Ecuador

“So understand don’t waste your time
Always searching for those wasted years
Face up, make your stand
And realize you’re living in the golden years”
– Adrian Smith

All things considered, today is going to be a good day…

I write this as I sit on the beach with my laptop watching my final Ecuadorian sunset. By the time I post this, most likely I will be back home. Once the sun drops below the ocean’s horizon I will be hitching a ride 3 hours away to the Guayaquil airport to catch my midnight…

I think Leonardo DiCaprio’s character in the Titanic said it best: “I figure life’s a gift and I do not intend on wasting it…

It all started last Thursday. It was a bitter-sweet day. I was sad to leave this beautiful place and even sadder to say goodbye to all the amazing people I have become friends with along the way. I was trying to override that sadness with excitement to come home and see my family and friends.…

As I sit, riding in Tito’s van, I am sipping on the perfect blend of chocolate coffee and rum. I am relaxed. I am happy. We just had a 4 day remote sabbatical in the rain forest, now we have a 12 hour journey back to the coast. At least my hope is that it…

Tito and Martin are moving around me in a circular motion. Everything seems like it is in slow motion. I am in a temporary state of panic and hysteria. I cannot breathe. As they hop around me in what looks like a limited gravity environment, they are saying “breathe Casey, you are almost there.” I…

It is my first morning waking up in a new hostel. The sun is shining. I am surrounded by beautiful palm trees. Our hostal is right on the ocean. I can hear the ocean waves breaking all around me. The morning sun feels amazing on my skin. This is paradise. I am sitting in the…

“Two or three?” “Two OR three?” “CASEY, do you want two grams or three?” I am a little disoriented and cognitively distant. I have just woken from a three hour power nap. I gaze around the common area at Bromelia with foggy and tiered eyes. I visually comb the room; I see many familiar faces…

The sun has just begun to set below the horizon. The van is packed…