Ok so i know everyone is waiting for pictures but it takes so bloody long to upload anything here they will be few and far between - sorry! There are some on facebok which i have now added captions to, so you can work out whats what.
Not much has been happening here, the days have settled into a routine, wake up at the crack of dawn when the roosters start crowing and trucks start moving, bimble into Puerto Lopez, a bit of internet and shopping in the morning, spanish lesson in the afternoon, beach or hammock then a few beers.
I did go to Cantaloupiedria (not sure how you spell it) to have a go on the zip trek there. It was fun but not as impressive as the one at whistler. The gardens there are for the hotel andaluza where we go for a beer in the evenings. It is an eco-hotel and they grow all of their own vegetables and building materials - they have a bamboo forest! The bamboo grows up to 15cm a day and it only takes 2 years for it to be harvested, they then build all of the lodges etc using this wood. We wandered back through the forest and the vegetable patch, apparently they have just had a delivery of cuy (guinea pigs) which is a local delicacy I have yet to try!
At home we mainly eat rice and fish or chicken. The food is plentiful and wholesome but becoming a little samey! We manage to supplement the diest with ice creams and pastries. There is a bakery just down the road from us that sells yummy cakes for only 10 cents (5p) and I thought I was going to lose weight! I also found the whale cafe in Puerto Lopez which is run by an american couple, they do the best american pancakes i have ever had, not that i´ve had that many!
This weekend (2/3 feb) was carnival weekend here so mon and tues were a bank holiday. After recovering from a bout of dreaded holiday tummy (thank goodness for imodium) I went to a local fiesta on the saturday, and salsa danced with some random locals! They went on till dawn but I went to bed at 3ish! The carnival was not quite what i thought it would be, it was thirty or so random people wandering around singing religous songs with a statue of santa maria - not a carnival float in sight! The carnival was in Puerto Rico Friday and Saturday, then moved into Puerto Lopez for Sunday and Monday. Apparently there are fiestas all along the coast this weekend, ecuadorians come from all over the country to the coast to party. For some reason that no-one seems to be able to explain, it is traditional to throw water at people during carnival????? I suppose it doesnt hurt as much as pennies!
I was supposed to start work today but due to the carnival weekend there might not be anybody there so I start tomorrow, eek! It will be nice to have a purpose but with my lack of spanish and frequency to need the toilet, its a little scary!
