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| On the bus! |
We left our slightly dodgy hotel straight after breakfast, for the Terminale Terrestre; the main bus station. Guyaquil is the largest city in Ecuador, and the bus station is huge, and located within a massive shopping mall. It was also already bustling at 8am, as we maneuvered our large backpacks through to the bus counters. Thank goodness we'd done our recce on arrival so we more or less knew where we were going. With over 70 bus companies running services all over Ecuador, we were very glad we knew which company we needed and quickly bought our tickets, making our way to the bus stands. We'd heard the buses don't wait long, so you have to be ready and waiting when they pull in, otherwise you'll get left behind. A bus pulled up in the next-door stand. New, shiny, with air con and WiFi; this bus malarkey was going to be OK. Then ours pulled up. So dirty you couldn't see in or out of the windows, and looking a bit long in the tyres - no air con or WiFi for us! Just 4 hours in a sad, dirty old banger. That's if we're lucky and we don't break down. At least we had reserved seats and near the front. We might have booked a seat each, but across the aisle a family of 5 crowded into their 2 seats, and 2 families of 3 in the row in front. This is certainly not executive class, and if I'd known I would have sat on Charlotte's lap and saved $10!
We set off at breakneck speed - which didn't let up for the following 4 hours, other than at speed bumps, at which point various vendors would leap onto the moving bus and sell anything from hot homebaked empendadas from big wicker baskets, to sweets and aloe drinks. They'd sell as much as they could, then wait for the next 'slow down' and leap off again to catch a bus going in the opposite direction.
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| ..and the tuk tuk! |
There were no official marked bus stops, but somehow or other people seemed to know where to get off. Or else they just asked the driver to stop, wherever suited them. We never quite figured it out. But thankfully Puerto Lopez had a proper bus station, saving us from what could have been a long long walk with heavy bags. A short tuk-tuk ride and we were at Casa de Heidi, our home for the next 3 nights. Right on the beach, directly opposite the fish market, it was a cute beach 'shack'. Well, not quite a shack but very simple and fun.
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| Crowded beaches! |
Being the last day of Carnival, the entire beach was heaving. With people, bars, dogs, music. You could barely see the sand for the bodies. Everyone was out - eating, drinking, dancing, swimming, chatting and showering passersby with crazy foam, water and occasionally eggs. All in the spirit of Carnival. They took particular delight in hitting tourists and as 99% of the crown was Ecuadorian, we were prime targets. Luckily the foam evaporates and all the eggs missed! All good fun.
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| You've been foamed! |
We ate a deliciously fresh fish supper, cooked up at a stall in the market and then chilled at Heidi's before heading out for an evening stroll along the Malecon. This was final night of Carnivale, so music was pumping from every bar and the waterfront was heaving - even at midnight when we wandered back, a little wet and foamy. Like all Latin nations, Ecuadorians love their music. And I love my earplugs!
The following day was total R&R. Top priority was to figure out our bus journey back to Quito on Sunday. It's a 10 hour bus ride and a lot more complicated to work out than it sounds, as no-one, even the guide books, seemed to know whether there were direct buses or whether we had to change somewhere along the route. The only thing for it was to go back to the bus station and work it out for ourselves. Job done, we'll be leaving Puerto Lopez on a 5am bus on Sunday morning, straight to Quito. We figured we'd spend another night here, then head to a more relaxed beach resort a few kilometers south of here. Work done for the day, we headed to the beach. Lots of people left PL today so while it was still busy, it wasn't the mad-house of yesterday. Quite a contrast, and a welcome one.
Our last full day in PL was very relaxing. All the crowds had gone and the town and beach took on a much more chilled vibe. Even the fish market was quieter - we'd got up early to see the fishing boats come in with their catches. Small rowing boats or with outboard motors, they brought in all sorts; squid, octopus, prawns, swordfish and even our beloved hammerhead shark. Vendors picked off the cream of the catch to sell from their stalls (or tables on the beach), while bigger trucks driven onto the sand, loaded larger amounts into ice filled crates, to transport who knows where. I think the pelicans were having the most fun, hanging around the boats and picking up discarded fish. More than once we saw a frigate bird come diving down, trying to steal a pelican's booty, but failing as the pelican took off.
The rest of the day, and the next, was beach time. Overcast with a gentle breeze, it was perfect weather - although even shaded by cloud the sun is too strong for us, so we sought the shade of a palm tree I've very quickly developed such a deep tan here that I think I'm going to look a bit ridiculous back in London in mid-February!!
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| Sunset over the pier |
Our last full day in PL was very relaxing. All the crowds had gone and the town and beach took on a much more chilled vibe. Even the fish market was quieter - we'd got up early to see the fishing boats come in with their catches. Small rowing boats or with outboard motors, they brought in all sorts; squid, octopus, prawns, swordfish and even our beloved hammerhead shark. Vendors picked off the cream of the catch to sell from their stalls (or tables on the beach), while bigger trucks driven onto the sand, loaded larger amounts into ice filled crates, to transport who knows where. I think the pelicans were having the most fun, hanging around the boats and picking up discarded fish. More than once we saw a frigate bird come diving down, trying to steal a pelican's booty, but failing as the pelican took off.
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