PUERTO LOPEZ & CANOA, ECUADOR

After waving down a bus and traveling a few hours north we reached Puerto Lopez, which sad to say has to be one of the ugliest villages we've come across. Yet, it doesn't take anything away from it's prime attraction, Parque Nacional Machalilla. On one of our rare days apart, Vanessa visited the island with two friends from home which we met on their travels south. We wish to thank you two for the great photos above!

The boat ride to reach Isla de la Plata, which is inhabited by blue footed boobies and fragatas, featured hump back whales easily spotted here during the months of June to August. The island bears its name due to its dry and barren landscape covered in bird droppings giving it its silvery shine.

Another few hours further north, the village of Canoa proved to be the highlight of our coastal getaway. A fishing village, less developed and visited than other beach destinations we've encountered, Canoa fitted the classic beach retreat. A series a seaside huts and a few local fried fish diners is about all there is. The beach is long and beautiful with waves that proved much cleaner and easier to ride, meaning we truly got to improve our surfing "skills" and enjoy our outings amongst the waves.

Staying at the friendly Hotel Bambu we mingled with some very interesting people, facilitated by the hotel's large open communal areas and its welcoming bar. Apart from the night roaming barking dogs, the garbage strewn beach, and the early morning loud music, (all things that have come to symbolise South America for us), details aside our time here was fantastic.

MONTAÑITA, ECUADOR

We arrived in Montañita on a Friday and as the bus left us by the side of the road we had no idea what awaited in town. The village center is like an avalanche of sound being blasted from all directions. We thought we had grown accustomed to noise because while traveling on the continent its not usual to be surrounded by three different people blasting three different songs. Nevertheless, Montañita was something else. On "cocktail avenue", while sipping on caipiroskas prepared by the friendly Mr. Roosevelt, there were times we could barely hear one another.

We were happy to be staying away from the downtown noise but still right on the beach at Hostal Kundalini. At $30 per night it was slightly more expensive than other options but the clean modern rooms including a big breakfast was a great value. From there we could walk out to the ocean, rent surfboards and spend the afternoon in the water getting thrown around and bruised up. At this time of year the waves are not high nor fast and its quite difficult to stay on the board meaning we spent more time falling in the water and paddling than anything else.

Numerous seafood restaurants all serving the same thing, hamburgers sold on every street corner and a Spanish tapas restaurant called Hermanos En Routa meant there was no risk of going hungry. As opposed to many other beach destinations, the town is densely built, compact and always lively making it a must see destination on any trip to Ecuador's warm and sunny coast.

CUENCA & THE BORDER, ECUADOR

The border crossing between Peru and Ecuador is just plain awkward. The customs offices of each country are in the middle of nowhere and there doesn't seem to be an actual crossing. First we stopped in a nondescript building to obtain the Peruvian exit stamp. Then we crossed the town of Aguas Verde which is essentially the border, to continue driving on the highway for another 20 minutes until we encountered the modern Ecuadorian border post where we obtained an entry stamp. It is highly recommended to take a direct bus between the two countries since the bus company escorts passengers through the process. We met many travelers who decided to do the crossing by themselves, hiring local transportation to manage the long and empty distances, only to have all their possessions stolen or nearly escaping robbery. 

Once finished with border crossing formalities it was on to a windy road through lush banana plantations and then up the Andes once again, finally reaching Cuenca. The cities lively streets and its colonial flavour make it a pleasant place to spend a few days. We've already been in many colonial towns during this trip and were less inclined to take pictures, hence we apologise for the mediocre photo album above. This is our second time in Ecuador having visited a few years ago, so we felt rather comfortable being back in more "familiar" territory. Last time that happened it was in Buenos Aires where we were robbed on arrival but this time it was not to be!

Cuencans were celebrating the festival of Corpus Cristy which meant every night for the entire week people invaded the downtown square following mass to savour barbecued meats and the countless pastries and sweets being sold in street stands throughout town. It was a relaxing week for us, resting at the comfortable Alternative Hostel, spending evenings in shisha lounges, and drinking micro brewed beers, treats rarely encountered on the continent. With mild weather and a festive atmosphere during weekends it's easy to see why Cuenca has such a large expat population.