Long Way Round with My Longboard

One does not discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time. ― André Gide

I must admit that I did a lot of stupid things during my travels, including losing my bank cards and not changing my money before crossing the border. Losing my bank cards was probably the most annoying of all. It was a pain in the back dealing with my banks while I was abroad. They just couldn't fathom that one of their clients would be traveling for a long time, so they refused to send me the replacements. Losing those was partly my fault because I gave it all away along with my laptop to the poor guy on a motorbike in Vietnam. Well, I was just robbed. Since then, I had been traveling without bank cards, bringing just cash wherever I went or just keeping my money safe online - if I even had money left. It was liberating in a way.

I just arrived in Montañita. Montañita is a village known for its bohemian vibe, beautiful sunset, and beaches with strong surf breaks. It is a nice surf town. I was here during low season when everything was a field of gray. I planned to stay here for a couple of weeks while I was waiting for my trip to the Galapagos islands. I found a beach cabin and the owner offered it for just $100 a month. It looked abandoned and I was the only one who was going to rent the place. I had a peaceful beachfront, sunset, and wifi too, what else could I ask for? It was a good deal and I still didn't know what was the catch. I guess that is another story.

Without my bank cards, I was just carrying a lot of cash around. You can just imagine my frustration after finding out that I brought a lot of Peruvian Soles with me, that's the currency of Peru. To make matters worse, there were no money changers even accepting this currency here. Ecuador is using US dollars and other big currencies such as Euros and Pounds are the only ones accepted by the exchanges. I went around the village and found a Chinese guy charging a lot of money for Soles-USD, but it was way too much for me. I already didn't have enough money to travel but still, I gave it all away to the banks.

For the past couple days, I was pretty disoriented. It was because of a man I left in another town but that's another story. I'll just blame myself for not thinking clearly. The worst mistake during your travels is to bring useless paper to another country.

I left my stuff in Montañita to embark on another adventure - back to the border, yay! I hit the road with my longboard. It could be annoying to travel back to the border but I didn't have any choice. I didn't have enough dollars anymore so it meant that I had to longboard and hitchhike all the way back to Peru. I didn't longboard all the way. I just did about 19 km and then hitchhiked after. You get to see these nice parts of the country when you travel slowly. If all you have is all the time in the world, then you can start walking now and reach a place where no one has ever been before. Isn't that priceless?

I took pleasure in the sound of urethane against the pavement. I loved that I could surf the pavement as I marveled at the cold waves of the sea. It was just freedom.

While I was riding the concrete wave, there were trucks and cars passing and the men were shouting some Spanish words at me. I wish I couldn't understand but I didn't really care.

When I was not along the coast anymore, I started hitchhiking. It was getting late. I was already hungry but I didn't have any money. I guess I got too distracted by the beauty around me. I realized that I would not make it to the border in time for the money exchange, so I had to be somewhere... I didn't know where but I had no issue with it. That was the whole point of my travels.

The universe sent a man who came to my rescue. I was lucky that he was also going to Guayaquil, that's just a big city full of robbers, that was where my second laptop was stolen. Well, that's another story. I explained to the man my dilemma and he confirmed that I would really not make it to the Peruvian border. He probably sensed that I didn't have money so he offered to stay in his house with his family. Before that, he was so eager to show some parts of his country along the way. There are a few good people I met in this world and I would never forget their kindness. They make the place beautiful. I remember everything.

I met his wife and his children. His wife prepared some nice local dessert for everyone just in time because I was already starving. They also took me to their other house at the other side of the river, and here I met their relatives. You get random events in your life if you travel the way I do and the people in it are worth to be told.

This place was ultra humid and there were lots of mosquitoes feeding off my skin. I had totally forgotten about the climate in this part of Ecuador. I was not really prepared but it didn't even matter anymore. I was shown around the village and introduced to the animals. And of course, it was pretty strange for the locals around here to see someone from a strange, faraway land to be here. I got random tours and a series of friendly conversations. It was possible because I learned to speak Spanish before I even got here. That's the beauty of learning a new language - you experience 'real travel'.

Humble people are the most helpful. When I was hitchhiking, I had never really gotten rides from those with nice cars as most of these people are cautious. They probably thought I would rob them of their wealth. I felt real happiness in this family and I felt that they also felt happier helping someone who needed help. I have to write and go back in time where people have really shown their kindness, to remind myself what really matters. I was told that they could not imagine their daughter being on the road, vulnerable to the harsh realities of the world. I'm used to it. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be a burden, to be hungry, to be exposed to vile humans but I appreciate those who treated me like a human being. Love makes all the difference.

I stayed with the family for a night and went back on the road early the next day. The man even gave me some money so I could reach the border in time, and for that, I am forever thankful. I hit the road with my travel buddy - my longboard. At least, I was not all alone.

I made it to the Peruvian border in the afternoon and was able to change my money finally. This meant that I had to stay another night somewhere - I still didn't know where. That's another story again, story of my life. I even asked myself if this was even all worth the energy. I could have just changed all my money in Montañita however expensive. Maybe, but it didn't matter anymore.