Day 396: Olón to Puerto Lopez

It’s so interesting to travel through these quiet, little coastal towns in Ecuador after traveling through bigger tourist attractions in Peru. Since arriving in Olón, and traveling from Olón to Puerto Lopez today, it’s as if we hit the slow motion button or something similar… The bus to Puerto Lopez was relatively quick and painless and when we arrived and walked on the quiet beach we were slightly surprised at how deserted the town felt. The town was quiet. The streets did not feel well traveled. Every other building was empty, closed, or crumbling down. More restaurants and bars (than in Olón) sat on the beach, and although most were open, few patrons were seen. We walked up and down the beachfront street, had some ceviche that made us miss Peru (where the servings are bigger, spicier, and generally much more flavorful), and we made a reservation for a whale watching tour in the morning!

Day 394: Olón

Arriving in Olón and walking down dusty streets where children were playing, women sat behind tiny corner store counters, and men did construction work was (after yesterday) quite simply, lovely. Olón is so tiny that when searching for it online, only a handful of guesthouses appear in the results. Montañita is it’s more popular southern neighbor famous for surfing. In other words, it’s much more touristy and is now known for a much louder nightlife than little Olón has to offer. I was much happier with our quiet little town, and our oceanfront view complete with a hammock outside of our room.

We walked down the beach and then back through town, which didn’t take long. Most of the restaurants on the beach were closed, and it was just as windy and even cooler than it was in Mancora, Peru a few days ago. (Perfect weather however for snuggling up under my yak wool scarf in the hammock for awhile.)

We found a bakery that served up some cookies that were possibly the closest to homemade chocolate chip that I’ve had since this trip started. We sat in a park where a few teenagers practiced break-dancing and then wandered back through the quiet streets towards our guesthouse.