Since I was between cycles at the school where I teach, and had time off, it seemed like the right time to do some more exploring. My friend, Nancy, and I decided to go to the coast. I had been to one beach once, back in February and knew that there was much more to see.
We left on June 22, with the plan to return on June 28, so that I would be back in time to get my class schedule, books, student lists, etc. We took a 3 hour van ride from Cuenca to Guayaquil, where we were met by a man whom we had pre-arranged to take us to the bus station. The bus ride was another 4 hours to Puerto Lopez. All went perfectly.
Puerto Lopez is a sleepy little fishing village on the Pacific Ocean. It was wonderful being away from the generally cool, erratic weather of Cuenca, to warm rather tropical weather. We took a 3-wheeled motorized cart-like taxi to where we were staying and settled in. I loved walking on the beach & getting my feet wet in the ocean.
The plant life is very different on the coast compared to Cuenca:
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| flower of the banana plant! |
The biggest industry in Puerto Lopez is fishing.
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| fishermen repairing their nets |
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| more net repair |
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| the fisherman are out before the crack of dawn & are back on sure early in the morning |
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| bringing the fish to shore from a fishing boat |
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| fishing boat |
On Sunday, June 24, we went to Isla de la Plata, which is also known as Poor Man's Galapagos because it's much less expensive to take a day long trip to this island and see some of the same wildlife that can be seen on the Galapagos, i.e., blue-footed boobies & frigate birds. It was about an hour each way by boat. We did see some whales come up & then go back down, which was fun.
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| the blue-footed boobies are very cute; they're usually in pairs, with their mates |
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| frigate bird |
Probably my favorite day on the coast was Monday, June 25. We went to Playa Los Frailes, a bit north of Puerto Lopez, one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen, If the sun hadn't been so strong, I would have stayed there all day. I did go in the ocean & enjoyed riding the waves.
The afternoon of June 25, we went to Agua Blanca, an indigenous community, where we had lunch and took a tour. I even swam in the sulphur pool there.
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| this is the restaurant where we had lunch in Agua Blanca |
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| women doing their laundry in the river |
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| swimming in the sulphur pool |
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| swimming in the sulphur pool! |
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| wild pigs! |
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| mother pig & her children! |
The next day, June 26, we took a bus to Olón, about an hour south, to stay at a spa-type hostal, which was heading south, the direction that we would take to go home. The hostal was at the top of a mountain, only reached by a steep, windy, rutted road. Little did I know how different things would be when we left there!
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