Boobies, a Tapir? and Sulphur

Another delayed flight--what's the message here??!! But we did make it finally to Manta and our transfer taxi was waiting. The air was hotter and more humid on the coast and the landscape reflected this, being a combination of arid grassland and lush tropical jungle. Puerto Lopez, our destination, a few hours from the airport, is a dusty ramshackle coastal town with not much happening, We were staying at the Hosteleria Mandala, north of the main town area. This resort was like a breath of fresh air-- two-story cabins, rustic yet lovingly decorated by owners Maya and partner. 5 HUGE but friendly dogs kept watch over the comings and goings of guests.  Our room was the ORCA, on an upper floor overlooking the lush colourful tropical garden. We walked along the expansive beach into town to check out the scene--a few small blocks of deserted beach bar/restaurants, some locals wandering and very few tourists. When we bought 2 beers to drink on the beach while watching the sun set, I think it was the first (and probably the last) sale of the day for the bar owner. Later we ate fresh seafood in a rather delapidated yet Lonely Planet-recommended restaurant, with a regional soccer game blaring from the TV in the background.

Beautiful Los Frailes Beach near Puerto Lopez

We came here to experience three things: a pristine Ecuadorian beach, a traditional village and archeological sight, and the "poor man's Galapagos" or La Isla de la Plata. We accomplished the first 2 the next day. We hired a tuktuk style taxi to drive us 15k to Los Frailes beach. This beautiful beach is part of a national park so has never been developed. When we arrived we were virtually the only ones on the beach. We headed along the shoreline to a trail that led to a lookout shelter on the point. Enroute up the trail we were startled by a very large mammal flinging itself across the trail in front of us so fast and unexpectedly, we saw only a blur. Later we googled "large mammals of coastal Ecuador, but we are still not sure what it was--best guess...a tapir?

After the beach our friendly tuktuk driver drove us to the village of Agua Blanca. This small traditional village of the Mantena people has a lovely museum, and with our entry fee of $5, we were assigned a guide to show us the museum and around the village. Plinio spoke only Spanish but was patient and helpful. We walked around the community and surrounding forests with him for 2 hours learning about the people and their culture. I had a chance to really try out my Spanish. The highlight was the sulphur pool. After Plinio convinced us of its therapeutic benefits, we changed into our bathing suits, "lathered" our bodies with the mud provided, let it dry on our skin, then jumped into the lukewarm, smelly water. Yes, he was right--our skin felt as smooth as a baby's bottom and any aches in the joints miraculously disappeared. Apparently everyone in the village goes for a swim in the pool each day. Lucky....! As we were walking back to meet our tuktuk driver, Plinio suddenly pointed to Len's and my neck. The sulphur water had affected the colour of our neck chains. Len's gold chain was gleaming; my silver chain was black! Plinio gently unhooked mine, knelt down and used the sandy soil to polish the silver back to its former shine--in fact, it was even shinier! What a wonderful thing to do for someone.

Mud stud in Agua Blanca

The next we had booked a tour through the hotel to visit La Isla de la Plata. The boat ride was about an hour on a somewhat choppy sea. We were with about 12 others, a spanish-speaking guide and a small crew. The island is the home to many bird species, particularly the frigates, with their red puffed-up chests and the blue-footed boobies. Rats and tiny lizards are the only other non-avian animals to share the arid landscape. We hiked a 7k loop with the guide, stopping at prime viewing spots for pictures. Like the Galapagos, the birds are not really afraid of human interlopers, and let us get close up and personal, even seemingly posing for photos! Later back on the boat, we were given a lunch, and then some time to snorkel just offshore of the island. There were some amazingly large schools of tropical fish that we swam through and it was a great way to cool down and relax before the long ride back.

Blue-footed Boobies posing

All in all, we were glad we came to the coast and Puerto Lopez. It was a relief to get out of the big city and see the more natural environment of a beautiful country. Tomorrow we were off to Cuenca and looked forward to the adventure of getting there.