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Only those who have lived near the beach will be able to truly grasp the overwhelming joy I felt when I heard the roar of the ocean, felt the warmth of the sand between my toes and smelt the salty waves crashing on the seashore…
A story about the boy with the curly hair and the girl who always wore a smile.
Jeremy and Jess anticipated buying bicycles and riding along some 120-odd coastal kilometers named the Ruta del Sol and camping along the way. Instead they left Puyo on a Friday (after an empanada cooking class) and arrived in the lovely seaside town of Puerto Lopez late the following morning. The two immediately walked the 3 blocks to the beach and were rewarded with a view of an expansive beach and fishermen unloading the days catch underneath a sheet of scheming frigate birds. Every now and then a bird would swoop down and steal a fish from a fisherman’s bucket! The beach also had a line of beach bars, all identical upon first glance; bamboo structures, hanging hammocks, colorful paper lights and of course music. It seemed as though the environment lacked creativeness; while each bar actually was
slightly different, no one had thought to truly be outlandish and step away from the crowd. Well, the couple stripped down in beach appropriate ware and settled down for a cold beer, feeling the long hours on the bus. Only after they requested a beer did they realize it was only 9:30 a.m.! After forgetting about the completed week’s work they checked into Punto Piedrero. It was a large white hotel a 10 minute walk from town. This small distance offered wondrous advantages- hammocks on the balcony, no other guests, noise-free air, starry nights, a semi-private beach and the opportunity to walk through the fish market every morning on the way into town. But I am getting ahead of myself here…first off: Puerto Lopez. It truly only has one main road…you either leave the town through the north or south. Fishing is the main working force of this small community and each and every morning the men are out shuttling their labors onto ice blocks and putting them into waiting trucks for the fishes finally journey to restaurants in Ecuador. Due to the tourism, there was a street made solely for tourists. It was complete with bars, overpriced restaurants serving
mediocre food, sarongs, jewelry and of course men trying to corral a few passerbyers into an Isla de la Plata tour. The town offers one luxury to all, rich or poor: hammocks. Hammocks made from old fishing nets are strung everywhere throughout the town, usually complete with a person relaxing. Anyways, back to our happy couple…
They were faced with quite a dilemma…and who wouldn’t have been? The lure of the beach is strong. It practically begs all to lounge in a hammock with an icy cold beer or ride the waves….yet they craved some adventure.
Bikes were rented and hills were conquered. For each hill overcome they were rewarded with an ever improving coastal vista…and the accompanying scent of fish. They rode through the small, smelliest town of all, Solango, and said “Buenos dias” to those sitting on their front steps watching the world go by. The next stop was in Puerto Rico. The ocean looked quite dangerous, as if riptides were lurking under every wave. After a bit of Frisbee they took a walk down the beach and saw the spires of what could only be thought of as a fantasy land. In this region of parched
land and small, rickety houses, these were bamboo structures, excessively green vegetation, colorful bursts of flowers and even a crystal clear swimming pool. They wandered up and low-and-behold it had a bar too! The boy with the curly hair ordered a delicious seafood lunch that paired well with the fresh mojitos the couple was enjoying. It turns out, this resort was labeled one of the best Eco Lodges in the world, and the couple had stumbled into it! However beautiful it was, they bid farewell to Alandaluz. The difficult, hilly bike ride home went by quick, but was filled with giggles induced by the mojitos.
Just as many other tourists have done in the past, the pair thought a trip to the Isla de la Plata could not be missed. It is a small protected, private island that has been referred to as the “Poor man’s Galapagos”. That one line seems to trick all. The curls were a-flying and the smile was gleaming as they boarded a boat one morning. The hour ride out to the island was pretty; however, arrival at the island was far different from expectations. There were no crystalline beaches, lounging seals or lush vegetation…what
there was> BOOBIES! The blue-footed and the red-footed boobies that is. A short hike was led around the island to see the habitat and learn about the lives of these notorious birds. Tropical birds and were also seen. While it was very interesting to see these birds in their natural habitat, the tour guide did not seem to grasp the idea of minimizing interaction. Horrified, they watched as he continued to get within mere feet of mothers sitting on babies…and then encourage the group of tourists to get close for pictures. After a couple of hours outside invoking terror in the birds, the group was led back to the boat for a snorkeling session. This time spent in the chilly waters greatly improved the spirit of the group. The world under the water was filled with bright colors, star fish, sea urchins and schools of fish large and small. Jess’s favorite was feeling the flow of the tides while being within fingertips grasp of a massive school of miniature fish. As time dwindled in the wate,r the group made it back to the boat and started chatting with a few other travelers. The evening was spent with new friends from the tour, tasting the delicacies of the beach bars under the cover of darkness. There had been a power outage in the small town and it plunged into a dark abyss, minus the few small generators running.
The following morning the two adventurers found another calling- to try and rent a kayak. After spending an hour talking and trying to convince an agency to rent them a kayak for half a day the couple finally succeeded. Jess and Jeremy set off south and first passed through all the boats anchored just off the beach. They wore names like “El nino Jesus” or “Dios te guia”. They continued towards the south, eventually rounding the bend and finding their goal: La Playita, literally, the little beach. The two were absolutely amazed at how much more beautiful it was than the beach just around the bend. It had clear waters, soft white sand and beautiful rock formations. Well, they rode a small wave in on the kayak, miraculously without tipping, and spent the day playing like children –building sandcastles, playing in the ocean and exploring the beautiful rocks. Of course the time came to bid farewell…so they climbed back into the kayak where the fluttering curls and the glowing smile could be seen by those near and far.
While their adventure was not yet over, the Puerto Lopez chapter had closed. They checkout of the hotel that had served them well for almost a week and went to Montanita for a night on the town. The sight upon entering this next beachside town was overwhelming after the simplicity of Puerto Lopez. Here there were tourists everywhere, more international cuisine than you can imagine, bars on every corner and even three-story discos on the beach. They had a small meal on the outskirts of town and napped to the sounds of the crashing waves. Feeling rejuvenated, they went out for a few beers and played some pool with an Ecuadorian family. Conversation was interesting and lasted into the early morning hours when the couple insisted they needed to sleep. And sleep they did as the following day they headed off to Guayaquil, a large city. Jeremy had a flight back to the States from there and Jess decided to check it out for one night. They had big plans as Jess’s birthday was just around the corner- dinner and movie. While this may sound like your typical Saturday night, for these two it was to be special since they have no theater within a few hours of Puyo! The night passed well and in the morning Jess hopped on a bus for her long journey back to the jungle house, full of many new and exciting memories.
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