Category: Blog

You know how when you have had a few experiences in a place and they turned out to be slightly less than expected and you have a new experience to look forward to you most often will lower your expectations before you arrive at the next one.

This was the case before we left for Pacoche. Of course we had read all about it, seen the pictures and read the reviews but still we braced for an underestimation. It all turned out to be the total opposite.

From the moment we stepped off the bus and saw Ana standing by the side of the road, in the rain, waiting to greet us we knew the stay would be perfect. And it was. We walked up the path towards the lodge chatting away and Johnny, the valet, pointed out several howler monkeys sitting in trees along the path. We signed in, checked into our cabin and returned to the path where we had seen the monkeys. They had moved further into the forest. We could still hear them but there was no way to get to where they were.

The rain started to come down heavier but we were in a rain forest and it was sort of expected. We didn’t let a little rain stop us from exploring the jungle. In fact the rain felt kind of nice, the air was hot and humid and the drizzle had a bit of a cooling effect. The jungle was massive and surrounded us on all sides. The songs of the birds was magical. Most of the birds we could not see but the sounds were exactly what you would expect them to be. The path took us on a long loop up over a hill and down into a valley and back again. By the time we got back to the cabin our shoes had a solid 2 inches of mud on the soles. A change and a shower brought us to lunch.

Ana promised us that the food would be endemic to the area and it was. Like most coastal region dishes it would have a mound of rice, plantain, seafood of some sort and a small salad. This was basically what it was but the flavor was a notch up from any we had tasted so far. The rice was a smaller portion (which is a good thing), the fish was fresh tuna with a garlic sauce and grilled shrimp on top. The salad had a hint of cilantro and basil that we found out was grown in a little patch behind the kitchen. I think it was the first time we had seen fresh herbs being used. This was followed by a passion fruit mousse. And this was lunch!

In the afternoon Marianne was starting to really feel the effects of a head cold she had started the day before so I insisted she hang out in the hammock on our deck overlooking the jungle. I took my second hike into the jungle to explore a bit more. I took a couple of side ventures off the path to explore a palm plantation. The type of palm they use to make the Panama Hats. Later when I told Ana where I had been her only comment was that when you stray from the path you are more likely to encounter snakes. Great.

As we waited for supper we played scrabble on the porch of the lodge. Butterflies (mariposas) of every imaginable color combination flitted around from flower to flower. Birds sang and howler monkeys howled in the distance. We were the only guests at the lodge tonight so it seemed so special to see our table set at the window. We had the jungle, the wildlife, the lodge and the staff all to ourselves. Johnny brought our dinner so we moved inside. Once again rice, plantain and salad but with a beautifully spiced shrimp in a buttery sauce. Desert was a fresh baked round cake with homemade passion fruit ice cream.

It was such a treat to the soul to fall asleep to the sounds of the jungle also going to sleep and to wake with the same jungle sounds as they woke. At dawn I took a shorter hike to a spot where there was a bench next to a palm workers lean to and sat and listened. It was magical. I know I haven’t been that much at peace with myself in a long time. On the way back for breakfast saw some birds I could add to my lifers list if only I had one.

We had enough time for our fourth and final hike before we had to pack up and wait for our ride home. Marianne joined me this time and because she still wasn’t feeling all that well I promised to go slow and rest often. That we did. We got as far as the same bench, sat for a while and Marianne decided she wanted to attempt hiking through to the valley. As we started up the trail there is a crest to go over before you start downhill towards the valley. As we breached the crest there in the tree directly in front of us was a male howler monkey looking straight at us. We froze for a moment then started taking pictures. It turned out there were 7 in the family. The one male, four females and two juveniles. They posed and posed some more before deciding they were bored with the humans and moved on into the jungle. I could not have been more thrilled. I had travelled some 4000 miles with the hopes of seeing howler monkeys in the wild and was successful. Major item to cross off bucket list.

Back to the lodge for lunch. Ana had promised us a treat of Tonga, a local dish of rice, chicken and peanut steamed in a plantain leaf. It was a treat.

