What the Doctor Ordered

Thus far our time on the coast has been the perfect antithesis of our ride here.  For all the anxiety and hardship that was, this has been peaceful and relaxing.  For three days we've done little more than jump waves, bury one another in the sand, play card games, walk the beach, and eat seaside.  It really is what the doctor ordered.  I've even snuck in a couple of chapters from a book that I'm reading and Doug's taken a roughly 7km walk with Jacobey.  Here are the kids digging holes in the sand--a good out-of-the-sun-for-a-while activity.

While on the beach we saw two baby sea turtles.

I was able to get a picture of the second one.

The place where we're staying is very much off the beaten path.  We're in a town of maybe 500 which looks like something you'd see in an old Western.  The houses are tiny, the roads all dust, and there's nothing going on at night with the exception of people chatting in their homes.  The only thing you hear is the crashing of the waves.  The town roosters (one visible from our room) keep the locals--and guests--from sleeping in.  The hostel (a motel that charges by the person, not by the room) is the nicest place in town by far and yet it too is tiny and very basic--really perfect if you're spending the whole day outdoors.

This is what it looks like.  The little cabana in the back is ours.  We have the upstairs room.  In the foreground is the building where the kitchen is located.  The owner and his wife live upstairs and cook all meals downstairs.  Doug and Darius are in the shade where the tables and chairs are.

 

We did travel yesterday by boat to an island off the coast of Ecuador 40 km and an hour & 10 minutes out; we had our Dramamine so we were prepared.  The place is called Isla de Plata (Island of Silver) because of all the birdlife (read, 'excrement') found there.  The famous Blue-Footed Boobie nests there and is fascinating to see. 

We took about a 2 km hike to check out some of their nesting places and caught some great views of the Pacific.  Here's one of them.

Afterward we ate lunch on the little boat, and then jumped into the water to catch sight of the beautiful fish.  We were blessed to see adult sea turtles while stopped and even more blessed to see two whales while on the journey to and from the island. 

It's been lovely and so peaceful and so cheap.  If only beaches in the US were this deserted and basic.  Thanks for reading!

Blessings, kim