Mar 6, 2013 - Week 23 - Vilcabamba, Cuenca, Puerto Lopez (Ecuador)

For our last full day at Izhcayluma in Vilcabamba we’d booked to go horse riding. After Rhys’s first attempt at riding in Chile he was a little concerned that a 7 hour day was pushing it but as some of the people in our dorm had done it and said it was brilliant he was happy to give it a go. We were collected by our cowboy guide (it was just the three of us for the day) then we spent the first 30 minutes galloping through the streets of Vilcabamba and down tracks until we got to a river, Rhys was starting to regret it. Once our horses had...

Feb 24, 2013 - Vacation time

February 23. Today started off right with a great cup of coffee. No instant. No milk. Nice, rich, strong perked coffee. I even got a refill. Life is good. The tuk tuks here are motorcycles with a buggy thing attached so no pedalling inolved. Our driver was ready to go at the appointed hour so we hopped in, stopped at his house for beach umbrellas and headed to Machililia National Park and the Los Fraises beach. It's certainly not a comfortable ride but it's interesting. At the park gate we signed in and faked a passport number as since we...

Mar 27, 2012 - Isla de La Plata, The Poor Man's Galapagos

We left at 9:30 for the tour of Poor Man's Galapagos but I wasn't in attendance. Due to chills, fever, and the flu, I stayed behind and slept. The others enjoyed a tiring but educational day as they boated to Isla de La Plata to see blue-footed boobies and sea turtles. The hike to the top of the cliffs on the island was hot and tough but they made it home by sunset.

Mar 26, 2012 - Exploring Puerto Lopez

There are lots of little shops and beach bars here and we saw them all. Many guys stopped us to try to interest us in trips to the islands offshore. One in particular, Isla de La Plata, is a national park and called "The Poor Man's Galapagos." We were finally sold on a trip tomorrow for 8 hours of boat ride, snorkeling, hiking, and viewing sea turtles and blue-footed boobies which are usually only seen in the Galapagos Islands 600 miles off Ecuador. Dinner was again a delicious array of seafood. We went to a beach spot for sunset.

Mar 25, 2012 - Puerto Lopez

Another bus ride today and a very scenic trip down the coast. The bus took an hour and a half and the ticket cost under two dollars. In no time, we were registered at Hosteria Nantu where I stayed two years ago. The pool looked inviting since it's very hot here. Double room with 2 beds and air conditioning $33.60, single $22.60. The Manta area is the seafood capital of Ecuador. We dined on seafood and fish filets and watched the sunset. It's been a tiring day but we made it. www.hosterianantu.com

Jun 19, 2011 - Let them eat cake

Returning from a vacation is always a mixed bag. On the plus side, you feel well-rested and happy to be back on familiar territory; on the downside, the cupboards are bare, you have a kilo of dirty laundry and everything in your home is covered in a thin layer of dust. This is all well and good for someone like me, who relishes the challenge of getting everything back to normal, as quickly as possible, but for Mike, it was something of a nightmare. Unfortunately, he had no choice in the matter because we had guests coming the day after our...

Aug 26, 2010 - To the Coast

Our 10:30pm bus from Quito arrived in Manta, the Tuna Capital of Ecuador (South America? The world?), at 7am. We were hoping to try tuna fishing south of the equator but the fishermen there were observing a moratorium on tuna fishing to allow the fish a chance to get ahead of the game. Maybe that's why they catch so many tuna there. There wasn't much to do in town, but it was such a pleasure to be able to walk on flat ground, in the warmth of the sun, with a reasonable amount of oxygen in the air, that we pretty much spent the day walking...

Feb 22, 2010 - Fishing Trip in Puerto Lopez

Joan and I hired a boat captain to take us fishing today ($50 half a day). There were 5 aboard the boat: the captain, his daughter Zoila, our taximan Alejandro, Joan and me. We motored out of Puerto Lopez and headed for Playa de Amor, a deserted beach around the point. Then Captain Colon maneuvered us near the point for some close-up views of blue-footed boobies (piqueros patas azules), one of the birds found in the Galapagos Islands. Their feet are amazingly Wedgwood blue. Finally we reached the beach in front of the town of Salango with...

Feb 21, 2010 - On to Puerto Lopez

We arrived in town hot and tired but today´s bus ride was only 4 hours (cost $4.20) from Guayaquil. Joan´s brother Jim is not with us; he flew from Guayaquil to the Galapagos Islands for a tour. Joan, Lorraine, and I got a moto-taxi at the bus stop and asked him to take us to a restaurant before we located lodging. We were starving. Alejandro took us to Carmita´s, great fish eatery on the malecon/boardwalk with a very young waiter named Fabian, where we could see the beach and enjoy a fish and shrimp lunch. Later he returned to take us to...

Feb 1, 2010 - Isla de la Plata

Today I spent the whole day visiting the Isla de la Plata. The island is part of the Parque Nacional Machalilla that is located around the small town of Machalilla north to Puerto Lopez. The island is often called Galapagos for the poor ones, but you should be aware that it really cannot compete with its big sister, especially regarding ground animal population. Nevertheless its a recommendable day trip. To get to the island that is 40km from Puerto Lopez you spend approx 1,5 hours on the boat. Then you get a guided walk on the island,...

Jan 30, 2010 - Puerto Lopez and Playa los Frailes

Went down to Puerto Lopez -a super beautiful town located on a romantic bay. Want to visit here Isla de la plata - called Galapagos of the poor man - suits perfect for me ;-) Today I visited Playa los Frailes that is part of the national parque - was wonderful!

Feb 1, 2009 - Puerto Lopez- Los Frailes Beach

After two full days of great, but exhausting excursions, I was ready for some R & R on the beach. Our bus wasn't leaving until 8 pm so we had another full day to enjoy. The group was set on getting a free surf lesson with the hostal owner's son Andres (who took a liking to our youngin' Tamara but at 17, was even too young for her) and I decided to head straight to the beach and they would meet up with me after. Water, snacks and my beach blanket in hand, I took the 30 minute moto taxi to the los Frailes beach, considered one of the nicest...