JANUARY IN CANOA AND PUERTO LÓPEZ

Arriving in Canoa from Mindo was no small task, since I transferred buses several times enroute to the Ecuadorian Coast. Arriving mid-afternoon in Canoa on January 2 was thrilling. The above photo was taken after several of us at the hostel where I stayed went out for dinner in Canoa. On the left in this photo are Dolf and Kawai, from the Netherlands. Anne, from Greenland, is on the right. We had a good group at the hostel, and my two week stay in Canoa was mostly terrific.

Below is a short photo essay on the bus trips from Mindo to Santo Domingo de los Colorados (usually just referred to as Santo Domingo) and Santo Domingo to Pedernales. Pedernales is on the Coast of Ecuador, about an hour and a half north of Canoa. Below I'm on a bus from Los Bancos (near Mindo) enroute to Santo Domingo. This trip was one of the most beautiful I've taken in Ecuador because of being so lush with tropical vegetation. After 3 hours we descended to Santo Domingo, where the bus let several of us off. We walked to the terminal.

Below are photos taken at the Santo Domingo bus terminal, which is one of the larger bus terminals in Ecuador. Santo Domingo isn't one of the prettier cities in Ecuador, yet it is an important transportation hub. Here I caught a bus to Pedernales, on the Ecuadorian coast.

The photo below was taken of the cobrador, or money collector, after getting off of the bus in Pedernales.

 Next is the window at Pedernales Terminal, where I purchased my trip to Canoa.

The photo below was taken in the town of Canoa, still filled with holiday visitors when I arrived on Friday, the day after New Year's Day.

One of Canoa's best restaurants is seen below. This restaurant also has a beach location, where my friends (seen in photo above) and I went for dinner one evening.

Finally, I arrived after a short bus ride from Canoa to the hostel, 2 kilometers outside of the town.

I was in for a BIG surprise on arrival at the Sundown Inn. I found out that Don Lukacik, owner of the Sundown Inn and Developer of the Spanish program there, died suddenly of a heart attack December 18. What a shock. He hadn't yet turned 60. His memorial service was held the evening of my arrival at the Sundown. The following is a photo of the family taking his ashes out to the shore. A bonfire was built and the box carrying the ashes was laid into the fire.

Of course, Don's death had profound effects for me, as he had been my primary correspondent before deciding to stay at the Sundown. Alysen, Don's daughter, returned my last message, confirming my arrival date. I had no idea that she answered my email because her father had just died. Alysen is a delightful person, and aspires to carry on the goals of her father, which included providing a caring and enjoyable environment for all guests at the Sundown Inn.

Unfortunately the in-laws who took over the hotel (while Alysen and her mother are in Quito handling legal tasks) after Don's demise aspire to none of these goals.

The behavior of the relatives toward visitors was in fact quite contemptuous. They seem to regard the hotel as their personal gold mine since it has fallen into their hands. I shortened my stay on the beach at Canoa as a result of Don's passing and the changes which came about. It's so sad that he didn't have the opportunity to enjoy his retirement on the beach as he'd hoped.

I first became angry because of having paid $40 for a week's breakfasts and almuerzos, served by the managers.  There was a day we were served a big plate of fried rice (leftovers) with absolutely no meat at all. When we were served fish, it was a child's portion. I wrote an email to Alysen.  Thankfully, she replied appreciatively, and the following week the meals improved for the guests who were paying for them (by then I was cooking all of my own meals).

My American expatriate friends on the Canoa beach warned me that Don's in-laws had a terrible reputation.  They ran the hostel previous to his moving to the hotel and cleaning things up. The Sundown Inn was known to Canoa residents and visitors as "the Let-Down Inn" because of having such a good web page yet being run by people who displayed horrible behavior toward guests.

Nonetheless, I still managed to have a good stay on the beach. I truly enjoyed my beautiful hotel room, and sleeping with the door open at night. Listening to the surf all night long was heavenly.

The best part of staying at the Sundown was the quality of guests staying there, and I really enjoyed spending time with them. Below are friends celebrating one of our last evenings together. I bought fresh Dorado at the fish market in Bahia, and treated everyone to a good-night dinner.

An especially lucky part of staying on the beach at Canoa for me was that friends of a friend in Cotacachi, Jennifer, live right on the beach, just a half mile down. Sheryl and her husband Scott invited me to dinner at their gorgeous home just days after my arrival.

Sheryl is a fabulous cook and we dined on fresh fish cooked with Mediterranean herbs; grains and fresh vegetables. Oh, and we had rum and cokes, watched the sunset, and drank plenty of wine during dinner. Sheryl even served her delicious, freshly baked olive bread. 

