Puerto Lopez... REDUX

Oh my, when I tell you that I have been busy and stressed... you don't know. This past Wednesday, April Fool's, was the end of the fourth partial or grading period. Since the two-week February break, my life has been quite uneventful. One weekend, I went to a BBQ/House-Party hosted by some colleagues. Another weekend, I helped celebrate (early) the birthdays of two friends. I guess I did go to Plaza Foch a couple of nights, where one was to watch the Badgers play in the NCAA tournament. Other than that, nothing but work. And this was an extremely quick grading period! Only five-and-a-half weeks. This time brought a lot of different things that were looming over my head

1. Internal Assessments were due. In the International Baccalaureate (IB), students are required to complete internal assessments in each subject area. And it is different for each content area, too. For science, it is completing a minimum of 40 hours. I had to fill out paperwork for each of my students completing the full-diploma, and it added up for about three hours per student. 
2. Mock exams happened. Midst the race to the finish with my 12th graders, I also had to organize their mock exams. This is an opportunity for them to feel what it is like to take the IB exams, which begin the first week of May. That reminds me...
3. The IB exams are coming up, and I need to make sure my 12th graders are prepared. 
4. Internal assessments are going to be happening like crazy for my 11th graders.

On top of all of this are my regular duties... meetings, my four preps, homeroom and community visits (we had two visits this partial!)... it feels like my first year of teaching all over again. And that it is not going to end. There are only 13 more weeks left of the school year and I have SOOOO much to get done but I can't continue to kill myself daily over work. 

Blue Footed Boobies on the
shore of Isla de la Plata

For Easter weekend, or Semana Santa, we had a four day weekend. A couple of people were traveling internationally, some were receiving visitors, others staying in Quito. A number of people went to the beach, but just to Canoa, which is one of the nearest beaches to Quito. I saw this weekend as an opportunity to return to Puerto Lopez. This time, I traveled with my roommate, David. He hadn't been to the coast yet and I thought this would be a great first destination because of how unique and diverse this destination is. Mentally, I was not checked-in to when the break was... so everything was booked the day before leaving: flight, hostel, everything. 

The final post of the school year I will do will be a reflection on my first year teaching here... there is really so much more than just being busy and freaking out than what I am conveying. It'll be done before I go to Bolivia :-)

Puerto Lopez

Strolling through Puerto Lopez

April 1st was a full day of work, and the last one before a long weekend. On the following Monday when we return to work is day 2, my worst day out of each six-day rotation. In this sense, I spent most of my final day to make sure my grades were entered into the system, that I had copies made for the new partial, and all lesson plans were complete because I wouldn't have the time or energy to when returning. After the day was over, David and I got on a teacher bus that goes to Cumbayá. I figured that traffic would be pretty bad because it is right before a significant holiday and this way we could avoid wasting time going home and spending extra money on a taxi ride . Thankfully, Mariela and Lula offered to drive us to the airport from where we got left off. Thank you!!! Our flight left from Quito to Guayaquil after 7 PM. Super quick and relatively inexpensive.... taking the flight would reduce our travel time significantly compared to the bus. We landed a short 45 minutes later... and then the real quest began.

GYE Airport

I didn't give much forethought, evidently through the haste in purchasing tickets, into this trip that I didn't look into transportation to Puerto Lopez ahead of time. At UIO I tried to find and search for quotes on taxis, or timetables on buses. The taxista at Guayaquil who picked us up was at least forward with the safety of night travel from Guayaquil. One thing I kept reading over and over again was about express kidnappings or bus robberies. He offered to drive us for $150 and we worked to negotiate him down to $120. He agreed and we got off to Puerto Lopez. The ride lasted about three hours, and I was reunited with Jipijapa. It is even scarier at nighttime. We finally got into Puerto Lopez at midnight, and got our room at Hostal Fragata. I still recommend the place, but read reviews to see if it is the right place for you.

Fish Market

We woke in the morning and went to breakfast... where they served the largest bolóns ever! After breakfast was some walking to the open fish market. Some of the fish there were giagntic!! Sadly/Surprisingly there were even sharks about 3 feet long waiting to be filleted. We headed down to the end by the tourism center and  arranged a tour to Isla de la Plata for only $35. After getting back to the hostal, our hostal mother set us up with a ride to Los Frailes!







We got there and it was nothing like the last time... in January 1st, the line was so incredibly long to get in that we had to wait about 45 minutes. This time, we pulled right in. The beach was much more spectacular than I remembered, partially because it was sunny. During the five or six hours we spent there, we hiked up to the "Mirador las Fragatas" on top of the cliff and to the beach on the other side. This is only of the most beautiful places in the world, IMHO.

Los Frailes

Mirador las fragatas

At 4 PM our driver came back to get us. Part of the itinerary was to stop at Agua Blanca.We were waaaaay too exhausted to do it so we requested to go back to Puerto Lopez. After relaxing for a bit in the hammocks, we head straight for the beach bars. Eventually we met up with Carrie and her husband, ate some, drank some, walked down the beach. It was a purely relaxing way to spend the night.

The next day was Isla de la Plata. There were a few differences from the last time I was there. First, I saw a gigantic male sealion! Second, the island was much more green. We began walking and this time a couple of trails were opened that had been closed for a while. We ended up doing this hike that was "5 km" (probably longer) that took us toward the Nazcas, Patos Rojas, and more. We saw several tropical birds, lizards mating (our guide has not seen this in all of the 8 years he has been going there), and juvenile blue-footed boobies. The last time I was there, these babies had just hatched, so it was crazy to witness the extreme changes. The frigates were much different too, as the males were showing off their big red sacs!

After getting back to the main land, we cleaned up and got some dinner. We hit up the bars again... and the power went out. Actually, the power went out several times. Our hostel never recovered power so we had to sleep in a hot room with no fan circulating the air! When we left, I was so relieved because I could sit with windows open and blasting air on my face!

The bus left from Puerto Lopez for $4 to Guayaquil. Our hostel mother found out the times that it left for Guayaquil: 4 AM, 5 AM, 7 AM, 9 AM, 10 AM.... and so on. With the last one leaving around 5 PM or something like that. We rode for about 4 hours before getting to the terminal. Ate lunch. Went to the airport next door. Came back.

Guayaquil from the air.

It was was the perfect, quick trip. To feel warm, relaxed, and recovered. I will return to Puerto Lopez one more time this year, probably. I really want to visit Agua Blanca, Isla Salango,  and watch the humpback whales while they are nursing calves. After then, it'll probably be a while before I return there again because there is so much more of Ecuador to see. Yasuni and Cuya Beno, Tena, Loja, Otavalo, Quilotoa, Cotopaxi.... so much. I can't wait to see it all!