I met the Pacific

I have known the Atlantic Ocean my whole life. In fact, when people in the lazy surfing town of Canoa asked me where I was from, I told them that I was from the other ocean. I have always loved the Atlantic, but I was happy to have the opportunity to meet the Pacific Ocean this weekend and my friends and I ventured to yet another diverse part of this country.
Our journey began with a taxi ride to the bus station in Quito at 11pm. When you have to take an 8 hour bus ride, it is better to do so at night when you can sleep... or try to sleep. Bus drivers in Ecuador think they are race care drivers. There is a reason why there are curtains on the windows... so that you will not be able to see how fast you are going and how close you are to hitting other vehicles. Anyways, we made it to Bahia in one piece. From Bahia you have to take a small boat over to San Vincente. Again, boats are like all other transportation in Quito; fill 'em to the max. Reminds me of that time when I put 14 people in my Honda Civic... only here its scarier. From San Vincente we took a bus to Canoa, a tiny little surfing town on the Pacific Ocean.
This is where we met and it was glorious. Although the morning was cloudy the sounds of the Ocean were amazing and the waves were just the right temperature. We were delighted to be at the beach and wearing shorts. What a change from Quito weather! We threw the frisbee and looked for shells. I enjoyed a nap on the beach while some sipped fresh milkshakes. The sun came out in full force and we enjoyed the day.
We stayed at a wonderful hostal called Hotel Bambu. The room was great and the hammocks were perfect. Although I was sick to my stomach for most of the trip, I heard the food was wonderful and my friends were so excited to be eating five dollar lobster. When my stomach did settle a bit, my favorite was the banana chocolate crepe with black coffee that we ate outside at night listening to the sounds of the ocean.
We enjoyed two days of laying out in the sun, walking on the beach, sipping coconut milk, reading novels from the hostal, etc. And then this morning we began the long journey back to Quito.
Yes, we are back in the smoggy city now. However, we have our memories of the weekend on the water. There is still some sand lingering at the bottom of my bookbag... perhaps I will leave it there...