Adventures in Ecuador (Puerto Lopez & Puerto Quito)
Buenos tardes mi amigos...
Ecuador. Who knew we would come to this little country on the equator? By now, that is half the fun for Andy and me. Where we go is as random as rolling a dice sometimes. Jaunting over to Puerto Lopez, Ecuador did have some draw, however and it is called Parque Nacional Machalilla. This giant national park is the only one on the coast of Ecuador and covers 20,000 hectares of the sea as well. After another overnight bus ride, we awoke feeling groggy and managed to find our way around potholes, litter and stray dogs to our guesthouse Itapoa on the sea. Raul, the owner, greeted us at the entrance and welcomed us inside the tranquil palm-covered grounds. Unlike everyone else, he spoke fluent English and gave us a few recommendations of what to do.
Since our room wasn't ready, we headed out again to grab some breakfast at a Columbian restaurant that offered yogurt, granola, fruit and real Columbian coffee for breakfast. YES, whole grains and real coffee! Much better than white breads and instant coffee we had in Peru (and some nasty fish, but I won't relive that memory). It's a new success to not feel nauseus after eating, and this was one of those coveted times. We met another couple who had just spent five weeks in Columbia and raved about it. Andy and I didn't have a clue where we were off to next, so hearing about others' adventures is a welcome treat.
Our time in Puerto Lopez was spent in the national park, on the beach and in our hammock reading books. The highlight was an excursion to Isla de la Plata, otherwise known as "the Poor Man's Galapagos" where we went snorkeling and hiking around the island. Blue-footed boobies were the most interesting creature, completely unafraid of humans since, like on the Galapagos, they have no predators. In fact, we were scared of them as father and young squawked and darted towards us in a protective measure.
We spent a good amount of time chatting with our host Raul during breakfast over organic coffee from his rainforest reserve. He described a volunteer opportunity there which is located near the town of Puerto Quito (not listed in Lonely Planet...uh oh!). Our interest was piqued as he described collecting and planting native seeds to regenerate the native rainforest in the area, as well as educate the locals about this important process. We would learn how to make palm nut rings, harvest coffee and cocoa beans for chocolate. We tasted the bitter flavor of 100% pure cocoa - it definitely needs a bit of sugar! Andy had just been talking about how he wanted to volunteer somewhere, so this looks like our next destination. Sold.
The plan was to take an overnight bus to Quito, spend a couple days in the capital city, meet up with Raul then take a four hour bus ride to Puerto Quito. Didn't happen quite as planned. Our bus stopped in Puerto Domingo in the middle of the night and we heard word that the rains have washed out both main roads to Quito. Now what? The driver decided to take us the long way around through Puerto Quito - the town we wanted to end up in ultimately. Good thing Andy woke up at just the right time because he called to the driver to stop the bus when he saw signs mentioning the town. A local asked us where we were headed when we exited the bus and he let us use his phone. Raul answered and said of course, we can go to his house a couple of days early. Miguel, the man who looks after his house, biked down the hill to meet us. Meanwhile, I went shopping for some bread, fruit, milk, vegetables and other food supplies. If you ever find yourself in Ecuador, make sure to look at the date on all goods - so much is outdated on the shelves.
We make it up to the house and it is indeed in the middle of a beautiful Ecuadorian jungle. After dropping our bags in our private room, Miguel showed us around the property, pointing out beautiful orchids, papaya trees, giant butterflies and pineapple fruits. Stupidly, my arms and shoulders were not covered and in less than 10 minutes I had dozens of mosquito bites. Damn it. Good thing we are hopped up on malaria pills. Then, Miguel leaves and Andy and I have this giant house in the jungle to ourselves. We start work the next day. Today, we read and sleep and cook our own meals for the first time in South America. Nausea stays away, hooray.
Our shower dribbles like a strong pee. The screens are rusted and torn. The smell of mildew pilfers down the hall. Grime is caked on the sink and countertops. Mosquitos bite and then bite again. The humidity makes our bodies smell very strange. Certainly, it is times like these that make me yearn for the comforts of home. But then it wouldn't be an adventure, now would it?
We worked in the garden for a few hours this morning. It's a lot like WWOOFing, except we have no host. Raul is supposed to come this afternoon, but without a phone, who knows. It depends on if the road from Quito is repaired. Again, who knows? The expected becomes the unexpected and the uncomfortable remains so.
P.S. Our Spanish is getting better everyday. Not a soul speaks English!
