Third visit to Ecuador. This time with a text blog as well as videos. The video site had been removed due to lack of interest. All pages have at least one photo. If you don't see them you may have an ad blocker on or need a cache purge. (Firefox Win)
Today extreme low tide was at 11am. So I was walking the beach then to be able to walk out in the tide pools. I also had the GoPro as the only camera this time. It's hard to go swimming if you have an iPhone or regular video camera in your hand.
The Salinas beach at low tide
underwater with the GoPro
I did some swimming - well, floating on the San Lorenzo beach. It's clearer if you get out past where the waves are churning up the silt and sand.
San Lorenzo beach
In the afternoon we went to Common Grounds for a cappuccino coffee milkshake and cinnamon bun. Both were great. Free wifi here too with the password posted right on the wall. Big screen TV to watch futbol as we were there in the middle of the FIFA preliminaries.
At the end of the day these fishermen were beaching their boat for the night. It took five of them to move the heavy wooden boat far away from the ocean tide levels.
Then for supper it was homemade burgers and raw veggies. Another relaxing day done and gone.
Today we took a day trip up the coast with Viktor Tchernikov. He is a Russian educated in the Ukraine and has now moved to Ecuador to live permanently. Viktor basically works full time with his tours.
He had a nice new car that worked well for our travels. AC and he could even connect his phone wifi so we could use the connection for email if we needed. All part of the package. If you are thinking of contacting Viktor you should first become a member of the Facebook group called Salinas Stuff. You will find him advertising his trips there.
We first went to a place called Punta Faro in Ballenita because that was a location I had seen in 2012 when they were constructing the complexes. I wanted to see it now and also wanted to see the ocean view with the lighthouse in front.
Front wall and ceramic logo for the complex
Back view facing the ocean
This photo is from an ad a couple of years back.
Here is a link to a video I made in 2012 when I viewed the construction of the first three units of this complex. I was impressed then and that's why I wanted to go back. I tried to find it last time I was there too but got lost on a wrong turn only a few blocks away, even though we did find the more common beach in the photo below.
We also went to a more commonly known location a few hundred meters down
the coast where there is easier beach access and you can see Salinas
and Libertad. From here you cannot even see the lighthouse just up the coast. Even more reason I would still like to get a place in that condo as it is very private and unknown.
From a beach near Ballenita you can see Salinas
Then we directed Viktor to Colonche which is the location of the oldest existing wooden church in Ecuador. Construction began in 1700 and it survives today. More renos have taken place since I was here in 2013 but it is still an operational church. Here is a link to see a video I made on my first visit to the Santa Catalina de Colonche.
We did not see the caretaker so we were unable to climb the bell tower this time. If you go there be sure to watch the video first so you know a bit about the church.
From there we drove up the Routa del Sponylus past shrimp farms, shrimp laboratories, cabanas and small towns. We stopped to buy fresh baking in a town where they claim to be the undisputed bread republic of Ecuador.
We visited the ancient archeological town of Valdivia (3500-1800 BC) where all the archives seem to centre around the goddess of love. All the stuff you buy are copies although there are plenty of authentic bits around you could purchase if you ask. Good luck with that as you could end up being arrested on the way out of the country.
Further up the road we found the Valdivia Marine Park. Here you can see a couple of sea turtles swimming around in their pool looking at you through the windows. Several land turtles have their enclosure. We saw several species of fish and other marine animals and there are even two or three blue footed boobies wondering why we were there. This may or may not be the same organization that we visited a few years ago. But previously there were many rescued animals and we saw none of that this time. Here is my video from a few years ago. It will open in a new window so you can come back here.
I walked out back towards the ecological area nearer the ocean. While there I found three freshly hatched turtles that would not have lived had not I given them a head start and lifted them to the ocean. There were several other dead turtles around who had not made a successful trek to the water. The mother had laid eggs too far from the ocean. She had even gone over a large sand dune away from the ocean and the little guys had no chance in today's high heat to make it. Some is better than none.
Further north we came to Montanita. This is the hippie surfing town of Ecuador. Our plan was to come back there for dinner so we kept driving northward to Olon.
Only a few kilometres up the road we stopped at the iconic church on the cliff. This is a bit of a multi religion tourist stop that appears to be ready to crumble with the cliff it is build on. The architecture has features that give it the look of a large boat. There were repairs ongoing to the interior but enough was open to large wood carvings in the working church and awesome views of the Olon beach below.
