(Our hostel for the last 2 weeks)
Don’t drop the soap!” In these parts it is not about fear of the people you’re sharing the bathroom with, but for me it’s the disgust in the microorganisms Im forced to share my shower with and the unbearable thought of them having direct contact with the of soap I paid way too much money for…
Even the aged shower curtain accessorized with mildew grazing my wide hips is almost enough to make me want to cut my seemingly impossible $4/day food budget in half(just kidding), countless creatures that obviously have more than 2 legs scurrying along the far too thin and open bamboo roof waking me up at 3:30am only to be followed by the community of roosters competing in their call a loooong two hours later. All this while I feel like I’m nearly suffocating in the mosquito net draped over my bed that keeps me from any hint of moving air that the generous oscillating fan is trying to provide me with. Sorry for the dramatic venting session but this was definitely a stretch for me and the main struggle for the first few nights spent here. Truth be told… a barely 2 star hostel in a beautiful, exotic, culturally rich place is still a 2 star hostel.
(Streetview of village)
Canoa is not really a town but more of a beach village on the Pacific coast of Ecuador. It’s quieter than most beach towns and lies at the northern end of a very long beach, which runs for approximately seventeen kilometers. In this cash only village lacking ATMs (not even one), street signs, street lights, mail service and foods aside from seafood, fried food, beans and rice, I have oddly found comfort in other things. Between the quaintness of the scattered bamboo/wood houses, unpaved dirt roads (mud roads on rainy days), morning walks to the panaderia for freshly baked bread for the day, the reality that I can walk almost anywhere in town and the constant background noise of salsa, reggae-ton, cool surf music and everything in between. I’ve encountered humor in the faces of young infants held contently dangling on the side just above mom’s hips while she carries the groceries with the other hand and wonder while watching complete families of three sometimes even four on one motorcycle including babies, lol.
The sand here appears golden at first glance and offers a delightful surprise as you draw near enough to notice the brilliance of graphite its laced with. If you are not up to relaxing on the beach during the day, you can fill a bag with trash and rubbish from the beach for a free cocktail at Hotel Bambu, enjoy the fresh ceviche, take surf lessons at Happy Happy Kiki Surf School, stick a straw into a young coconut while chilling in a hammock or hang out in the shade of a cafe looking out to the beach.
(beachfront view looking out from Samay Cafe)
So what is God doing here and why did he intentionally send Team Selah, a group of five women, to this place for 3 full weeks? I’ll have to explain in part 2 of this blog coming this week.
