Going Up Country
Both of us remember as kids piling into the family station wagon for Sunday drives to “see the scenery” and we both had the same thought: “B-O-R-I-N-G!” Fast forward to present day and it’s readily apparent how much we’ve changed. A road trip is a cornerstone of travel and the thought of a day spent exploring new towns and countryside can leave us with a sense of giddy anticipation. 
We headed north of Manta through a series of small “don’t blink your eyes or you might miss them” towns. Because we’ve found that this area of Ecuador seems to be very aware of its image and protective of its environment, we were surprised when piles of garbage and random trash appeared dumped beside the road for a stretch of a few miles. We spied a large landfill off to the side, servicing the large military reservation in the area, along the otherwise scenic route and once we left it behind we began to enjoy the views again. Our favorite trees, the ceibos, appeared and we began wending our way through the low hills.
As we moved inland from the coastline we began noticing small farms of row crops, many with solitary or multiple workers bent over their tasks – stoop labor. Among the offerings we recognized were onions, maiz, pole beans alongside banana and plantains. Picturesque rice paddies appeared with egrets scattered here and there in the shallow water near workers standing in the mud, hunched over and laboring at the work of tending their crop as in years gone by. 
We arrived in Bahía de Caráquez, with an estimated population of 20,000. As a coastal town situated at the mouth of the Río Chone, it’s a popular vacation destination for residents of Quito and Guayaquil and has begun to attract foreign visitors and retirees as well as investors in the last decade. Tourism is a significant source of income and, with its high-rise condominiums and hotels located along the waterfront, this new, vertical construction has earned Bahia the nickname of “Little Miami.” Numerous fishing boats, pleasure boats and yachts of various sizes were moored at Puerto Amistad near the bridge which crosses the Rio Chone.
Because it’s a small town there’s not a lot to see but we had a terrific time looking for and taking pictures of the colorful variety of tuk-tuks and pedicabs. There is talk that a new mall with a modern grocery will be coming soon and this will reduce the need for the frequent trips to either Portoviejo or Manta for some basic shopping.
We crossed over the Los Caras Bridge, admiring the boats on the bay and drove through the small town of San Vicente which appeared to be largely ignored by tourists and no comparison to its wealthy neighbor. Here, as elsewhere through our journey, we noted the widespread use of bamboo as a construction material for houses, shops and many examples of split rail picket fences.
Passing by occasional roadside signs that counted down our longitude we reached our final destination, a little fishing village named Canoa (0°28’59.9″S 80°27’04.5″W). Maybe because it was mid-afternoon or low season the few streets seemed almost deserted although it’s a popular tourist destination. Shops and small eateries lined the sandy street adjoining the huge expanse of golden beach that sold beachwear, souvenirs and basic groceries. Surf lessons for beginners and intermediates were advertised and there were several of the obligatory surfboard shops and hostels as well.
And finally, it was time to feast on some amazingly fresh and cheap seafood at a little thatch-roofed beach restaurant while we admired the view of the Pacific Ocean, bluffs off to either side and scattered fishing boats along the quiet and almost empty beach.
By Anita and Richard
At one time thought this might be a possibility for my husband and myself but for various reasons have to rule it out. Godspeed to the two of you and will live thru your adventures!
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Thank you for stopping by our blog and commenting on this post. Traveling long term has been one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. We loved our time in Ecuador and have fun writing about and sharing our stories with other people who enjoy and dream of traveling.
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hello anita & dick
Thanks for the great pictures and narrative. It is cold here in corpus christi. i do miss the warm weather.
not much going on. Gary is now retired. I still need 14 months, but hopefully sooner before retirement.
Terie and Freddy are doing just fine. Take care and stay in touch. fred
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And then there was one lone Indian… We owe you a letter and will write as soon as we get a moment. So much to catch up on but glad you liked the post and pics. Miss you big time! N & D
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Although I’ve been to Ecuador, we headed inland (apart from The Galapagos) so I guess I shouldn’t be shocked about the beaches but I am. We also found the country to be very clean and loved the reasonably priced haciendas we stayed at in the interior. Looks like quite the surf to head out into.
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Ecuador also has great surf as well as nice swimming beaches in many areas with a magnificent variety of beaches up and down the coast. South of Manta has renowned kite surfing and we’ve seen several kite-surfing schools and surf lessons offered up and down the coast. We love watching then but are not adventurous enough to join in!
