I think it was lucky that we were headed to the beach when our stuff got stolen, because though I was bummed to have been the victim of theft, we were thankfully in a relaxing, beautiful environment to get our minds off the frustration.
Courtney, a friend of mine from my triathlon training group in Boulder, is currently living with her husband Jed in Montañita, Ecuador for several months. Courtney and Jed are also on a bit of one-year sabbatical themselves posting up for three months at a time in four different locations around the globe. They were conveniently in Ecuador where we were and they were nice enough to invite us to visit.
They´ve got a great pad within blocks of the down-town area and the beach. Montañita is a tiny little town that caters to tourists – both local and not-so local. There are lots of different languages being spoken, lots of fruity cocktails to drink and lots of dreadlocks. Though very different than the rest of our Ecuador experience, I have to say that it was quite a treat – almost like a vacation from a vacation.
We ate delicious and inexpensive seafood every night. Courtney and Jed got us out on surf boards and shared some tips. We enjoyed several of the fancy drinks they make there with our favorite being the hard to pronounce capiroska (vodka, sugar, lime juice and limes). They make a similar drink with sugarcane alcohol but Courtney recommended the vodka version!
Ted and I were also lucky enough to take a whale watching tour. We were told that we were nearing the end of the season so it might be hard to find the whales. Also, if we did find them they might not be breeching or as exciting as they are in July and August when they are trying to attract mates. However, we not only saw LOTS of whale, we saw them close up, we saw them far away, we saw them jumping, the whole works!
A huge thank you to Courtney and Jed for their hospitality! I should also thank Courtney for her help with the police report because her Spanish is fantastic and came in SUPER handy. It was such a treat to visit your little paradise and I hope we can rendez-vous again with you on your next stop in Argentina!
Aug 5-8 : The world trip begins in Colorado. First, we drive to Durango where we head into the Weminuche Wilderness area for some backpacking in the Chicago Basin. Having not had the opportunity to get into the backcountry at all this summer, we had to squeeze in at least one trip before taking off! This was a special one – the Chicago Basin is one of the most amazing landscapes in all of Colorado, and it’s only accessible by the Durango-Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad (or by adding an extra day of hiking in). The DSNGR ride is an experience in itself. Operating continuously since 1887, this steam engine used to provide access to the mines in the Weimenuche region. Today, it’s a tourist attraction and super-cool backcountry access vehicle.
After a 2.5 hour train ride, we arrived at the trailhead, which led us up to the Chicago Basin over 6 fairly steep miles. The Basin, surrounded by three 14,000ft peaks, was as majestic and picturesque as we had hoped. On day two, we slugged our way to the top of our 4th 14er, Mt. Windom.
and would occasionally let us know that we were unwelcome guests by marking their territory while looking in our direction. Fortunately, we made it out without incident, and now it makes for a good story.
Aug 11-13: Pack and work. Goodbye happy hours and parties. Way too much to do before leaving…