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Tue Apr 22 2014: Life's a Beach!

It's our first ride in a couple of weeks ever since coming back from the Galapagos and it feels good to be back on the bikes again. We're headed to the coast to escape the constant rains. Getting out of Quito was the hardest part, but once we were past the congestion of the big city, the twists and turns of the asphalt kept us amused all the way to the Pacific Ocean.


Still a bit of moisture on the ride over, hopefully it dries up as we head west

As we near the coast, the temperature starts to rise and we stop to layer down

Hi-YAH!!!! Full Point.
With very little room in the back to swing a leg over, the only way to get on the bike is to karate kick the narrow space between all the luggage! Because my GS's seat is higher than my waist, I have to do a little hop once my leg is through to get my bum on the seat. The first time I tried this with a slippery rain suit on, I almost slid off the other side! LOL!

We stopped overnight in Pedernales, right on the coast. The hostel owners are fascinated with our bikes
and I catch them taking tons of pictures from the upstairs balcony. Haha!

The next morning, while walking to find breakfast, we see what we think is an ice-cutting factory.
Turns out they are cutting blocks of sea salt. No water on the ground. Duh...

Neda makes more friends on the beach in Pedernales

After a nice breakfast of ceviche, we walk around and watch some jugglers do tricks

We don't stay in Pedernales very long, it's such a tiny town with a tiny beach. So right after a late breakfast, we head back to the hostel, clamber onto our bikes and start heading south. The weather is awesome now. No more rain, and the temperatures are sticky and hot. We don't complain one bit!


Giant iguana roadside attraction heading south on the coastal road. Reminds us of the Galapagos land iguanas!

The beach resort town of Canoa is less than two hours south of Pedernales and we arrive with plenty of time to knock on the doors of a few hostels to find a place to bunker down for a few days. It's a larger town from Pedernales with a great vibe and the beach is very happening.


Lots of board sports here. Neda took up boogie boarding, she got really good at it!

Getting a different perspective on the beach

Playing around between the waves on the long, flat expanse of wet sand

We found an area with hundreds of these little pools that get filled with crabs,
little fishes and other marine life leftover from the last high tide

Playing hopscotch on the rocks between waves

Hopscotch Part I

Hopscotch Part II

We were really enjoying the warm weather. Even though it was overcast most of the time, the heat and lack of rain really made up for it.


We'd rush out to the shore after a nice seafood dinner every evening to catch the sunset

Neda almost dognapped this little guy from the hostel

While Neda practices boogy boarding, I practice just being bored. Don't get me wrong, it's my favorite activity!

The surfboard rental tent has a tightrope so you can practice your balancing skills

Awaiting under beautiful sunset

Sandcastles at sunset

Sky is set aflame with boats and boards keeping watch

Squeezing out every last ray of daylight

The beach got a lot more crowded every evening around sunset

Ecuador is known for so much diversity, the Amazon rainforest in the interior and the cloud forests of the central highlands, but we're beach people at heart, and we always seem to end up drifting to the coast over and over again.

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