OK, so this is Justo Pillman writing for Friday’s blog. Friday was the day of much needed rest for the team. We had been running almost constantly while here in Esmeraldas and were in need of some rest. In the morning we went to a town nearby called Atacama. A family from the church owns a hotel right on the beach. They lent us a few rooms to put our things and served us a fruit buffet.
The first thing we did was to go whale watching. We all climbed into two boats and went out into the ocean to look for whales. We found some and followed them around for about 30 min. It was so impressive to see these creatures and to see them in the natural habitat.
After chasing the whales we went to a private beach house with a pool. Here they also had monkeys, peacocks, and other animals. It was entertaining to watch the monkeys and have them eat out of our hands. Close by there was a cave created by the waves of the sea. We walked in about 50 feet and observed the formations on the walls. It was so memorable to sing “It is well” to the echo of the cave and the drip, drip of the water off the ceiling.
After this we went shopping and headed quickly back to Esmeraldas. In Esmeraldas the church youth had prepared an open-air bus to take us from the hotel to the church. The best part was that inside the bus, a live band played and we all rode on the roof of the bus. It was one of those experiences we will never forget.
– Justo, for the team
The gorgeous setting in which we enjoyed our day off.
The beautiful coastline of Ecuador
In search of whales…
And we found one! OK, so this is a really small picture. You kinda had to be there.
Riding on top of the bus
