Little Mountain

Every year around the weekend of Halloween and leading into November, we have some time off. The school is closed for one day due to All Saints Day and another for the Independence of Cuenca, a major city in the southern region of Ecuador.

It's a Hard Life

All Saints Day is a holiday to celebrate the loved ones lost in the previous year. It is the same holiday where we all eat bread babies and drink spiced fruit juice. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, refer to our post we made this time last year.

Spark Fleet!

For this four day weekend, last year we went to the beach called Same (pronounced SA-MAY) and hung out in an Airb&b rental property where we were stalked a little bit by a mustache twirling villain in the same vein as Snidely Whiplash. (If you don’t know, look him up) He even had the same hat and pale complexion! We had a great time and enjoyed the Pacific Ocean Coastline of Ecuador for the first time. That trip was followed by three to four more last year.

Hammock Pit

So this year we decided to commemorate the anniversary of our first beach trip with…another beach trip! This time we flew to Guayaquil, Ecuador’s most populous city. We did this because we didn’t want to drive 6-12 hours to get to the beach. Instead, we flew 40 minutes and drove for the remaining time in tiny sardine cans called Chevy Sparks. The price for the Sparks were naturally cheaper since they were essentially metal versions of those yellow and red Little Tikes foot powered cars we all had as children. Since they were cheaper, there was a parking lot fleet of about four or five Sparks when we arrived. We went to a beach town called Montanita which means little mountain.

Fresh Fruit Juice!

We all booked a quiet little beach bungalow surf shack that had delicious food, cheap beer, really nice rooms, and a unique layout including a hammock pit with a sunken card table.

We spent the next three days reading in hammocks, laying on the beach, swimming in the ocean, and going to downtown Montanita.

Bourbon Street South America

Now that my friends, is a different story. Downtown Montanita is mostly a small gridlock of streets. It’s about 3 blocks by 3 blocks and includes a main strip called Cocktail Alley. I would equate Downtown Montanita to Bourbon Street. It’s not as large or grandiose as Bourbon Street but the idea is the same. Provide as many restaurants and bars as possible in a walkable space. Music blares all night from all directions and each restaurant is flanked on either side by a club. The only difference I would say between Montanita and Bourbon Street, aside from the side and the ground being covered in sand, is that instead of bars, Montanita has dozens of cocktail stands lining the main street.

Each stand is about five feet wide and has enough plastic chairs for about four people to sit in front. At the stand, customers can get fresh cocktails with the freshest fruit or other ingredients for between $2-4. It’s a really unique setup and a nice place to visit.

Living the Life

Things may have been a little frustrating if we were staying directly in town but since we were a ten minute beach walk away, the sound didn’t carry through the night as those young ‘uns partied until 7am. It was there for those who needed it, and just far enough away for those who didn’t.

Ceviche Bike

The best part of our beach trip this weekend, and of every beach trip we’ve had so far, was the food. We had pescado encocado (fish and rice with a creamy coconut sauce), piscado frito entero (a whole fish, fried and staring up at you from the plate), and of course the Ecuadorian staples of ceviche and fresh empanadas served from a bicycle on the beach. We even had another bicycle riding around selling coconuts. They would use their machete to cut a hole in the top and BAM, fresh coconut water.

It was an incredible trip, a beautiful beach town, and a great way to celebrate the independence of a city I’ve never been to. All in all, it was a great weekend.