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Published: April 26th 2011
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Thanks to Santa Semana we had another long weekend, so we busted out of town and headed to the beach. Easter is completely a religious/family affair here. There is no Easter Bunny or egg hunts or any of that. Chris dyed Easter Eggs with the students, but it was a total novelty (some really loved it, others had more fun peeling the hard-boiled eggs). It's difficult to explain the Easter Bunny to a group of preschoolers ("yeah, so like a large rabbit hides eggs... some made of chocolate... so that kids can then go find them" doesn't really make any sense even to 4-year-olds). There isn't even the pagan connection to the rite of spring since the whole notion of seasons is pretty vague along the equator. Holy week in Ecuador, rather, is about numerous processions, candles, and lots of flowers around the many churches. At the start of the week, we stumbled upon a candlelight Palm Sunday procession through Cuenca. Without exaggeration, thousands of people were parading along singing hymns and carrying intricately woven palm candle holders.
That said, we were certainly not the only heathens to use the time off for vacation. Buses to the beach were packed
and hotels were booked up in advance. Our chosen destination was
Montañita, a favorite of surfers and backpackers from around the world. Not surprisingly, the beach with the best surf break in the country has developed into it's biggest year-round party. However, we were surprised at how underdeveloped the beach remains. Every room in the area seemed to be booked, yet the beaches were still relatively sleepy - no need at all to fight for beach chairs or sand space. Get in now... it's only a matter of time before hotels higher than two stories appear.
By day, the sand is filled with families and surfers heading out to the waves. The undertow that makes the place a good surf locale makes it an equally difficult place to swim, so lifeguards are vigilant. Peddlers roam up and down the beach. We skipped the shell jewelry and straw hats, but we had a much harder time turning away from the food. Homemade empanadas and fresh seafood, including an army of ceviche carts, are brought right to you. Beer and cocktails are available with just a short walk to beachside stands. Near sunset, the offerings morph into brownies and other sweet
snacks. In other words it's good, really good.
At sunset and high tide, the water fills with surfers, some of whom are really impressive. For those not on the waves, sunset yoga is also popular. It's all very peaceful, until around 8pm when the techno starts pumping out of every doorway downtown. What Montañita lacks in hotels and transportation (more on that), it has overdone with dance clubs, bars, and restaurants. While they compete to see who can play their music louder than their neighbors', most serve the internationally ubiquitous pizza and pasta. Our first night, we had a proper restaurant dinner at a yummy Italian place called Carpe Diem. On the second night, we moved out into the streets where the real fun is. The food carts line up serving hamburgers, meat skewers, empanadas, roasted quail eggs, and more. But they are outnumbered by amazingly well stocked stands selling any kind of tropical cocktail you can come up with. Armed with a blender and a large fruit basket, these entrepreneurs, some who look like grizzled sea captains and others who think they are auditioning for a Tom Cruise movie, all take the craft seriously. Everything is made from
scratch. We favored a little stand that called itself "Bar Darwin", with a wooden sign listing the 50 or so drinks that proprietor was prepared to make. Like the other stands, you can either pull up a chair or continue to wander the streets (we did both). The compact area is filled with people selling art, jewelry, and clothing - some junky, some certainly artisan. And between it all, performers are juggling with fire, riding unicycles, or accomplishing other ridiculous feats like impersonating Michael Jackson (will he ever die), all taking place underneath a very bazar canopy of birds that just sit there on the utility wires. Thankfully, our hotel
Casa del Sol) was located a short quiet walk from town.
Since it was Holy Friday, we actually tried to catch the procession into the tiny church on the square, but the Ecuadorian Jesus was running late. We waited for the lord's savior for a little bit, but before long we just ended up going to get another piña colada. We checked back a few times in the evening, but we never saw the parade. Jesus may also have gotten lost among the fire eaters.
On Saturday morning, after breakfast,
we thought we should wander into town to check the bus schedule for Sunday's departure. Good thing we did. By Saturday at 10am, all buses heading south had been booked except for the 4:45am trip. We debated, neither of us wanted to get up that early, but we soon bought the tickets because what else could we do - we had to get back by Monday. So, now with a crazy early departure time, we headed out to the beach to enjoy the last day. That night, we stopped in at the trendiest place on the strip, the Dharma Club (yes, it uses the little symbol from
Lost). In contrast to the rest of the town's wood and bamboo boardwalk feel, this place is airy white with curtained doors that open onto sand, a swimming pool, and a DJ that played electronica that qualifies as music (as opposed to just thumping bass). The bar looks out of place now, with a large attached hotel that is on its way up. This might just be the beginning of the inevitable bigger development.
As they say, all good things must end, so we headed back earlyish. When we rose at 4
am the next morning, the Dharma Club was still going strong. And as we stumbled to catch the bus, we passed many others stumbling to their beds. We hated to go, but we were both pretty sunburned anyway.
On a personal note, Chris' cousin
Joe Wasileski died suddenly and unexpectedly last week. In many ways more of a sibling than a cousin to Chris' only-child Mom, Joe was often the ringmaster of large family gatherings. Joe and his family were at our wedding several years ago, and we have good memories showing this consummate lake lover our Lake Michigan. Our thoughts are with his wife Nancy, his four children Heather, Stephen, David, and Heidi, and their families.
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