Salt Water and Foam

Two things before I start my long story about Carnaval: Ecuadorians love them some small white poodles and, well, I forgot the other one.
So my Carnaval trip started on Friday night at 9:00pm with Chloe and Anna Marie.  When going on long trips in Ecuador, it is very typical to take a night bus and arrive at your destination in the morning (which in my opinion is very smart because you travel during a time you'd normally be sleeping, win win!).  The bus was supposed to be a little over 10 hours, we'd arrive around 7am.  We were barely out of Quito when the bus had to back down a side street that we went up for who knows what reason (to get almost anywhere in Ecuador you take one highway, really not all that difficult).  Then the bus started playing the latest Alvin and the Chipmunks movie (I was not horribly upset about this, but apparently I was one of the few).  After vaguely falling asleep on the chilly bus, I awake to a very toasty and very still bus.  I am pretty sure we did not move for at least an hour.  Then at some point, rumor has it, our bus broke down for a bit (I must have slept through this part, because other than my initial nap, I don't think I fell asleep).  Everyone rose with the sun, so there was a decent amount of commotion by 7am.  Then a few hours later I thought to myself, "I wonder how long ago we passed Guayaquil? Because then we can only be a couple of hours away." Half hour later, I see a sign for Guayaquil, we hadn't even hit the city yet.  My host mom called me to make sure I had made it to Salinas okay, and at that point she was supremely shocked I was still on the bus.  Sixteen long hours after leaving Quito, we finally reached La Libertad.  This is where the bus normally stops and unloads everyone, but a lady complained to the driver about being on the bus for so long, and he begrudgingly drove us all the way to Salinas.  Only about a few minutes into the drive did we remember that we needed to by our return tickets at La Libertad (and if we waited, we might not get tickets for the day we wanted).  So we decided we'll just go to Salinas, drop our stuff off and then buy our tickets later.
Day 1
We got to Salinas and I could see the ocean so we walked towards it.  Then we decided to ask a traffic man where the intersection of Malecon and 10th Ave (aka our Hostal) was; he had no clue, except that we were on Malecon (no one uses street names in Salinas).  So we walk all the way down Malecon (in our many clothing layers for the cold bus, while the sun is shining and everyone else is in swimsuits).  Finally the street turned and we asked another traffic man where the intersection was; again he had no clue but pointed us in the direction of another hostal.  Thankfully the man working there was extremely helpful.  After about 30 minutes of trying to figure out our hostal, he realized we were on the wrong Malecon (there are a few in Salinas).  But after he knew this, he was able to direct us to our hostal (he had to draw a picture for the taxi driver).  So we went to hail a taxi and I was trying to explain where our hostal was to the traffic man and he said "no hablo ingles, español por favor," only problem was, was that I was speaking in spanish.  Apparently I cannot say pizza so that any Ecuadorians can understand me (we ran into this problem several times).  However,we got a taxi and finally we reached our hostal!
We settled in, ate some delicious ecuadorian lunch (including a strong pina coladas), and then went back to buy our bus tickets.  When we flagged down our taxi after purchasing them, it was the same guy who brought us to our hostal the first time! So there was a lot less explaining thankfully.  Then we hit the beach, which was literally not even a block from our hostal.  It had some pretty big waves (the biggest we all had ever swam in at least) and the sand was great.  For dinner we ate at the hotdog place next to our hostal and in Ecuador they always come with crushed potato chips (something I did at home every once in a while, so I loved it!).  Then we had the intentions of going to find a bar or discoteca to waste the night away.  However for Caranaval the tradition is to run around the streets spraying people with foam, throwing buckets of water at passerby's, and aiming water balloons at unsuspecting bystanders.  By the time we got anywhere close, we were covered in fruity smelling foam (that thankfully evaporated, but only if you weren't completely covered in it, then it was a lost cause and you needed a shower or a jump in the ocean) and water.  We decided it would be best not to go into a bar like that so we only questioned about the prices so that we would know for the other nights.
