On Friday, the 14 of us squeezed into a van that would probably sit 12 people comfortably. Needless to say it was a little uncomfortable but we managed as the van weaved through the mountains on its way to the beach. Arriving upon our hostel in Puerto Lopez, we were all in awe. The staff team purposely withheld the information on where we were staying just for the shock factor. Our hostel grounds basically consisted of cabins (some elevated) spread out through a jungle. All of the flowers were exotic, there were hammocks on every porch and we were within walking distance from the beach....yea I think paradise would be a good word to sum it up.
Hannah: "If this is what Heaven looks like, then.."
Megan (jumping into the room): "THEN I AM GOING!"
We spent the first hour or so acquainting ourselves with our rooms as the surprises just kept getting better and better. It was fair to say that most of us felt like kids on Christmas morning as we explored the cabins. All the girls loved the provided mosquito nets over the beds because it made them feel like princesses while all the guys loved the idea of sleeping in the hammocks outside (which unfortunately never happened).
We rendezvoused at the lodge for lunch in which we were all served sandwiches the size of our faces. It was also at lunch on Friday where "awesome sauce" was discovered and thus used with pretty much every meal following. Afterwards, we all headed to the beach, some staying back to lay out and the others jumping in to the water. It was my first time swimming in the Pacific Ocean. The waves were not of surfing height as I had hoped but were still big enough to splash around in. Everyone was doing fine until one by one, tragedy stuck...
Members of our team started complaining of stinging/tingling sensations in their legs until lo and behold, someone spotted a floating jellyfish! We brushed it of as no big deal until one by one, the rest of the team fell to the fate of the jellyfish's sting until only a few remained sting-less. I was fortunately one of the few not to get stung but in a weird way, I kind of hoped I had just for the fact I could say I've been stung by a jellyfish and knew what it felt like. As we all got out of the water, those who had gotten stung started to see bubbly rashes forming, but no one got peed on as they all just sucked it up (the rashes go away with time).
About half the team decided to embark towards the cliffs which was a good 2 mile walk away, if I had to estimate. After finding a walking stick made of bamboo, it quickly got decorated with a vines and a jawbone of what we assumed to be a cow....needless to say, I was rocking the Moses/Samson look. Half of those walking decided to turn back around the halfway point which left Ashley, Courtney, Jenna and I pressing on towards what became named "Misty Point." Upon arrival, we went out onto a rock and climbed up to find it full of science! Crabs, barnacles, anemones, sea urchins and many more inhabited the small environment.
Friday night served us a fish fry with more food than my stomach could hold. We met up as a team afterwards for worship and a checkpoint on the team norms. It is hard to believe that the trip is halfway over!
Saturday morning came early as my body has grown accustomed to waking up at 6:45 everyday to run so I was rudely awakened at 7. I think I could get used to eating at the lodge for every meal as my breakfast consisted of eggs, bread and jam, fruit salad, coffee, and jugo. Each of us spent some time to sit down for quiet reflection on how the first half of the trip has gone. We had a nice worksheet to help us get our brains flowing. It was really nice to step back and do a personal evaluation when the trip has been going by so quickly.
Later on in the day, a team went to go do further exploring at "Misty Point." We climbed along the base of the cliffs to do further exploration in which we came across a deserted beach that was enclosed by cliffs on both sides. Rock climbing along rocky shores is not encouraged for the faint of heart as many of us walked away with scrapes and bruises. We hurried back to the beach for team pictures in which we all were obligated to dress up nicely. Dinner brought us fried calamari alongside many other dishes as I couldn't even finish the meal...my stomach can't hold the amount of food they provided us. A worship session followed but by that point I was so gassed from the day that I quickly fell asleep in a hammock until I was later woken up to go back to the room.
Sunday morning helped me realize how much I enjoy running on beaches. The tide was low enough that we could run on the harder sand without tiring out quickly. We ran towards "Misty Point" with bathing suits on in hopes of further exploration. Ready to push our boundaries, we pressed on further to discover mini caves on the other side of the deserted beach. The tide was coming in high so it had us at a dead end but I guess it's a good thing because it's never a good combo when the rocks are getting less safe to climb on and you become more comfortable with pushing the limits. We will never know what lays beyond the furthest tip of "Misty Point." BUT I DID GET STUNG BY A JELLYFISH! Right on the foot, it wasn't as bad as I thought.
We unfortunately had to head back early on Sunday as our driver arrived to bring us back home to Guayaquil. It was a much needed fun filled and relaxing weekend but I am excited to have returned back to the mission on the campuses and see the friendly faces we have come to know the last couple weeks. I will post an update from this week probably on Thursday before we embark to Cuenca, a city in the Andes Mountains!! We are all sooo excited for llama sweaters....no joke.
Keep the mission in your prayers this week as we continue to share the Gospel with new faces and meet for follow ups with our new friends.
Chao!
No comments:
Post a Comment