Montañita, Ecuador (2011)

Some of us decided to head over to Ecuador’s surfing spot Montañita once our program ended in Cuenca. We rented our own private bus and after 6 hours of zigzagging through the Andes we finally hit sea level. Unfortunately the weather was overcast and the sun only came out on our last 2 days there. Still, I felt like I was back in Manila with the humidity! We stayed in a hostel—my FIRST ever hostel experience!—that was $11/night including a small breakfast. I shared a room with Emil, Brooke, and Laura and they are just the best! We’d all leave together but by the end of the day we’re all over the town doing our own thing. We’d meet new people every night, both tourists and locals alike, and we’d dance and drink til daybreak because that’s what the town was all about. Getting the special at Monkey Man’s booth, music blasting from every corner, dancing to reggaeton, switching from one club to another, flirting at the bar, passing through the same food stands over and over, even making friends with the choclo guy. We pretty much ruled the streets for the entire week we were there, lol. Oh, I sure could use some of that invincibility right now! 

(Source: wheresalexa.net)