The Grand Tour

This last week, we traveled around the country viewing quite a bit. Went through town called mindo which is world renowned for its bird watching. Did some waterfall hikes and went ziplining. Saw that the women's world cup ended rather favorably for the US. Then went to atacames which is a crazy beach town with a big party scene. Its a common Ecuadorian vacation spot and not many gringos go there. We then headed down to a small surf town called Canoa. It was super chill and beautiful. Bought shawarma out of a truck which turned out to be really good. Waves are always big and beach is gorgeous. My favorite stop this week. We then headed to isla corazon and took a tour through the mangroves to see lots of the frigate birds that pass through this area. Saw Magnificant Frigatebirds and tons of others that stop by to mate. We then headed to the camp again in Santos Domingo for a night. Nice to see some familiar faces again. We then headed to Banos again. My host dad got pulled over for going 30km over the speed limit. Cop threatened to put him in jail for 3 days and impound the car and a months wages. He was strong arming looking for a bribe for himself. They then let him go for nothing because they didn't have any evidence. Slight corruption if you ask me. We hiked to a huge waterfall and was able to go underneath it. Visited puyo to go to a monkey refuge where we could pet and play with them. Also got to visit nate saints house in shell where Jim Elliot's headquarters were. Got really sick and threw up all over the hostel hallway because I couldnt get our key to work. All in all a fun trip. We traveled with a new volunteer named Jess who brought a fresh perspective and new look at issues and Ecuadorian life. I wouldn't say this was a particularly challenging week but a good way to get a nice overall view of Ecuador by travelling to all these places in a short amount of time. The police situation was eye opening for me. Joel could have simply given the guy $20 and we would have been on our way with no hassle but he did the right thing. Admitting that he was in the wrong and not giving a bribe. The frustrating thing really is that these policeman recently got a double in salary by the government and really don't need the bribes. Also because they sit around and do speed traps, a lot of the time they aren't doing anything productive like stopping worse crimes. Joel reminded me to be patient and stay firm to the truth. I think about how hard it is to stay away from these easy ways out commonly found in sin. That is something that God has certainly been pounding into my head pounding into my head throughout the trip. Following Jesus isn't the easy way through life but the most rewarding. Boy too much to talk about this week. Got sick again from some sketchy Chinese food. Classic! Thursday I go to climb Cotopaxi then immediately head for the jungle with a team from Orlando.should have plenty to talk about after that. Blessings and thanks for reading