Heading south

So much for tropical Ecuador. While the sun probably does shine here occasionally, it hasn’t shown its face once in the past 4 or 5 days since we have been here in Canoa. We have yet to jump into the ocean, which is usually the first call of business upon arriving at a beach in the tropics. Apparently the constant cloud cover (and occasional drizzle) is normal for this time of year. It’s actually a very nice temperature; not hot, not cold. Although, far too cool for Amy, who has now set her sights on potentially sunnier pastures.

The past few days, however, have been very relaxing. Lots of reading, and of course, the long drawn out meal planning. It’s funny how meal planning and execution become major events when travelling. Starting at about noon, talk turns to what grocery supplies we have, what we can do with them for dinner, and then what else we need to obtain. That is then followed by a trip into town to obtain said items, followed by the pre-preparation cocktails, followed soon thereafter by the initiation of the meal preparation, and of course the meal itself. If we do it right, we can draw it all out so that everything ends just in time for bed. A perfect use of 9 hours. J

On a completely unrelated topic, a fascinating observation from our travels thus far in SA: smoking, or lack thereof, is almost non-existent here. Although becoming rarer everywhere, we are both struck by the virtual invisibility of smoking here. Prohibido Fumar (no smoking) signs are everywhere, thankfully, including buses and restaurants. It would be difficult to find someone smoking here. The only smokers we ever encounter are the young coolio travellers in hostels who are still in their young-and-stupid phase. Silly gringos.

Interesting unrelated observation number 2: Ecuadorians are way quieter and chill than Columbians. The change was instant as soon as we crossed the border, and has now been officially confirmed. Ecuadorians are simply quieter and more reserved, and thankfully recognize the unwritten and universal rules and regulations of “quiet time” from 9 pm to 7 am that we also employ. Thank god. No sleep for a year would have been a long haul. We are glad to report that is no longer a major concern, and there isn’t a loud middle-of-the-night TV in sight.

So Canoa. As alluded to previously, kind of a dirty old town, complete with dirt roads, unregulated bars and restaurants on the beach, and the iconic pack of stray dogs wandering around doing their business wherever it suits them. In other words, not a lot to recommend for the town itself. The area, however, is big and beautiful. At low tide, the beach is ginormous and goes off in either direction as far as you can see. So far, the megaresorts and other developers have skipped this area, giving it a relatively uninhabited feel.

There are definitely a few expats around though. Last night we attended a happy-hour bash on the beach in town. The place was run by an English woman and seemed to be ground-zero for the expat crowd. Lots of long gray hair, lots of Hawaiian shirts and gold chains, and lots of stories of what brought them to the north coast of Ecuador. For you Kootenay folks, one guy we met, believe it or not, is from Winlaw! Yep, Planet Winlaw. We didn’t ask him how he made his fortune J In another “it’s a small world” encounter, the place we are staying at (Sundown Hotel, highly recommended for those wanting a chill place on the beach) is owned by a guy originally from Kelowna. He’s been here for 25 or so years, married an Ecuadorian, had and raised Ecuadorian kids, and is just about to move into his new house on the beach, which is being built as I type. Nice house! We took the tour, took the pics, and have safely stored away the ideas. Who knows, we may be back one day to browse through the se vende listings....
 

Tomorrow the march south continues. From here the road goes south along the coast, which is perfect for us. Coastal cycling, gotta love it. One beach to the next. We’re not entirely sure what our stops will be, but we’ll figure it out as we go. If the sun comes out, we might be convinced to stop and enjoy it for a while. More soon. Hasta luego.