Horrible bus ride

Friday What a day!  Wouldn't do it again for anything.  We had arranged for a moto-taxi to come pick us up at 9 am to take us to the "prettiest beach in Ecuador." It was a longish ride in this little rickshaw affair, and not even a pretty trip.  The landscape isn't very attractive.  And it's cluttered with trash and tumbled-down shacks.  People are cooking right out on the street, or selling bottles of soda and water from a styrofoam cooler.  Once we arrived at the beach, it was as advertised.  Very pretty, no people at all, and hordes of little crabs scuttling from their holes to the water and back again.  Bill and Ron hiked up to the lookout at the top, while Verda and I sat on the beach. Then we rode the moto-taxi back to Puerto Lopez.  We picked up our luggage at the hosteria and all piled back into the taxi for the ride to catch the bus to Manta.  What a miserable ride for 2 1/2 hours!  And without food!  I had some fruit and a roll for breakfast, then nothing for lunch.  By the time we got to Manta, I was ready to scream.  We checked into our hotel and pretty quick went to eat.  Found a restaurant, and everyone had something good.  I had fried shrimp and it was yummy.  Good French fries, too.   Now, it's time for bed cause we have to get up at 5 to get our flight back to Quito.  It will be good to get back to our condo.