It has been difficult to write because I haven’t been able to use my iPad at every location we have traveled to because of the wifi and I am at the second to last part of my trip and finally able to write because the WiFi in Canoa was horrible and we stayed there 8 days but I would’ve had to use my phone to write everything.
We are currently staying in Ayampe, Ecuador and like Canoa it is a very beach surfer town. It is more wooded and jungly than Canoa was but both are pretty small. I tried looking up the population and I couldn’t find it but it is probably pretty small.
Our first night we stayed at La Tortuga and our cabana was super tiny with a double bed and a twin bed but there was barely any room to walk around and it was super cold at night with hardly any blankets. So we checked out of that hotel and came to Spandalus (probably spelled that wrong) and the room is much bigger with the best shower I have had the entire time I have been in Ecuador. Plus there were enough blankets (at least I thought there was). We will stay here one more night.
Yesterday 11/6/2021: we went on a small boat cruise to tour an island where we could snorkel and swim in the ocean and see different fish. At one point we could go to the beach. I didn’t really like using a snorkel mask, but I had my own flippers, goggles and nose plug with me. It was cool to see the fish in the water. The water wasn’t super clear but it was still a lot of fun to swim around. While on the boat we saw a sea turtle, pelicans and sea lions. On the beach I went to look at some barnacles on this rock the ocean riptide pulled and pushed me into some sharp rocks twice. I cut my toe and scrapped my leg.
On the way back from the boat ride we enjoyed Pepsi, watermelon, and a chocolate brownie. It was a cool experience and even though everyone except my dad and I spoke Spanish, I tried asking and talking to some of the people on the boat in Spanish.
For dinner we ate chicken on a stick because it is so good although at first we found someone selling carne (meat) on a plate and I got the chance to try pig intestines. I don’t think I will be eating that again. We didn’t eat the whole thing.
Today 11/7/2021: I found out that it was daylight savings time in the States and it was nice to not loose an hour although I will have to deal with that time change when I go back at the end of the week.
With the pain in my toe we decided to go to Los Frailes Beach. It is located in a national park and it was interesting getting in because we had to show our passports and get our temperatures taken. There is a lot of rock transformation in the water and there are a lot of little fish and crabs to look at. I was able to find another hermit crab on the beach which was really cool. The rocks there and in Ayampe are blue and their shells are all different colors. It was a long enough hike where we were able to get some walking in and see some of the sights without putting my hurt toe in too much pain.
Tonight for dinner we ate in Puerto Lopez and dinner was delicious. I had shrimp in a coconut curry sauce with a salad and rice with fried plantains.
Tomorrow we drive to Montanita.
