May 26, 08:28

I decided to share a diary of some sort. About me and my life basically. At this moment I am at a beach in Las Tunas, a small village at the coast in Ecuador. Google Maps doesn’t really know about it, but it’s about 20 or 30 minutes south of Puerto Lopez, depends on the bus. Which is an interesting thing cause the bus drivers always seem to be in a hurry. Somehow, the laid back culture at the coast isn’t passed on to them. They never come to a complete stop, so you have to jump in. I once saw a guy pretty much being pushed out of the bus when he took too long. And you can flag down the bus at any place where you want to get on. It’s great really. So the length of the journey is totally dependent on these factors. So yeah, Las Tunas, a bit south of Puerto Lopez.

I am not sure yet what it is exactly that I’m going to share. But since I have been traveling now for 3,5 months and there really is no time limit for when I stop doing this, it might be a nice thing to look back on. Besides, people who I meet are interested in the long term travel thing. Especially when I say that I want to become a dive master, do sailing trips, travel through Africa on a motorbike and stuff like this. So I thought it could be a cool journey to follow. I mean totally dependent on my writing skills and the ability to follow up on these plans, but there’s only one way to find out really.

May 27, 20:01

Went diving today and we saw two sea lions! And a guy working there for 2,5 years said he never saw them there before, so we got super lucky! And maybe it was a good thing that I had troubles with my ears again. Cause it took me a while to be able to go down and otherwise we may have missed the sea lions! Who knows. It’s always those good things that come with the bad. I love it.

May 28, 07:13

This is just the best thing ever. Wake up and go to the beach to watch the crabs walk around on the sand. It’s just such a calming thing to see them walking along the shore and playing with the waves. They try to get as close to the water as possible and when a wave comes they run away. Cutest thing ever. I also heard that crabs can’t really see but they sense heat. So when a human comes and they run away, it’s not because they can see us but because they sense a difference in heat. Same with water I guess, funny huh. (It may need a fact check though, I got it from Chico, one of the volunteers who likes to share funny facts).

May 29, 11:50

What a morning. My shift just ended and it was so busyyy. But since it’s a surf/ yoga hostel it’s all just chill vibes and no stress. So we’re joking around while making breakfast for all the guests. And breakfast makes everybody happy so it’s a real nice thing to be doing. And now I’m hanging out at the hostel, eating banana pancakes and waiting for the surfconditions to be right for beginners.

May 31, 12:29

Just walked to Ayampe, a town next to Las Tunas. And this place you cán find on Google Maps! What a great day to be walking on the beach, cloudy and a soft breeze. It’s almost high tide now so I am not sure if I can walk back on the beach, but otherwise I can always take a bus. But first coffee and yuca flat bread with hummus and carrot. Healthyyy. And that’s much needed cause somehow I have been eating cake almost every day. It’s just that there is a pizza place close by the hostel and sometimes they make cakes and pie. And when they do, they text us to let us know and every one rushes over there to buy and stock up. Because everything there is just so amazing, you need more than one. Obviously.

June 1, 08:24

It's my birthday! It’s so nice to wake up with all these sweet messages from friends and family. Even when you are on the other side of the ocean, they think of you. I am so very grateful for all of them. And knowing that my family and these friendships will always be there, no matter where we are on the globe, is such a nice and reassuring thought.

June 2, 14:07

Beach time. Just got washed away by a huge wave even though I got only in until my hips. Well, guess that board with surfconditions at the hostel is there for a reason. Glad that we went surfing yesterday when the waves were managable. At least some of them, cause I was able to catch a few waves. Super excited! Only white wash though, but it’s a good start I’d say. And I’ve got proof cause one of the local surfteachers took some photos!