Hola from Bahia de Caraquez, Ecuador!

We're here!

It's been a week since we took off on our adventure and so far it's lived up to it's name.
We've ridden countless airport escalators, translated terminal schedules, navigated darkened streets with taxi drivers, boarded the wrong bus, dealt with condo-flooding leaks, water and power outtages, and worried over mosquito bites and upset tummies.

But it's been wonderfully exciting too!  Due to our beautiful children, we managed to bypass several long lines at various airports, immigration and customs.  We've explored beautifully raw beaches, piled into breezy rickshaws, strolled along the boardwalk, and eaten the freshest fruit we've ever tasted!  And we always get a smiling "muy lindo!", a cheek squeeze, or a hair ruffle from the locals.

We landed in Quito on the evening of the 24th and our driver, Roberto, was waiting, holding our name on a sign.  He didn't speak much English and directed us to his tiny car, which Mike and I both doubted would hold all our gear.  But he smashed it all in with a certain mixture of elegance and willpower and off we went.  Since it was late, all three boys dozed against me, in the back seat while Mike and Roberto carried on a broken conversation about the weather and Mickey Mouse.  We arrived around 11pm to the open arms of Lucia, our hostess, and tucked everyone into bed.
This next morning, she prepared a delicious breakfast which included freshly squeezed papaya, starfruit, and passion fruit juice and had Roberto pick us up and drive us to the Quito bus terminal.  During my first trip, I got used to seeing toddlers on motorcycles or a baby in the front seat of a car but nothing quite prepares you when you have to do it yourself with your precious kids.  But Roberto was an excellent driver and with all three kids buckled up, we made it safely.  He even pulled over to take a cell phone call, something I can't say the same for American cabbies.

He took us in to the terminal and bless his heart, helped us buy the (wrong) tickets to Bahia de Caraquez.  Of course, we didn't know that at the time.  We didn't know until we boarded and took off that this was the more "local" bus and we had missed the ejecutivo option.  That option is the more luxurious...bathrooms on board, air conditioning, very few stops, and seats that fully recline to 180 degrees.  Our bus?  Not so much.  We all got motion sickness (except Jack, who was sleeping) about an hour into our 8 hour ride, going through the cordillera.  Mine was so bad that my hands froze up and I thought I was going crazy until a kind Ecuadorian grandmother (remember, we were the only tourists on this bus) gave me a magic potion (probably a local salve) that she vehemently told me to massage into my hands and voila! the paralysis disappeared.  It was amazing and a life saver! Unfortunately, she got off the bus during one of my naps so I didn't get a chance to take a picture or write down the name of this magic potion.  The rest of the bus ride was steamy (we wore our jeans and long sleeve shirts after reading reviews of the ejecutivo bus trips, which are very cold apparently), and filled with minor adventures like dashing to the bus stop bathrooms (no toilet seats and they cost 15 cents for toilet paper) and refusing the advances of the food salesmen who board the bus at the red lights (no, I do not care for room temperature mystery meat on a stick).  But, in all honesty, the trip was a memorable adventure.  The boys were fantastic, after the puking, and the baby slept most of the way.  Towards the end, when the boys were getting restless, we let them stand on the seats and wave to all the locals out the windows.  We got many strange glances...but lots of smiles as well!  That is the welcoming nature of Ecuadorians...always inviting and inquisitive.

We arrived to our very spacious and well furnished condo around 7pm and our accommodating host, Ivan, gave us the WiFi password, filtered water, and directions to a nearby sandwich shop.  All we needed besides a bit of air conditioning.

Since then, we've been enjoying our two ocean-front view balconies, frequenting the local market to pick up fresh fish, bakery bread, and fruit, doing a bit of homeschooling, and heading to the beach as much as possible.  We are trying to dodge the gringo restaurants, which are everywhere, and go for more local cuisine.  Mike has seen a few places with a real estate agent, just to get his feet wet for future investigations.  We went to a local mass in the town's big church yesterday too and Jack sang and sang to the Spanish hymns!  It's been a bit rainy (hence the flooding under the sliding doors of the condo) and we did lose water and power once but all in all, it's been rewarding experience.

We knew coming here that this isn't where we expected to fall in love with something to invest in (we really aren't beach people...too. much. sand.) but we wanted to start in a place we'd been before and let the boys adjust slowly...and bribe them with the beach.  And it's working!  But we are ready to head out again.  We still have four days here and then we (will, God help us) get on the correct bus and head to Cotacachi.  Mountains! Cool air! Culture! We can't wait! I guess that's why we named this dromomania...we can't help but want to explore new places!

Prayers still appreciated and the blessings that were sent with us were felt.