Life´s a Playa

There is no better way to start a vacation than with a good cigar, a stiff drink, and good company. The latest adventure I had on the coast of Ecuador was no exception.

A few weeks ago, Lauren and I decided that we were in desperate need of a break away from our kids at school and our respective families. The coast was to be our destination. The original date set was Thursday, but after much needed patient follow-up, that date was pushed back to Sunday.

The Saturday night prior to departure I invited Segundo, my host Dad, to a cigar and a drink on his roof-top terrace overlooking Otavalo (actually just the unfinished second floor of our house...). He proclaimed excitedly that this would be the first cigar of his life. The tienda attached to our house was out of beers so I bought a bottle of local rum and a couple liters of Coke, because as I explained to Segundo, a cigar is always better with a drink.

I provided the usual disclaimer that goes along with any cigar virgin, ¨Don´t inhale,¨ ¨Go slow¨...

After a good hour of deep conversation and philosophy, the cigar smoke and rum clearly started to go to his head...



At one point, he decided that burning my hand with his cigar might be a good idea (only in jest, I think).

After another half hour, in the middle of a good talk about our respective futures in the world, Segundo stood up abruptly and announced that he was going to throw up. He proceeded to lose his entire dinner (and possibly lunch) over the side of the house onto the front doorstep. He was laughing heartily in between vomiting and telling me how much he hated cigars.

We had to go inside after that and explain to my Mom what had occurred and try to clean his now soiled jacket.

Good last night in Otavalo I´d say.

The next morning, we departed South from Ibarra to Riobamba, a stopping point on the way West to the beach. Cayambe, the beuatiful volcano was showing herself clearly in the distance.


I had been to Riobamba in my previous travels but it was Lauren´s first time. It´s a cute town with not too much to do.

We stayed next to the train station, did some shopping, ate some delicious Italian food, found some nice roasted pig, a goose egg, and called it a day.

We boarded the morning bus to Guayaquil (Ecuador's largest city with 6 million people). We had extremely low expectations for Guayaquil. The guidebooks suggested that it be skipped if at all possible. They recommended, that if you must stay, be careful because there are thieves and muggers abound. It also has a reputation for being poor, run-down, dirty, and not very interesting.

The road to the coast was gorgeous as we dropped from 9000 feet to 500 feet in 6 hours (supposed to be 4 hours but there was construction and no one was in any particular hurry.


Our first impressions were the opposite. The city was huge, but beautiful and resembled any coastal American city. Skyscrapers, hustle and bustle, not to mention the nicest bus terminal I have ever seen anywhere. It was like Charlotte airport but in the Caribbean.

We found a really cheap hotel in the nicest area of town and although Lauren still seemed apprehensive, I was anxious to explore that night and the next morning. We had a great seafood dinner and a couple of drinks on the boardwalk, enjoying the evening breeze. I could not have felt more safe with police and security all around and everyone having a great time, laughing, singing, eating, and drinking. The next morning we went back to the boardwalk to get a good view of the water and the city.

We were both thoroughly impressed at this point and I felt a little guilty for believing what everyone had told me without knowing firsthand. That being said, supposedly the mayor of Guayaquil has spent hundreds of millions of dollars cleaning up certain areas of the city over the past 8 years. Before that, I have found no one with a good thing to say. A lot of money can go quite a long way...

After the boardwalk, we needed to do some last minute shopping for some coastal necessities (ex: I had no shorts, no sunglasses, and no sandals).

We made our way to market ready to drive some hard bargains. I found a shorts stand pretty quickly and without changing rooms within a couple hundred miles, I changed right there.

Definitely drew a crowd by being the gringo in underwear in the middle of the market but I'm not too shy.

After some shopping, I decided to climb a banyon tree in the middle of the business district. That may have drawn some looks as well.

That was that. Our destination was the coast, not Guayaquil as Lauren reminded me. Off we went.

Our first stop was Salinas, a popular beach destination for wealthy foreigners and Ecuadorians. It's a sleepy town in the off-season (April-October), which also keeps things quieter and cheaper. We were able to get a beach front suite with an ocean view for $15, not bad.

We immediately got into our suits and ran into the colder than ideal ocean for a dip. The sun was out and the beach belonged to us (and the occasional harassing craft vendor). We once again indulged in a seafood dinner (excellent, fresh and inexpensive) and then strolled the boardwalk.

