OLÓN IN AUGUST

August is starting out to be a GREAT month. I recently spent 8 days at the wonderful Sea Garden House in Olón. It's been 3 months since I've written a blog update--and this has been the longest hiatus ever! The last time I blogged was in April, after a terrific stay in Quito.

Since then I've been in Cuenca, and many people, including myself, have already written lots about Cuenca. So there hasn't been much I wanted to say. However I have a great report about Olón, and beautiful photos accompany this post. Below is a photo of the coast taken from a cliff overlooking Olón (it was taken from the Santuario Blanca Estrella de Mar) by the lovely Liz Prado. Liz took the photo above, too. Liz and I enjoyed fine adventures together.

The following photo is of the Sea Garden House. Below is a photo of Rodolfo, proprietor of the Sea Garden House. Rodolfo is the reason the Sea Garden House is a success. His welcoming personality and wonderful staff make this hostel special. He and his wife Maria, are seen having supper together in a photo below. They built the Sea Garden House together 11 years ago.

Maria was in Guayaquil most of the week.  She teaches drama at the University, and has family in Guayaquil. Rodolfo really misses Maria when she's gone and wishes she'd stay in Olón more. Maria is the one responsible for the simple yet beautiful decor of the Sea Garden House.

Below is Theo, Rodolfo's Right Hand Man. He was always available to help. The Sea Garden House wouldn't be anything without him:

I should mention here that it's very easy to get from Cuenca to Olón. I just took a bus from Cuenca to Guayaquil that left 7:30 am.  I caught the 1pm CLP bus (tickets are sold on the 3rd floor of the terminal) directly to Olón at 1pm, arriving at the Sea Garden House before 5 pm.

The day I left Olón, I took the 9:45 bus leaving the CLP terminal (a walk of several blocks) and arrived in Guayaquil just before 1 pm. The bus from Guayaquil to Cuenca left a little after 1pm. I arrived in El Centro about 5 pm. The trip cost a total of $7 each way, because of being over 65.

I had a small room which I'm told used to be a storage room. It was perfect! What pleasure I experienced from the sound of the pounding waves on the shore, and the nearby ocean breezes. The photos after that are taken from outside of my room.

During my 8 days in Olón, 3 days were very sunny. I valued the sun all the more because of the days that were overcast. It was a thrill swimming in the waves and walking along the shore on sunny days:

Maria and her grand daughter are seen in the photo below. Maria and her daughter Ana were splendid cooks and we enjoyed sumptuous meals every day of my stay.

Below are prawns and fries I enjoyed several days in a row, because I was crazy about the huge fresh prawns. These french fries were homemade, not frozen, and they were delicious. We had calamari ceviche too. Rodolfo is a fine chef and the staff at the hostel cook from all of his recipes.

Jimmy and his son Jason are photographed below. Jimmy helped make everything possible at the Sea Garden House.

Liz came from Colombia as a nanny to Maria's brother's family and stayed as a helper in the Hostel kitchen. Below we are seen together. She helped me refine my Spanish! Also, Liz is an Photographer and University educated Journalist. She has an expensive camera. I wish I had a camera as nice as hers. She took several photos in this blog update and is an outstanding photographer:

Rodolfo encouraged Liz and me to go to Agua Blanca, and we spent an afternoon there together. The following photos were taken that afternoon.

 We loved seeing baby goats throughout the area:

We had lunch at the restaurant and our moto-taxi driver took us further to the mirador (look-out point) and we walked to a sulphur spring where we enjoyed a refreshing swim. There were facilities where we were able to shower and change. Liz and I befriended an Italian family touring the area.

Next is a photo of 3 little piglets, but it's hard to see them. I wish I could have gotten closer to the piglets while taking the photo, because they were very cute. The rustic environment and simple lives of those living in Agua Blanca made our day here very special:

 Below is the view from the mirador (look-out point):

Next are photos of the Sulphur Lagoon (it doesn't smell very good but I felt great after a swim):

We went to the museum after our swim:

Our moto-taxi driver was great at getting us around:

Next are some photos taken inside the museum, and there are photos taken of houses nearby:

Liz and I took a bus to Puerto López and then traveled a little further in order to arrive at Agua Blanca. I've been at Puerto López before, so did not take photos of the bus terminal there. The trip from Olón took about 45 minutes. I paid a mere $1.50 bus fare because of being over 65. The entrance fee to Agua Blanca was $2.50 for me, but Liz paid $5.

