beaches to benches

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Mancora is the perfect little beach town to rest a few days and even got a little bit of sunburn and a few mosquito bites! (just like home) I met some hippie-jewelry making types and was invited to a drum circle. haven't been to one of those since Miami!! it was amazing and met people from as close as Chicago and as far a Australia.

After spending too much time at the travel agent trying to figure out the best and safest way to Ecuador, we came up with a good solution but required night buses and little sleep. Crossing the Peru/Ecuador border is easier and less crowded at night. Even immigration officials aren't in the mood for questioning at 2am. I did have a small problem though, my passport has literally three blank squares left in it and am going to the US Embassy in Guayaquil to see about getting some new pages added.

Arriving in the lovely town of Cuenca, hopping a taxi to a recommended hostel where I found the most yummy breakfasts, with delicious coffee (a rarity in these parts) ahh the little things like a good coffee and toilet paper in the bathroom!! excellent!! Cuenca has many churches, craft markets and open plazas with lots of greenery. Large trees creating shade for a nice ice cream on a bench while people watching.

The area I am staying in is a rowdy place full of bars and cafes. Not good for sleeping, but excellent for meeting people and eating good food! I had Mexican food to rival my favorite place in Miami Beach (Lime!!) and found myself not sitting alone for too long. Getting quite used to eating solo now, and doesn't bother me a bit, and the waitstaff usually end up talking to me and asking me about my travels. But on this night, I am approached by a wandering jewelry maker who kind of looks like Johnny Depp. He asks me for one minute of his time. I thought he wanted to sell me something, but what he wanted was to share a beer with me! How does Gina say no to an artistic Colombian Johnny Depp? She doesn't! So one minute became many and spent the night dancing and trying to comprehend the Colombian accent (quite different from Peru) and after a few more beers, became much easier!!

So I will stay here another day, and enjoy my temporary boyfriend before heading west to Guayaquil to see Andrea (I finally got a hold of her!!)

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