Puerto Lopez, Isla de Plata, Ayampe, and Montanita
March 21, 2019
Just less than a week spent snuggling with Bodhi and I had landed in Quito and gone to the coast of Ecuador with my friends Emma, Killian, and Shannon. Where I got some good beach therapy.
Puerto Lopez is a fishing port, with trucks, boats, and fishermen on the shore preparing the bait in the mornings, and their catches in the afternoon. Luckily we stayed just outside of Puerto Lopez, in a town called Puerto Rico. Quiet and away from the hustle and bustle of the fishermen. They say that you can see Humpback whales here, but no matter how much a stared at the water, I didn't.
Our first day in Puerto Lopez, we went to la Machalilla National Park. At the bottom of the trail, this beach was pretty packed, but if you wandered to either side, there was no one else on the beach. We spent hours in the water and a good long walk down the beach before we went to indulge in more ceviche and seafood.
After lunch we went to Agua Blanca, an archeological site outside of Puerto Lopez that is famous for its volcanic mud baths. They say the natural minerals in the mud and water are therapeutic. Although I could not convince myself to dive in the water due to my irrational fear of water I cannot see through.
The next day we took a boat to Isla de Plata, the poor man's Galapagos. On the ride over we saw whales, dolphins, and turtles. It was comforting to be on a boat again. Reminded me of home looking for whales and dolphins on the horizon. Once we made it to the island, we could decide between a few hiking trails, and we chose to trek to the other side of the island where there are cliffs you can see sharks in the water. Our hike was led by a group of blue footed boobie birds.
The next day I was emotionally and physically drained, so I decided to just walk down the beach with my friend Harmony. I was walking for about an hour when I got to a river that poured out to the beach and realized I made it to Ayampe, a small beach town one of my friends told me about. We got some food at a small cafe and learned very quickly that this town is filled with fun and loving people that all know each other and are extremely welcoming. We got some more water and sat in a nice cabana on the beach all day watching the surfers and telling each other our life stories.
That night we caught a bus to meet up with our friends in Montanita. To be very honest, Montanita is not my kind of beach. Everyone was there for the party. I much rather prefer a quiet beach where you can stare at the waves, watch people walk by collecting shells, and surfing on the horizon. But together we had fun, got drunk on the beach, went for a night swim, and dancing. Exhausted the next day Shannon and I rented some boards and hit the waves before a long bus ride back to Quito.
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