This was the first place during our stay that we felt reluctant to leave. It was a little paradise that was all ours for 2 days.

Check it out !

http://www.pacochelodge.org/index.php

info@pacochelodge.org

 

Isle de la Plata was my alternative. I would have loved to go all the way to the Galapagos and made it a proper adventure but the Canadian dollar and some of the people pollution issues I have read about made it beyond reach and beyond reality for us. I hate exploitation in any form and it seems that the human interference on Galapagos is now a struggle for the park commission to reverse. Galapagos is another one of those things I am 40 years to late in seeing. My advice to anyone is to grab opportunity when it arises and to not wait. For many many reasons I waited and those same opportunities may never come again.

Isle de la Plata is referred to as “the poor mans Galapagos” . I refer to it as another ecosystem on to it’s own. I was actually one of the two most anticipated excursions I planed on while I was here. The second one is still to happen.

Both of us were unjustifiably concerned about sea sickness and the intensity of the climb when we got there. Neither of us ot sea sick and we both, even tho it was tough at times completed our hikes. I was glad Marianne came to grips with her limitations and decided on a shorter easier loop than mine. I opted for the full hike which was a little over 5 km. May not seem like a long hike but when you are on the top plateau of the island and the temperature reached 45C with no shade it made it very challenging to the old guy as well as the younger ones that were with me. A third of the hike was uphill and the rest was along the cliff face.

I certainly was not disappointed. We saw 5 species of boobies, frigate birds, tropical red billed bird, mocking birds and pelicans. Our guide, Wellington, was thrilled when we came across some masked boobies. They apparently are quite rare and he asked for copies of pictures we took. We also saw blue footed, red, Nazca and the brown. The red and the brown were a far distance from the path so pictures are few or not at all.

There were still some chicks to be seen and they of course were entertaining. Few of the male frigates were in breeding shape and the ones that were also were far from the path.

Would have been nice to see some marine life but that did not happen for me. Marianne’s hike took her to the edge of the cliff where in the clear waters they were able to see tiger sharks and rays swimming in the bay. They got to the boat long before my group did and they had green sea turtles and colorful fishes around the boat feeding.

 

Some of the group went snorkeling. We opted out. I sink at the best of times and am not the best of swimmers. Marianne was nice to sit out with me. We enjoyed the breaking surf against the rocks instead.

Best day we have had while here, enjoyed every minute.

Some pictures in a gallery below.

 

As defined “Agua Blanca is a private community within Machalilla National Park hosting remains of one of the most ancient civilizations in South America, the Monteño, along with trails and a sulfur lagoon.”

We arrived at Agua Blanca from Los Frailes beach at lunch time. When asked in the morning if we preferred to have lunch back in Peurto Lopez or to share lunch with the community at AguaBlanca we ,of course, chose Agua Blanca.

Let me try to paint a picture. Stepping out of our car we are in the middle of an intersection of the two dirt roads that make up the village. Numerous people, children, cats, dogs, chickens and goats scoot in and out of the buildings and yards. Some faces turn towards  and some don’t. To our left is a church with a covered porch and a dozen or so pews facing towards the road.

All the buildings have thatched roofs and any plastered surface is a dirty white. Straight ahead is the musuem. The only indication of what anything is are little tourist signs marking each building. The street meanders off to the right with several small houses.

