TheExpatJournals.com

It took two days of bureaucracy to finally get my Ecuador driver’s license. The main reason for me to do this was two-fold: A. A driver’s course is mandatory and cost $160 up until May 1 when it was rumored to shoot up to $900. B) My US license expires in July and I’m not so sure I’ll be back in time to get it renewed. So the double whammy added up to ‘just do it.’ And boy did I ever break it in!

Went to the coast this past week which of course, involves driving out of the Andes. I’ve always had a bit of a fear of heights…never in an airplane oddly enough…well, apart from a couple of the flying Volkswagens in Panama, but I don’t think that had anything to do with heights, just mechanics. So driving up to 14,000 feet and back down again was something I thought would be too daunting to feel anything but terrified doing.

So I left early morning and while I knew I could expect some of the omnipresent fog along the way, but I was not prepared for 50-60 kilometers of it. It didn’t help any that all the rain seems to keep the national road crews as busy clearing landslides as the street sweepers after a festival. Of course, the actual landslides themselves didn’t make it any easier. And, as someone once said to me, it’s not the fog that’s difficult to drive in…it’s what the fog prevents you from seeing. On the one hand, not being able to see how many thousands of feet the drop off is a few feet away is not necessarily a bad thing for me. However, when the visibility is about 8-10 feet and you know what’s over there and the pavement suddenly ends so now there’s no yellow line to somewhat guide you through what was dangerous and is now approaching lethal and you know semi-trucks are driving in the middle of the road, not in their lane and if you have to dodge one, well…you can’t. Suffice it to say it added nearly 2 hours to the 190 kilometer trip to Guayaquil. There were times in that fog when I was literally completely blind and blind driving in the Andes!

I must admit the road crews do a good job, however, at one point, it was insane where they were digging through a fairly wide mud-slide and they had essentially built a new one lane road of packed mud almost between the road and the abyss. It was like this exit ramp up over the hill of mud and was one of the scariest moments of all. I just wanted over it quick as I knew if it expanded at all, I was sliding into the abyss with it.

And before I move on to the coastal trip itself, I will say that somewhat accidentally (1200 kilometers with no map in a country you don’t really know and have never driven before will cause things like this) I ended up returning up through the Andes (the Cajas route) at night…pitch black all the way. Which, believe it or not, I actually prefer. I prefer the way the night blinds me to the reality of those enormous drop offs on a road with mostly no guard rails. No, the pot holes aren’t as easy to see, but oncoming vehicles are due to their lights. And you can usually realize there are boulders in the road before you hit them. Only once did I straddle a rock that surprisingly scraped the bottom of the rented Hyundai Tucson I had, a fairly high car. I definitely would be daunted taking that road in a sedan. And this is a main highway!

So the only real problem driving during the night is hitting the fog. Visibility is not even 6 feet and driving becomes inching forward when you have no pavement, only gravel, dirt and mud and don’t know which way the road curves. But at least I could stay in what I hoped was the middle as long as no lights were visible. If anyone had ever told me I would be driving essentially a muddy dirt road in fog on the side of mountains as high as these mountains are in the black of night, well, I might have bet virtually any price against the possibility given my inclination towards fear of heights. I suppose the only other problem driving that road at night during the rainy season is the possibility of a fresh landslide blocking your way until road crews arrive the following day to clear it. It’s a very, very long way back to any hotel, so I’m inclined to think you’d have no choice but to spend the night in the car. But I got lucky. There was only one fresh landslide and it did not cover both lanes entirely, so I could get around it.

Having said all that, surprisingly, there were moments of tension and quite a few moments of when I sat so straight by back never touched the seat, but no moments of terror or the kind of fear I had experienced on this route as a passenger. The last time I made the trip was in a van. I realized then I’d probably be more comfortable driving than riding and I was right. I will say that first night on the coast, I could barely go to sleep as irrational mini-movies of driving disasters kept appearing like a dream without being either fully awake or asleep. But those somnambulant scenarios kept preventing me from drifting off completely for awhile. Last time I remember that was in Aspen, Colorado after taking this way too high off the ground chair lift up to a mirador. That night, I couldn’t fall asleep because some images of being in that chair without the bar in front of me kept jarring me from that semi-sleep. Maybe it’s just my psyche’s way of shedding toxic thoughts…don’t know.

Okay…so the coast. Got lost getting there…and ps, it seemed to add 1-2 hours every time I got lost, but again, I had grabbed the wrong map. I only had Ecuador as it existed in an accordion map of the whole of South America. At least I could see where some of the larger towns were for some reference. So getting lost heading to the coast meant a trip through Jipijapa. Don’t you just love that name? (Like Hippie Hoppa) Very famous place for the Panama Hat…the original place in fact. I finally ended up coming in to where I was going from the north rather than coming in from the south as originally planned. And that put me through some interesting and desolate areas.

