Blogs from West, Ecuador, South America - page 12

It’s impossible not to feel the salt air in all corners of Bahia de Caraquez. The lively little town occupies a peninsula on Ecuador’s west coast, surrounded by the River Chone on one side, the Pacific Ocean on the other, and the estuary where the two meet at the very tip. From the doorstep of our house, for example, sand, warm water and jutting mountains are just a few blocks away in all three directions, and views to both bodies of water line the horizon as I walk down the central street. I can’t believe my own luck that fate twisted our lives this way, and deposited us here at the sunny edge of South America. I say fate because it really seemed to be destiny that brought Keiron and I here at this very moment. ... read more

Today I write in between worlds. From the Guayaquil bus station to be exact, half way between lofty Cuenca and the mellow Pacific coast. These two places couldn't be more different, both in attitude and aesthetic - one is proud and proper, a true colonial city with churches and plazas on every corner; the other is seductively hedonistic, where hippie culture and the party scene colide, and your biggest conundrum of the day is which type of fruity cocktail to order on the beach. Cuenca is a true Beauty. Situated on a small river and adorned with gorgeous architecture, clean cobbled streets and quirky street art, this is the kind of colonial capital I had wanted Quito to be. I spent a lot of my time just wandering around, soaking up the atmosphere. To put the ... read more

We arrived in Guayaquil to the main bus terminal about 3:00 in the afternoon. Guayaquil does it right, their bus terminal is gigantic, has a mall and sits right next to the airport. We grabbed some US$ from the ATM (so wild that they use the USD as their currency). In the food court we grabbed some Pizza Hut. Talked to information. Then took a $3 cab ride to the city center. We had the cab driver drop us off near Iglesia San Francisco near the Malacon district, the Miraflores of Guayaquil (aka gringo safe spot). The Malacon recently underwent a massive facelift and is now the nicest part of the city. It is about a 2km long section that hugs the Rio Guayas. The Malacon was quite different than Miraflores. In Miraflores most buildings were ... read more

Vamos a la playa de Montañita Matka Montanitaan meni sujuvasti, vaikka vessaa ei ollu. Lindalla oli hiukan nukkumisvaikeuksia, mutta loikoileenhan rannikolle oltiin menossa niin väsymys ei sinänsä hirveesti haitannu. Bussimatkalla tutustuttiin kahteen ranskalaiseen matkaajaan ja yhteen sveitsiläiseen, joista oli suuri apu, kun meidän piti vielä ettiä vaihtobussi Libertadista Montanitaan. Montanitassa meni viä tovi, kun kilpailutettiin hostelleja. Pisimmän korren vei netillinen huone, joka oli yöltä pari dollaria toista suosikkia hintavampi. Käytiin katteleen biitsiä tulopäivänä ja kylää muutenkin. Montanita on kalastajakylästä pieneks surffikyläks kehittyny rantalomakohde, jossa on hostelleja ja ravintoloita vuoronperään muutamalla pääkadulla. Kojuista myydään koruja, vaatetta, pikkupurtavaa ja irtokarkkeja. Selvittiin siis koko yhdeksäntuntinen bussimatka ilman vessavierailuja, mu... read more

Hello world! It is your lucky day! This blog post is brought to you by none other than the Rummy champion of the Harte household and, dare I say, the WORLD! Yes that’s right folks, it’s Adrianne! Please, please! Applause is not necessary (although it is appreciated). On this beautiful, warm, sunny Friday in Ecuador (suck it, Canadian winter), my family and I had a blissful day of almost complete sloth. My brother and I did nothing but enjoy carbonated beverages, BBC with Spanish commercials, and a lovely swim in the pool. The parental units enjoyed much of the same, plus massages. The Female PU had a massage that she describes as “disturbingly invasive”, a category that appears to be becoming a trend with our vacations (some of our more dedicated readers may remember their massages ... read more