Sheryl and Scott are both from Louisiana, and being with them brought back happy memories of having lived in New Orleans. 

Sheryl and Scott lived in Seattle once upon a time, where they bought a boat and sailed down to Ecuador over 8 years ago. They've been living here ever since. I had such a great time the night they invited me over that I invited them over for dinner a week later.

I made fish kabobs, salad, potatoes, and vegetables, all of which we enjoyed right on the beach. We had vodka tonics and watched the sunset. Then we enjoyed our meal and drank wine, reminiscing about so many aspects of life. It was a real thrill to be with people my own age.

Sheryl recommended that I take a trip to Isla Corazon, which is only a 30 minute bus ride from Canoa. Isla Corazon is a naturally heart-shaped mangrove island, located on the Chone River estuary off the city of Bahia de Caráquez in Ecuador's province of Manabí. I spent the most amazing day with a wonderful Ecuadorian family who took the tour the same day I arrived.

I'll start with photos of the family members. The first photo is of Maria Consuelo Escobar, who is actually from Columbia. She is married to an Ecuadorian named Hector. Below the photo with Maria, I'm seen with Hector and his mother. And after that is a photo with Hector's brother, Jorge. Finally, is the handsome Pedro, younger son of Maria and Hector.

Isla Corazon is a community eco-tourism project which seeks to preserve native mangroves, which have been endangered by the shrimp farming industry. Isla Corazon was declared a Wildlife Refuge and Frigates Heart Island by Ecuador's Ministry of Environment. It is one of 44 protected refuges in the country. Organizations dedicated to the conservation of Birds have partnered the Wildlife Refuge. Next are photos from the tour itself.

As you can see, the bird life is prolific in this preserve. Pelicans, Ibises, egrets and frigate birds abound. Shrimp farms can be seen in the background. Many of these are now abandoned.

Another day trip I recommend to anyone going to the area is the Bahia Museum.  Photos weren't allowed in the museum so don't have much to show for my afternoon there. I was lucky in that I arrived when there were hardly any visitors and had my own private tour with a guide who was very knowledgeable and obviously cared. I can't say enough about how much this museum helped me to value the Indigenous cultures of the Manabí area and their heritage. Not having seen anything like it since touring Peru, I appreciated the Bahia museum all the more.

Moving right along, I also took Spanish classes while in Canoa. After being billed $120 for a week of classes I found out my Spanish teacher only made $50. The managers at the Sundown Inn wouldn't even provide me a notebook when I asked. They asked me for money up front saying they would pick one up in Bahia when they went. They didn't have change for my $5 bill, so I said I would get the notebook myself. I cancelled my classes for the next week, and arranged for lessons privately.

My teacher was helpful as far as correcting  the errors I tend to make. After a lot of corrections I found the process demoralizing. It's always helpful when a teacher provides a little support when improvement is shown. However, my teacher was young.  She spoke some English, but didn't like to speak it in front of me. She said she felt embarrassed. She is seen below, and her name is Eugenia. She was really very lovely and I could tell that my Spanish improved substantially in two weeks.

Below is a photo of the lovely Elsa, the lady who cleaned around the Sunset Inn. She was always helping me with my Spanish, too.

Everyone said that I was easily the most advanced Spanish speaker at the Sundown. I owe my two years living in the Dominican Republic  for much of my proficiency in Spanish. The music of Juan Luis Guerra was often played on buses, certainly a happy surprise. The bachatas of Romeo Santos and Prince Royce blared daily from loud speakers on the streets. No wonder I felt so at home staying on the Ecuadorian coast! I didn't realize the international impact of Dominican music.

 The following are a few photos taken at the beach in front of the Sunset Inn. Oh, and I'll include a photo of my beautiful beachfront room. How I miss the sleeping by the ocean.

I'll end my description of the Sundown with a photo of Ivan, the groundskeeper, who worked tirelessly to keep the plants so healthy at the Sundown.

Below are scenes from Bahia de Caráquez, where I enjoyed shopping at the market. The bridge to Bahia was built about two years ago. Before, everyone relied on a ferry for passage.

 I'll always remember the Tia store in Bahia, of course, and the Bank of Pinchincha.

 The Bahia market was a wonderful source for produce and freshly caught fish.

 Lastly, the beautiful harbor at Bahia with all of the sailboats out on a sunny day in January.

