Paz en Paraiso

HI everyone! Heather here. sorry it's been so long! porto lopez was amAzingingly peaceful. picture a postcard and put my sunscorched body in the middle with a uge grin on my face, or with a mouth wide open and snoring. that was me for the 5 days we visited the coast. WUNDERbar. as if that weren't relaxing enough, we have relocated to a different, but equally relazing, paradise. surrounded by sharp peaks rising from plush green valleys, i understand why the place is filled with ex-pats. i'm currently trying to locate a could-be ex-pat friend of mine from KY. she's only 23 but has been travelling around Ec for a few months and can't seem to stay away from Vilcabamba. I understand why after less than a full day here. I've already seen several advertisements for workshops that focus on re-connecting with mother earth. very much my bag, baby. i've been responding to the ever-incoming inquiry: de donde eres? (where are you from?) with ny new favorite phrase: la patcha mamba (mother earth!) It makes most smile and they usually let up after that, settling with the idea that we are all from a number of places, and only a single mother at the same time. this is my way of thinking anyhow.
the sun really got to me on the beach. my legs are super duper bumpy itchy and i have a sun rash type deal up and down the outside of each leg. also, my midriff looks like a bad camoflouge job; part pink, part white, part brown. BUT at least i can move around comfortably. for a few days it was miserable trying to walk, sleep, carry ANYthing especially a backpack, etc. Like that barratone poet suggested in the graduation song: ALWAYS WEAR SUN SCREEN. even if it makes you look like a purple people eater, which it does....
so, all healed and rested up, for the most part, we're chillin at the cheapest 'resort' in the world. we were very much looking forward to a peacful nights sleep, but were woken up at 7am by construction workers within 15ft of our window. i have never been a morning person, and i don't think that's going to change as i can't seem to get to sleep at night, so i have to settle for sleeping mininmally. ugh. regardless, breakfast was incredible and put in such a good mood i was able to run to town on a full belly with a full backpack...supertasty crepes with fresh watermelon rolled up inside, multi grain bread with butter and (tamarind?) jelly, banana-orange smoothie juice, caffeine. ham too, which i don't like much but wrapped up in napkin for a snack on our hike; i've found that buying a loaf of bread, and scrounging up something to put betweens slices, is the best way to ensure i don't starve, nor have to shell out a dollar here, three dollars there for snacks on the go. we were planning on heading out to a waterfall you can splash around in, but the light rain last night was apparently heavy enough to create a problematic amount of mud, so we have resigned to a shorter (4-5 hour) hike that shares the same name of our hostal - Itzhchuayluma. It is the original name of this area, and means 'two hills' in Quichua, the most recent indigenous language of Ecuador.
Love to all, hopes this quenches your thirst. again, sorry for my lack of reporting. it's just so darn peaceful here, and you all know i'm not the best at keeping in touch, which has no bearing whatsoever on how much I LOVE AND MISS YOU AND THINK OF YOU AND WISH YOU WERE HERE TO SHARE THESE MOST MARVELOUS OF EXPERIENCES!!!! More photos coming soon. check outmy facebook page for photos, i take a BUNCH: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/profile.php?id=539547622&ref=profile Paz y amor de Ecuador! <3 Heather Pax
PS. Congratulations to Andrea and Jeff Paige. May God bless your union. We are all so happy for you two to have found eachother.