View of beach and ocean from our Porch
This is the view from the porch of our little - I guess you would call it a cabana or bungalow. It has one room and a private bath, and it's made from bamboo and has a palm-thatched roof. The ocean is about 200-yards away. It's nothing fancy, but it's only $30/night and what a great view.
View from Beach Road of our Cabana and Porch
Canoa is nothing more that a little fishing village and surf hangout. The other gringos here are a mixture of old hippies that came here to surf years ago and evidently never left - and a nice collection of young hippies in their 20's that all seem to have blond hair and deep tans. I'm not too sure where we fit into the demographic.
Yesterday Canoa was packed with both native and gringo visitors enjoying a day at the beach. Today it looked like the aftermath of a big party. Everyone was gone and a few unlucky souls were left to clean up the mess.. The main road along the beach is filled with bars, restaurants and hostels. But it's probably not what you would picture as a thriving beach town - see below...
Beach Street (Main Street) in Canoa
We had lunch with the folks that we met at the end of lunch yesterday. If you remember, Randy and Pamela live in Kennesaw, Ga just about 10-miles from our house in Acworth. This is their fourth trip to Ecuador and they really love the Canoa area. Randy is 65 and qualifies for Medicare, but his wife is younger and she has no insurance at all. That was a big subject of conversation at lunch today - how a medical procedure here in Ecuador might cost you $100, but cost thousands in the states with our screwed-up insurance. Without a doubt, the low cost of living, combined with the inexpensive but quality medical care, is the big attraction to older Americans who are wondering how they are going to live on their fixed retirement income.
Randy and Pamela also discussed the beginning of their fourth trip here. They decided to take the bus from Quito to the coast as a "cultural experience". It is only about $8/person, but it takes about 8-hours to make the trip. Unfortunately, the trip cost Randy and Pamela more than an airplane ticket would have cost. Here is what they described:
They were at the bus station in Quito with their tickets. When they got on the bus, the driver had them sit in a row of seats that was not printed on their ticket. The driver also made Pamela stow here bag underneath her seat. It was a long ride and they both fell asleep. Her bag was at her feet under her seat and she didn't think anything of it. Somewhere along the way, the bus stopped (which it didn't suppose to, because it was an Express Non-Stop Bus). Several men sitting behind them exited the bus and it took off again. Randy and Pamela sensed something was strange and checked their bag. They were missing their iPad and $450 in cash. It became immediately clear that the bus driver was somehow involved - but when they did finally get the police involved when they arrived, Pamela said they made it out that it was more her fault that she fell asleep.
We also heard a story at the Quito hotel when we were checking out Sunday morning about a lady who had checked out before us who had her camera lifted from her front pocket at an crowded outdoor market. Someone bumped into her and the camera was gone.
So, obviously this posting has not been blessed by the Office of Ecuadorian Tourism. But this petty crime stuff does happens all over the world. Italy is probably the worst pickpocket haven on the globe. You just have to be careful and take precautions. While it's hard not to look like a gringo, you can make yourself a lesser target by not looking so much like a tourist. Tomorrow I will show you our Pacsafe that we lock our stuff up in the room when we leave. While it won't stop a thief armed with a set of bolt cutters, it should thwart your average "evil doer" (Thanks to George Bush for that term)
We spent most of the rest of the day reading and napping - per plan. Our goal was to get a photo of the sunset for you today, but we were still eating dinner when the sun dropped. We are just a bit south of the Equator (the days and nights are almost exactly 12-hours each) and I swear the sun sets so much faster than it does back home. We have missed it 2-days in a roll.
While there are some really inexpensive places to eat here, we have been visiting places that are a little more spendy (thanks to my MN friends for that term). Here is dinner tonight: (2) large sandwiches on homemade bread ($4/each), a large salad ($4), a 500ml Pilsner Beer ($1.50), a Coke in a bottle ($1) and a piece of cheesecake for ($1).
Dinner Tonight (sorry Pastor Jim, I'm not suppose to drink the water)
Nothing like Coke in a bottle made with real cane sugar!
When we left the restaurant, there were about 50 people out on the concrete soccer pitch (yes, concrete because it rains so much here) dancing to what mostly sounded like 80's music. We were told it was a new government sponsored program to encourage people to exercise and socialize. This was just the 2nd week and every night more and more people would show-up. Tonight there were about 10-people watching from the sidelines looking like they were about ready to join in. YES, most of them were guys.
To end the evening, we headed back to our hostel (www.baloo-canoa.com) and swung around in some hammocks. Dana went to bed around 9pm just like she does when we go camping. Being outside always makes her sleepy. Tomorrow - No Plans - Per Plan!
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