A replica raft with a colorful sail marks the intersection to the right. Directly  behind us is the restaurant. It too has a thatched roof, dirty white plaster and bamboo framing. We step down two steps from the road and through a gate that is wedged into the mud. Inside to the left is a room under the roof with a window and ledge. A man leans his chin onto his folded hands waiting for us to make first contact. Behind his room is a open door with a purple sheet hanging in the doorway and within is the kitchen. Our guide has a conversation with the man and reports what is available today. We choose and sit at one of the tables with the tablecloth nailed to the table top. The seating area is an open area with the bamboo frame showing under the thatched roof. Some areas of the roof were sagging more than others. Two hammocks hang from the posts behind us. Two stray dogs wander in and position themselves between us and watch. A woman brings out large glasses of a fruit smoothie like drink. Not sure what the fruit is, perhaps passion fruit. It is cold and tastes refreshing. Seeing ice cubes in the glass sparked a bit of fear but we comment that we are up to date with all our shots. The dogs get restless and lie down under the table. All I can picture is fleas hopping from dog to leg. Our meals arrive. A standard plate with a mound of rice, deep fried plantain, a small salad and a fillet of breaded chicken. Always good but by north American palette slightly bland. Dogs have perked up hoping for a morsel. In front of the restaurant a truck dives slowly by, laden with vegetables and fruit. A man hangs out the window with a megaphone pressed to his mouth. Speaking much faster than the truck is traveling he loudly announces his wares. As we eat we see a goat approaching on the road.

 

 

He does not hesitate at all but enters through the gate, looks about, glances at us then pushes the purple sheet aside and wanders through the kitchen. A few minutes later I see him on the hill right behind the restaurant. I guess it was a shortcut.

Two chicks and a mother hen are the next visitors as they come in and remove a few insects from the half wall that is between the road and the restaurant. We greet each of our visitors as they arrive with a smile. We finish or meal and gather our things to leave. The dogs also leave,  disappointed.

The museum depicts the history of the peoples who live here and the reasons why they are still allowed to live in what is now a national park. It is small and seems to concentrate on the burial methods of their ancestors. Several urns in glass cubes have the remains of different classes of people. Our museum guide is will informed and apparently very knowledgeable about his history. He gives us the tour in Spanish and Aude, our guide, translates.

Leaving the museum our guides bring us through a jungle path stopping to show us excavation sites and points of interest. We cross a river twice.

Leather sandals are not the best for this kind of walk. Had to remove them to cross the water otherwise they would never have dried. Evenually we arrive at the sulfur lagoon and spa. You are given a cup of mud to rub on whatever part of your body  you would like. You also have the option of having a masseuse massage your full body with the mud. We were told to let the mud dry and then to wade into the lagoon to wash it off. I have never smelt something so disgusting. The lagoon is over 70% sulfur. It burned the senses.

The walk back to the village was easier along the road. Marianne commented that they should have taken us that way to begin with.

Overall it was a good experience. To learn some of the history was important and haveing the village share some of their food with us was humbling. Everyone in the community has a role they play and they take care of one another. The food gatherers and farmers share the harvest with the ones who work within the town and the ones who take turns being guides. Whatever is left over is shared with visitors.

Los Frailes beach, near Peurto Lopez, was the first excursion of our 3 day 4 excursion adventure. Los Frailes translates to Monks Beach. I am not exactly sure why it is called that. Perhaps it’s meditative properties helped in giving it a name. Unlike other beaches we had been one this beach was totally free of washed up litter, pebbles or rocks or shells. The sand was an even beige and the surf was incredible. It is a horseshoe shaped bay and because of that the surf height and and breaks were strongest in the middle and as you ventured towards the edges they were less. Children and families tend to swim at the edges and only the foolish dared to challenge the center. When we arrived there were only a dozen or so people scattered along the beach which is almost 2 km long.
We strolled from one end to the other listening to the slapping of the water as the curls would break and the water would collapse.

As part of our visit to Montecristi we went to the Museum and the Mausoleum for José Eloy Alfaro Delgado. He was the President of Ecuador from from 1895 to 1901 and from 1906 to 1911. He became one of the strongest opponents of pro-Catholic conservative President Gabriel Garcia Moreno (1821–1875). For his central role in the Liberal Revolution of 1895 and for having fought conservatism for almost 30 years, he is known as the Viejo Luchador (“Old Warrior”).

The mausoleum was absolutely beautiful with the artwork depicting the tradition and history of the country but I was taken back by the repeated depictions of Africans in bondage and with whip marks clearly etched into the bronze backs. Our guide, when asked, admitted that there was slavery in ecuador but had no further comment. It wasn’t until we were back home that we started to learn more.