The following morning, we had a dismal breakfast that was more oil and butter than food but we learned our lesson about trying to scrimp to save a dollar. We decided to see the whole city. Besides the beach, it was just condo towers and vacation homes. The most eventful part of the day was when Lauren was picking up shells and got stung by a bee who had made one of the shells his home.

We hopped back on a bus and headed North to the next beach town.

The guide books touted Montanita as one of the best surfing and partying destinations on the coast of Ecuador. We got off the bus and were immediately unimpressed. Only after lunch and a stroll did we discover that we had jumped off the bus on the wrong side of town. The city was oddly touristy and jam-packed with funky hostels, bars advertising cheap shots and happy hours, and gringos galore.

Before we had even found a place to stay, a guy ran up to Lauren and gave her a hug. They were both in shock as they explained to me that they had gone to high school together in Hawaii and hadn't seen each other since. Small world, to say the least. We found a cheap nice hostel with private cabanas, but before we could party, I had to finish my final paper of my Master's program to graduate. The hammock made a good office.

I submitted the paper before having anything to drink (that's the truth Dr. Strack and Dr. Aronson), and then grabbed a beer on the street to celebrate. We met up with Lauren's friend and his Peruvian classmate for drinks.

I shared some of my cigars with the guys, and one thing led to another. Before you know it, we were taking flaming shots.

Bad idea from someone who has spent the past 6 months growing a beard and mustache. In true Karmic fashion, I lit my mustache on fire and spilled the shot on my shirt. Luckily, Lauren decided to embarass herself as well as she accidently poured the shot on her feet (which stayed lit amazingly).

Lesson learned I hope...

The next morning, Lauren offered to give me free surfing lessons. The waves were good, and not too big. Good for a beginner. I got the hang of it pretty quick and was up within the hour.

After about 2 hours, we grabbed some pina coladas and ice cream for the road and hopped on the next bus North.


Next stop was a cabana resort on a hill overlooking the ocean.

It was gorgeous and we had the place to ourselves. I was feeling good and took some pictures with the room's artwork.

After a tiring morning of surfing and bus travel, we thought that a night in the nearby fishing town of Puerto Lopez for some more delicious seafood would be perfect. We didn't site-see or stay long because we heading there the next afternoon for the night.

We followed it with a night on the porch listening to the ocean, sipping some rum and peach juice.

We cooked our own breakfast at the hotel the next morning, and then decided a nap on the beach was in order (which was a mistake in retrospect, seeing as we both got burned pretty badly).

All that lounging built up an appetite and we were told to visit the only restaurant within 5 miles. The restaurant was a ship that a crazy Swiss guy had built a few years back.

I decided that I was the captain...

The food was incredible, but a little messy so I improvised with my hands in places of utensils.

An iguana watched us eat from one of the hotel palms.

The shrimp was so good that I needed a picture, even if it was just of the empty shells.

Our bellies now sufficiently full of ocean goodness, we took the short bus-ride to Puerto Lopez.

It's a simpler town, mostly dependent on local fishermen.

They recently gained a bit of tourist trade and have adapted with odd diversions, like this Ecuadorian rickshaw for example.

Our cabana was really cute, really cheap and maybe 100 feet from the beach.

We awoke early the next morning hoping to catch a glimpse of their seafood market.

It may look busy in this photo, but most these guys were doing a whole lot of nothing. Gossip and low work ethic being Ecuadorian traditions, these guys were as traditional as they come.

I did find one guy actually engaging in commerce.

Our last night was to be spent in Manta, it being the starting point of the buses heading back to Quito and Otavalo. Once again, the guidebooks were unnecessarily cruel. It was a pretty oasis on the beach surrounded by desert.

It actually reminded me somewhat of Naples, Fl. Wealthy, sufficiently built-up but still tranquil.

For our last night (and in honor of my graduation), Lauren treated us to a sushi dinner at the poshest hotel in Manta. The fish was superb, and we even splurged for some Sake.

On our way to the terminal the following morning, we were reminded of the recent swine flu outbreak that had taken place in Guayaquil. This property owner figured this graffiti might keep him safe...

Our bus back to Quito was to be 10 hours. Oddly, no one else seemed to want to leave Manta or the coast.

Don't know that I can blame them...

Love from a freshly tanned (although slightly burnt) Kent