Why not extending my time in Ecuador for some days? Do you remember that I thought about cycling along the coast instead of spending my time and mental/physical power in the mountain ranges? If not, I tell you the background info: Joanna changed my plans after her arrival in Quito and I ended up in the mountains as good as in the Amazon.

Ecuador is a small nation with a lot of diversity. The tropical beaches (including Galapagos islands) are surrounded by rainforest. The mountain ranges of the Andes are close by. With their huge snow caped vulcanoes they are a paradies for trekking, climbing or just to be amazed about their beauty. This varity of nature ends in tge east with the tropical rainforest Amazon. It turned out that I experienced every part of it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For my 29th birthday I could cycle through the desert of Peru or making other plans. Beside that some cyclist recently got killed, shot and robbed in Northern Peru, I remembered my wish to see the coast for a last time on my travel. The final piece of beach-life before it will be ugly or cold or both.

 

It was a weird decision to leave behind the friends I was cycling with. It was unclear if I maybe will be alone at the Ecuadorian beaches for my birthday or if I would have company. Garret and Joanna left me in the morning to cross the nearby Peruvian border and I strolled back into my backpacker mode – don’t plan at all.The next bus left at midday – to Loja, a city in the mountains I had seen many times before and after this day until I finally left Ecuador. There was no direct bus connection to the coast. It takes 6h for 200 km. Additional 5h to get to Cuenca. I decided to visit a friend who was ill. It was planned that she joins me for my birthday or later somewhere on the coast. Cuenca has always been described as one of the nicest cities in Southamerica, the buses to the beach were gone or headed to an unsatisfying destination. Well, why not going go Cuenca? The busride turned out to be beautiful, the highlight became the long-lasting sunset. Beside all the climbing in the mountains I haven’t seen one nice sunset over the ranges. Now, sitting in a bus, the whole sky turned into a lovely orange. The dark overcast made the scenery gorgeous and I reached the city in peaceful harmony with being a backpacker again. I love to be a nightwalker, too. The citylife is almost not recognizable, peace all over in Cuenca's historical centre characterized by old buildings with an astonishing flair. Marie’s fever was nearly gone the next morning and she became my companion for the birthday week. We arrived for drizzle in Montañita, a party/surf village which welcomes you with a fuckload of tourists and mosquitoes. The streets were moody, the beach empty. The overcast never stopped for the whole time I spend at the coast. You can read in any book about Ecuador: “Clouds from June untill August” but my optimism told me this: “It ain’t cloudy all day long!” It is!

In the meantime my friends were riding in the hot sun of Peru. Don’t get me wrong, to be off the bike, seeing the ocean, smelling the fresh sea air and to be able to relax instead of cycling endless kilometers in a desert with headwinds, was still the best decision I could have taken. But I admire the warmth of the sun on my skin, especially at the beach. Would have been nice to feel it, though.

 

It is Birthday-Time! Away with the shoes, let’s dance! My birthday started. To be an European in Southamerica means to celebrate on three dates in a row. I appreciate this. We danced in the sand to ska music, got cocktails, I could sit down at the beach. I even met people I know of my time in Quito. I was happy and the night was extended, too much extended to wake up for fulfilling the original plan I had chosen for the daytime. Whalewatching. No whales for me but the first attempts to stand on a surfboard. Kind of a funny sport. I kept on going the next day and stand a foam-wave for 5seconds. My victory-dance performance was spectacular.  The next wave brought me back to reality and into the water with the head first. Still, surfing will be something for the future, unfortunately were won’t be many possibilities on this trip anymore.

 

It became the week of firsts. After surfing I went whalewatching from the harbour of Puerto Lopez. Humpback whales are amazing creatures. Seeing them swimming next to you amazes the soul. Seeing them jumping out of the water flashes you for days. On top I saw a dozen of turtles before I could jump in the water by myself. I jumped from the roof of the boat to began snorkeling in the coral riff. To explore the riff with the head down has some difficulties. I did not recognize that I was drifting away and a punishing pain striked my arms, than my upper body. I was swimming directely into yellyfish. Not bigger then my thumb but as hurtful as tambusco in an open wound. This little guy in front of my mask could cause all that pain? The moment after I saw hunderts of them surrounding me, what was a bit panicking. The stream made it impossible to avoid all of them but most of the yellyfishes just touched my hair and mask while I could dive through under them into a safe area.

 

Quote from my diary:

“Today I saw my first whales. The humpback whales jumped out of the water, directly in front of me. I saw my first turtles swimming a meter ahead. I was snorkeling in a coral riff for the first time. I saw birds with blue feet. I ate until I was to full to breathe. A nice day? Oh, yes it was!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Time to leave. The cyclist in us spoke out loudly. The return to tge border became even harder than the arrival. The connection is so bad that I decided to visit Cuenca another time and fill the causing empty pockets with cake-sells-money.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well Ecuador, I experienced you pretty much. From the beaches over the mountains into the jungle, this little nation has a lot to discover.