New Life in Ecuador

Sunday January 22, 2017

On our last full day in Puerto Lopez, I started out with a cold shower, because the drain in our bathroom was not working. We had breakfast with El Bambu, to thank them for their help the day before. We watched the run portion of a local triathlon along the malecón. The malecón was closed to motor traffic, so it was nice and quiet during our breakfast. The power went out, but fortunately after we had our meal of fresh fruit with yogurt and granola, followed by omelets with shrimp. We spoke with a couple from California, who told us they had been to Cuenca and Loja prior to arriving in Puerto Lopez for a month long stay.
We returned to our hostel to get ready for our outing to Isla Salango with Orca Tours. We had some extra time, so we walked along the malecón and the pier enjoying the sunny morning. Due to road closures in town that slowed down getting the daily permit for boat tours, we were a bit late leaving from the pier. On the way to the island, Mike and I sat at the front of the boat. Our tour guide pointed out some blue footed boobies (rare bird found only in this area), as well as rock formations known as Monkey Rock and Turtle Rock. There was also another very small island in the distance that was known to locals as Isla Ahorco (the hanging rock).
Our captain chose an area with many rock formations for our snorkeling. We explored for about half an hour, and saw a small manta ray, many small colourful fish, and some brightly coloured starfish on the rock at the bottom of the sea. Mike and I took a turn with one of the sea kayaks, along with a young couple from Spain. The captain directed us to take the kayaks around the point to a beautiful beach area, where several other boats were anchored. We had a little bit of trouble with the kayak once we hit the current, but overall we did okay. We brought the kayak back to the boat and then swam to the beach area with most of the other travellers in our tour.
The beach was pristine. There is very limited access to this area, as it is part of the protected national forest. While on the beach we had a very nice conversation with two young women from Calgary. They were in Ecuador to complete a volunteer opportunity through IVHQ, an international volunteer organization. They are working with school children in Quito, in an area of low economic status. Their weekends are free and they have been exploring different areas. We were excited to talk to them, because our daughter has signed up for a volunteer opportunity with the same organization. The ladies were happy to tell us about their experiences, and they both recommended IVHQ highly. They were honest, saying their volunteer house had minimal amenities and cold showers, but the food provided by their host organization was very good.
When we returned to the boat, our guide offered us watermelon, cupcakes and drinks for snack. We sat at the back of the boat on the way back, with amazing scenery to enjoy along the way. We returned to the pier and disembarked. We said goodbye to the many people we had met on the trip. Afterwards we stopped for an ice cream on the way back to the hostel. At the hostel, Mike had a long conversation with Estani about music, composition and instruments. Estani played a beautiful original composition on his guitar and harmonica called "Retazos", which means little pieces. Estani mentioned that he would like to have a variety of harmonicas but they are very expensive to purchase in Argentina. I explained to him that Mike and I have a tradition of helping young artists to develop their interest in music. Mike promised to send a couple of harmonicas to Estani from the music store he works at, because he can get them for cost.
We walked to the north end of the beach in town, to see if it was a bit nicer than beside the fishing boats. It was nicer, but still not as nice as Canoa. We had supper at Carmita's, as recommended by another Canadian. We returned to relax in the common area of the hostel, and went to bed.