We ended up staying two more days in Mancora. In the end we got an extra day at the beach so it worked out fine. The wind was much more calm the last couple days as well so it made for a nicer time on the beach. We were not ambitious enough to try surfing again while in Mancora (my muscles are still sore) , but we will also have more opportunities on the coast of Ecuador so we are hoping to try again there.

Today was a travel day. We left Mancora at 7:30am this morning and have made it to our first city in Ecuador called Vilcabamba. It took 12 hours and 4 different busses, but we made it! It is a bit off the backpackers trail, but from what I heard the area is very nice. The small town is located in a lush green Valley in the mountains and a number of expats have moved here. They say the town was put on the map when it was discovered there were a significant amount of people over the age of 100 living here. I’m not sure how many there are today, but the town is still nicknamed the Valley of Longevity.

We arrived in the dark so haven’t seen much yet, but the place we are staying at is amazing, and only $15 per person a night! I feel like I’m at a resort with the way this place is maintained, i can’t wait to see everything in the daylight!

I’m also super excited to be in a new country. On a side note I saw significantly more Christmas decorations since entering Ecuador than I did in Peru. This is exciting since we will be spending Christmas here! I still feel so lucky to be able to do this trip and I can’t wait to see what adventures Ecuador brings.