  There was a swarm of unfriendly faces, smiles hiding behind neutral expressions. We were the only gringos (foreigner) in the crowd, like 5 fish, lost at sea. 

It was an airport of a bus station with at least 3 floor levels of buses, coming and going. Spanish is the national language and hardly any English is spoken. So when we purchased our tickets by speaking charades and miming, we counted our lucky stars, that we bought the correct tickets. We were escorted to platform 53 by a man wearing a security jacket, he was the friendliest of the bunch.  

Guayaquil is a place where you keep track of your bags and valuables or you risk getting ripped off. Save for getting on the wrong bus and nearly missing the right one we made it to Playas. 

Playas is a fishing village and a weekend destination for Ecuadorians.  It is rustic and reminds me of my travels to Indonesia with dusty roads and garbage filled streets. It's definitely not your Disney vacation and that is exactly what I love about it. It is real life.   My children are experience a genuine way of life. They are noticing that not everything needs to be polished and perfect looking. There are different ways of living and a great approach to life is living from the heart. 

Zoe and Owen took our travel day in stride, with no complaints. After nearly 2 weeks of travel, it seems like we are finding our stride. Part of me wishes, we had more time on the road. I could do this for another 6 months, even a year.  I would love to show them the world but that is my gypsy blood talking, which I must keep to a simmer. 

We are staying at Chantal's (a funky mama), dad's guest house. It's a great place for us to hang out. The rooms are great with a kitchenette and the kids love the hammocks. Owen has found a love for playing euchre and Zoe has been making clay animals. 

Roger and Carmen own the guesthouse and are helping us with the fundraiser.  They purchased 60 books, abacuses and another math facilitator for the

 local kids.  On Thursday we will meet the children here and a couple of the authors.  It's going to be great fun and I cannot wait.  

 

Tomorrow we are off on a boat ride to an island and will hopefully see dolphins. I love the wonders of backpacking.  It's an adventure into the unknown, and  I am always reminded, that things unfold as they should. 

I leave you now with pics of street meat. Appetizing, I know.