Rick and Rachel spent Thanksgiving 2007 here. It's a small resort in the middle of nowhere, about 18 miles up the Pacific coast from Pedernales, Ecuador. The compound was only about 110 miles from our place in Quito, as the crow flies, but it took us about 8.5 hours to get there. Much of the trip was through the mountains, and the last hour and half or so was over roads riddled with potholes, really big potholes, and whole sections where the blacktop was completely gone for several yards. We didn't have the luxury of traveling quickly.

There were eight of us on the trip. Keith and Terri Newburn both work at the school with Rachel. (Keith in the finance office, and Terri as a math teacher.) Keith's parents, Randy and Joy Newburn have been missionaries in Ecuador for 30 years or so, and came along as well. Dave Tieszen also works at the school, teaching computer and working with various multi-media needs. Karen Lam came as well. She's Chinese-Canadian, and teaches ESL at Alliance.

Rachel and I rode down (from 9,300 feet to none feet above sea level) with Randy and Joy. We learned a lot about Ecuador's flora, fauna, culture, government, etc. Seriously, we were kinda bummed that we wouldn't be riding down with any of our friends, but by the trip back we were lookin' forward to learning more.

It rained every day we were there (except for Sunday, the day we left) but it really didn't faze us. We'd just come off pretty much the four most stressfull months of our lives, and desperately needed to do nothing for a while. We did a lot of lounging, sleeping, reading, eating, and more eating.

The food was amazing. There was a dining hall/restaurant on premises, soley for residents. The owner's family fixed amazing food for us, three meals a day. I had sea bass, langouistines, calamari, shrimp, plaintain, etc. It was all wonderful.

I took a few videos while we were there. Here are the links. Fisherman bringing in their catch, Sorting through the catch, Birds dive for the leftovers, Sandy the beach dog, and Driving on the beach.

We ran into serious fog on the way back up into the mountains. For a while we were navigating soley by the lines on the road ... and in Ecuador, there aren't always lines on the road. Once we got up a bit higher, though, the fog dissipated.

My camera battery ran out on the way back. I used Joy's camera to get some shots of the rain forest and the terrain as we headed back up to Quito. I haven't received those yet, so I might be adding to this page in the future.

All in all, this trip was great for me. Not only was it a much-needed rest, but it really helped me put Ecuador in perspective. It no longer feels like Ecuador is one big city. I've seen much more of the range of the place, and not just geographically. Poverty is not uncommon in Quito, but it's unavoidable outside of the big cities. The culture on the coast is radically different from that in the mountains, too. I felt at times like I was back in the islands. I told Rachel that I found it interesting that this move, which is a returning to roots for her, is also re-connecting me to many of mine. We saw houses on stilts (so the chickens and other farm animals could live underneath) that you could see daylight right through. We saw horses, pigs, chickens, ducks, cows, and dogs just roaming anywhere they wanted to. The whole trip was a good kind of stretching. I really do love this country.
We stopped in a small town on the way for some medicine for Randy Newburn, who had a nasty cough. The medicine had codiene in it. You don't need a prescription for that here.
This is the view from a gas station we stopped at along the way. We saw a 8" grasshopper there as well, but the pictures didn't do it justice.
The two (of five) cabins that our group had. Rachel and I were in the back bedroom of the one on the right. The big white blob is evidently a rain drop.
The three hammock huts in front of the chow hall. The cabins are in the background to the left.
The hottest woman on the beach all weekend long! This was taken right in front of the place we stayed. We could see the ocean from the front porch of our cabin.
On Thanksgiving Day, we had a treat. A group of fishermen laid net right across the front of the compound. We went down to check it out. Here two groups of fishermen are pulling either side of the net in.
Almost to the shore.
Weeding out the catch.
The frigate birds and pelicans were big fans of this method of fishing.
This little kid was with the fishing crew. I thought he was adorable and had to take a picture.
I took several pix of this guy ... until he started givin' me funny looks. I decided he wasn't THAT photogenic.
Rollin' back up the nets.
The cute kid again, being cute.
This was our mascot for the trip. He stuck right by us, even on 3 mile hikes down the beach. I named him Sandy. Turns out his name was really Rasta.
Lunch in the chow hall. From left, Randy Newburn, Keith Newburn, Terri Newburn, David Tieszen, Karen Lam.
They called them "langostinos." I called them the biggest shrimp I'd ever seen. Then I called them "scrumptious." Tasted more like lobster than normal shrimp. This was lunch. We ate like this or better all weekend long.
Playing games at night in the chow hall. From left, Dave Tieszen, Rachel, Karen Lam, Keith Newburn, Terri Newburn, Joy Newburn, Randy Newburn. (Randy & Joy are Keith's parents.)
Reading on the porch Friday morning. Most of the rest of our group had gone fishing. When we got up, it was misty and rainy. It was cool and wet most of the weekend. We didn't care. We came to lounge.
It quit misting and raining. We went for a long walk on the beach. The tide was comin' back in. I found lots of pretty rocks. I brought too many of them back home.
The hammock hut at sunset.
The chow hall at night.
This was a completely ripe, full-sized miniature mango. Rachel said they tasted really good. I thought they looked unnatural, and opted not to eat any.
Another of the dogs from the compound. This one must have had problems with its eyes or ears or something. It kept walkin' under the hammocks, and rubbin' his head on them. We didn't give him a name.
On Saturday, the lot of us went for another walk on the beach. Sandy/Rasta got between a crab and it's hole. The way he was treating it made it clear that his nose had met the business end of a crab before.
S'mores on our last night at the beach.
Sunday morning, the view from the chow hall. Those are green coconuts on the ledge. The day before, I drank my fill of coconut water from one right off the tree. That took me back.
On the way back, it got really foggy. It actually got worse than this. I was pretty spooked for a little bit.