Christmas: Canoa-Style
Trip Start
Sep 13, 2004
1
17
25
Trip End
Apr 30, 2005
Quito,
Ecuador
Tuesday, December 28, 2004
Last time we mentioned plans to head down to the coast for Navidad and we did just that, leaving Quito about 10 days back for the beach haven of Canoa. Needless to say we were less than pleased to learn that transportation to Canoa involved another overnight bus but since Julie put the kaibosh on my plan to display a "Beach or Bust" sign and see how far our thumbs got us we didn't have much choice.
We arrived in Canoa in one piece (more than I can say for our bus, halted 15 minutes from its destination as a result of a severed drive shaft.) Canoa was a wonderfully sleeply little town with sand roads, a great beach and equatorial sun that'll take the skin off your back (or nose, as the case may be). Hooked up with another Vancouver couple and proceeded to waste the next week sunning, swimming, eating seafood and sampling the local cocktails (word to the wise: think twice about ingesting the local spirit, you get what you pay for and paint thinner is worth the price premium). Tryed our hands at surfing but after getting a board to the head I've decided (wisely, I think) to delay my pro tour bid.
Christmas day saw us arise to blazing sun and banana pancakes before wasting another day swimming and hammocking. Christmas dinner was seafood (we recommed "enconcada" - with coconut sauce), fried plantains and rum. Hate to admit it but it gives turkey and figgy puddin' a run for its money. Christmas night was celebrated around a crackling beach fire. More rum. All in all it was a great time, good food, good drink, good surf and good people.
We now find ourselves back in Quito, enconcada sorely out of reach. We have about another week left in Ecuador before we fly to Cartagena, Columbia on the 5th of January. Should explore some more of the country but damned if we aren't tempted to head right back to Canoa tomorrow!
It's Julie now. I really enjoyed Christmas on the beach, it felt pretty different to wear my bikini and eat fresh shrimp... I admit that it didn't fully feel like Christmas (even though we put up some Christmas cards from Pete's family on the walls of our bambu hut)and I missed my family but a great experience. We also got to celebrate Pete's birthday beachside, more swimming, surfing and of course rum. I read three books and we are both nice and brown.
Thanks for all the Christmas cards, emails and good wishes,
Love
Julie and Pete
