Portoviejo and Roteract Day 2

After Sleeping for about five hours everyone was woken up at 9:00. We showered, gathered our things and got ready to leave. We ate a measly breakfast at the hotel and borded a bus. But after about 10 minutes sitting in the bus we were told to change busses because the other was more comfortable... it wasn't. But at least we were on our way to the beach. As we were driving down the highway our bus driver stopped the bus and pulled a U-turn over a small barrier. It was quite exciting. We drove back along the highway for about 10 minutes until we turned down a dirt road. It was a lowland area with banana, plantain and papya farms. We meandered our way through these farms obviously not going to the Ocean for about half an hour. We finally arrived at a tiny little school. It was a school that roteract had built in the past. All the kids were dressed up in uniform and really happy to see us. They sang the national anthem and the city song of Portoviejo, it was really cute. All the kids were so excited thatwe were there. After the songs about three kids came up and gave speeches which to me were basicly about how much they apreciated their school and ¡Viva Roteract!. Then the teachers of the school spoke to everyone... it was probably about the same thing but I spent the whole time daydreaming. After all the talking everyone went outside which really wasn't outside becuase the school was only four foot walls with wire above that to keep robbers out. It had a tin roof and was one building with a division in it. So two classes. I was definatly amazed at the kids sitting still through the talking in their ties and uniforms. Outside everyone participated in the planting of trees, but to be totally honest I think that probably not to many of the trees will make it becuase they were planted below the grade of the ground. But it was fun to plant the trees with the kids. The whole thing was really fun and inspiring, we got to play with the kids and at the very end some rotactarians dressed up in costume and put on a show and gave out candy and gifts. It was really fun. Once we left we were in the bus for another half an hour before we arrived at Crucita, a small fishing town. I jumped in the ocean, which was a green color and very warm. I swam around and tried to catch a pelican. The ocean was full of them, there were thousands of pelicans in the ocean. Later we went up to a bluff above Crucita where there was paragliding. It was amazing because they landed and took off in the same place, and it was really small compared to the landing area at Woodrat Mountain in the Applegate. I was sceptical, but once I had watched about four people, I just had to try it again. It was really simple, hand a guy 20 bucks sign your name on a piece of paper with nothing else on it, and you were off. I loved it. It rekindled my desire to learn how to paraglide. The air on the coast is really smooth. So it was possible to control everything. 20 bucks was for 10-12 minutes for example. If I didn't mention this before, I absolutely loved it. Seeing the world from above, with only the wind in your ears... Epic. The guy actually knew the paragliding instructer, Kevin, in Ashland. Because he goes to Ecuador every year. The instructer also said that he teached classes, only four days of classes and your flying solo, I took the card but I would rather learn in the U.S. where the safety is much more. Everyone returned to the hotel, gathered their things and seperated, Everyone heading to Quito had time to kill becuase our bus left at 10:00. We went to a restaurant for sandwiches and hung around and watched what I believe is called Animal. Some funny movie about a guy who gets animal powers after he almost dies in a car crash. It was funny for me even though I couldn't understand anything. The bus ride back was adventure. There were police searching everyone before they got on the bus. I didn't know why but I had my knife on me so I put it in my wallet. My sister had gotten on the bus before me but got off to ask me whether I had my knife, I said I did, and that it wasn't in my bag below the bus. She seemedd really worried but I told her it was in my wallet and that there wasn't a problem. When I was searched it was a bit much, I had never been searched to the point where I was uncomfortable, but this time I was. I had assumed that the search had been for drugs but it wasn't. Two days before a man had gotten on a bus and attacked the passengers with a knife... I passed the search because my knife had fit in my wallet, but it was a very close call... I'm not sure what would have happened, but I didn't want to find out. The bus ride back to Quito was even worse than the one to Portoviejo, for some reason the bus driver managed to hit every pothole in the road. It was crazy, when a bus bottoms out at 100 km, it really wakes you up. So anyways, I didn't end up sleeping. But it was a good trip! Until I got sick... I'll write about that later.