Surf, Drugs and Salsa!

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"Surf, drugs and salsa", mix and match to customize your vacation in Montanita, a beach town on the pacific coast that is famous for its waves, stimulants and nightlife. This laid back, beach party atmosphere draws gringos from near and far, often making Ecuadorians the minority. During the day people lounge around, relaxing on the beach and in hammocks, listening to the music of Bob Marley and Sublime that wafts from the local, bamboo, palm fron bars and restaurants. At night, they crank up the music to get the party started. Salsa dancing, European techno dance halls and American club bumpin, Montanita has it all. If you're not in the mood to get your grove on, you can play pool or just relax at local bars that advertise happy hour from "6pm hasta......" which roughly means 4 in the morning. If you wake up early in the morning to check out the waves or take a walk on the beach, you can spot the tourists who partied too hard the night before laying face down on the beach covered in sand. Ahhh the memories.

Montanita supposedly boasts some of Ecuador’s best waves, but the surf was unimpressive while I was there, never getting much bigger than a few feet. Still, it was a lot of fun to get out in the water and ride some waves, which were never very crowded. We rented cheap surfboards from a local shop on the beach, which let us try out different boards depending on the conditions. The weather wasn't the best, overcast and a little misty at times. It was usually warmer in the water than out of it. Despite the lack of sun it was still warm enough to enjoy a dip in the ocean and a cool ocean breeze. I got stung by a jellyfish on the hand and had to nutralize it the old fashion way (with pee). I asked Roana to pee on my hand, but she just gave me one of those looks.

Much of our day was spent laying in hammocks and on the beach, reading and relaxing, or taking a walk to the tide pools to look for treasures (pretty shells and rocks). At the tide pools we made a new friend and informal tour guide, Itchy #2, who wanted to be in all the pictures. He liked to chase crabs and smell things, normal dog stuff, and would wander a little ways ahead, then stop, look back and see if we were coming. He stayed with us for a few hours and I would have liked to pet him but was fearful of the parasites that lived in his coat. On the tour we found this cool cave, whose floor was made from broken seashells. We also found this awsome channel that when a wave came by, would funnel the water inland twenty or thirty feet and upon reaching the end, would shoot it up several feet in the air, an amazing natural fountain. Another example of nature’s magic. It was also fun to play with the anemones, a guilty pleasure. The next day when we returned to the tide pools, we noticed that Itchy #2 had a new tour group he was leading, a truly hard working canine.

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Photos

Snail Colony
Sucking on rocks, sweet.