Our lunch at the restaurant cost $5.00 each. The food was not as tasty as that served at the hostel, of course, but it was OK and it arrived quickly. The moto-taxi driver charged $8 for the 2 of us to take us from the entrance of Agua Blanca to the restaurant and then a few more kilometers to the lagoon. He waited for us then dropped us off so we could tour the museum, then took us back out to the main highway where we were able to catch a bus back to Olón.

The whole afternoon cost less than $20 and was well worth the time and expense. We had a marvelous day. The community's devotion to their cultural heritage was evident. Agua Blanca is known for its pre-Colombian archeological findings. Many burial sites as well as ancient villages have been located in the area.

All right, now we'll get back to the week at the Sea Garden House and some of the things that happened there.

Visitors came to the Sea Garden House from all over the world during my stay, and I was never bored. Below are photos of a delightful Swiss-Dutch family (she's from the Netherlands and he's Swiss) who toured Ecuador's Amazon and Highlands and were spending a week relaxing in Olón:

 A family from Cuenca stayed for several days. They had a son I especially enjoyed:

You'll notice in this photo that Luney loves to hang out under the table and catch crumbs. Rodolfo does not care for this dog (she belongs to Maria's brother), because he says this dog is spoiled and does not mind him very well. Below is a photo of Luney resting as only she knows how to sleep. A couple of other dog photos follow.

During this past week the Olympics held their opening ceremony in Brazil. Rodolfo asked me to take a photo of him in a T shirt he wore 16 years ago while living in Sydney, Australia. The Olympics were held there in 2000! Rodolfo and his wife Maria lived in Australia for 20 years before coming to Ecuador. Maria is from Ecuador; Rodolfo grew up in Chile and went to University in Santiago.

Rodolfo has a comment to make about the Olympics in this photograph. The shirt applies more than ever to the Olympics in Brazil. I agree with him completely:

Back to my stay in Olón. A family came from Quito to stay. I especially hit it off with Ariana, their 11 year-old niece who flew to be with them from Minnesota. She set up a ping pong tournament in which we were supported by her young cousins. The 3 year-old was our cheerleader and ball keeper while her older sister served as scorekeeper.

OK, back to food. Thankfully a delightful woman my age named Rebecca came on the bus from Cuenca and stayed in Olón for 4 days.

Below, Rebecca, Rodolfo and I are enjoying a feast. Rebecca returned to Cuenca on Friday, saying she missed her dogs. She said she had a fabulous stay in Olón and will return.

Next is a young man cleaning the snook Maria prepared for lunch that day. Rodolfo says that snook is his favorite fish, and he thinks it's superior to corvina (sea bass).

 Previously I showed a photo of the prawns seen below but this photo also shows the wine we drank. We had wine at every meal during my stay, and also a lot of salads were served.

I did go to Montañitas for lunch one day. I ate at a little Peruvian restaurant and the food was splendid. A lovely young couple from Lima was eating and I really enjoyed visiting with them. Montañitas has a wonderfully youthful energy. It's easy to hop on a bus and get there from Olón, and it only costs 25 cents each way. I went there several times during my stay in Olón.

Asked how he developed the Sea Garden House, Rodolfo told me he is a committed mathematician, and that is how he comes by his architectural abilities. The wood is from buildings in Olón that were being torn down; Rodolfo hauled bricks in truckload after truckload from Guayaquil.

The central tower has breathtaking views of the beach at Olon. I climbed to the top of this structure while staying at the Sea Garden House, but forgot to take my camera. Rodolfo said he is going to add 2 additional units to his hostel that will offer the same views.

My stay at Sea Garden House for 8 days in my 2nd floor room surpassed my expectations, and all for about $300. It was the perfect antidote for a chilly July in Cuenca. There was breakfast of eggs and bread (some days I had fruit, and bacon too) with butter and jam daily. We ate sea food almuerzos every day too. I didn't take enough food photos!

The best part of breakfast time was getting to sit around and get to know the other travelers. One day when there were no travelers to eat with I sat in the kitchen and visited with the staff. It was all good.

At times I worried that I would be bored, or lonely. I learned to just hang out awhile and then everything would change. There were sure lots of happy surprises.

And during sunny days the swimming was extraordinary. On several evenings we enjoyed supper, ping pong and other games together. My vacation was better than I could have dreamed. If you want a beach trip you'll always remember, I recommend going to the Sea Garden House in Olón.