We soon arrived at Olon. The long beach was the best so far in Ecuador. Surfers, swimmers and sun worshipers enjoyed the expansive reaches of the sand. We walked a while and then decided we were too hungry to wait any longer for lunch. The plan was to come back after lunch.
Back to Montanita to a place called Tiki Limbo Restaurante. Victor took us to this place as they speak Spanish and English and have food that he considered safe to eat.
Victor went to visit with friends while we ate dinner, but came back later and we had the waiter take a photo of us.
We ordered pasta and burgers and fries. The lemonade, beer and chocolate coffee milkshake provided the refreshments. I guess we were not as hungry as we thought. None of us ate all we ordered. They were good burgers although a bit too salty which is the norm here. The chocolate coffee was the best.
After the meal we spent time walking the beach, walking through the street vendor shops and people watching. By the time we had finished we decided we would not return to Olon but instead head back towards Salinas.
We came back through Libertad and drove up the Libertad malecon. People were everywhere as it was the weekend and about 5:30. The kiddie section of the beach was full of swimmers and the food kiosks had lineups waiting to purchase. Quite different compared to when we walked through in the middle of the day a few days ago. It had looked deserted.
We got home just after six. Just in time to take a few photographs of the sunset from our seventh floor apartment on the Salinas malecon.
This was the best weather day so far on this trip. It was probably in the high 20s but may have tipped into the 30s as well. As I type this my phone says it is -19 back home Ahhhh!
The clouds disappeared and let the sun through right from the early morning. We went down to the beach and explored the tide pools. The water was warm and of course there were hundreds of small fish in the pools.
By ten o'clock we had the staff fill the hot tub and were enjoying the upper deck on the 14th floor. This is good for a couple of hours and then I headed back to the beach.
Early in the afternoon I left and walked the Salinas malecon- taking photos of each of the large buildings. It makes future rentals easier if I am a bit familiar with the locations of places that are listed. This time I went from left to right. Four years ago I went right to left and it was awkward each time I wanted to scout locations. We shall see.
At the west end I stopped for a liquid refreshment in a bar on the corner called Manaba'r. The menu looked good and may be worth revisiting when hungry. For now just sitting and having a cool one was the best thing to do on an extremely hot day. If you need internet, this place has free wifi- just ask for the password.
Here is a beer that is billed as local but is certainly different than constantly drinking Pilsnor which is the cheapest thing you can buy that is called beer.
I wanted ice cream and walked towards a local grocery store. But I got sidetracked at a nearby salon and spa. I went in and asked the price of a haircut. The lady had her son there because of the school vacation. We spent about an hour teaching the youngster some English pronunciation of simple phrases. Kind of like the beginner things you learn in Spanish. I showed Michael how to run my video camera and he even shot some video of his mother cutting my hair. So if you are in the mood for a cut or style drop by the New Station Salon & Spa. Just up the street from the grocery store called mi comisario.
Here is the video from the event. Thanks Michael. I hope to see you again some day. I do not have an email for you, so you will have to contact me.
Then I went across the street to get my ice cream and caffe lato cold drinks. The ice cream survived the 15 minute walk home in the 25 plus degree heat.
The internet came back on in the evening at the Ibiza with the tech company on site. It must have succumbed to a voltage spike with the power being out in the building and the emergency generator coming on and off.
We did a lot of walking today. Went from one end of the malecon to the other and even tried go further. However the army stopped us at the point where their wharf juts out into the bay. The instructions from the guards were to turn around now and go back up the beach the way we came.
We watched an old fisherman toss his net into the ocean to catch fish. On one throw he got two small fish about 8 inches long, several small crabs and a lot of seaweed.
Later we went back to Big Ralph's for an evening of curried beef and Ossobuco.
My travel companions had the fish and chips. You will not get a better meal. Just saying. Or maybe I do need to say it again. These and other meals on the menu at Big Ralph's will be some of the best tasting foods you eat on this trip.
Deep fried shrimp appetizer in the fish batter.
I had the beef osso buco on mashed potatoes with braised vegetables on the side. Cooked beets on top with deep fried shaved potatoes on top of that.
