January 1 /enero uno Sua, Ecuador

Happy New Year / Feliz Anos!

 The morning ushered a new year, my 61st on the planet, a glorious, sunny day in beautiful Sua, Ecuador. Securing a room late afternoon in a beachfront hotel was a priority, taking the first vacancy found, our fourth floor room facing the Pacific ocean, truly fortunate considering date, time and location.  It should be added, all rooms faced the ocean...

Last evening we walked the beach, stopped at Rider's, Paulas' beach bar and celebrated the eve of the Anos drinking cervesas', sampling pina coladas' and eating shrimp in a tasty coconut curry sauce, delicioso, muy rico!  Truly a fitting and well deserved end to the trials and tribulations of the lengthy dia.

We decided to suspend travel for a few days, relax in the sun, swim, eat and drink like a pair of turistas'.

View from our balcony overlooking Sua, la playa y el pacifico.

Brunch at Riders, the seafood delivered from the restaurant across the road, the beer from Paula.  Lulu is regular sized the bottles are huge, allowing us to keep to a limit of six per day.. or so....   Introduced to a musician called Romeo Santos, our theme music for the trip.  Muy romantico y mucho tranquila.

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Shot from Paulas' bar, the much busier beach town a few miles north of us.  Beaches in Ecuador tend to be sandy yet a darker colour that others we've had the opportunity to sample in South America, particularly those on the carribe coast of Colombia.

Later that day we walked the beachside road to the southern end, with much fortune found a cabana available to house us for the next two days.  The owner, a typical costano (pronounced costahnyo) remained in his hammock the entire time during our stay, it's assumed he rose for bed and night for a well deserved rest...

Would like to point out this trip is very inexpensive if anyone is considering a vacation to Ecuador.  The flight to Quito is likely the largest expense, bus travel widely available and the buses have nice seating can be optioned with super recliners including leg support all the while most reasonable in cost. One can travel from Quito to the Coast for around 7.00 per person.  Food, like the shrimp dinners pictured above 12.00 for both plates (combined), our beer, 500mls or so cost us 1.50 ea, served mucho frio. Dinner in a town such as Tulcan can be had for 4.00 per plate, lunch around 3.oo USD. Accomodation varied throughout the trip, from 20.00 USD to 50.00 USD one day.  Safety, a concern in Peru (freekin scary), Bogota, Colombia merely cautious, was never a problem in Ecuador.  Shopping is a downright bargain in Tulcan, the woolen, leather and handmade crafts of excellent quality.  

My only qualification is el idioma (the language).  Highly recommend taking a Spanish language course prior to travelling here (yes, i'm still in Ecuador),  it can only enhance the experience, you'll love the people in Ecuador, their smiles beautiful and genuine.  The roadways are excellent, put other S/A countries to shame, the current Presidente has done wonders with Ecuador.  From mountains like the snow topped volcano Cocopaxi (19341 ft elevation), to the Amazona, La costa and beautiful scenery between it's a paradise.

This will not be my last visit to Ecuador.  Seriously considering retiring here, with gas at 1.48, diesel 1.04, beach front property in Mompiche utterly cheap (more on Mompiche soon, the coolest town on the pacific, no people,  awesome surfing, totally laid back locals, this, for me is the hidden gem of ecuador.  I could spend months at a time there interspersed with jaunts to the snow topped mountains hiking and enjoying amazing views.  Oh Dios Mio, el pais es perfecto!