I'm back in Oregon- red faced from my chilly late autumn run, warm bellied from home made split pea soup and beginning to feel rested (thanks to my bed which I'm pretty sure is from heaven). We arrived home in PDX on Friday evening, a little disoriented but excited to see our families, which really showed up! All of my sisters and brothers were there with a sign, a fresh jacket for the cold, balloons and hugs, and all was well. Lynnie (my other mother) and the gang ushered us in with hoots and hollers. After getting our things, Leslie and I parted ways with an I love you, see you in a few days, which man, am I thankful for her. We have shared and revealed a lot with and to eachother in the last two months, and I am SO blessed that after and through it all, we love eachother truly and will be "seeing eachother in a few days" for a long long time.
Our first stop, in Houston, is where all the culture shock started. Maybe this sounds weird, but it was odd to walk around and not be stared at! We were no longer aliens. I began to feel the privacy of our society right away. People had their personal space and agendas and just looking around was not really happening. If it was, it was kept secret- I became hyper aware of eye contact avoidance. Phones were back alive, eavesdropping was once again possible and things were in English...
At our first crossing into Houston, I heard Leslie approach the counter with an Hola! and soon after heard myself asking Todo bien? The guy looked at me funny and I realized what I had done and walked away laughing. Not in Sudamerica anymo!
It has been really weird to be back in America after being away for so long and the conversations we've had with people from other cultures. We are a weiiiird breed. Movies and commercials and tv shows all seem so odd to me right now. And phones and cars and electronics. I mean, obviously there are cars and electronics and cars in Peru and Ecuador, but man do we LOVE THEM here. It's pretty wild. Actually really really crazy. But anyway.
I had such an amazing time. I don't think you realize all that you've learned from an adventure until after you're home and living your life, and I'm excited to continue to notice these thingsand learn about myself.
One of my last journal entries was on our last day while I was looking out of the window from our bus driving through the Ecuadorian countryside. It was basically me gushing about just how beautiful everything is (probably 75% of my journal), and I had a realization- the landscapes that gave me the most energy and happiness were the ones that were green, wet, throw some clouds in there.. like Oregon. Gosh, am I lucky to be living in my dreams. It feels good to love home!
To today, and the many years of adventures and learning to come!
-Em
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Saturday, November 3, 2012
Puerto Lopezzzz
Yesterday, we saw a whale! And a sea turtle! And some tropical fishies!
I had to get it out, I was too excited to save it for a mid post surprise. It was such a great site to see. We are staying in Puerto Lopez right at the moment and have for the last few days. It is a suuuper low key, wonderful beach town just north of Montanita. There is an island about an hour and a half off shore named the Isla de la Plata. We had read that this place was like the poor man's Galapagos. We liked that description, and decided to give it a go.
The boat ride there was great, and they even gave us a little nugget of homemade tasting tropical banana bread and fresh cut fruits and bananas. You could tell the guys driving our little blue boat loved to snack. I love a good snack, then I came to love these guys. The ride out was fast, but no one got hit with the sea sickness. The waves were huge and our boat, Wahoo, which was not so hearty, took them on with great vigor and poise. Being out there on the ocean, on a sorta grey day felt pretty darn familiar. There was even a bit of mist that smelled just like the Oregon coast.
When we arrived at the island, one of the boat boys threw a bit of banana peel into the water. I looked at him, a bit troubled with my furrowed brow wondering why he wouldn't just put it in the bucket like the rest of us, alas, not knowing how to give him a hard time in spanish, i remained silent. But almost as soon as it plopped he nudged me and pointed to the water. There was a huge sea turtle coming to the surface to retrieve the smackerel of honey. Then he circled around the boat and lingered a little longer, only to plunge deep and away.
We got off the boat promptly after this and split into groups to take little island tours. There was a large family with some pretty cute youngins who went one way, and we went the other. Our tour guide, Adam had possibly the best accent I have come across so far. He would talk about the Blue Footed Boobie birds and put the swing of that iambic pentameter where ever he so please and I loved it. My favorite words from he speech were definitely "nose holes," "pupils," and "pahhty." if you exaggerate the last syllable of these words you might just get a feel for how Adam spoke. He was the sassiest tour guide yet, and made sure to let us know he had been doing this for years. He just knew things. Maybe he was tired of all the "poor men" who were wanting to get a taste of the Galapagos.
Anyway, after we toured and took a little hike where I took waaaay too many pictures of birds, it was snorkel time. I have never been snorkeling, so I proceeded to geek out and grab Paisley's leg as if I were the creature from the black lagoon. Needless to say, she did not like this. Laughing at least, she called me some well deserved swear combinations that were creative and passionate and I stopped with the whole being six thing. The fish were amazingly colored. And I could just hold still for only a minute and be amidst a school of tiny silver guppies. It was an amazing world, only a few feet off the shore. A whole different universe, it seemed to me swarming beneath the water. When the tide would pull in, all the fish would move with it, then push out again. Just going with the flow
We all swam back to our boat for the ride home. The sky was still grey, but the water was intensely blue and the motor would splash up all these little droplets that looked like snow. I was watching this very motor when the boat abruptly stopped and out captain yelled, "ballena!" This, as I already gave away means whale! You could actually not see the whale above the waterline, but you could see a large part of the top of the ocean where the water was eerily still. The whale was just under a few feet. It felt like just waiting. We stayed there, the waves having there way with our little Wahoo for a few minutes. Nothing happening, we started to edge forward. Only a few minutes later, two arches, black and smooth crested out and over the waves. One of them gave a little spout. I think I have not smiled so big since Paisley informed me that Beyonce was doing the halftime show of the Superbowl. Just this same morning, before leaving we were all talking about whales and I had said I have never
seen one. I did not even really think about it, or feel the need to go whale watching or anything. Then two dinosaur looking black huge whales decided to take a breathing break right by the boat I
happened to be in on the same day. I am warm and fuzzy all over just recalling it.