Apparently slavery arrived in pan-America during the the Spanish colonial era. It was during Alfaro’s reign that slavery was finally abolished. Decendants of the slave trade (Afro-Ecuadorians) make up between 5 and 10 percent of Ecuadors population and from what I understand still are exposed to different levels of prejudice. Knowing that the engravings meant that the slave trade had ended made me feel less shocked by their brutality but none the less no more proud of what humanity is capable of.

Across from the mausoleum was a musuem and a large hall that was built for one purpose, used once and then never again for the same assembly. The 2008 constitution was formulated and signed here. The party under the new leadership of Rafael Correa convened in the assembly hall in Montecristi and were given six months to draft and present the Constitution for approval. In 2008 they completed the task and the Constitution became law.
The Constitution is the first in the world to recognize legally enforceable Rights of Nature, or ecosystem rights. Article 71-74 prohibits the extraction of non-renewable resources in protected areas. Moreover, the production of monocultures will be avoided for reforestation and rehabilitation of the soil. The state will also protect the intellectual property of collective work based on national biodiversity and begin to recognize the Rights of Nature
Other groundbreaking laws gave new rights to women, same sex relationships and one that surprised me in its meaning where the Constitution guarantees sustainable food sources for all it’s citizens.
Once the constitution was signed the assembly left the hall and never returned. Our guide told us the hall is used for the arts occasionally.

Montecristi is:

• A canton with the town of Montecristi as the capital
• Montecristi is the birthplace of Eloy Alfaro Delgado (25 June 1842-28 January 1912), president of Ecuador from 1895 to 1901 and from 1906 to 1911 and the leader of the Ecuadorian Liberal Revolution.
• The town is renowned for the production of Panama hats, the best quality of which is named montecristi superfino after it.
• As of the 2010 census Montecristi had 70.292 inhabitants

At the center of the town is a square in front of the church called Plaza Cívica de Montecristi. A large bronze statue of Eloy Alfaro Delgado takes center stage in the plaza with the stately white church in the background. 200 steps lead up to the church.

Although the church had a long history and was in itself quite beautiful we found it not quite as opulent as some churches we have seen in other cities. One thing we found odd was an alcove where there was a statue of Christ in a reclining position covered in a Ecuadorian blanket. It was obviously a depiction of the tomb after crucifixion but seemed strange to see it displayed that way. And of course like all Christian churches there were numerious slots in the top of the display where visitors had dropped money into it. So there was a plaster version of the crucified Christ covered in a nicely patterned blanket, with the crown of thorns still on and half covered in US dollars. Sheesh !!

The street leading to the plaza was lined on both sides by shops all selling pretty much the same things. Woven goods, hats, dolls and jewelry. As expected the color were vibrant and the shop owners more than anxious to call you in. My main challenge was to buy a Panama Hat. I had read enough that I knew the range of costs and why they ranged from 25 dollars to 10,000 dollars. Much like fabric for sheets that is in thread count so are the hats rated by fibre count per inch. The higher the count the finer the hat and of course the higher the cost. The superfino hats can take up to a year to weave and looking at them you can really tell the quality.

The salesman layed out hats from $25 to $300 for me and checked my size. Don’t know what it means but I am a size 60. Sounds big I know. I chose the $100 dollar hat because it wasn’t the stark white one and it had a nice tight weave. Negotiated a while and finally agreed on $60 and a wooden box to bring it home in. Poor Marianne almost had a stress attack seeing him show me how to roll it up to fit in the small box.

Finished the visit by M buying the gifts we were bringing home.

You may have thought that California held the marked on custom rods and cars. We are about to prove you wrong! While visiting Monticristi we came across this work of art. Oh and BTW the hubs are free spinning. The wooden mirrors do indeed have glass in them. Grill, fenders, rims and interior are all hand carved wood.

