Whale Weekend

Last weekend, I finally made the plunge and went solo on the night bus. I have been asking for weeks in hopes of finding someone to accompany me to Puerto Lopez without luck. I only had one weekend left before my friend who was there would leave, so after a desperate last-ditch search, I decided to ride the night bus by myself. I was extremely nervous, but my friends told me they had done the same, and felt it was safe. I taxied to the bus station around 10:30 pm. It was extremely cold as I waited outside, trying to decipher which bus was mine. I asked a friendly looking gentleman near me, and he told me that my bus hadn´t arrived yet. Fifteen minutes later, he told me something on the way to get to his bus. I understood him to say that my bus would be in the same spot as his after it left. Not five minutes later, he came back to retrieve me, saying that I was supposed to get on that bus. I was so tired, cold and confused, but so entirely grateful that he would come and find me. I think because that bus wasn´t full, they were taking people with a ticket for the next bus as well. I think... My faithful friends told me that it was comfy, dark and easy to sleep in the night buses... which was my exact experience except for the crying babies, the phone conversations that ensued throughout the entire night and the fact that they turned on all the lights and walked up and down the aisles yelling which city we were at about every hour. So about that sleep... ;) I arrived in the city of Guayaquil around 7:00 am and slept with one eye closed on a bench while I waited for my friends. Their bus arrived a couple of hours later, and we started the day. We headed off to the banks of the river, where, in place of the touristy things we were looking for, was a giant reading fair! We had to fill out a piece of paper with our name, occupation and the number of books we had read in the last year. There were hundreds of booths with book sales, activities for kids... and thank goodness, past it all, was what we came there for. It was basically a boardwalk with assorted things. Statues, a pirate ship that was apparently a training school... there were hundreds of men training on the ropes, ladders and masts - it was pretty crazy to watch! We also were able to go to the zoo where we saw a giant tortoise, fish and plenty of birds, along with quite a few butterflies. We ate lunch at a local restaurant and then headed to the local artisan´s market to shop. Our last stop was the 444 steps to the top of the hill to take in the view. Yes, four hundred and forty four steps, thank you very much. They hurt! The views were gorgeous, though, so it was worth the pain. When we went to the bus station to buy a ticket to Puerto Lopez, they told us that they had no more straight shot tickets, but that we could buy one to Hippy Happa, three hours away, and they would tell the bus there to wait for us. Which of course, meant we ended up in Hippy Happa with no bus waiting for us, still one hour away from Puerto Lopez. Freakishly, though, a man showed up saying, you need to go to Puerto Lopez, right? I can taxi you there for twenty dollars. We had few options left, so we decided to suck it up and pay the man. His taxi was not a yellow one we found out - a no-no here, but we started out. After a few minutes, I asked the girls if we were going the right way. They had been this way plenty of times, but none of them knew if we were going the right direction. It was dark, and as we continued on, things got even stranger. The cab driver kept calling people, but not talking, only hanging up when they picked up. Then we detoured through a small town and honked in front of a building and then kept going. By that time, I was sure we were goners, and was praying fervently that he and his friends would only rob us. After eternity came and went, we pulled into Puerto Lopez, safe and sound. I don´t know why he did those strange things, but I was just glad to get out of the car. I slept on my friend Krishma´s floor and boy, did it feel good compared to the bus! In the morning, we headed off to go whale watching. How it never crossed my mind that I would get motion sickness and should take my medicine.. well, I had many sick hours to ponder that question. Although every time we got close to the whales, I totally forgot all notions of feeling bad, because they were so amazing! They were so huge and so loud! We were, at multiple times, within twenty feet of them as they swam along our boat... it was breath taking. I felt like I was four as I involuntarily ooohhhed and ahhhhed every time we were near. It was so much different than seeing them on TV, although it was so similar to it. The videos on TV are not inaccurate in what they portray, but when you are that close, their enormity and grace is breathtaking. At one time, we were following a pod of about seven or eight of them, steering alongside them as they heading out farther into the ocean. One even jumped out of the water, and many of them took turns slapping the surface with their fins. If you ever have the chance, you should go whale watching yourself! We also enjoyed our extravagant lunch of a muffin and a plastic cup of coke (never trust an Ecuadorian when they say, ¨lunch provided¨. At the end of the boat ride, we scooted past an isle with hundreds, possibly thousands of blue-footed boobies. They were just hanging out on the sides of the cliffs, not doing too much, though it was a pretty chilly day, so I don´t blame them. We headed back to town, where we were off to horseback riding. There were four of us, with none or limited experience, so we were relieved to find out we had two guides. My horse was an OCD eater. He ate, even as he knew the guide would whip him to go (don´t worry, not a real whip, just the reins)... he would turn his head and rip off whatever bit of green he could get as we walked. It was quite hilarious, actually. I couldn´t stop laughing because he was so persistant, even though we walked for three hours and he ate the entire time, including a lunch break, where he ate for twenty minutes straight. They weren´t starved, though, because the other horses only ate occasionally, and when convenient. He was just funny. Our ride was up and down the mountains, through the rainforest. We were able to see many kinds of plants and trees, and, my favorite, monkeys! I don´t know which kind exactly, but two different kinds: one small, agile and brown, and one big, black and sedated. They were exciting to see! I headed back on another night bus... this one even worse than the one before. We left twenty minutes late.. and went two blocks and stopped. We were at the police station, and they made everyone get out and searched our baggage for another hour. Then we were on the road again, only to stop about ten minutes out. We stopped on some deserted road, they cut the engine, and then locked the door to the front. Within minutes, it was sweltering in the bus because most of the windows didn´t open and it was a warm night. Several people made their way to the front and pounded on the door. The bus driver and the assistant didn´t open the door, and didn´t even say why we had stopped. Everyone looked worried, and seeing as there are occasionally bus hijackings, I was desperately praying in my seat. Finally, we figured out that the bus had broke and they were attempting to fix it. After another hour, they fixed it and we finally made our way home. It was a long night... but I was glad to make it home in one piece with all of my things. Overall, it was a crazy fun weekend, filled with terror and awe!