I covered Puerto Cayo in the central Manabi province all the way down to Playas. Honestly, I barely remember Puerto Cayo as I was a bit worn out from all the hours of driving and frustrated by being lost, but just after that, I do remember driving through the Machalilla National Park where I think I could see the famous Playa Frailes from the road. The road was mostly on a cliff above the ocean which made for spectacular views. Next up, I arrived in Puerto Lopez, a place I liked very much. Kind of reminded me of Bocas town before it became so precious. Beautiful bay backed by hills that were mostly green. So much of the central to southern coast is brown and scruffy…like maybe Pacific Mexico…semi-desert. And most of the towns are just plain ugly. Dusty, unfinished concrete structures, brown brush, disease ridden dogs, and you have to be careful not to run over the charcoal gray pigs and burros roaming free. But before I ever arrived, I had done enough research to target an area based mostly on the fact that it is green. It turned out to be spot on.

All I really knew about Puerto Lopez is that it’s where you go to catch a boat to Isla Plata, aka the Poor Man’s Galapagos. Apparently about 1.5 hours out to sea from Puerto Lopez, it’s known for blue-footed boobies and some of the other wildlife associated with the Galapagos at a smidgeon of the price of a trip to the Galapagos. People who have neither the time or money often opt for Isla Plata as a substitute.

People who knew this coast well for their whole lives had told me that eating at The Whale Cafe was a must. Unfortunately, it was closed for remodeling. The other strong recommendation was Bella Italia restaurant where apparently, they hand make their own pasta. Didn’t make it there either, but will when I return. Along the Malecon in Puerto Lopez are quite a few bebida stands where they will make you whatever flavor of a fresh fruit milkshake/smoothie you want. I didn’t make it to the one most highly recommended, but I sure loved the one I did try. So perhaps you can’t go wrong with any of them. I had a coconut smoothie for dessert at night and a banana and pineapple smoothie for breakfast the next day. BTW, from the little I had experienced before and from everything I read, it’s true…you can’t get a decent cup of coffee on the coast. What you get is either a cup of hot water or a cup of hot milk to mix your Nescafe instant with. Yuck. Having been forewarned, I took a bag of my own coffee along with one of the linen filters and indeed, local restaurants would accomodate me in the morning by bringing me a stainless pitcher of hot water and empty cups. So I had my good coffee each morning and am very glad I took it with me.

Between Ayampe and Olon, the Ruta del Sol turns inland and goes through pure rainforest. I could have been heading to Ft. San Lorenzo on the lush Atlantic coast of Panama except the road was paved, the terrain was a bit hillier and the potholes easy to avoid. Beautiful, beautiful area with virtually no houses for miles. First time I drove through the jungle covered seaside hills was only because I missed Ayampe, which I was looking for. I thought I recognized these rock island structures out in the sea, "Los Ahorcados" or in English, Hangman’s Islands, but I wasn’t sure. (PS, apparently there are great reefs for snorkeling or diving around these rocks. Hosteria Atamari offers dive courses, trips and gear rental. See end of this post for info.) And then, I come around a bend and could see about 15 or 20 kilometers down the coast and definitely recognized the cliff that separates Olon from Montanita, a town that I hope to accurately describe on day but am sure I will fall short. I’ve been told there is nothing whatsoever on that stretch of jungle by the sea because some Swiss investors have been methodically buying it up. They also bought in Ayampe and apparently continue to buy property by the sea in that area.

Before I continue, Montanita is an international surf scene, a famous spot for backpackers. Streets look like a 2008 version of a Woodstock festival for Generation Y. 20 something hippies blend into the actual hippies from the 60’s who still hawk their jewelry or wares on the streets as well. Wall to wall restaurants and hostals and juice stands. You don’t want to drive through Montanita…it’s like one long love, peace and surf hippie pedestrian mall. I wasn’t there at night, but I hear it is the major party town on the coast at night. Think spring break Daytona Beach for college kids all disguised as young dreadlocked pot smoking hippie surfers every night during the high season and that’s apparently what Montanita looks like at night.

Just north of Montanita, between Olon and Ayampe, is not only the gorgeous rainforest, but this is the equivalent to the Hamptons on Long Island, to Playa Blanca in Panama, etc…this is the Millionaire’s Row on the Pacific Beaches in Ecuador. With nice playa even broader than Punta Chame, (Panama) it’s not yet very developed. There are still lots of beachfront properties available or empty. And there are some stunning homes as well as haciendas across from the sea with genteel while fences where well bred horses feed on the nice green grass of gently rolling hills. It’s Louisville/Lexington reminiscent, though with beautiful emerald colored ocean views. The water is at its nicest through here, though the equatorial sun can make for some pretty hot sand and a quick sunburn without proper protection. The beaches are huge here and standing on one in some parts, it feels like you see miles in each direction of undeveloped beach. And in many cases, it is a view of quite a few kilometers. Cliffs seem to break up the flat areas along this stretch. Some hills, but mostly flat beach or high cliffs. Me? I love the views from the higher land. Never did want to live on a beach. Hate having sand in everything and there’s no way to avoid it. But I sure understand why people want to. Stunning, stunning area given the green hills behind and clean, emerald ocean in front where you feel like you’re standing in a place time forgot.