One of the most surprising things of our day was stopping at the ship building yard in Manta. The handcrafted fishing yachts were being built and launched by local Ecuadorian builders.  All the “fishing yachts” are hand built from the bottom keel up with no factory design, no expensive machinery, no expensive hand tools and all done with manual labor from skills past down from generations of local Ecuadorians.  And, all this work is completed outside in the hot sun on the sandy beaches.  No warehouses and for the most part no factory made assembled parts. If you’re a boat lover or not you have to be fascinated by the skill and workmanship displayed in building a fishing yacht of 30’ to 80’.  All made with manual labor and with limited tools. Probably the most expensive tool is the chainsaw. A chainsaw is used to cut ALL the many different parts for the yacht.  Then comes the ax and chisel followed by hammers and mallet.  But I would bet the yachts being built here will far out last any of the yachts built back home.  Once these fishing yachts are built they will be used in the fishing industry here in Manta which is a leader in the world for supplying fish and especially tuna.  The yachts are built with products from Ecuador.  Most of the wood comes from the forest around Esmeraldas on the Ecuador coast with the caulking coming from the husk fibers of the coconut shell used to wedge between the wooden hull planks. The wooden keel beam is one solid piece about 18” x 18” by 30’ up to 80’ notched out with a chainsaw for the hull supports, prop and rudder.  Hull supports are naturally curved wood pieces handpicked for their curvatures and size rather than piecing different sized wood or wet bending the wood into a curved piece.  All the planks are individually cut for the yacht. The caulking is made from the fibers of the outer coconut shell hand twisted to made a small rope like weave just prior to its use as caulking between the wooden planks.  Every nail is hammered in by a worker followed by an individual with a mallet and tool to countersink each and every nail. Then the painting and/or staining is with brushes and rollers.  No spray guns, etc. Seriously, I have been going to see the yachts being built about every other week to watch the progress to include launching which again is all manual labor except they do use a front end loader to pull and push the yacht from its sandy beach building berth to the edge of the ocean at dead low tide. Then they wait for Mother Nature to come in later in the day with high tide to float the yacht from its transporter into the Pacific Ocean to begin its place in the fleet of fishing yachts. AMAZING TO WATCH.  Some yachts are covered by  fiberglass.  The yachts are framed in wood then covered with a 4 x 4 sheet of fiberglass and then covered with numerous layers of fiberglass cloth hand rolled with several layers over the entire yacht. The keel is still a 18″ x 18″ x 30′ to 80′ wood beam molded and sealed with fiberglass cloth.  The complete yacht is hand rolled.

One of the main things I came here for was the chance to see and photograph birds, plants and especially monkeys that I would never have the opportunity to see otherwise. Everything pointed towards not taking the chance on venturing into the Amazon Jungle. Zika, yellow fever, volcano warnings and the American dollar all made the idea rather ominous. I knew however that micro climates along the coast provided for pockets of jungle like environments where we could witness what I wanted. We will still get to Isle de la Plata and to the Machalilla forest but the one place I really wanted to go has posed problems.
Research brought me to Pacoche Lodge and Reserve. I knew of the Pacoche jungle but I had yet to hear of the reserve portion of it. It was a dream of Ana Cristina de la Torre who gave everything she had to develop the reserve and maintain it in a way that promoted sustainable tourism. I instantly felt a great amount of respect for her listening to her speaking to the international stage about the need for ecotourism and especially her way of providing a safe refuge for the residents of the reserve. The reserve is home to a couple of troops of Howler monkeys as well as capuchin monkeys. There are close to 300 species of birds.
We were booked to stay at the lodge and for guided tours of the reserve. Excited would have been an understatement. On the night before we were to go we received an email from Ana that she needed to postpone our visit because some monkeys had taken sick. That was pretty much all she said except that we had the choice of getting our deposit back or wait until we could be allowed in. We chose to wait.
Out came Google and research began. It turns out that there is a virus of some sort affecting the howler monkey population in the jungle. Scientists are working to find the cause but in the meantime some 33 individuals have died. Three of those were in the reserve. The tests are seeming to point towards an African snail that has been invading the tree tops. My assumption is that they would have smuggled themselves over in or on ships.
I was disappointed to not be able to visit them but I was more devastated than anything that they were going through that sort of turmoil from something totally not their fault. Knowing that primates are so much like us when it comes to loss and grieving I can only imagine how sad the troops must be.
Pacoche jungle (proper) has a population of about 600 Monkeys in about 10 troops and there are 2 troops of about 20 monkeys each in Ana’s reserve. They are an endangered species because of the loss of habitat and now an introduced virus may hurt their population even more. If it is a virus in the slime trail of the African snail that is causing the devastation then hopefully it can be reversed.
This is one of those events that will never get the attention it deserves. Much like the cove in Taiji or the shark fin trade or the cat and dog fur trade that is now popping up. Ana depends on donations and volunteers to provide the health and habitat control to keep the monkeys safe. I can only hope enough people step up to make sure her troops survive.
Links to info:
Pacoche Lodge and Reserve
Meet Ana of Pacoche Lodge
One of the things that keeps me up at nite
Report on plight of the Ecuador Howler Monkeys

