Today Hannah and I didn't do much of anything. Hannah hasn't been feeling too well so she took a long nap in the afternoon. I wondered around looking at the different shops here for a bit. When I look at things in shops or things people are selling on the street I can never manage to buy much of anything. I suppose in some ways that is good. The reason being is because as soon as you look at something whoever is selling it stares at you while you are looking at their things and tries to sell you there stuff "are you looking for something special" or naming the price of an item, asking you if you like it - and I can't think straight when they do it! So I usually end up walking away shortly after they start talking to me - even if I'm just trying to buy a snack at one of the convience stores. My favorite here are the hippy stores. I think their owners are often people who traveled to montanita and liked it so much they wanted to stay and become one of the montanita hippies. My favorite store here is owned by a women in her late twenties who tells us that all of her items in the store are from Africa - that is why the purses cost $30. Montanita doesn't even have a post office so I find it very hard to believe these things she sells are from Africa. I mean I know that she is in fact lying but she must fool quite a few people!
The waves were not very good earlier in the day, which made me a bit bummed in the morning. I had planned for today (Sunday) to be my last day surfing. Later in the day the waves looked better and I needed to get some exercise, so I went surfing and Hannah went swimming. Surfing is quite tiring but I must say I am getting more and more in "surf shape". However, surfing had a bitter end today. My shoulder has been acting up (from which I injured playing hockey in highschool) when I have been surfing this week. Paddling puts my shoulder in a position that makes in much more vulnerable to sublexing (sort of popping out of place momentarily). When I injured it I torn a ligament in my shoulder which apparently doesn't ever heal on its on. Anyways I haven't had problems with it for the last few years so I thought it was getting a lot better. The first day of surfing it was bothering me but I thought it had been getting better during the week. Long story short today while paddling my shoulder "sublexed" out of place for a lot longer than it has in the past. Usually it just goes back into place but I had to physically put it back in place to some extent. In the moment I thought I had dislocated it. Luckily I didn't but my shoulder is getting worse and not better. So I think I will need to start the physical therapy they had recommended for it soon - not happy about it!!! So I was really upset today after that, the pain is only momentarily but it is more the fact that it is shocking when it happens. So that was my somewhat bitter end to surfing - I won't be doing it anymore this trip :(
I'm leaving Montanita for Puerto Lopez at 8:30am. I'm going with one of the tour agencies here but instead of returning in the evening I'll stay in a hostel in Puerto Lopez tomorrow night. Depending on how I like Puerto Lopez I may stay Tuesday night as well, the other option would be to head to Guayaquil on Tuesday and stay 2 nights there before I leave early in the morning Thursday. The problem is Guayaquil is expensive - US prices or close to it. There isn't a lot to see there - nobody really visits Guayquil, they usually just pass through it. It is Ecuador's biggest city. So likely I will stay Tuesday night in Puerto Lopez and take a bus (about 5 hours) to Guayaquil on Wednesday morning. Hannah leaves tomorrow, but don't worry I'm perfectly fine on my own. I know more than enough Spanish to manage around here and I'm not a stupid traveler - Hannah can back me up on that. Montanita has been nice but I'm happy to be leaving tomorrow. I am not going to become a hair-braiding - fake selling Africa clothing items - long term tourist - hippy.
Adios Montanita, its been real.
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