Montanita

Bill and I are on week three of living here in Ecuador.  Today we took a little visit to Montanita, a nearby surfing and tourist based town.  From our hometown of Manglaralto, Montanita is a thirty minute walk on the beach.  Today we started out at high tide, so we had to take a few alternate routes and cross the seawall a few times to avoid the high waves.  You can also take a taxi in to Montanita for $1.50.

As we were walking into town, we saw many surfers out in the water hoping to catch a wave.  There were some really talented people out there doing flips and tricks as they found the perfect wave.

I'm not sure if your can see the little heads between waves, but there were about 20-30 surfers today.

Montanita has a large rock sea wall.  On the top of it are park benches and pieces of artwork.

 The ocean side of the boardwalk has a railing.

The city side is a long way down without a railing.  I don't think OSHA would approve!

Montanita has many bars, restaurants, and stores.  There are the typical tourist stalls with handbags, flip-flops, and sunglasses for sale. There are also people who will rent you a few chairs and an umbrella out on the beach if you're visiting for the day.  This town has a very youthful feel to it.  There is music everywhere and young adult world travelers are always coming and going.  High season is coming up so the town is not crowded yet, but we hear it will be very soon.  There are lots and lots of hostels.  The rent for a night can be anywhere between $8-$20 per person, depending on if you want a private bathroom, Wifi, or hot showers.  

This is a really nice looking hostel just on the inside of the sea wall.  It also has a small pool.  The sign says $25 per couple or $12 per person.  

We walked around town and went to our favorite bakery with whole grain bread, but this time we bought a loaf of bread with cheese baked in for $1. We also tried a new restaurant and had the almuerzo, or lunch special.  In Montanita, it's a bit more expensive than at home in Manglaralto at $3.50, but still includes soup, rice, salad, and a protein.  Today's protein was fish or calamari. There are great ceviche stands throughout the town. Here's a photo of a ceviche plate I had on a previous trip.

One of the nicest things I have seen in almost every town we have visited in Ecuador is a playground area.  It is always clean and in the evenings, after school lets out and the weather cools a little, it's a busy place!

   

One of the things I love best about living in Ecuador is the fresh produce.  Many trucks run through the towns with their loudspeakers blaring, announcing the fruits and vegetables they have in stock. This truck was making its way around Montanita as we were there. Typically we've been able to find ten beautiful, ripe mangoes for $1.  Yesterday I bought an onion, one fourth of a red cabbage, a carrot, some bananas, two mangoes, an outstanding pineapple, and a handful of really sweet strawberries for $3.60.  

All in all it was a lovely way to spend a few hours.  Our waitress, Julietta, talked to us a while and asked where we were from (she's from Peru).  As we talked about the differences between the United States and Ecuador, she was amazed when I told her about the weather in November in Indiana. Remember, here in Ecuador summer is beginning!