Thanksgiving in Ecuador

It has been another crazy busy week- classes to attend, classes to teach, assignments to turn in...  And many of those days, I didn't leave the center.  The beach and town are only a 10 minute walk away, but they could have been in China for all the notice we took of them.  Thursday rolled around and we still had classes and assignments, so Thanksgiving came and went.  However, of the 11 trainees, 9 are American, so one of them decided to organize a Thanksgiving celebration and invite the staff to come with their families.  Friday night after classes we sat down to an unusual combination of dishes, but like any traditional Thanksgiving meal in the US, there was way too much food and the ages of the diners ranged from 7 months to 60+.  It was a relaxing end to the week and many of us spoke to family at some point or thought of them as we sat and overate.
Saturday I needed to get some exercise.  A couple other trainees and I headed north on the bus to Los Frailles Beach.  We hiked 4 km. through dry shrubs uphill and then back down to end up at the beach.  It was sunny and hot (finally!!) so we were happy to get in and enjoy the water.

 

We ended up taking a moto (a motorcycle attached to a 2 wheeled cart) back to the entrance.  These were the first motos I have seen in Ecuador, but they were the primary mode of transport around town in Mancora, Peru.

It was so nice to get some exercise and get away from Montañita which is a constant party town.  The beach at Los Frailles is clean and had only a few people on it-no cafes/bars, no vendors, etc.  Tomorrow I'll be back to the grindstone, but I'll have renewed energy.

Less food on the table, but still a lot left

Decorative bars over the windows