This past weekend was carnival in Ecuador so family, friends and students were all set to enjoy carnival weekend. We (myself and my friend Shaneen, who is also from KCL studying here in Ecuador) decided to go to Puerto Lopez, a small beach town on the coast in the Manabi province in order to fulfill our dreams of delicious seafood, beach vibes and glorious sunshine. All in all, it was definitely an adventure, a very funny, interesting one at times. We encountered rain, fog, insects (imagine a cross between a frog, lizard and beetle, this got into our mosquito net – lol!) sweat, mud, persistent sales men and many stray animals. Nevertheless, great memories were made, and we got our seafood, beach and sunshine that we wanted.
Highlights:
Photo 1 – We arrived in at Puerto Lopez bus terminal around 6am, an hour before out estimated arrival time due to the driver’s speedy, questionably safe driving. It was pouring with rain and inside the bus terminal there were many insects, one of them being this leaf grasshopper. In the spirit of conquering fears and all that fun stuff – I decided to hold it! Here I am with the insect on my hand:
Photo 2 – After sleeping for most of the morning following our early arrival in Puerto Lopez and satisfying our seafood cravings, we walked along the beach made it to the pier, albeit with foggy and grey skies.
Photo 3 – This photo was taken before I lost my glasses at seas?!?! Hahaa! Basically, I was relaxing in the sea (close to the shore, not far out at all) and a strong wave surprised me and took my glasses with it :/
Photo 4 – Seafood heaven. The food was fresh and delicious, it was lovely.
Photo 5 – Puerto Lopez at night! As it was carnival there was such a fun, lively atmosphere. There was music, dancing, lights and good vibes; although, I got the idea this is a characteristic of Puerto Lopez, regardless of carnival.
Photo 6 – Snorkelling! It was fun, but also tiring! I got stung by jellyfish twice and kept getting water in the mouth-compartment of the snorkel (struggle.com) but it was a great experience overall!
Photo 7 & 8 – Isla de la Plata is home to many unique species of birds. We saw these cuties along the hike! We also saw tortoise up close which was great! And then, when we were on our way back from Isla de la Plata (an hour away from Puerto Lopez by boat), we unexpectedly caught a glimpse of some dolphins! It was a great surprise as this isn’t the ‘season’ for whales or dolphins but we were blessed enough to have this experience.
Photo 9 – After hiking for about an hour we were rewarded with this stunning view from the top of the island. It was stunning, I love landscapes and beautiful views so this was heaven for me.
Photo 10 – These motortaxis are one of the main modes of transport in Puerto Lopez. They’re small, quick and get you to your destination quickly!
Until next time mis amigos,
Expect more photos and adventures xxx
P.S if you haven’t already, there is a new travel series featuring guest posts from my incredible friends who are also a mix of year abroad students and travel lovers. Check out the first two of many features here: Travel
