Hi everyone!  We´ve spent 5 days in our home for the next 3 months, and here are a few of the things we´ve learned this week:

• The sun sets every night at about 7pm over the Pacific, and it´s about as beautiful as you can imagine.  The beach has a very gentle slope, so surf travels a long way up the shore.  The result is that the pink clouds above are reflected on the beach as the men push the blue fishing boats out to sea for the evening.
• In Ecuador, everything´s either really cheap or really expensive.  We bought bananas, avocados, tomatos, carrots, green peppers, limes, canned tuna, and instant coffee at a little shop on our street from a woman named Norma, and everything cost about $3.50.  Gas costs about $1.48 per gallon (yes, that´s right, per gallon).  Other things are really expensive.  A small refrigerator costs about $300, a portable fan is about $35, and a cheap computer mouse is $25.
• We´ve been hanging out with three Argentinian brothers who are here on vacation.  Tomas, Eugenio, and Agostin are all blonde haired, blue eyed guys who walk around shirtless, yet they can communicate flawlessly with the local Ecuadorians.  Interesante no?
• Manglaralto is a small town with mostly locals.  There are a few small restaurants, a couple of shops that sell fruits and vegetables, a hardware store, and an Internet cafe.  One town over, about a $0.50 taxi ride, is Montañita, which boasts the best surfing in Ecuador.  The town is comprised mostly of tourists and is dedicated to surfing.
• Ecuador´s coast is divided into two forest regions.  There is the "bosque seco" or the dry forest.  This forest has plants and trees that need dry weather, so this season is perfect for them.  A little further up, there is the "bosque de gadua," which literally means "forest of drizzle."  This forest enjoys a light rain most of the year, and it is here where Ecuador´s coffee growers reside.

Today was the first day when Trin and I could really lay low and enjoy a nice day at the beach.  I tried surfing with a friend´s borrowed board and the result was Ocean: 1, Marshall: 0.  Trin got a much needed day off from work and was very supportive of her struggling husband.
Thanks for reading and we´ll have more to share this weekend!

A typical fishing boat and a view of the Pacific

A view downtown of Montañita, the surfing capital of Ecuador

A group of coffee growers that we visited the day after we arrived in Manglaralto.  Trinity´s organization does work supporting organic coffee growing.

Marshall begins his first surfing attempt.