Ecuador. Who knew we would come to this little country on the equator? By now, that is half the fun for Andy and me. Where we go is as random as rolling a dice sometimes. Jaunting over to Puerto Lopez, Ecuador did have some draw, however and it is called Parque Nacional Machalilla. This giant national park is the only one on the coast of Ecuador and covers 20,000 hectares of the sea as well. After another overnight bus ride, we awoke feeling groggy and managed to find our way around potholes, litter and stray dogs to our guesthouse Itapoa on the sea. Raul, the owner, greeted us at the entrance and welcomed us inside the tranquil palm-covered grounds. Unlike everyone else, he spoke fluent English and gave us a few recommendations of what to do.
Since our room wasn't ready, we headed out again to grab some breakfast at a Columbian restaurant that offered yogurt, granola, fruit and real Columbian coffee for breakfast. YES, whole grains and real coffee! Much better than white breads and instant coffee we had in Peru (and some nasty fish, but I won't relive that memory). It's a new success to not feel nauseus after eating, and this was one of those coveted times. We met another couple who had just spent five weeks in Columbia and raved about it. Andy and I didn't have a clue where we were off to next, so hearing about others' adventures is a welcome treat.
Our time in Puerto Lopez was spent in the national park, on the beach and in our hammock reading books. The highlight was an excursion to Isla de la Plata, otherwise known as "the Poor Man's Galapagos" where we went snorkeling and hiking around the island. Blue-footed boobies were the most interesting creature, completely unafraid of humans since, like on the Galapagos, they have no predators. In fact, we were scared of them as father and young squawked and darted towards us in a protective measure.
We spent a good amount of time chatting with our host Raul during breakfast over organic coffee from his rainforest reserve. He described a volunteer opportunity there which is located near the town of Puerto Quito (not listed in Lonely Planet...uh oh!). Our interest was piqued as he described collecting and planting native seeds to regenerate the native rainforest in the area, as well as educate the locals about this important process. We would learn how to make palm nut rings, harvest coffee and cocoa beans for chocolate. We tasted the bitter flavor of 100% pure cocoa - it definitely needs a bit of sugar! Andy had just been talking about how he wanted to volunteer somewhere, so this looks like our next destination. Sold.
The plan was to take an overnight bus to Quito, spend a couple days in the capital city, meet up with Raul then take a four hour bus ride to Puerto Quito. Didn't happen quite as planned. Our bus stopped in Puerto Domingo in the middle of the night and we heard word that the rains have washed out both main roads to Quito. Now what? The driver decided to take us the long way around through Puerto Quito - the town we wanted to end up in ultimately. Good thing Andy woke up at just the right time because he called to the driver to stop the bus when he saw signs mentioning the town. A local asked us where we were headed when we exited the bus and he let us use his phone. Raul answered and said of course, we can go to his house a couple of days early. Miguel, the man who looks after his house, biked down the hill to meet us. Meanwhile, I went shopping for some bread, fruit, milk, vegetables and other food supplies. If you ever find yourself in Ecuador, make sure to look at the date on all goods - so much is outdated on the shelves.
We make it up to the house and it is indeed in the middle of a beautiful Ecuadorian jungle. After dropping our bags in our private room, Miguel showed us around the property, pointing out beautiful orchids, papaya trees, giant butterflies and pineapple fruits. Stupidly, my arms and shoulders were not covered and in less than 10 minutes I had dozens of mosquito bites. Damn it. Good thing we are hopped up on malaria pills. Then, Miguel leaves and Andy and I have this giant house in the jungle to ourselves. We start work the next day. Today, we read and sleep and cook our own meals for the first time in South America. Nausea stays away, hooray.
Our shower dribbles like a strong pee. The screens are rusted and torn. The smell of mildew pilfers down the hall. Grime is caked on the sink and countertops. Mosquitos bite and then bite again. The humidity makes our bodies smell very strange. Certainly, it is times like these that make me yearn for the comforts of home. But then it wouldn't be an adventure, now would it?
We worked in the garden for a few hours this morning. It's a lot like WWOOFing, except we have no host. Raul is supposed to come this afternoon, but without a phone, who knows. It depends on if the road from Quito is repaired. Again, who knows? The expected becomes the unexpected and the uncomfortable remains so.
P.S. Our Spanish is getting better everyday. Not a soul speaks English!
posted by Stacy @TheZenGirl at
1:18 PM
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