Montañita y Mas

The 10ish hour bus ride to Montañita wasn't so bad. We arrived around 6:45am to the rainy town on a Thursday morning and were a little taken aback by the drunken people still walking around the streets that were obviously occupied with plenty of partiers seeking a good time in Montañita. Reception in most hostels didn't open until 8:30 or 9am so we had a while to waste while waiting to book a room. After inquiring about room prices and realizing the rooms were a bit out of our price range ($25 per night per person) we walked away from the hustle and bustle of the popular places and found a quaint hostel called Balsa y Tortura that was $30 per night per room during the week, then $50 during the weekend. We were hooked up with a room for 4 with a bunk bed and a double because they didn't have any rooms available for 3 until the next night but they were willing to take the business. We were welcomed with white sheets covered in mosquito nets and immediately regretted not bringing malaria pills! I quickly claimed the double bed as I had been working very hard while very exhausted to communicate with everyone in Spanish while Holly and Tash didn't really speak much and felt I deserved the spacious bed to myself. Our hostel included wifi and hot water which are sometimes hot commodities, although considering the horrifically hot climate in Montañita, I was looking forward to cold showers. I made sure to wear plenty of sunscreen on the beach and didn't get burned at all! Just softly coated with a bronzy color- i'm being asked more and more if i'm Brasilian! I might just start saying yes, until one day someone starts speaking to me in Portuguese! Montañita sure is a party town. We had wonderfully fun night at Hola Ola (hello wave) for ladies night which was a $5 cover and all you can drink for 2 hours (orange or cranberry juice, sprite or coke, rum or vodka) and ladies could walk to the front of the line! After my 2 frozen passionfruit margaritas before Hola Ola, I didn't feel the need to drink much more but I figured after 2 more drinks i'd get my money's worth. Five drinks later I was a happy camper shaking my booty with Tash, Holly and Jo, the other English woman who Tash and Gary picked up while exploring town! Jo is a hoot and is a 35 year old who looks 27! Amanda from New Zealand also joined us and someone else in the dorm where she was staying. We went to bed at 3am after dancing the night away and slept until about 10am when Tash, Holly, and I went for breakfast. I had a delicious veggie omelet that came with herbed potatoes and a salad of tomato, lettuce, and onion. I also ordered a banana, strawberry, pineapple, lemon, and orange smoothie hoping all the vitamin c would help reduce my slight hangover. Success! We returned from breakfast, changed into bathing suits and went to the crowded beach. After 3 hours of re applying sunblock and jumping through the luke warm waves, I decided to walk around and explore for a bit. After walking past more and more hippie artisans and surfers I started filling my head with an idea I had been pondering more and more lately; getting dreadlocks. I got 1 while living in Lima and have been adopting more and more practices of a more simple lifestyle and rasta way of living. I got some price quotes and decided to start the process! In the end I only got half of my head dreaded- the bottom half, but I am super pleased and I love the way it looks! My beautiful curls still rest peacefully on top and I think my new hair style fits the young woman I am turning myself into day by day. And don't worry- I already showed the fam when we skyped on Friday for shabbat! Hariel, Jason, and Jason's girlfriend Lauren love the look and all think I should finish the job. Fran on the other hand feels differently- but who can blame her? She's a Jewish mother. When we were wrapping things up in Montañita, I thought I would be going to Quito to see Emily as I was under the impression she would be there until the 11th of February. Well it turns out she was starting her job on the 11th and had a bus ticket to leave Quito to go down to Vilcabamba (yea, i know) to start working on an organic farm. She had been teaching English in Quito but her program was failing and so she decided to leave and make the most of her last 60 days in Ecuador. Luckily the $5 bus ticket I bought from Montañita to Guayaquil gave me the freedom to book a bus ticket to wherever I wanted to go next in South America. After our 3 hour bus ride to Guayaquil, buying my $10 bus ticket to Lojas, and an 8 hour bus ride followed by another 1.5 hours to Vilcabamba, I would finally arrive to see Emily who would be arriving about 30 hours after me. I bought my ticket and then a turkey sandwich. When I transferred buses in Lojas to head to Vilcabamba, it hit me- the turkey sandwich=no bueno. I rushed to the front of the bus and asked the driver's sidekick for 2 plastic bags, a second one for extra measure. I then proceeded to throw up for the next 1.5 hours to Vilcabamba. Thank goodness no one was sitting next to me but I don't think anyone appreciated listening to me vomit at 5:30am on their way to work. I was dropped off at a corner and asked for Hostel Margarita only to find out it was just 1 block away! I rang the doorbell, obviously waking up the receptionist who answered in her bath robe only to find out they were full. I just wanted to set my bags down and throw up again. I was referred to Jardin Encodido, just another 2 blocks away and lugged my duffle bag, tote bag, and purse with a broken strap to the front door. After paying for a bed in a dormitory and walking through the garden, we found out that the dorms were actually full. We walked back to reception so I could pay for my next option- a private room and private bathroom for $25 a night instead of $12 in the dorm. In the end i'm happy I upgraded because I spent the next 24 hours either in bed or on the floor puking my brains out. I had a home remedy of tea from the kitchen. Whatever was wrong with me I got out of my system by the time Emily arrived from Quito on her 12 hour bus journey. I met her in the plaza and we came back to my hostel to sit in the garden and chat! After a few hours of catching up we went to grab lunch. For $2 we got almuerzo; maracuya juice, soup of the day, and a piece of chicken with rice and salad- yum! We spent the rest of the day resting, booking a horseback riding trip, and catching up on life. From our bus rides and food poisoning we felt the need to take it easy. And speaking of taking it easy we're waking up early for yoga at 8am tomorrow! After all these bus rides and staying in bed for 24 hours on a mattress that could be mistaken for bricks, I need to stretch my body out! Adios amigos and sweet dreams!