Monday January 16, 2017

Every time I write the date for the blog, I find myself struggling to remember what day it is, and what the date is. What a wonderful problem to have!
So we left Leo and Dan early this morning, to catch the bus to Chamanga. Once again, we found travel by bus to be enjoyable and educational, as well as very affordable. The conditions of the terrain changed from lush and green to a more arid landscape.  There were different trees, and more scrub brush, as well as farmland in the valleys. In Chamanga, we were directed right away to our next bus to Pedernales. We waited only a few minutes for our departure. These first buses did not have air conditioning, but as long as the bus was moving, there was plenty of breeze to cool us off. By this time we have gotten used to the various vendors who come on the bus, hawking their wares. We have been offered juice, bottled water, gum, candy, yucca buns, empanadas, cheese bread, and a colon cleanser with a half hour speech about all the good things it would do for your health (Really, not kidding!)
In Pedernales, we were once again changed swiftly and efficiently to our next bus to Canoa. The driver of our current bus flagged the bus to Canoa on the road and allowed us, along with other travelers, to transfer right there. In this way we missed the bus station altogether. On the bus to Canoa we saw a town, called Don Juan that looked appealing from the road. We also saw many signs of devastation from the earthquake that occurred last April. We saw a gated community (condos for gringos) that had extensive quake damage. The area appeared to be abandoned. Mike was enjoying looking at different beautiful designs for homes built from bamboo. He is hoping to build in this style when we move here.
Our bus arrived in Canoa around 12:30. This was well ahead of our planned arrival at 4pm. It should be noted that the bus times we found on the internet did not reflect the wide variety of choices and departure times that we experienced in our travels.
When we arrived at Hotel La Vista, they were still cleaning the rooms, so we relaxed in the atrium for a few minutes. This hotel has a beautiful courtyard with many flowering plants and a large seating area. Our room is on the third floor with a balcony directly overlooking the beach. There is a hammock on the balcony, but only one so we have to take turns. We also overlook the malecon, in this case a road that runs the length of the beach. There are about 30 bars and restaurants located on the beach side of the malecon, all of them in huts. Most of them have shaded areas for customers to sit while eating. Mike and I had lunch at one these beach huts for $8 in total. This included blended fruit drinks (delicious!), as well as spaghetti with shrimp for Mike and a large bowl of fish soup for me. In the afternoon we stayed out of the sun for the most part, although we did go for a short walk around the town.
We walked across the street to the beach around 4:30 and went for a walk to the south.  When we headed into the ocean for a swim, we were amazed by the warmth of the water. Despite being very warm outside, the water felt warmer than the air. Even Mike, who is notorious for complaining about cold water, stayed in for a long time. We enjoyed jumping the waves and playing in the surf. After a quick shower to rinse off the salt water, we headed to Brisas Del Mar for supper. We had noted this place earlier and returned to try it for supper. The food was excellent and the portions were very generous. Meals came with rice and "patacones", the local word for the fried plantains that are very tasty. After supper we strolled along the malecon. We met a couple from California who had been in Ecuador for some time. They had visited several inland locations and were now in Canoa, which was their only stop on the coast. They informed us that over previous weekend, all of the local shops and restaurants were open and busy. We headed back to the hotel, spent awhile unwinding on the verandah, then slept.

Sunset from our balcony

Bamboo and thatch roof over a local restaurant

Hotel La Vista

View of the beach from our balcony