Day 2
Emily and Michelle took the bus from Baños to Salinas and arrived at 5am.  They called and said they thought they were close so I went outside on the patio to wait for them.  Turns out their bus driver had told them they were in Salinas even though they were in La Libertad.  So it took them a while to figure that out and then get a taxi to Salinas, and by a while I mean at least an hour and a half.  And this whole time I was speaking with our lovely Colombian night guard.  I startled him when I called Emily when I got to the patio and so from that point on, we leisurely chatted.  He was so surprised I was from the US because my spanish was so good.  And throughout the conversation he kept mentioning how pretty I was (that got awkward real fast) and how great my spanish was and that he could understand everything (and that I understood everything as well; that part was not so true).  So we just shot the breeze for almost two hours, in spanish, I was quite proud but still uncomfortable.
Emily and Michelle finally got to the hostal, but they had picked up two other travelers from Baños.  I figured it would be fine if they left their stuff in our room (even offered the floor but they said they'd just wait on the patio) and just chilled until it was a reasonable time to start looking for a hostal.  Apparently, from what I understand, the night guard thought they were going to kill him (even though he's from Colombia, he seemed to have a fear of Latin Americans but loved Americans and felt so safe around them, which is why he loved working at this American hostal) and he made them go.  I told them the beach was nearby and since it was light out now, it should be fine.
We woke up around 12:45 got ready for the beach, ate some more delicious Ecuadorian food, and then walked down to the other side of the Malecon where it was much more crowded but the water was definitely calmer.  We spent the rest day at the beach and this is when everything starts to mash together and I can't really tell the days apart as well because they are so similar so I'm just going to give highlights:
~We watched some surfers catch some waves.
~Chloe and I got told we were beautiful by the store man as he gave us our change.
~We ate delicious coco ice cream (totally making this when I return to the states!).
~We ate at my host uncles restaurant (some of the best food I've had in Ecuador, but it was also fish caught from the very nearby sea, so I don't know if it can compare).
~Our Hostal specialized in American cuisine, so I had a pulled pork sandwich and my first calamari in almost 4 years (so delicious!).
~Every night we tried to go out, but by the time we got close to a discoteca we were already covered in foam and soaking wet that we decided it wasn't the best idea.
~We played a card game where you have to say a word that starts with the letter the card number starts with and I told the lamest joke the world has heard, but we still laugh about it now (We were playing on top of our bed and Chloe said sheets and I then replied "we all know what Chloe's thinking....we're on top of sheets) so lame, but I still chuckled while writing it just now.
~One night we bought some foam so that we could fight back.  So fun, but you get sprayed twice as much.  And the thing about the foam is that there is no where safe.  You think if you walk in the street you're fine, nope the cars have little devils too.  The other side of the street is less crowded, but then you get the people in condos pouring water from their porches.  No one is safe!
~We ate at this restaurant near our hostal 3 times because the food was so incredible and most of it cost four dollars.
~Before we left for Salinas I bought a bag of roles (it turned out to be the best purchase ever, definitely going to have to do that again) and a ton of chifles of course (they came in handy all the time).
~We went to buy liquor and got free samples of rum in both a cup to try there and little bottles to take with us.  When the guy was talking to me, describing the aging procession of this very special run that was on sale, I replied with "oh it's very smooth" (in spanish of course) and apparently these were the magic words.  He got very excited and eventually handed me a bottle and tried to come back and give me two.  Very weird, and I slyly put them back on the shelf.  Then another girl was giving out samples and dressed very scantily and some man decided he wanted me in a photo with her and my other friends (no of us were taking this photo...) so he pulled me away from the first rum guy and we all cheesed it up for a random man.  Some Ecuadorians really like the oddest photos (apparently it's very common for them to ask you to take a photo of them and then after you do they want a picture with you...).
~We had ice cream several times and it was delicious!
~Our bus ride home was much better and relatively on time!
~I didn't get too burnt until the last day and only wiped out on the shore rocks a few times!
~Lost my left contact the first time I swam in the Pacific Ocean.
~Apparently Salinas is the place for wealthy Ecuadorians to vacation, so it was a pretty nice area and we were some of the few gringos!
~The owner of the hostal was my friend's mom so we got a great rate, especially for one of their busiest times!  And the hostal was amazing.  It had air conditioning, hot water, friendly staff, clean sheets, and a great atmosphere!  It definitely made our vacation all the better.
Overall it was an amazing vacation and I could not have asked for a better time, with better people! Now I'm trying to get back to normal life in Quito, but I leave for Salasaca (a trip with my andean anthropology class) on Friday and get back Sunday so I don't really have much down time.  Still thinking about hitting up Ladies Night tonight though!