So after two weeks in Canoa, I was off to Puerto López, where I enjoyed another glistening weekend at the beach in Ecuador. My primarily objective in going to Puerto López was the opportunity to hike Isla de la Plata, and snorkel the bay nearby.

I left Canoa about 8 am and took a bus to Portoviejo, the capital of the province of Manabí. As you can see the bus I rode on was quite modern. The views of the coast on the drive south were beautiful, although once we turned inland toward Portoviejo the area was dry, and the views not as enjoyable.

After a 3 hour ride and arrival in Portoviejo, I transferred to a bus headed for Jipijapa, a major transportation hub. Jipijapa, despite having a great name, is not an especially attractive town.

The ride from Jipijapa to Puerto López is about and hour and a half long. Early Friday afternoon, January 16, I arrived in Puerto López. I paid a moto-taxi 50 cents for a ride to my hostel, the Itapoa.

I stayed in a beautiful cottage at this lovely hostel for $20 night, more than I wanted to pay (a terrific breakfast was included, which helped), yet I enjoyed my stay there very much. The hostel owner, Maria, and her husband, were gracious hosts. Other hostel residents were friendly, which was great. Below is the upstairs dining room where we enjoyed the ocean view while eating breakfast.  Also included are photos the hostel reception area, my cottage, and the gardens around my room.

 I enjoyed a late almuerzo at the Columbian restaurant featured below.

And the following day, Saturday, I toured the Isla de la Plata, known to some as the "poor persons' Galapagos." I wanted to see blue footed boobies and other wild life, so was looking forward to the hike on the island. I also thoroughly enjoyed snorkeling after our hike was over. I figure that at least now I have a taste of what the Galapagos are like, and later I'll go to the Galapagos.

Above are trails left by giant tortoises (we saw many of them swimming in the ocean), who leave their eggs in the warm sand near the shoreline shrubbery to hatch. Below are two Ecuadorian visitors and one young Argentinean visitor, along with Gallo, our guide. Our tour included a number of young travelers from Argentina enjoying their holidays.

There were several choices of trails to take on the island, and I took the Sendero Fragatas route. The route below was closed for the season, yet the view of the ocean was alluring.

Our first sighting of young blue footed boobies! These birds are too immature to have blue feet, and are still covered in down, not having yet developed feathers. All appeared unafraid of humans.

 The blue footed booby below is protecting her young.

Sadly, the eggs below did not hatch, possibly because of the parent having to abandon them due to torrential rain or another climatic factor.

 The adorable baby blue footed booby below seemed to enjoy hamming it up for the camera.

 Below are two boats, one on which we arrived. We've hiked a long way uphill on the island!

 This mother and her offspring seemed to be performing a cabaret act!

 The guide joked that the pair above were on their honeymoon and had not yet started their family.

 Hundreds of adolescent frigate birds are seen below, waiting for their parents to return with food!

Another booby, below. I can't post enough photos of the remarkable blue-footed boobies!

More adolescent frigate birds above (close up) & below...there were hundreds, no, thousands of them!

I'm with 2 baby blue footed boobies above. Below, we're headed back to Puerto López. But first, we went snorkeling in a nearby bay for about an hour, a highlight of the day. We saw so many gorgeous tropical fish. After returning to the hostel, I stayed another day and recovered from my sunburn.

Monday I was on the bus to Quayaquil and late afternoon arrived in rainy, chilly Cuenca for a whole new chapter. Reviewing these photos sure makes me miss the coast of Ecuador.

Happy Mercury Retrograde, by the way! I'm having deja vu experience of my early September arrival in a cold, overcast Lima fresh off the plane from the Dominican Republic. I was wearing skirts with t-shirts and Chacos, the exact same wardrobe as I have now, in Cuenca (the altitude here is over 8000 feet), tee hee.  Brrr...I'm cold!

Seems like no one can ever convince me that I'll ever want a sweater again as long as I'm on the beach. I'll just have to buy a sweater here. Funny thing is, I just didn't want to carry outerwear to Puerto López. So I am still so appreciative of my friends in Canoa for taking it off my hands.

I am having to really watch my spending after having had such a luxurious couple of weeks on the coast. Cuenca is so gorgeous! I can make it! Tonight I'm going to a Mozart symphony--free of charge. The culture here does compensate some for the bodily pleasures of the beach. More on this later.

Every month it seems that I cover so much ground, and that's why I want to blog bi-monthly. So this is it--my second blog update this month. Thank you for reading my blog narrative(not too much of that) and looking at my photos (plenty of those)! I'll be posting again in about two weeks.