Playa Escondida Galera

Nach unserer Dschungeltour ging es gleich weiter zur ecuadorischen Kueste, genauer gesagt nach Mompiche. Mompiche ist ein kleines Dorf mit vielleicht 300 Einwohner im Norden Ecuadors.
Ausser wenigen Restaurants, 2-3 kleine Laedchen fuer den taeglichen Bedarf und 3 Bars gibt es in Mompiche nichts. Das soll aber nicht heissen, dass es in Mompiche langweilig ist......!!
Eingemietet haben wir uns im letzten ...

So we went on a few more buses again up the coast to a tiny little beach village with about 5 other Westerners there which felt kind of weird. Generally, theres lots of Ecuadorians on holiday here everywhere and not so many Westerners at all. Its kind of cool but also means that in some places its hard to find good internet, burn ...

Ahoy-hoy!

So, after spending a week in sloth watching Wimbledon it was definitely time to get off my backside and do something. My first instinct was to head to the coast; after all it's been about two months since I last saw sand and sea. I found out that a couple of people at the hostel were heading to the north coast for a few days so I decided to tag along with them.

Our destination was Mompiche, a small coastal village reached only by dirt ...

... third days of the beach. We built castles, looked for snails and shells, and some of the kids even found starfish and sand dollars! Perhaps this was not the ideal vacation, but despite all of the coughing and fever, and tiredness, I was able to witness the happiness on the kids´ faces as they indulged in the sand and white foamy water.

I realized that they appreciated being there. To be honest, I was thinking negatively throughout this trip, including about how bad I ...

Junio 8
We left Quito on last Sunday at 11pm. We took a cab to Transportacion Esmereldas. The taxi ride was sketchy, our first stechy taxi, but probably not our last. It was a friend helping a friend, and not only did we get charged too much but we had to tell him where to go. Kinda lame, but thats the way traveling goes.

Our bus ride to Atacams took about six hours. It was very uncomfortable. Once at Atacames with our instructor we ate ...

Atacames is Ecuador's biggest beach resort town, and as such I knew there was a good chance I wouldn't love it. Still, it was a good stopping point on the road south and worth at least a look. I arrived just before sunset to find my first choice of hostel booked, and the second one closed. As I was walking toward a third option, I passed a family sitting in chairs on the sidewalk outside their home. They asked if I was looking for a ...

Taking the daily buses from the Estacion Esmeralda's in Quito leaving at 8.25 journey with a 25 minutes breaks in an already nicer and warmer climate, here at this stop I was talking to a father who traveled with the daughter to a playa before Atacames. He was born in Russia but leaves for ages in Ecuador and he send out some warning that Atacames lot's of thief's and that I have to watch my bag and whatever belongings I carry with me... The usual warnings people send out ...

... wereld met zijn fles suikerrietalcohol. Het doet wat met een mens, niet van een eiland afkomen. Waar ik me al lichtjes op mijn ongemak voelde in Portete, voelde ik me in Bolivar -een dorp wat verderop- helemaal als een vreemde. Mensen waren buitenlanders duidelijk niet gewoon en kwamen hun kleine en afgesloten dorp enkel uit om op concha te vissen. Een hard en vooral arm bestaan. Op 5 minuten varen la Isla Jupiter, de plaats waar de Colombiaanse versie ...

Ooh, do you want to read the memo? It's pretty awesome and it will definitely help the suspense factor, except for the fact that I'll have to post both entries right in a row because of the limited internet and you'll be able to read them both anyway ... okay here it is...! Captain Chazapis! How dare you try to sneak across the equator into my realm with your ship filled with slimy Pollywogs! I command you stop your ship at the equator so that I and my royal court may board ...