Beach, sun, surf & volleyball-what more could a gal want??

South America » Ecuador » West » Montañita
June 4th 2008

Published: June 18th 2008

Fresh off the beach with a tan to go I thought that I´d tell you about Monatñita before the memories slip away with the last grains of sand!! I arrived in Ecuador to a big busy city in the south called Guayquil. It´s not somewhere you go to look at the architecture or marvel at anything in particular....just a pass-through to get you to the next place. I was sitting in a salad bar the day I arrived & a lady came up to me to tell me to be very careful & watch out......apparently it´s a dangerous enough city with a lot of crime.....like everywhere else all the security men are seen donning pistols....but in saying that I had no problems apart from the excessive attention that was bestowed upon me by men of all ages on the streets. It´s very funny most of the time.....does get annoying at times.....but the men do these kissing noises as you walk by.....sometimes its hard not to laugh in their faces......& it´s not that I´ve turned into a walking goddess.....just as a foreigner I look different & I guess that is attractive to some.....or lots as the case may be!! I went wandering about the city.....the promenade overlooking the river has been developed & makes a nice walk. On my way back I watched the police as they were in persuit of criminals of some sort....not sure exactly what happened but it was rush-hour traffic & policemen with machine guns were high -tailing it after the baddies in police vehicles & hanging out the sides of public buses as they persued the perpetrators.....very exciting stuff!! All in a day in Ecuador. I left after a day to head towards the beach that had been recommended in Peru. But even as I sat in the taxi I was torn as to whether I should go for my bus as planned or just go to the airport for the next flight to the Galapagos islands....another time....bus terminal for now!!

Montañita is a sea-side town that has exploded in the last ten year or so. It is a proper little party town with hostels, clubs & restaurants to cater for the droves that flood in here at the weekend-both tourists & locals. But in saying that it is small enough that after a few days you feel like a local or at least that you have met or are recognised by most of the locals......all of whom are very friendly!! Despite the numbers that come here, the beach is well maintained.....a nice long stretch of beach for walking that is clean & with surf too for want-to-be & well-versed surfers. The water is nice & warm so you can happily stay in for ages surfing without losing limbs to the bitter cold water like at home. On the beach too there is a volleyball net so every evening as the sun weakens you´ll be sure to find games going on....well at least when I was there, there was always a ball up in the air in the evening!!

I´m near the end of my trip now & having done a lot of walking & hiking, I decided that I wanted to spend my last days at the beach where I´m happiest....& it was such a nice place to finish off. In the restaurants & artesañia stalls about the town you´ll find people from different countries who have settled there for a while or indefinitely which I suppose is testament to the spirit of the place! People come & just don't want to leave.......they fall in love with the place......or with the people or both!! So I set myself up in a quiet hostel called Prana....away from the latino, pop & Marley tunes that pump out from every place in town. Sleep at night should never be taken for granted......want to be fresh for the beach....busy girl!!

SO everyday was spent on the beach..... even when the sun didn´t shine.....& it was overcast on quite a few days. I really enjoyed the surfing & because I was doing it each day I could see an improvement. The waves were nice for both novices like myself & pros. And the locals were happy to give me a few tips along the way too. The beach bodies of the local surfers were amazing & deserve a mention.....was worth it to stay just for that.....of course the surfing was impressive too but......the upper bodies were so finely sculpted.... with abdominal defintion that you could only dream about. Can see them now in my head!! The locals also play great beach volleyball....I guess they play a lot but it´s great fun cause they rarely let a ball drop....they chase everything....& between some there is a lot of good-natured competition.

Every morning I set myself up well with a great breakfast in the Funky Monkey.....scrambled eggs, fruit salad, jugos. One more antibiotic for the stomach & hopefully that´ll be the last of the infections too. Jugo stalls line the streets.....my particular jugo was pineapple, raspberries, poquito de azucar, hielo y leche .....buenisimo!! Cada dia!! Men selling artesañia have stalls everywhere with others wandering around from restaurant to beach selling their wares....... from necklaces to sunglasses to pastries, ceviche to hammocks.....pretty much anything that you might need...so there is no need to go out shopping.....let the mobile shops come to you!!

I really stayed as long as I could. There was always a fiesta if you wanted one & at the weekends the Caña Grill had a local band that played covers that were both latino & international....so it suited everyone. After the band then the DJ kicked off.......I´m no pro- dancer but have enjoyed the salsa & merangue tunes......dancing with the locals is great fun......they have fantastic rhythmn & know how to move!!! It's such a fun place to stay & is definitely a come-back destination if I have the opportunity.......for the surf of course!!

I left Sunday afternoon for my bus to Guayquil & it's now 3 days later.... Wednesday & I've just arrived at my final destination after constant travel.....so over the last 3 days I've taken 2 buses, 3 planes, then 2 more buses.....to get me here to Iguazu in northern Argentina. Marathon trip but glad to say that it will be one of the last ones like that. It's probably better for the general population as a whole too because my patience goes out the window & I'm probably not the most friendly person you'd meet on these days. When I got on the bus yesterday after 2 sleepless nigths the fella next to me said that anytime he looked at me I was conked out. Some serious catch-up sleep was needed!!

So I'm here in Iguazu, Argentina.....back to the winter & it is so depressing. I'm sitting here waiting to check-in with 3 t-shirts, 2 jumpers, & the heavy duty winter coat. It's so much nicer living in a bikini everyday.....it's a sad welcome back to the real-world for me. So my little taste of Ecuador in Montanita was more than enough to whet the appetite for a return in the future. Vamos a ver!!

Beach, sun, surf & volleyball-what more could a gal want??

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