Heading south, not much to report before Salinas. In my mind, I had compared this to Coronado (Panama), but it’s far more developed than that. Broad boulevards, very modern shopping and much, much larger than I imagined. I read that the population is around 30,000, but the place seemed larger than Cuenca. I’m thinking Myrtle Beach 1985 with broadband. Someone else from Florida said Miami Beach 1972. The water isn’t as pretty down here as it is further up north, but all the amenities of a modern city are there and lots of high rise condo buildings (not Panama high rise, but rather 10-20 stories high) dotting the ocean front with an always packed beach on the weekends.

By the way, where did the word ’story’ come from to describe the height of a building? 10 stories. And I thought it was weird that down here beds and sheets and quilts come in plazas…as in 2.5 plazas equals a queen bed.

Anyway, after Salinas, it was further south to Playas, the closest beach to Guayaquil and what could only be called the poor man’s Salinas. The beginnings of the condo buildings, but not clean and nice like Salinas. All I can say about Playas and south of Playas is that I won’t go back. Though I did sit on a beach and have nice fried shrimp under a thatched roof where the sand stayed cool and the breezes kept you from sweating. That was pleasant and if I could take it out of context of the surroundings, enough to go back for. But there’s better shrimp north, so…This is apparently the area where Bo Derek has a place. And while there are nice empty spots, the road to Guayaquil makes the touted ‘45 minutes’ seem a whole lot longer. And there did not seem to be any other place to shop. Can’t put my finger on exactly why, but I…like everyone else I know be they foreigners or locals…just did not see the point in returning to the area. BTW, if you’re heading out on the Ruta del Sol from Guayaquil, as the inland highway ends and the coastal journey begins by the sea, there is a group of thatched hut restaurants by the sea. Look for one called El Farijol and have the camerones apanados. Really excellent!

After Playas and beyond, I now knew I had ‘peaked’ up north in the Olon to Puerto Lopez stretch and saw no point in continuing, so decided to head back to Cuenca. I got totally lost trying to get through Guayaquil and thus my trip through the Andes at night. To say road signs are lacking in Ecuador is probably the biggest understatement I’ll be making for awhile. Ridiculous or completely unmarked is more accurate. You’ll see a sign that steers you to the left at an intersection, then later realize, they meant the next left, not this one. And I saw one sign for a roundabout that simply did not exist. And boy is this country fond of speed bumps. They are everywhere. More often than not (and it’s those nots you really have to watch out for), upcoming speed bumps are indeed indicated by a road sign. Often, you actually get two signs to warn you it’s coming and the third sign by the actual speed bump. If only they would indicate the directions of cities/town nearly as well.

All in all, it was a 1200 kilometers trek. And since the car wasn’t due back until the day after I returned, I took it out to my favorite valley through the mountains near Cuenca, up towards the Cajas. And wow is that road now bad from all the rain. It never was anything more than a dirt road, but today, I had to stop and wait three times while people moved trees or laid a tree trunk across a new gully in the road from water run off. As I would head up a steep, narrow, muddy sliver of a potholed road with drop offs of only maybe 100 feet, it made the trip through the Andes seem easy. I wanted to head way out, but changed my mind. Way out is remote and if the roads were this bad now, I didn’t want to see the parts that had scared me bone dry.

So back home and in spite of having the car, I went to bed around 3pm to watch a movie and nap. Now I’m going to eat and go back to bed. I really, really do love living up in this cool weather. I like sweater weather. I liked that I could see my breath outside after dark. I like that I snuggle under my comforter and most of all, I like that I don’t get bug bites. I have chiggers or chitras or something from the coast. One guy in Montanita asked me where I was coming from. I said Cuenca, which always surprised anyone since they expect me to answer the US or whatever. Anyway, this guy said he would die from the cold up here. I told him I would die from the heat down here. Different strokes, and yes, a few days by the beach was great, but I’m sure glad to be back under my comforter. Still…I did see one interesting house for rent in the Millionaire’s Row stretch that sure beckoned.

Recommends:

Puerto Lopez:

Restaurants: Whale Cafe, Bella Italia and Palacio de las Frutas for smoothies.

Ayampe:

Cabanas: Palma Coco. Call Sra. Maria 09-175-8099 4 cabanas on the sea in seemingly the middle of nowhere. Simple, but clean and Sra. Rosa is very nice. No TV, no AC, but $8 per person per night.

Salango:

Delfin Magico Restaurant for seafood

Note: 2 very, very nice hosterias in the area are Alandaluz (http://www.alandaluzhosteria.com ) and Atamari (http://www.resortatamari.com )

La Entrada:

La Entrada Pasteleria is supposed to be one of the finest bakeries in Ecuador.

Montanita:

Honkey Donkey Cafe next to the church is supposed to be great as is Pizzeria Mareya.