La Playa

So cool to see the whales up close! This was a show-off male escort

We embarked on our first road trip last week since settling into our casita in La Josefina. We wanted to treat our Ecuadorian family and friends to some beach time -- the ocean is far enough away that most people have only ever been to the coast a handful of times in their lives -- and we also wanted to see the humpback whales ('tis the season!). Despite being quite cool for much of the week, it was a successful trip.

Part 1 we spent with a full house in Puerto Cayo, a sleepy fishing village in Manabí. The house was perfect for our large crowd of seventeen. It was right on the beach with a wooden gate opening up to the sand and waves. It had hammocks galore; my boys slept all three nights in them. A kitchen stocked with everything needed to prepare huge Ecuadorian feasts, including plates and cutlery for 25, a blender, multiple rice pots, and even a plantain roaster. We managed the short trek to Los Frailes, a national park and purportedly the most beautiful beach in Ecuador. The kids chased crabs and built sandcastles, skipped rocks, and played in the waves. We hunted down fresh fish in Machalilla and found ourselves a bucket full of seafood to feast for several meals. My family boiled and fried plantains and supplied an endless hot pot of rice (of course) and warm agua aromática. The house dog, Rubia, was a sweet companion for all of us. It was a lovely couple of days. When everyone but we five left on Sunday afternoon, it felt quiet and almost lonesome. Luckily we stumbled across a local church bingo night to entertain ourselves.

Part 2 was a little more touristy. We stayed in a cute family-run hostel called Itapoa Hosteria in an Ecuadorian tourist town called Puerto Lopez. We discovered a few favorite places to eat pizza, fish, papipollo, and crepes. We went on an awesome whale watching tour, where we all oohed and ahhed at the majestic humpbacks showing off meters from our boat, and Paul and I snorkeled briefly. We ambled along the beautiful beach, Dillon and Jonah boogie-boarded; we all partook of some of the neon lights and dance music on the sand at night, and we treated ourselves to nightly rewards for taking our malaria medication. It could have been warmer, and I definitely should have packed jackets for everyone, but the sun did shine on our last full day in Puerto Lopez, and we all left feeling like we'd happily return.

my Ecua-family
Nuestra casita in Puerto Cayo
Alba prepping platanos
Iguana chasing kiddos
The waves just outside our backyard in Puerto Cayo
Fish prep
Pineapple on the beach
Puerto Lopez
Whale watching boat trip
Dillon on the boogie board
Puerto "Love"
Long beach walk in Puerto Lopez

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