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Published: September 21st 2009
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I've just arrived in Cuenca after spending 4 nights in Puerto Lopez in a lovely hostel names 'Hosteria Mandala'. The drive from Manta airport to Puerto Lopez was a grim one. I had just left my dream home in Mindo, a lush green area to drive through what seemed like the badlands. We were surrounded by death and people who looked like they led hard lives. all the trees were bare and looked dead. There were turkey vultures everywhere and hardly a living soul in sight, apart from the odd village we passed through. At this point I was panicking that my next week would be spent in such an area but we eventually arrived on the coast in the village of Puerto Lopez which basically only exists due to the opportunity to fish and take tourists to Isla del Plata, known as the poor mans galapagos! It's not the prettiest of villages, but it serves a good purpose, gives good opportunities for daytrips and there's plenty of fruit and cocktails on the beachside cafes which have hammocks and deck chairs literally right on the beach!!
Our hotel was like a botanical garden, they had done it up beautifully with
The beach
Here you can see the beachside cafes/cocktail bars by night lush flowers and plants. The cabanas were quant too, each being named after an animal. Ours was the Pinguina cabana 😊. Jill who was running the place in the owners absence was amazing. She caters to your every wish, just as her team do. So if you're looking for what could be the nicest place to stay in Puerto Lopez, I think you will find it at Hosteria Mandala.
Unfortunately I didn't go to Isla del Plata because I get pretty car sick, and on the day of the trip I was feeling sick anyway, so I thought going on an hour and a half boat ride on pretty rough sea would not be a good move! So I missed out on seeing whales, blue footed boobies and seals, but I made up for it the next day by going on a 4 hour horse ride along the Puerto Rico beach and up into the mountains. It was beautiful, but I did get the feeling that my horse was tired and really not in the mood to be carring 113lbs on his back, so near the end I got down and just walked alongside him picking up pretty stones
on the beach as I went.
Shortly after the horseride I had a massage at the shop that sells candles along the beachside. I can't remember the name but it's next door to Cafe Spondylus and I recommend the massage to everyone! Although the woman did seem to be getting a little too up close and personal to my private parts!! I came out smelling and feeling amazing for just 20 dollars! While I was having the massage, the guy selling handmade jewellery outside was making my necklace. He makes them out of shells and they're so so beautiful....so cheap as well!
We left Puerto Lopez on Saturday to sit on 8 hours worth of buses to reach our current destination... Cuenca. the buses were pretty funny, we had so many guys coming on trying to sell us crisps, nuts, fruit salads, omelettes, drinks, ice cream, chewing gum, chocolate.... you name it.... people were trying to sell it. The funniest part was that they'd jump on, sell their goods then literally jump off as the bus was still moving. One guy screamed in a 'yipeee' kind of way.... they're crazy!!
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