Brace yourself...this blog's a novella. Directly below lie the insanely cool main characters: Cristina, Natalie, Olga, Pablo, Juan Carlos, & I).
(Wow, my bangs do not appreciate the humidity!)This past weekend I traveled to Same (pronounced SAH-may) with Pablo and two friends, Juan Carlos and Cristina. Cristina's family owns a wicked awesome house in Same with a pool and jacuzzi (ironically the pool was warmer than the propane-heated jacuzzi) that's within walking distance of the beach. We arrived late Friday night, but didn't let the dark night stop us from enjoying our new surroundings. The only relief from the heat and humidity was a dip in the pool.
Juan Carlos couldn't wait to hop in!
Early the next morning, two new friends joined us, Olga and Natalie. With our motley crew complete, we could begin the relaxation and rejuvenation!
The pool was surrounded by stunning green foliage. The spectacular fan palm and the flat top tree (and yes, these are the official botanist terms) are just a sampling of the greenery near the coast.
The backside of Cristina's house.
These incredibly safe-looking mototaxis serve as the yellow cabs of the beach towns we visited.
Some local youths loitering about like hooligans! Kidding. The people from the coast are so relaxed and chill about everything. Many just hang out in front of their businesses and homes chatting and observing the world.
Very few of the homes had glass in the windows, but featured screens or metal bars instead. I'm not sure if this one was inhabited or not, but it had plastic wrap over its windows.
On our way to the beach, we stopped at a local store to pick up some refreshments. As we continued walking, we noticed a clothing store with a sign listing how much the locals owed. Cabezita (little head) is a rather unfortunate nickname to be made public.
As we got closer to the playa, some "monos" (people from the coast) approached Juan Carlos with menus of the beachfront restaurants
The beach in Same was quite lovely. The Pacific water was warm and churning with sand as we ducked under the tall waves. Just like the beaches at home, human influence was evident with a little trash here and there, but overall pretty nice.
I don't know why, but I really wanted a picture atop this fallen tree. Not the best idea, perhaps, but it was invigorating trying to survive the powerful waves crashing against us!
A CN joke waiting to be hatched!
A gorgeous palm tree against an eerie backdrop.
So relaxed! (And the scenery past my friends at that moment wasn't too bad either!)
Olga and I drank from fresh coconuts with the ends hacked off by machete. After I'd had my fill, I offered the innards to my scruffy friend.
We returned to Cristina's house for a spell after a fabulous time at the beach. The path was a bit overgrown with foliage, but this only amplified the beach cottage's charm in my opinion.
What amazing and lush scenery we found ourselves surrounded by later on!
Unfortunately, (wo)man cannot live on coconut juice alone, so we went off in search of nourishment and found ourselves in another small town, Tonchigue, in which the shore was covered in small fishing boats. Fishing boats are definitely a good sign!
La Casa de Francesca offered fresh and fried seafood at dangerously reasonable prices. :) I tried the ceviche mixto for $6 with shrimp, fish, and conch (whose texture was reminiscent of clam or escargot). Most plates came with patacones (fried plantains). Delectable!
The heat and humidity drove a lot of people out of their stuffy houses and onto their porches.
The beach crew: Me, Pablo, Juan Carlos, Cristina, Olga, Natalie.
ahhhhhhhh
Craving a bit of nightlife, we wandered over to Atacames, a bigger beach town whose main road was lined with bars thumping with music and dancing. The sort of stereotypically thatched roofs and bamboo-like wooden huts were illuminated by bright florescent lights and swirling neon disco balls.
The first bar we visited was covered with whole fruits like giant papayas, plantains, and pineapples.
The neighboring bar hut offered swings instead of bar-stools! Alas, we did not swing, but we sure did dance
We sipped some yummy cocktails garnished with huge chunks of fruit (even though mine was just a banana shake) and headed to the dance floor to salsa.
Raise the roof!
The poor gentleman behind us was a bit tuckered out. :)
This video doesn't do Atacames nightlife any justice as this was a rather tame song. :)
In spite of the enormous lunch we had stuffed our faces with earlier, our tummies began to grumble so we stopped for some street food under tarps and umbrellas that shielded us from the rain.
Cristina and I shared a flattened and skewered piece of chicken meat (far right) which was quite tasty.
Some of us returned to the house for a nocturnal swim in the rain to cool ourselves off.
We headed back to la Casa de Francesca for more scrumptious seafood on our lazy Sunday afternoon. The foreigners (Olga, Natalie, and I) almost licked our plates clean of the camarones apanados (fried shrimp shown on top). Pablo enjoyed fried fish with a salad of onions, peppers, and tomatoes (bottom).
Juan Carlos tried the lobster for a staggering $10! Dee-li-SHUSS! The lime-green beverage is Inca Kola: an incredibly sweet soda from Peru that tastes like a melted Otter Pop.
Just a few doors down from the restaurant I spied the sweetest sight to end on...a snuggle. :)
Very full and very happy, we said good-bye to Olga and Natalie at the bus station and the rest of us began the 5ish-hour trek to Quito around 5:30 p.m. In my customary travel fashion, I slept for about two-thirds of the journey. Due to a slight unplanned detour down a dark rural road, we arrived in Quito a bit later than anticipated, but I was out like a light as soon as my head it the pillow. Man, what a fun weekend! Just what I needed!
