Our first full day, we went to Ecola State Beach, which actually had me remembering a beach we went to in Ecuador. You know what's crazy to me? I was an adult with 2 children when I first saw the Pacific Ocean. It was when we moved to California that I first saw the Pacific (life changing btw). But my kids? They have seen so much already! Holly and Greta have been to the Pacific Ocean up and down the coast and in Ecuador. It's just a different world for them.

We loved playing at this beach. There was a little stream running into the ocean which was perfect for little ones. The older kid crew were in and out of the water so much. And Maeve and Simon - gosh those two were so cute the whole weekend! They played together so well and so much!

Gosh, and the weather! So, so warm! Conor and I were convinced that we never enjoyed a day with weather this good in Northern California!

The highlight of our trip to Victoria was our day in East Sooke. Conor and I rented wet suits and we went snorkeling with John and Hudson. There were moon jellyfish everywhere, in fact, Quinn was catching them and trapping them in a tide pool. Snorkeling showed me how out of this world the ocean is. It was so cool! We found crabs and big purple starfishes. It was really, really cool. Our older girls went snorkeling too - Holly used my wet suit and Greta borrowed one from Allison. Maeve loved playing on shore with her cousins and Enoch liked climbing and exploring. It was a super fun day and while we all were sunburned, we loved it!

Here's a link to a video my bro made of our adventures!

We feel a little iffy about bringing electronics to the beach. Guayaquil and the coast get a bad rep from the rest of Ecuador. According to many, all the bad people live on the coast. Which I just don't believe is entirely true. A new big prison was built in Cuenca and someone told us that it houses all the criminals from Guayaquil. That being said, when in Guayaquil stopped at a light, a boy offered to wash our windshield. We said, no thank you and he continued to linger at my open window peering into the car. I really got the feeling that if there was something valuable within his reach, he would've stolen it. I can't know for sure because there wasn't anything of value within reach, but that's the vibe I got. Also gotta add, we never drove a car in Cuenca or Quito so... the experiences aren't equal. When we were in Quito, we were told that the Mountain people in Cuenca whisper behind each other's backs. There's a lot of regional prejudice here, very similar to the way it is between the east and west in Canada and places in the USA. So Ecuador is just a normal country. 

We brought our camera to the beach and I felt no risk of it being stolen. We did clip the backpack to the chairs and umbrella. 

I love the beach! There are so many vendors selling all sorts of things! We bought empanadas, green mangos with lime juice and salt and sweet plantain chips topped with a drizzle of mayo and cheese. Sounds totally weird and gross but it was out of this world delicious! Would eat again! 

All three of my girls love the ocean. They could swim all day. Things I wish I brought (in our carry-on luggage!) include sun shirts and a wrist to ankle swimsuit for Maeve. Greta got a little too much sun yesterday. I myself spend a lot of time under the umbrella because the sunshine here is strong! 

It's a little tricky to balance out Conor still working a few more days while we are here, but I just have to hang in there until Wednesday and then he's on vacation. And let's be honest, I'm on the coast in Ecuador. There's challenges, but it's also amazing! 

Maeve is learning to smile for the camera! And she discovered that the only thing better than swimming in the ocean is swimming in the ocean naked! I rinsed the sand off of her and she screamed and wailed when I took her out to a towel and a diaper. Baby girl is definitely my daughter! 

Yesterday, we went on a family walk/hike slightly north of Santa Cruz at Wilder Historic Ranch. The area is a wildlife preserve which in turn means we saw a lot of wildlife, mostly birds. The path was a loop and most of it was along the coast with beautiful cliffs. We saw a whole group of seals catching the last of the day's sunshine and some slipping into the ocean. We always talk about being outside more frequently and going on more walks/hikes, but our follow through isn't amazing. However, every time we have a success, I want more! We live in such a beautiful part of this earth.