Statistics
Days: 18. Arrived in Ecuador on November 4. Left Ecuador on November 22.
Cities: 2. Quito (but only for about 6 hours to rest) and Puerto Lopez. That being said, we also took a couple quick side trips (no more than a couple hours each) to Salgado and Montanita.
Apartment Rentals: 1. We stayed in a room at Clara Luna for a majority of our time in Puerto Lopez.
Hotels: 2. We spent about 4 hours resting (I won’t even call it sleeping!) at Hotel Gran Quitumbe in Quito before getting on a bus at 6:30am the next morning. We spent our final night at Hotel Victor Hugo in Puerto Lopez, mainly because they had hot water!
Modes of Transportation: 4. Boat, moto taxi, bus, and walking.
The view from the back of a moto, a $0.50 taxi ride anywhere in town!
Q&A
What was your favorite site or place that you visited?
J: The boat ride to/from Isla de la Plata was a lot of fun – we got to watch for whales (and got to see a couple) and watch manta rays jumping out of the water. Also, I liked Los Frailes beach – it was a secluded beach that wasn’t very crowded and Daniel and I got to climb on the rocks and explore a little cave.
L: We spent almost all of our time in Puerto Lopez, which was nice because we go to know the city. Within Puerto Lopez, we had cocktails one evening at a cabana on the beach, watching the sun set behind the mountains. It was a beautiful evening.
Jon and Daniel climbing over the rocks at Los Frailes beach.
Cocktails on the beach while watching the sunset.
What was the biggest surprise you had during this time?
J: How they make things work with so little resources. Whatever you think you need, they probably don’t have, but yet they still manage to live just fine!
L: How friendly everyone is in Ecuador! Walking down the street, everyone says hello to you. People will smile at you and try to talk to you (at least, they tried with us but sometimes it was hard for me to understand their Spanish!). We felt accepted and welcomed into their community.
I spent 2 hours per day in Spanish lessons with Maria, for 6 of the days we were in Puerto Lopez. It helped to improve my Spanish, but I still have a ways to go!
What was the lowest point for this part of the trip?
J: The robbery – someone stole our big (and expensive) camera and microphone from the bus that we rode from Quito to Puerto Lopez.
L: I got a slight cold (with a horrible cough that wouldn’t go away) and Jon pulled a muscle in his back. Yet again, we were struck with some health issues. (NOTE: for some reason, I totally forgot about the theft until Jon mentioned it for his low point! Oops!! that should have been mine too!!)
What was your favorite food or meal that you had?
J: I liked the Ecuadorian food overall (like our usual dinner of chicken, rice, and beans that Lana mentions below). However, my favorite meal was at the Italian restaurant where we had homemade pasta from an Italian man. It was nice to have a little comfort food and something familiar after a couple weeks of eating primarily Ecuadorian food.
L: We ate frequently at Restaurante Elianita, which was a local place on the main road in town. They grilled three or four kinds of meat and served with a plate of rice, bean sauce (I’m not quite sure how to describe it), fried plantains, and a small salad. It was delicious and cheap and became our go-to meal whenever we were hungry!
This was our typical dinner – a plate of rice and bean sauce and a plate of chicken, plantains, and salad. All for only $3!
What would you change if you were to do it again?
J: Besides not getting robbed… I don’t think there’s much I would change – we really enjoyed our time in Puerto Lopez. If we were to do it again, I might try to do a few more things during our time (like boogie boarding, surf lessons, etc), but I’m not unhappy with our time there.
L: I would have gone scuba diving the first few days we arrived, before we both got sick and had issues. We were waiting to go later in our visit but never ended up being able to go, which was disappointing as we would have liked to go once with Devin.
One of the things we did in Puerto Lopez was to read about whales next to a skeleton of one!
What advice would you give someone doing a similar trip and route?
J: While in transit, be careful and watchful of where you put your belongings. Always have them in hand rather than assuming they are safe wherever you put them.
L: We both loved staying somewhere and becoming involved in the community (even just a little bit). Sightseeing is nice, but helping out and making friends really makes a place feel more like home. If possible, try to schedule in some time to volunteer along the way – it makes for a good break from constant travels and gets you involved.
What is the best memory that you’ll carry with you?
J: Building the compost bin – it was a lot of work to do but it was rewarding once it was finished. My other favorite memory is seeing the manta rays jumping out of the water from the boat.
L: I have two – one was the night that we spent with Devin at her apartment, cooking dinner and playing cards. It was such a fun and relaxing evening with friends and is something we haven’t done since we left. It was nice to have a friend that we could relax and spend time with. The other is getting to know some of the kids who were regulars at Clara Luna. I can still hear them saying “Hello Lana” every day when they arrived and trying to mimic my American accent when I pronounced words that they were learning. The kids were so cute and friendly!!
Jon worked hard on his compost bin and it turned out great!
One of our most fun evenings – spent having dinner, drinks, and playing cards.
What to read more?
Read about our time in Ecuador…
I’m glad you got to spend time with Devin and the kids at school.
Me too – it was a lot of fun hanging out with the kids. They are so friendly and cute!