Puerto López

Puerto López is the beach town closest to la Isla de la Plata, “Poor Man’s Galápagos.”  If you don’t have enough money to go to the Galápagos Islands (or if your Spring Break trip to the Galápagos is cancelled, which is what happened with me) or you just want an adventure, this is the place to go.  The island is gorgeous – you can find blue-footed boobies, rainbow-colored lizards, sea turtles, all sorts of tropical fish, and more, depending on the time of year.  I went with three friends from my program and we went on a tour of the island, which involved riding a boat to the island, hiking around various landscapes, and snorkeling just off the coast.  We also spent each evening watching the gorgeous sunset on the beach.  Exploring a new part of Ecuador was exciting and spending time with friends over our vacation without worrying about schoolwork was wonderful.

Highlights from this Week:

• Monday – I helped Jesús and Cecilia make humitas this evening.  I didn’t get home in time to help too, too much, but they turned out well and were delicious!  I’ll definitely need to take this recipe back to the United States!
• Wednesday – I didn’t have to go to the doctor today!  Yay!
• Thursday – In Ecología, a veterinary professor came to talk to us about illegal trafficking of wild animals, which is a problem in Ecuador and around the world.  Only about 1 of every 10 trafficked animals makes it to its destination alive, so make sure the things you’re buying (including pets) are classified as “exotic” rather than “illegal.”
• Friday – Greetings from Puerto López!  Today’s bus ride was very long (12 hours), but Allison, Lauren, Paige, and I are finally here!  We checked into our hostel, the Sol Inn, and went to dinner at the Blue Water Grill, which I would highly recommend if you’re ever in the area (their spaghetti con albahaca is amazing).  I had some trouble putting up the mosquito net around my bed at the hostel, but once I did, sleeping in it was wonderfully comfortable…oh, Study Abroad problems…
• Saturday – Today, we went to the beach, which is quite close to our hostel.  We relaxed on the sand and played in the water.  I rested on my towel reading La ciudad y los perros for my Literatura class.  A few Ecuadorians stopped to talk to Lauren and they must have known I was reading it for a class because Lauren said they were wondering why I was reading such a terrible book!  We had lunch at our hostel and enjoyed the fruit from the local market.  Later, we bought our bus tickets for the ride back and walked along the beach to watch the Sun set.  Back at our hostel, we played cards and visited well into the evening, which was lovely.
• Sunday – Happy April!  April Fools’ Day doesn’t seem to be too big of a deal here, but that’s absolutely fine with me!  We spent most of our day on a tour of la Isla de la Plata.  We had a 1.5-hour boat ride either way and took pictures of blue-footed boobies resting on cliffs around the island.  We hiked through all the gorgeous landscapes and, after getting back in the boat, found sea turtles and then went snorkeling above a coral reef just off the island.  I saw all sorts of beautiful fish and swimming around was so much fun!  Later, we walked along the shore to watch the Sun set and sat on the sand while a new dog friend curled up next to Lauren.  The beach is so beautiful here…
• Monday – I walked along the shore this morning collecting pretty-colored rocks and I also found a piece of coral and a little conch shell.  After I came back, Allison was determined to find a shell and soon returned with a conch shell about 10 times the size of mine, which made me laugh.  We watched the Sun set in the evening and ran into a friend from school.  We talked with her a while and then got on the bus for the (much shorter – only 8 hours this time) ride home to Quito.  This has been a good weekend.

Random Notes:

• Humitas are kind of like cornbread, only awesome.  Take raw sweet corn and grind up the kernels until you have over half a pot full of them.  Add 3-4 eggs and about half a pound of sugar plus a pinch of salt.  Clean the cornhusks and put a spoonful of filling in the center of each leaf.  Fold one side over the filling, fold up the bottom of the cone-shaped leaf, and fold over the other side.  One end of the humita should be closed and the other should be open.  Boil some water.  Take a large, empty pot, put a few cornhusks on the bottom, and put in the humitas, stacking them carefully so that the open ends are slightly above the closed ends.  Put a few more cornhusks on top and pour an inch or two of boiling water over the whole thing.  Put a cloth on top of the cornhusks, pressing down so the cloth is flat on the husks and little steam can escape, and put the lid on the pot.  Let that sit for 45 minutes.  Remove your humitas (if you can – be careful, they’re hot!), dry off the cornhusks, and let them sit a few minutes before eating them.  Once they’re cool enough (or almost cool enough) to touch, enjoy!  (Oh…but just eat the filling, not the cornhusks…and you may need a fork.)
• In case I haven’t mentioned it, the doctors at the USFQ clinic are really nice and really want to help you feel better.  It may take a while and you may need to have a lot of tests done, but you will get better eventually.  Just be patient and have fun with all the new Spanish medical words you’re learning!
• As I mentioned, baking soda is illegal in Ecuador.  If you’re wondering why all the cookies in the country are crunchy or crumbly rather than soft, that’s why.
• If you’re planning a trip anywhere, take the night bus!  I know you don’t sleep as well on a bus as in a bed, but trust me.  The day buses take way longer than the night buses do to reach their destinations and the bus drivers on day buses stop a gazillion times and take a million random breaks.  Half the time, the night buses are also nicer (temperature control, bathroom on the bus, etc.).  Just take a night bus.
• According to the people at our orientation, to many Ecuadorians, we as gringos look “exotic.”  This means that you may have lots of random people coming up to you to say “hi,” especially on beaches (swimsuit = less clothing = now you look really exotic!).  Just be nice and say, “hi” back.  Who knows?  You could make some new friends.
• Ecuadorian nausea medication is called Mareol (from the word for seasickness, which is “mareo”).  It works in cars, on boats and, I imagine, in planes.  If you don’t feel particularly well on any given trip, give it a shot.  Ecuadorian roads are necessarily winding, since the country is divided by a very high mountain range, so even if you don’t normally get carsick, watch yourself for the symptoms (nausea, headache, possibly vomiting or feeling like your going to vomit, etc.).
• The fruit in Ecuador isn’t just awesome in Atacames.  It’s amazing everywhere, so eat lots and enjoy living close to where all the tropical fruit is grown!