In Canoa - Typing This to the Roar of the Ocean

Got up early this morning and went downstairs of our Hostel to have breakfast.  We were the only one's there, so Dana offered to cook the eggs and our host made empanadas.  It was all good and we took a short cab ride to the airport.  Today's theme turned out to be:  "It's a Small World"

Walking into the airport we ran into a guy who had a Louisiana Tech shirt on, so we spoke to him.  His son is a basketball coach there and they were heading to the Galapagos Islands off the coast of Ecuador.

We decided to fly to the coast instead of taking a bus.  Flying takes about an hour while driving over the Andes Mountains takes around 8-hours.  Here is a photo of the mountain terrain from the plane.

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Once again, the LAN plane was new, nice and clean.  It was also about empty.  We were seated just  behind the wing.  There were about 20 people sitting behind us - that's it.

We were picked up at the Manta airport by Jorge, our driver.  It's about a 2-hour drive from Manta to Canoa.  A taxi is $30 and a private driver is $40.  First thing we learned is that Ecuador drivers are crazy!  They pass on hills and around curves, they drive on the wrong side of the road, and everybody seems to be in a hurry.  Jorge did a great job getting us to Canoa without incident but as usual Jeff was shaking his head and mumbling under his breath the entire way.  Just like in Atlanta!

We ate at the Surf Shak with Jorge.  Sitting at the next table was a couple from Kennesaw GA!  Randy and Pamela introduced themselves and we had a quick visit.  We plan on meeting them for lunch tomorrow at the Surf Shak again.  It's a small world after all!  Tomorrow we'll post pics of the beach and town.  Good night everyone!