Steve surfs!
Gina. Bahia, Ecuador.
This past weekend we went to Canoa, the pretty surfing beach town about 20 minutes away, so that Steve could try surfing again. We had gone right when we first got in Bahia and both of us rented surf boards and went out to give it a try, but the waves were just pounding in and I called it quits about 5 minutes into it without even getting on the board! I’m just not an ocean person. Underwater creatures I can’t see, the undertow, and drowning in general scare the crap out of me, so I’d much rather sit on the sand and read or walk around looking for pretty shells or funny looking crabs to harass. Steve had a pretty hard time that first day, taking a beating from the waves. I don’t think he actually surfed at all that day, just tried to fight his way out farther.
But Saturday Steve had a much better time. The waves were a little smaller and a little more spread out that day, and he splurged for a one hour lesson from a local so that he’d know what the heck he was supposed to be doing. I walked along, carrying all of our stuff, taking pictures and just enjoying the day. It was fun to watch him actually stand up on the board and I got a few good pictures of him up, up, and then gone under the waves. After his lesson he kept practicing for a while and now he has a horseshoe shaped brush burn on his chest from the board and a pretty good sunburn on his back. But he had a good time and will probably go some more. I might still give it a try and get a lesson, but I doubt it. I’m not a very strong swimmer and I can’t hold my breath underwater without holding my nose (pathetic, I know. I blame my mother who can’t do it either and was one of my big excuses for not learning how. 🙂 Swimming lessons is on my list of things to do when we get back to the States and settled down somewhere). I really think that I should stick to snorkeling as my ocean sport of choice (and maybe scuba diving, but that will have to wait until we get to S. E. Asia if ever). I’m just such a good floater. Really, it’s a natural skill. Stephen sinks like a rock, but I can’t sink if I try. And maybe sailing. Sailing seems like it would suit me, but with Steve’s seasickness it might not be a real option.
But we had a fun day. When we got back to Bahia we went to have a $1.50 dinner with Clay and Andrew (Clay is the program coordinator here and Andrew is the only other volunteer right now) which might have been the best pork chop I’ve ever eaten. Then we settled on the couch and watched a movie on the laptop. It was a really nice day. More like home than traveling which was good. We definitely needed this break from traveling—ridiculously long bus rides, a different hostel every couple of nights, finding good and cheap places to eat. And I’ve been well now for the past 2 weeks! It’s very exciting.
Tags: Canoa, Ecuador
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