1 June: One problem with a tropical forest, it comes alive very early in the morning with a cacophony of bird sounds, so had an early wake-up this morning 🙂
2 June: After a long day yesterday, which included driving through Guayaquil (Ecuadors largest city) and shopping in it we stopped at a placed called Finca Gloria which was just of the main highway leading to the coast and had good reviews on iOverlander. Unfortunately for us the experience was very different and we had a very disturbed night.
5 June: Really liking the little town of Montanita or at least the section we are in, has quite a hippy/alternative feel with a few yoga places and surf hostels set in amongst lush bushes. Even the entrance to this barrio had the South African flag flying along with a few others. The main part of town is party central but we don’t get disturbed.
6 June: Tania had a great yoga class this morning, making it a good start to the day. After 3 very frustrating days in the surf, Stuart finally caught a few waves this afternoon and it felt good! There has been some big swell making the point takeoff zone very intimidating and the beach break is plagued by a strong rip current which makes positioning yourself difficult and tiring.
7 June: the large swell seems to have gone past now making the waves easier and more fun to catch, hoping for some good days ahead.
10 June: have had some good surf the last few days but today was really great, super glassy conditions with lovely warm water, almost nobody in the surf and some great waves. MThe surfing ability has taken a nice leap forward the last few days.
12 June: It’s been 10 days since we arrived at Balsa Surf Camp and both of us were starting to get a bit restless so with the swell size dropping away it was time to move today but first we popped into town for some shopping and to fill Mr. Jones water tank. Along the way Tania spotted a Falafel restaurant and what a great find it was – run by a chap from Iran. The portions were fairly small but so flavourful and well worth it. Then it was along the coastal road for an hour, including a really spectacular section which climbed up into the rain forest before descending to the small village of Ayampe.
13 June: The Russian caretaker at the parking camp spot in Ayampe didn’t exude tranquility by wanting us to pay with the exact change each day, telling us checkout is 10 and generally being a bit forceful. As the surf wasn’t great we decided to bounce which was a great thing as we ended up only 20km down the road at HosterĂa Salango which is the first campsite we have had in ages and it is in a spectacular location on top of a peninsula which to the right looks down into a fishing village bay, directly in front is the island of Salango and to the left is another big sweeping bay. It was a quick decision this afternoon to stay two nights and just enjoy the serenity.
15 June: Another short hop of 20 minutes today into the little village of Puerto Lopez which is the launch point for boat trips to Isla La Plata (silver island) which is known as the poor man’s Galápagos. We shall find out tomorrow if it is…
16 June: Youth day in ZA. Fantastic excursion to Isla del Plata, the poor man’s Galápagos. Whale sightings on the way there, a tough and very hot walk to see some blue footed boobies Nazca boobie, red (male bloated chins) frigate bird. Lunch on the boat before a great hour or so of snorkelling (fish, turtles etc) and then a rough 1 hour boat ride back to the mainland – thank goodness Tania had the good idea to pack rain jackets before we left as the spray from bouncing through the waves had us soaked.
17 June: another short drive northwards, first stop didn’t appeal to us so we drove another 15 minutes to Puerto Cabo and Jardin Suizo (Swiss Garden) and the very interesting owner Samuel who was in the merchant navy for 20 years before settling in Ecuador. Late afternoon, short but sweet surf session
18 June: Our plan was to drive an hour north and stop so that we would then be close to the large town of Manta for shopping and haircuts on Monday but the camping spot held no appeal, being an open parking in front of a local restaurant and as it was only 11am we decided to carry on and do our shopping. Shopping was successful but amazingly despite us being in a huge mall there was not a single hairdresser. Heading an hour out of town in the late afternoon we experienced some busy traffic and some crazy driving (late afternoon Father’s Day) which was a surprise, as up until now the Ecuadorian drivers have been well behaved. Our first attempt at a campsite was a bust as it looked abandoned so we backtracked a bit to one which was marked as camping but in reality was just parking on the street next to the beach and across from a restaurant which lets you use the toilet and shower. Outside was a Swiss landy which had been there 4 days already. As it was almost sunset we stopped and enjoyed a good night until needing the loo in the morning and finding the gates locked. May as well have wild camped!!!
20 June: a super chilled day enjoying something that resembles a campsite and not just a parking area behind a hostel, we even have grass underfoot and palm trees above. Unfortunately, the beach is not great and Stuart is not keen to surf as a number of properties have pipes leading into the water with large securing stakes which are well hidden at high tide but just visible at low. As a bonus the camping fee includes breakfast which was really nice and tasty consisting of tamarillo juice and mote pilo (a corn, green onion, garlic and egg fryup and cheese, salsa and cumin to add on top
22 June: The last 2 stops we realised how much we have missed a proper campsite setup and the one we are in now Playa Escondida is just fantastic and almost paradise. A tropical forest which extends all the way down to a little private cove with hammock hanging spots, free firewood and just an all-round great vibe. It’s run by a 78 year old Canadian lady who has been here 30+ years but in her time was a real traveller, exploring Africa in the 60’s ia Kombi as well as South America. The only downside to this spot there is no decent surf.
24 June: A tiring drive and a little frustrated. We headed inland from the coast, hoping to stop halfway to Mindo but the only possible camp spot at Puerto Quito was closed due to pollution of the environment so we had to push on. Even though overall driving time and distance wasn’t super far (around 300km) in total it was just tiring as it was on constantly twisting up and down roads with limited scenery due to the thick jungle either side of road. Initial impressions of Mindo are disappointing, it had been highly recommended as a beautiful area with birds and butterflies which it is, but so touristy and feels way too commercial with everything requiring high access fees. It feels a bit like a Brazilian tourist town/hotspot – right down to the offering of quad bike tours.
26 June: A fun little drive today as we took the back roads from Mindo across to Termas Nagulpi, mostly very narrow dirt roads which twisted up and down hills through the cloud forests. At one point google maps didn’t have us on any road and we needed to almost go old school and use the open street maps and a sense of direction to make choices. The termas turned out to be quite nice so had a couple of soaks in afternoon and evening.
27 June: another day of twisty turneys but this time on tar with a brief stop at the crater lake of Cotachi where we watched some of Ecuador “navy seals” practising in the very cold lake waters. Ended at a cool little campsite in Otavalo run by a super friendly Jose who speaks nice and slow with clear Spanish so we actually had quite long conversations. Cool day!
28 June: Cool sunset which appropriately marks the end of the Inti Raymi, the Inca festival of the sun which honours Taita Inti (Father Sun) to thank him for the heat and energy that allows plants to grow and occurs around the summer solstice.