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I love fresh, cheap authentic food! This looks amazing! I love the photos of the boats. What’s the temp like this time of year?
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The abundance of seafood and fresh produce continue to amaze us. The temps are in the 80’s during the day (watch that equatorial sun!) which are very pleasant. The humidity is much lower than we’re used to due to the Umboldt current. This climate attracts a lot of expats and retirees to the coast versus Cuenca and Quito which are much higher is elevation and much colder!
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I am enjoying seeing the many interesting towns in Ecuador with you. Manta looks very peaceful.
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Manta is approximately 300,000 people (big for Ecuador anyway!) and, while not having an attractive downtown, possesses a lovely park and malecon along the seashore. It’s a very livable city, with miles of awesome beaches to the north and south and a place I could see returning to live.
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This makes me want to go to Ecuador!
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Ecuador is a great place to visit and Manta has been a terrific city to use as our base while we explore along the coast. I’m glad that we piqued your interest!
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This felt very off the beaten path to me, and it was appealing. Thanks for taking us on your Sunday drive! Love the beach towns but the littler ones that no one writes about interest me, too.
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We love the big cities and tourist attractions, too, but slow travel allows us a chance to see and learn more about the day-to-day life of the people who live in small towns and rural areas. There are so many interesting places to visit and see the countryside as well as experience the local life.
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Ecuador is on my short list so I really enjoyed driving along with you on this lovely journey outside of the city. By the way, how is the driving? I’ve heard it can be harrowing in many places. Great photos too! Thank you for sharing.
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Usually we travel by bus for our sight-seeing excursions but we were very lucky to meet a Canadian expat who was anxious to share what she loves about the Ecuador Coast and invited us to tag-along on a few day trips. The roads are usually paved and two-lanes but the signs are easy to miss. However, people are friendly and are happy to point out the correct roads as well as give directions and we’ve heard our friends comment that the GPS seems to be fairly accurate.
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I so enjoyed your narrative and your photos!!
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Thanks Marilyn. Slow travel presents many opportunities for a chance to explore places that few tourists see and experience some of the local life and scenes.
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I live vicariously thru you. I can’t wait for the next installment.
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So glad you’re coming along on our journey and happy that you’re enjoying our post. Thanks for your support!
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Did you happen to go see Miguelo, the 121 year-old tortoise in Bahia? He has a home in the school playground on top of the hill above the market. Seeing Miguelo was one of the highlights of Bahia. The other was going to the rooftop of the museum overlooking Bahia. We never made it to Canoa, but we heard the seafood is awesome. Thanks for the memories. I am eagerly looking forward to your next post. How long will you be on the coast of Ecuador? Are you planning a trip to see the boobies on the Poor Man’s Galapagos?
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We totally missed missed Miguelo in Bahia but are glad that you’re reliving the road trip north of Manta. We made a couple of trips to Puerto Lopez but bypassed Isla de la Plata in favor of a visit to the Galapagos last week. We’ll be in Manta and using it as a base for a few more travels until December 3rd when our 90 day Visa expires. We definitely share your enthusiasm for Ecuador!
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Although I don’t get to read every single post I am so grateful to experience, even at a distance, other places on this great planet called Earth. Thank you Anita and Richard.
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Thanks Ann for sharing our enthusiasm for traveling and we’re happy that you’re enjoying our blog and stories. We read a lot of travel blogs and it really is fun to travel vicariously and enjoy so many countries through others adventures and experiences.
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Thank you for the road trip. I was not bored. Wondering just how you discover all these hidden places.
Give us a update on Richard…all is well?
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Watching the scenery go by and the landscape change is one of our favorite past-times now that there’s no hurry to get to our destination! Thanks for asking about Dick – he’s back to feeling good again and we’re really enjoying exploring Ecuador. As for finding hidden places – we read many of the online travel guides (like Lonely Planet) and check out Trip Advisor, too. For a few of our road trips we were lucky enough to make a lovely friend here in Manta who took us along for the several rides to share some of her favorite places.
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Nice trip, enjoyed this entry very much. I heard that shopping mall in Bahía will open early 2015. In any event, it will likely be opened before we get there. I love all. The pictures, looks so peaceful. Was the beach nice?
Suzi
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The beaches that we’ve visited along the coast of Ecuador are absolutely beautiful and vary from large slabs of rock, to big rounded stones and small pebbles to beautiful sand. People in Ecuador are proud of their country and work hard to keep the environment clean.
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