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Published: June 30th 2008
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In our quest to view humpback whales off the coast of Ecuador, we changed our flights to alight in Guayaquil. Thence we took to the buses to arrive in Puerto Lopez, further north along the coast. The bus journeys were hair-raising; conducted at breakneck speed, at every stop, vendors leaping on and off to sell their wares - kebabs, patties, juices, water, coconut and, bizarely, live crabs. All but the latter seemed to be doing a roaring trade. Our attention was taken by the prospect of a ginseng-based miracle cure that could prevent cancer, cleanse the liver, purify the blood, support the kidneys and cure that putrefying and evil-smelling urine that apparently is aflicting us all. Oh, and it also prevented those irritating male problems. For a dollar a go, I was almost tempted. Many were. Entertainment aside, it was a nervous time, as the buses are a serious risk for theft, but thankfully we were able to guard our bags closely and arrived safely in Puerto Lopez.
Puerto Lopez is a small town, originally focused mainly on fishing, but just awakening to the vast tourist potential offered by the annual migration of humpback whales along the Ecuatorian coast. A
few kilometres away, the Machalilla Park is an expanse of sub-tropical forest and dry woodland and nearby is reputedly the most beautiful beach in Ecuador. On the beach front, palm fringed cabins offer delicious juices and fruit milkshakes, and the road is lined with tourist-friendly restaurants vying for visitor trade. A few streets back, though, the streets are poor and unkempt, and the local people can be found scratching a living and eating simple set meals. The restaurants don´t have menus and there´s no need to ask the price - it´s three dollars for a lunch or a dinner for two.
Of course, the whales are the stars. Each year they migrate to the warm, shallow waters here to give birth, or to find a mate. The mamoth males, weighing in at 30 tonnes and up to 13 metres long, display their power and strength to the females by leaping above the waves and crashing back down to the surface. Melodious underwater serenades simultaneously court the females and demonstrate the male´s capacity to stay submerged. We watched a breathtaking display by half a dozen whales, just yards from the boat.
For the next two days we took a
San Sebastian
With Ernesto outside his former family home, complete with fruits of the forest. trek with our guide, Ernesto, through the subtropical rainforest in the hills behind the bay. Ernesto had been brought up in the forest and had a wealth of information and enthusiasm to share. He pointed out elusive birds and insects, showed us the plants that were used for medicines, and we tasted the wild fruits of the forest. In the evening we made a makeshift camp in the wooden house that formerly housed Ernesto, his parents and eleven brothers and sisters. A coral snake was found in its tree-stump home beside the toilet, but without the paranoia that would have normally demanded its death, Ernesto evicted it, destroyed its home, and sprinkled diesel (1.24 USD a gallon) round the toilet to prevent its return. Although calmly done, it must be noted that he had a very long stick in one hand and a very big machete in the other. Howler monkeys shouted all around us as night fell, and in the morning we rose early to climb up into the damp, misty forest to watch them feeding in the canopy above.
Though we enjoyed seeing the wildlife of the forest, the most fascinating was to hear Ernesto´s accounts of
survival and life in this environment. It was a hard life, with no education, and he hadn´t been sad to leave, but he obviously relished his time spent back in the forest and was as excited as us when we spotted birds or monkeys. He had no difficulty remembering my name, as he had a daughter called Diana, though, with seven children and 16 grandchildren, it would be surprising if he hadn´t. We didn´t come back to Puerto Lopez empty handed; but laden with several days´ supply of wild bananas and a healthy crop of ticks and bites.
Sitting, like you do, outside a restaurant in Puerto Lopez, we met James and Lynne, currently hailing from Hinkley but, Lynne at least, had lived in Hartshead, not a stone's throw from my former home, Cleckheaton. We appeared to be on parallel courses, travelling through Asia, Australasia and South America, in a similar timeframe. James is a road and mountain biker, and I suspect that we will be seeing them shortly in England, to trade tales and bike routes.
Having exhausted the possibilities of Puerto Lopez, it was time to return to Quito to attend to the business of getting
to Mexico. An eleven hour, overnight bus journey ensued. Hot and noisy with the latin american beat, the bus jolted violently along, stopping far too often, until we were finally spewed out in Quito at 6 am. Those backpackers who make a regular habit of overnight journeys to cover the long distances in South America must have some stamina - it's easier by bike.
Once in Quito, we amused ourselves visiting the Mitad Del Mundo, supposedly the location of the equator, but actually a bit over 200 metres too far South. Having erected a monument on the wrong spot, as indicated by some 18th century wise-men, the powers that be have overlooked this minor technical flaw and focused instead on some neat landscaping and shopping pavilions to create a veritable tourist industry. Less obviously, the neighbouring Solar Museum sits smugly on the actual centre line of the Earth. Of course, the pre-columbian indigenous people knew the exact spot centuries ago, but I am sure that they were relieved when modern civilisation by way of the GPS confirmed their ancient wisdom. Anyway, there is good fun to be had watching water wooshing down plug holes this way and that, depending
upon where you place the sink. Perhaps our readers in the Northern and Southern hemispheres would like to check their plug holes and compare results. Muscle power is mysteriously diminished when standing astride the equator, and balancing an egg on a nail becomes mysteriously easier. Feel free to practise this at home (boiling the egg is not allowed). The museum also had displays featuring the Ecuadorian Indigenous Peoples' lifestyle and traditions, now tragically threatened by first world oil company exploitation. Many communities will be lost forever, their people victim to insidious diseases caused by pollution and contamination arising from practices outlawed in the health, safety and litigation conscious developed countries.
In our hostel in Quito we met Jill and George, from Perth in Australia. George is keen to walk the Coast to Coast in Britain. Fortunately, we know of some ideal accomodations in the North East and North West! And I can already feel our Western Australia bike trip coming on.
But now our short time in Ecuador has come to a close. Mexico beckons, and with it the final two months of our cycling journey...
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Jacquie
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The equator stories
Well, I don't know about the other equator tricks, but the one about the water going down the drain one way in the northern hemispherre and down the other in the south is not true...hate to take the fun out of things, but one can actually change the course of the water...saw this on the science Discovery channel a few weeks ago adn I was so upset, but I am over it now. Will try theegg trick when I get home today. Take care on your trip up north. Madpea