Blogs from Montañita, West, Ecuador, South America - page 8

Advertisement

South America » Ecuador » West » Montañita August 26th 2008

Hi all, So from Cusco we headed to the jungle which was strange as we left on a 50min flight wearing jumpers and hats and we landed and it was a sweltering 29 degrees....it was hot. There is no other country in the worlds where we could have seen the scenery that we have on this trip, we have seen cool towns and cities, deserts and oasis, mountain vallys and canyons, beautiful islands and lakes and for the final part of our trip amazing jungle and beaches. That is to say that the jungle is amazing as long as you dont mind the bugs and have alot of DEET. The bugs in the jungle do not know the meaning of the word small. On the first day in the jungle we were introduced to our tour ... read more
big lake in the jungle
whale watching 2
The hotel pet

South America » Ecuador » West » Montañita August 9th 2008

From Canoa we took a 6 hour bus ride down the coast, having to change buses a couple times, but everything worked out perfectly with timing again! We got to Mantanita, another small coastal surfer town that is known of its parties and none stop night life. Many people from the big coastal port city of Guayaquil go here for a weekend vacation/party. We got to Mantanita late and walked around the cute town for a bit. There were tons of cool surfer shops and nicer restaurants and lots of locals selling jewelry and crafts. Overall this was the nicest, more touristy place we have been. We all really liked the vibe and were excited to meet some new travelers. We went out to dinner at a fun beachy restaurant and I had my first salad ... read more
the main street of Montanita
the beach
the beach

South America » Ecuador » West » Montañita August 8th 2008

So it’s been a while. I can’t say I’m surprised though, as I’ve noticed the trend of travelers (such as myself) blogging less and less as they get further into their trips. Why? Because we’re spending less time writing about things we’re doing, and spending more time actually doing them. Nonetheless, I feel I should try my best to keep the one or two of you who actually ready this in the loop, so here’s my attempt to cram a whole two weeks worth of info in one post. The weekend before last involved an adventure to Isla de la Plata, which is known as “the poor man’s Galapagos”. As you Spanish speakers will know, Isla de la Plata means “island of money” and is thought to be location where pirates stashed their booty back when ... read more

South America » Ecuador » West » Montañita August 1st 2008

Since my last posting, we have since left the rainforest, returned to Quito for a few days of rest, and have been traveling the coast for the last week. Our first stop was Kanoa, a quiet surf town about 9 hours from Quito. We spent 3 daYS HERE, soaking up the sun, surfing, and lounging in the hammocks outside our bungalow hostel. We stayed in a really cute place called Hotel Bambu, located right on the beach. Met a number of interesting people from several countries, including Switzerland, Germany, and the US. We met a few American girls who had been there for a few years and had opened the first school in Kanoa. The people we have met have all had interesting stories to tell about their travels, gap years, and such. We are now ... read more

South America » Ecuador » West » Montañita July 24th 2008

Well, I am not actually in Montañita, but it´s an appropriate title anyway. We were planning on leaving today after class but when our plans just weren´t seeming to work out, we decided not to. That is everyone except Lizzy, who should probably just move there. I still don´t want her to go because it´s super dangerous to drive on that road, especially at night, she´ll be alone, and the entire country will be there this weekend. Ahhh! I´m such a mom. Further, I backed out when I found out the bus we were originally planning to take to Baños ended up crashing and 4 people died, 22 injured. Never going to ride a bus in the dark and I am already scared about riding them during the day. The mountains don´t have good roads and ... read more

South America » Ecuador » West » Montañita July 24th 2008

Das kleine Surferstaedtchen Montañita an Ecuadors Pazifikkueste ist ein beliebtes Ziel fuer Touristen und auch uns zieht es fuer 2 Tage hierher. Wir geniessen ein wenig den Trubel in den Strassen, den gemuetlichen Cafes und bummeln an den zahlreichen Staenden vorbei, um den Abend in einer Cocktailbar ausklingen zu lassen. Die hohen Wellen des Pazifiks laden zwar zum Surfen ein, doch wir richten uns lieber am Strand gemuetlich ein - ein wenig action gibt es dann doch noch fuer Chris beim Beachvolleyball: coole Stimmung, gutes Niveau - und so wurde aus 10 Minuten doch 4 stunden zocken, bis es dunkel wurde. Leider vertragen nicht alle von uns das Essen hier in dem kleinen Steadtchen - und so legen wir sonntags gezwungenermassen einen Ruhetag ein, bevor wir am Montag Morgen (mehr oder weniger fit) mit dem Bus ... read more
lecker Cocktailes!
Sandra am Strand von Montanita
Abendessen vom Grill: Kraeutermaiskolben mit Parmesankruste

South America » Ecuador » West » Montañita July 21st 2008

What a weekend! First off, as I was told, Montañita is definitely livelier on the weekends. Starting Friday night, a bunch of street vendors set up small shops along one of the main roads to sell one thing: alcohol. Basically, it’s a row of 10 or so stands selling all kinds of drinks throughout the weekend. And this is in addition to the existing bars, restaurants, and stores which all sell alcohol throughout the week. Drinking is such a common thing here that I think people are less inclined to “drink” and more inclined to “sip”. Meaning that since you can pretty much get whatever you want anytime at a pretty cheap price, most people simply have a drink or two every now and then, instead of partying like crazy and getting super drunk every other ... read more

South America » Ecuador » West » Montañita July 16th 2008

Hola from Ecuador! And so begins the blog of my South American adventures. Unlike many people, I never bought into the whole blog/myspace craze in high school, so given my lack of any blog experience I can’t promise that this blog will be entertaining or interesting at all. Still I figure it’s a good way to recount my travels to my friends and family together, rather than having to tell each and everyone of you the same story (not that each of you isn’t worth my time). And if anything else, it’ll help me remember all the great (and perhaps not so great) things I did and places I visited. For those that don’t know, I’m traveling with Allen, a friend from UCSD. For the most part we’ll be going around together and doing similar things...except ... read more

South America » Ecuador » West » Montañita July 16th 2008

Montañita is a quaint little town on the coast of Ecuador. It’s very small…you can easily walk around the entire place in 5-10 minutes. There are a lot of gringos travelling through here, as it’s a somewhat popular place to relax, surf, and party. I’ve met a few American backpackers already, and some of the students at the school we’re studying at are also from the US. Overall, it’s a very diverse place. I’ve also met people from Argentina, Peru, Canada, France, Switzerland, and Sweden. A few of the Ecuadorian residents here have actually spent time in the states and speak decent English. There are all kinds of people here too - shop owners, teachers, restaurant/hostel runners, surfers, and a surprising number of hippies. Everyone here is really chill and laid back, which is great. Because ... read more

South America » Ecuador » West » Montañita June 4th 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 ... read more




Tot: 0.11s; Tpl: 0.006s; cc: 3; qc: 88; dbt: 0.0598s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1; ; mem: 1.2mb