In other news, and sorry to Debbie Downer on such a childlike, excited post, I lost my journal. This, as perhaps many of you will understand is a devastating thing for me. My little red, almost entirely full journal is gone. I will never get to look back on all those ways I used to think. Lynnie bought me that right when I moved to Walla Walla and it is so sad to me that I know exactly where I left it. Anyway, I thought I would let y'all know. It has been a tough week or so without it and I have not gotten the gusto up to replace it quite yet. I am one of those people who just take a little too long to get over things and my journal slipping through my fingers is no different. Cheers, red journal. I hope you fall into the hands of someone who wants to read you!
Well, we have two more weeks in Ecuador, five more days with Paisley and entire lifetimes that are ahead of us forever. I am glad we have a bit more time, because in all honesty, I am not ready to get back yet. I love all these days, and I plan on living it up the rest of this fortnight. Will write again soon!
-Leslie
I had to get it out, I was too excited to save it for a mid post surprise. It was such a great site to see. We are staying in Puerto Lopez right at the moment and have for the last few days. It is a suuuper low key, wonderful beach town just north of Montanita. There is an island about an hour and a half off shore named the Isla de la Plata. We had read that this place was like the poor man's Galapagos. We liked that description, and decided to give it a go.
The boat ride there was great, and they even gave us a little nugget of homemade tasting tropical banana bread and fresh cut fruits and bananas. You could tell the guys driving our little blue boat loved to snack. I love a good snack, then I came to love these guys. The ride out was fast, but no one got hit with the sea sickness. The waves were huge and our boat, Wahoo, which was not so hearty, took them on with great vigor and poise. Being out there on the ocean, on a sorta grey day felt pretty darn familiar. There was even a bit of mist that smelled just like the Oregon coast.
When we arrived at the island, one of the boat boys threw a bit of banana peel into the water. I looked at him, a bit troubled with my furrowed brow wondering why he wouldn't just put it in the bucket like the rest of us, alas, not knowing how to give him a hard time in spanish, i remained silent. But almost as soon as it plopped he nudged me and pointed to the water. There was a huge sea turtle coming to the surface to retrieve the smackerel of honey. Then he circled around the boat and lingered a little longer, only to plunge deep and away.
We got off the boat promptly after this and split into groups to take little island tours. There was a large family with some pretty cute youngins who went one way, and we went the other. Our tour guide, Adam had possibly the best accent I have come across so far. He would talk about the Blue Footed Boobie birds and put the swing of that iambic pentameter where ever he so please and I loved it. My favorite words from he speech were definitely "nose holes," "pupils," and "pahhty." if you exaggerate the last syllable of these words you might just get a feel for how Adam spoke. He was the sassiest tour guide yet, and made sure to let us know he had been doing this for years. He just knew things. Maybe he was tired of all the "poor men" who were wanting to get a taste of the Galapagos.
Anyway, after we toured and took a little hike where I took waaaay too many pictures of birds, it was snorkel time. I have never been snorkeling, so I proceeded to geek out and grab Paisley's leg as if I were the creature from the black lagoon. Needless to say, she did not like this. Laughing at least, she called me some well deserved swear combinations that were creative and passionate and I stopped with the whole being six thing. The fish were amazingly colored. And I could just hold still for only a minute and be amidst a school of tiny silver guppies. It was an amazing world, only a few feet off the shore. A whole different universe, it seemed to me swarming beneath the water. When the tide would pull in, all the fish would move with it, then push out again. Just going with the flow
We all swam back to our boat for the ride home. The sky was still grey, but the water was intensely blue and the motor would splash up all these little droplets that looked like snow. I was watching this very motor when the boat abruptly stopped and out captain yelled, "ballena!" This, as I already gave away means whale! You could actually not see the whale above the waterline, but you could see a large part of the top of the ocean where the water was eerily still. The whale was just under a few feet. It felt like just waiting. We stayed there, the waves having there way with our little Wahoo for a few minutes. Nothing happening, we started to edge forward. Only a few minutes later, two arches, black and smooth crested out and over the waves. One of them gave a little spout. I think I have not smiled so big since Paisley informed me that Beyonce was doing the halftime show of the Superbowl. Just this same morning, before leaving we were all talking about whales and I had said I have never
seen one. I did not even really think about it, or feel the need to go whale watching or anything. Then two dinosaur looking black huge whales decided to take a breathing break right by the boat I
happened to be in on the same day. I am warm and fuzzy all over just recalling it.
In other news, and sorry to Debbie Downer on such a childlike, excited post, I lost my journal. This, as perhaps many of you will understand is a devastating thing for me. My little red, almost entirely full journal is gone. I will never get to look back on all those ways I used to think. Lynnie bought me that right when I moved to Walla Walla and it is so sad to me that I know exactly where I left it. Anyway, I thought I would let y'all know. It has been a tough week or so without it and I have not gotten the gusto up to replace it quite yet. I am one of those people who just take a little too long to get over things and my journal slipping through my fingers is no different. Cheers, red journal. I hope you fall into the hands of someone who wants to read you!
Well, we have two more weeks in Ecuador, five more days with Paisley and entire lifetimes that are ahead of us forever. I am glad we have a bit more time, because in all honesty, I am not ready to get back yet. I love all these days, and I plan on living it up the rest of this fortnight. Will write again soon!
-Leslie
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