We started driving south, not knowing how far we'd get. Just out of town, the road climbs a hill and offers a look back at Puerto Lopez.
Almost nobody here owns a car. Most people use public transit, whether it's the inter-city bus, the three-wheeled taxis or these local trucks. I don't know how the local trucks work, but they stop everywhere to pick up and drop off passengers. They drive 90 kph - I don't think I want to try one.
Driving from here, the road goes inland and we get our first feel of the rain forest. I'm sure it's nothing compared to the Amazon, but the plants are huge and there is a constant shrieking sound from the crickets and other bugs.
We found the road to Curia where Robert and Barb live. We'll be visiting them tomorrow and wanted to know how far it was. Turns out to be about 30 minutes south of P. Lopez.
We weren't sure how far we were going to drive. Our initial thought was to drive to Salinas, but we also wanted to visit some of these beach towns as well. Of course, we have to be back to our hotel before dark. Just as we were discussing turning around, our decision was made for us. As we were driving through Valdivia, our decision was made for us. Traffic came to a complete stop! It turns out that there had been an accident ahead (surprise!) and traffic wasn't able to pass in either direction. This is a picture of where the accident was, but it's too far away to see what really happened.
The drivers here don't behave the way they do in the states. This was a two-lane road, and once the accident blocked traffic drivers occupied both lanes. I'm not sure how people were able to continue once the accident was cleared; it would be two lanes of oncoming traffic in both directions on this two-lane road.
As we turned around, I spotted a "farmers" market. We went in to see how the local shopping was like. Lots of fresh veggies and rice, and the prices were cheap! The meat market was something that we'll need to get used to. There is no refrigeration; the meat (chickens, beef, fish, pork) just sits on counters and people buy the cuts that they want. I'm going to have to make sure that it's thoroughly cooked!
On the way back we stopped in a couple of the beach towns. The most interesting one was Montanita. It's definitely a touristy surfer town. The streets had been recently paved with brick pavers and it was very reminiscent of Rosarito in Baja. We sat on a street corner at the El Rincon Hostel and had a beer. This was a Sunday, however, and alcohol sales are prohibited unless the sole purpose of the business is to serve alcohol (like the beach bars). We assume it was the father/owner of the place that sold us the beers. While we were sitting there, he was cleaning a bicycle while his (presumed) son stared at us. We learned later about the Sunday rule, so we don't know if he was mad at us or just watching for police.
We also saw this Catholic church. The doors were open but there was no one inside, so we didn't go in.
When we got back to P. Lopez, we went shopping. Emily had caught a cold just before we left for Ecuador and it had gotten worse. We went to a pharmacy where, using our translator, she bought the best cold medicine she's ever had! They also had these little packs of Kleenex that were infused with something like Vicks VaporRub. Sure wish they sold those in the states!
After the pharmacy, we went across the street to "TIA", the local version of a modern convenience store. They sell almost everything (pots and dishes, dog food, groceries, toys) in a space about twice the size of a 7-11. Most of the stuff was a lower quality, but at least they have stuff. From P. Lopez, you'd have to drive two hours either north (to Manta) or south (to Salinas) to shop otherwise. We bought a styrofoam cooler and beverages to have back at our hotel.
We went back to the hotel to relax after that.
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