Ecuador, Summer 2019 (Part 4 - Montañita)
Audrey and I landed back on the mainland from the Galapagos but had no real time to rest. We switched out the dirty laundry from our bags and got into my mother’s car to take the two hour trip from Guayaquil to the beachfront city of Montañita.
The hostel we checked in to was very nice, including a private beach, restaurant, lounge, and a massage room. The best part was that we got it at a pretty decent price for three nights. Since we didn’t arrive in to town until very late, we called it a night in order to get a fresh start the next day.
Breakfast was a simple buffet spread with fruit, scrambled eggs, bread, and pancakes, as well as some yogurt and granola. After breakfast we got into my mother’s car and headed to the Manabi indigenous community in a town called Agua Blanca, about an hour away from Montañita.
One of the first things to see upon arriving to the community is the Ancestral Museum housing artifacts that span back to thousands of years ago from various communities that lived in that particular area throughout the centuries. Our guide was a gentleman who was a member of the community. His personal connection to the area was definitely reflected in his knowledge of the area and the customs of the people who lived there before.
After the museum, our guide led us on a 20 minute hike to a lagoon of water that is full of sulfur due to the volcanic activity in the area. The hike took us through a forested area full of animals including pigs, goats, and several species that were native to this part of the country.
We finally reached the lagoon which was kind of crowded with other visitors. None of us had brought any kind of swim suit so we skipped taking a dip. My stepfather on the other hand opted to get a massage. The masseuse uses the mineral rich mud on your skin which is supposedly good for you.
Meanwhile, Audrey and I were starving and hit up a small eatery a few feet from the lagoon. Here I introduced Audrey to one of my favorite things growing up: salchipapa. A portmanteau of salchicha (hot dog) and papas (fries). It is exactly as it sounds, a bowl of french fries tossed with sliced hot dogs.
After our “lunch” we headed back to our car which was another 15 minute hike away. On our way back, we stopped at a viewing platform that gave us the most beautiful view of the landscape.
We finally got back to our car and thanked our guide before heading back to the hotel. On the way back we stopped in the town of Puerto Lopez on the way to inquire about whale watching tours the next day.
Montañita is known for it’s vibrant night life as the whole town is full of bars and night clubs offering extremely cheap drinks and happy hour specials all day long, so naturally, we had to have some fun.
The next few hours became kind of a blur as Audrey and I knocked back cocktails that were being sold at most places at 2x$5 or 4x$10 for hours. We eventually stumbled back to the hostel where we practically passed out for the evening.
We both awoke the next morning hungover. Audrey was in rougher shape than I was. We didn’t have much time though as we had to leave around 9:45 to catch our whale watching tour. We quickly ate breakfast, got in the car and headed to Puerto Lopez.
At the pier in the heart of town, we met with the owner of the tour company coordinating the boats that were taking whale watchers. Around this time of the year, humpback whales migrate northward from Antarctica to the warmer waters off the coast of Ecuador to mate and give birth. This makes for an ideal time to see as many whales as possible.
We boarded our boat with 10 to 15 other people and made our way west away from the mainland for about 30 or 40 minutes. It didn’t take long for us to spot one of these incredible creatures once we reached open water. For the next two hours we watched in awe as the whales came up to get air, waved their fins and tails in the air, and launched themselves out of the water as they breached. The crew on board did a great job making sure we felt like we got our money’s worth, and for $20 a person on a 3 hour trip, I think we definitely did.
Once we got back on land, we drove back to the hotel and called it a night as we’d be checking out the next day and neither Audrey or I were interested in drinking again after the night before.
