As it turns out in daylight, Canoa has a first class beach. It is lined with shaded cabanas just inviting visitors, a broad expanse of soft sand bereft of rocks, and surf that is perfect for the waveboarder. Beachside shacks on the frontal road adjacent to the beach serve every kind of beachside delicacy ever known to make their way to a seaside resort. But the town itself is a pig. It is dirty, dusty, lacks any uniformity to its architecture, has no major stores or points of interest to speak of, and otherwise lacks inspiration. Period. No idea why somebody would want to retire here. Except for cheap property prices. Saw one 3-bedroom condo priced at $50,000 fairly close to the beach. Land is $55 per meter of frontage away from the beach, and about $70,000 for a beachside lot. Too much, in my estimation, considering the surroundings and lack of ambience there. Too much for a population of only 2500.
On the other hand, nearby Bahia (about a 15 minute dirve to the south, much enhanced by the addition of a new bridge between the two back in November of 2010) has much more to offer as a metropolis. The streets are paved, and relatively clean. There are high rises here. The restaurants are larger, cleaner, classier, and air conditioned. I dined briefly at the best in town, CialcoteL La Piedra [www.hotellapiedra.com.ec] just long enough to gain some information about the surroundings. This courtesy of Maria Santos and her real estate husband, Ney Gutierrrez. The population is about 5700. Very few beachfront apartments or condos or houses are available. They sell quickly. A recent sale, for a three bedroom beachfront home, went for $95,000. US money, remember. They even use US standard electrical plugs here. I asked Maria why anybody would consider retiring here, in this beautiful area but still quite removed from any major city (Manta is a 75 minute drive away, and most go there for their major shopping). She answered: it is fresh. It is cheap. It is beautiful. Not humid. Has a constant temperature around 75 degrees farenheit. Taxis are cheap (my ride across town later to the bus station cost $2). There is no need for a car. There is a great museum here. The boat people coming in off their yachts to visit keep things interesting. There is also always a festival or carnival going on. And perhaps above all, it is safe. I’d have liked to stay, to see the pueblo in a broader context. But Porto Lopez and Salinas still called, and I have only two days before I must fly out of Quayaquil to Lima and then to Iguazu Falls. That means a lot of bus travel still.
So I catch the taxi, arrive at the bus terminal, and immediately head for Porto Viejo. Two and one-half hours. It is a way station. Not even on my list of places recommended, or places considered to stop. It is in fact not even a port. Too far inland for that. Cost though: only $1.50 ! Immediately head for Porto Lopez, my objective for the night. Or so I thought. “No directivo,” I am told. Have to go via another place called Jitijapa (the spelling is close). Cost once more is $1.50 for a 90 minute drive. Third leg to Porto Lopez, after being dropped off in the middle of nowhere for an unannounced transfer and being saved at the last minute by a Spanish woman named Elena who directs me to the right hidden bus at the last moment, is again $1.50. A little over an hour, this time. At times, the road was quite good. No rhyme or reason though as to when you hit firm concrete, asphalt, cobblestone, flat dirt, or rutted tracks. They all appear, and in random order.
Porto Lopez has been recommended to me as far back as Lima. So it appears to be something to look forward to. I arrive in the dark, and can really only take advantage of the internet café (my access to direct Wi-Fi has been compromised during the last week). Afterward, I wander the playa – the beachfront with all its food and drink shacks and loud Latino music. The town appears to be a ‘tweener with Canoa’s fine beach, and paved streets and housing much better than found in Canoa (but not quite to Bahia’s standards). Knowing there are few other pursuits to enjoy at this hour, I sit down at one shack to enjoy one of the best Mojitos I’ve ever had, along with the absolute best bowl of ceviche I’ve ever had. Cost: $7 total. During daylight, the beach is really good quite. Lots of shelters, lots of boats, lots of color, very clean, plenty of beachside restaurants and cook shacks to serve both tourists and locals, and a good location. My purview of the town in daylight is not as flattering. Better than Canoa, but not a place one would want to retire. I keep thinking to myself: if one is use to the threatre, the opera, the movies, maybe the philharmonic, what would you do without a vehicle or with such extended distances here to find anything? The travel pros write about Ecuador as the # 1 retirement spot in the world right now, for economy and value. Depends on what you want. If you want a slow, economical life and don’t mind some irregularities, I think they are probably spot on. I’m not persuaded yet.
Salinas. Ah, where did the time go? It is Saturday night. I was to head off to Salinas in the morning, and enjoy the beaches today, and asked many questions about local hot spots areas for both visiting and living. Made a visit to a very secluded and beautiful beach nearby Porto Lopez called La Play Los Frailes. Beautiful, hooking scimitar of a beach punctuated by two rocky promontories sheltering a gentle bay. Perfect sand bottom, fish all around, very few rocks, and a wonderful setting for blankets and shelters. Truly worth the 20 minutes extra to get outside of town. Upon my return, made a routine check of my calendar. I don’t leave for Iguazu Falls on Monday morning, it is tomorrow morning. Holy s--- ! I am going to have to scramble, or pay a very expensive taxi fare into the airport at Guayaquil. Did find this out about Salinas: it is much larger than Canoa or Bahia or Porto Lopez. It is more cosmopolitan. More businesslike. Cleaner as a city. Still affordable. Still has nice beaches. Much busier, with many more citizens. About an hour and one-half west of Quayaquil, probably the westernmost projection for all of Ecuador into the Pacific. Very good reputation though, for retirement. And that is all I can say for now. Plane leaves in 12 hours and I am in the middle of nowhere. Have no idea if buses run on Saturday night, or how far !
Next: Iguazu Falls ! (Widest and Most Powerful in the World)
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