Hola de Montañita

Dream becomes reality
The dream of a world trip is one me and Manuel share with many people all around the world. Who doesn't like the idea of leaving all the stress and obligations from home to travel without bounderies and time limitation to all your favourite destinations? While for many reasons it stays a dream to many people, me and Manuel are lucky enough to fullfill this dream. With a legendary goodbyeparty we said farewell to all our friends, packed our bags and left home in September 2012 to the greatest adventures the world's got to give.

Kick-off
The first part of our world trip we decided to stay in two separate locations. Manuel perfectionalising his english skills in Hawai and me starting to learn spanish in Ecuador. I remember spending hours  looking for the perfect place to learn spanish from the wide offer all over latin america. With a village called Montañita at the coast of Ecuador I thought to have found the perfect place: few tourists, calm village, lots of sun. What I encountered was the complete opposite.

Montanita
Montañita is a lively and in many ways crazy and unique village at the coast of Ecuador and within the last 2 months has become a second home to me. And despite not really being the kind of place I looked for, I love Montañita. School and Beach are both just 200m away. Every day i either go running barefoot at the beach or in the hills just behind the village or visit the gym just around the corner. Whenever walking down the streets of Montañita I feel like a local for knowing all the people. I have somewhat become a part of the comunity.

Here the best things about Montañita:

#1 Family: The spanish school in Montanita gives the students the chance to choose between living with other students in Cabanas or with a local hostfamily. I decided to pick the latter. What a good decision! I got to live with the sweetest and most lovely family I have ever met! They treated me as a part of their own family right from the start. Cooking, football, church, familyreunions, whatever they did, I was part of it.

Cooking for my host family

Mama Yolanda and "sister" Deborah cooking a swiss meal: Älplermakronen

Alejandrita, getting dressed for the sweet 15th birthday of her cousine

60´000 spectators, dressed in yellow

Borbor family at Monumental, Stadium of Barcelona de Guayaquil

dinner in the streets after the game

at church with Saul

Belfort and Alejandra with puppies Bobby and Escooby

more Alejandra, coz she's the cutest girl ever

#2 Funny People, Party: Two things that are easy to find in Montañita!!!

all students dressed up for Halloween

Batman

Batman and Catwomen (Sabine)

 

 

 

playing crazy and painfull games in the streets with cousin Carlitos

Mixing cocktails with Coctelero Eugenio

#3 Mantañita Lifestyle: or Surf, Party, Beach. Some fotos to try to show the way of life in this part of the world. 

Whirl pool at the cabañas

school classroom

Cabanas with pool, stay of most of the students

beach, two blocks away from my home

Hostbrother and Surfprofessional Hambor teaching his nephew how to become a pro

good restaurants, bars and cheap hostals all around the village

# 4 Nature: On the weekends I had time to visit the incredible nature at the coast of Ecuador

Scubadiving with Mikael

I truly am amazed by the underwaterworld

weekend with students in the rainforest of Machalilla Parc

horsebackriding in the rainforest

meeting farmers gathering oranges

Ecolodge in the middle of the forest, our stay for the weekend

harvesting Grapefruits. Nothing better than fresh fruits

roasting coffe the traditional way

beach in Puerto Lopez

a blue foot with two babies

on Isla de la plata

Agua blanca, National parc Machalilla

And despite not having showered with warm water for 3 months, sometimes being without electricity or water, not being able to sleep because of the music from the clubs, I will miss the Montañita way of life and especially all the new funny, crazy and lovely friends and family.

Time to say goodbye to Montañita and start travelling. Manu, get ready for the ultimate adventure! :)