To start our latest travel adventure, last Tuesday, February 9th, brother-in-law Steve picked us up at 6:30 am at home and drove us to Kanata on his way to work. After a couple of hours sipping coffee in Starbucks, we walked over to the Oxhead Restaurant for our favourite V13 on the menu. Then it was a short walk to the little bus station. It felt strange to have our packs on again.
It took about 1 1/4 hours and 2 buses to get to the airport. From there we got the free shuttle to the Airport Days Inn where we settled in for the evening.
We got a good sleep and the hotel breakfast before climbing back on the shuttle at 7 am. It was smooth sailing through US customs and airport security and a short wait for our United Airlines flight to Washington Dulles which left at 9:45 am or a little later due to de-icing. From 11:30 to 3:15 we waited at Dulles in the better terminal for our flight to San Salvador and ate the bagels we had brought from our hotel. The Avianca flight to San Salvador was packed, mostly with Spanish speaking people. We wouldn't be hearing much English from now on.
The San Salvador airport is small and a little worn but after an hour or so, our Avianca flight left for Guayaquil, Ecuador. Again, everything went smoothly and we arrived in Guayaquil about 12:15 am. Customs was easy although we had to dodge the full luggage carts of expat Ecuadorians arriving home for a visit from the US with lots of stuff that is probably expensive in Ecuador due to import duties.
For $5 US (the currency we'll be using for the next 2 months in Ecuador), we got a cab to the Hotel Jeshua, where we quickly showered and fell into bed.
We were up by 8:30 am and enjoyed the complimentary breakfast before getting another $5 cab back past the airport to the big bus terminal. We were here last year but it still took us a while to find the right ticket office for a bus to Montanita. Unfortunately, 10 am was too late to book seats on the 11 am bus so we waited until the next bus which left at 1 pm ($6 each). While we were there we ate our crackers and peanut butter and chatted with 2 fellow gringo travelers, a farmer from Ohio about our age and a younger guy, Taylor from Vancouver. Taylor had gone to a wedding in Miami, saw a cheap flight to Bogota and just kept going.
Our bus left on time. As we passed through the outskirts of Guayaquil, some of what we saw was very poor housing and some was gated communities. As we've noted before, not everybody in poor countries is poor.
About halfway to Montanita, the bus stopped at a little police station. A male cop and a female cop came out and told everyone to get off the bus. The women formed one line and the men formed another. In turn, all the men had to stand spread-eagled against the bus to be frisked and have their day packs searched. All the women had their day packs searched and some were frisked, although Anita wasn't chosen for that part. She did think our sons would be amused to see me spread-eagled against a bus though. Apparently the police were looking for handguns. It wasn't a big deal but it was an indication that there is more crime here than we're used to. As always, it pays to be a wary traveler.
A little after 4 pm, we arrived in Montanita, collected our packs and walked to the Swisspoint Hotel where we have stayed before. Taylor walked with us for a ways and we showed him where some of the quieter hostels could be found.
After checking in, we walked back into the village where we dined on big burgers and fries (2 for $10), since we were hungry from our trip. It wasn't long before we were in bed. The older we get, the more we find the travel days tiring.
Friday morning we got our usual pastry and coffee for breakfast from a little shop that's just a few minutes walk from our hotel. That and 2 bananas (10 cents each) makes a good breakfast for 2 for only $2. Then it was time for a walk on the beach after greasing up. We have over 5 pounds of sunscreen with us since it's quite expensive in Ecuador. Even after a liberal dose of screen, I still got a bit burnt. However, it was great to enjoy sunny, 30C weather on the beach. We enjoyed the almuerzo or set lunch at El Valero, a little restaurant in the heart of the action. For $4 each, we had delicious fish soup and a plate of rice, patacones (fried mushed slices of plantain), calamari for Anita and fish for me, salad and juice (apricot, I think).
On Friday evening, on our way to find dinner we ran into Taylor, who had partied until 6:30 am, which is not unusual any night of the week in Montanita. He introduced us to Joel, a young guy from Winnipeg, who came here for a few days and is still here 3 weeks later. We joke that after 4 weeks you qualify for rehab. Eventually, we dined on tacos at Poco Loco for $6 and a big beer for $3, with a free shot of some kind of firewater mixed with watermelon juice for each of us.
Yesterday, we did the same sort of thing - walk the beach, play in the surf and enjoy the action. Last night we went back to El Valero for a similar dinner for $4 each. We sat up on the 2nd floor balcony above the street. Afterward, we walked along the breakwater that stretches in front of the main part of town and through the streets for awhile to watch the action. Once again, we were in bed early but we heard parties in the distance until dawn.
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