Update 2/22/2016

Monkeys continue to die. The total is over 50 at this point and although the scientists have ruled out some of the more common virii like dengue, sika and yellow fever they haven’t come up with a definite cause. They have found that most of the deceased animals have intestinal leasions and that narrows it down to method of transmission.

They have set up medic tents in the jungle and with equipment to conduct autopsies as well as to treat sick and healthy animals.

Needless to say they are still banning any non medical staff from entering the jungle at Pacoche. Luckily , I guess for the tourist trade the endemic seems to be limited to this one area. To loose over 50 animals out of a dwindling population of only 600 is still devastating.

We have been here for just 2 weeks and I have formed more than a few “first impressions”. Simply said, I love the ocean, the weather, the food and the potential of the project.
One can easily see how the project will develop into a thriving self-sustainable community. Of the 1700 lots available on the site more than 1500 have been sold. Some buyers purchased more than one lot, either for breathing room or for return on investment. I am told approximately 100 houses have been built or in process. Many are simply waiting for the exchange to equalize somewhat. There are property management services, a restaurant and plans for a second, bicycle rentals, a grocery store and transportation services. There is also talk of other services like visiting doctors, vets and paraprofessionals. I see a sizable community of residents and visitors once it is full developed.
With the location of the project being a considerable distance from the two adjacent cities. Manta to the north and Puerto Caya to the south it makes it almost a chore to get around. We have been depending on buses to bring us to shopping in Manta. The bus trip is a full hour and is a challenge to endurance. The hours for the return trip being 3pm and if enough passengers 4 pm makes for a short day. If you wanted to stay in Manta longer you would need to get a taxi home at a cost of $25. Not terrible by most standards I know but it adds up. Renting a car is very expensive. They tell me here that owning a car is similar to the states except that the purchase of a car comes with basic insurance.
We are not a prejudiced couple but we have found that with a majority of residents here being French they tend to ignore you once we greet them in English. It is a shame because if you ignore my shortfall of being unilingual I know most of them can speak both. They seem to keep to themselves leaving the English speaking folks to do the same. We both miss out.
I was hoping more of the permanent residents would be more forthcoming on helping newbies learn the ropes and especially contacts for excursions. It is like pulling teeth and ultimately you end up stumbling through it on your own. Even the ones who proclaim to either be property managers or drivers are not as helpful as they should be. We are still struggling trying to hook up for excursions. I will admit we are not as forward as we should be but the impression that you are on your own here leaves a bit of a sour taste.
If I were to offer advice to both the community and the developers it would be to finish what you started. Put up either a virtual or real bulletin board where experienced residents can offer help or advice or where newbies can ask for help or questions. Put lounge chairs along the malecon so those who don’t have their own can sit and watch the sunset. I am sure that will all come at some point but there is really no reason to not be there now. Otherwise how do you attract people to stay.
Other than that we do love being here and don’t resent coming at all. A lot to weigh, however, when deciding to return or invest.