A day in the life, Manta.

7:15am - wake up.
7:30am - breakfast, usually a cheese/bread panini (YUM YUM YUM love queso blanco!), fruit, juice and Nescafe.
8:00am - start the short walk to school, verrrrrrrrry slowly.
8:30am - Spanish classes
12:30pm - take a taxi back to la casa ($1 anywhere in town, expensive for the distance but given the heat it´s worth it)
1:00pm - lunch usually some sort of fish, rice (always rice, always), juice, sometimes beans and fried bananas/plantains (YUM YUM YUM)
1:30pm - whatever I want, which could be a siesta, studying, running errands, finding Internet, watching TV, but it always involves avoiding the heat
3:30pm - head to surfing class
4:00pm - get beat up by la Playa for two hours
6:00pm - head back to la casa, shower
7:00pm - dinner, always ensalada and juice (jugo), sometimes with bread (pan)
8:00pm onward - whatever I want, but inside... because of the heat and also because of safety.

It´s quite safe here, actually - I have never ever felt threatened, and I wish I could say ¨have you heard of Oakland, CA¨ in a nice way, but after 9pm everyone recommends a taxi home. I tend to be so tired and heat-cranky (and the Ecuadorian beer, Pilsner, is pretty crap beer that I don´t wish to spend my precious $1 on) so inside nights are just fine with me. Generally I do whatever I didn´t do in the afternoon (TV or study or talk with mi familia for a bit).

Lather, rinse, repeat. It´s a nice, laid back routine. But I´m now counting the days until Friday when I leave for Quito and city life...