Day 12: Puerto Lopez

We had booked a boat tour to Isla de la Plata to go see blue footed boobies the night before, but the weather did not cooperate and it was cancelled.  This was a bummer since it was Ed's last day with us as he was planning to take the night bus back to Quito.  Poor Ed ended his trip on a bit of a low note with a room that flooded overnight, broken air-conditioning, and now the cancelled boat trip.  It is moments like this that define travelers, and rather than mope, Ed did up his last day in fine style.

Lucas greets us in the morning for more plantain chips.

Hammocking like a champ.

After a lazy morning, we decided to rally out of our hammocks and explore the local artisanal chocolate "factory" called Pacha.  It was a small but lovely affair.  The couple who runs this place is passionate about chocolate and the beans are grown right here and the chocolate produced at that facility.  We tasted a few different types of chocolates, got a personal rundown of the process, and bought a few things as souvenirs for ourselves and loved ones.

Raw cacao fruit!  Oddly delicious and a little slimy.

We settled in at a nice restaurant for lunch where Ed got a beautiful plate of camaron al ajillo, Ani ordered grilled fish, and I decided to go for the $3.50 set lunch... which ended up being the score of the day with a seafood soup with a huge shrimp in it, fried fish, rice, lentils, fries, and limeade.  Ani and I also splurged on an additional fresh fruit juice made from passion fruit!  Okay, well, Ed's dish was spectacular looking, but bang for the buck, set lunch wins every time!

Ed's last meal with us.

And then all too soon, it was time for Ed to pack up and head to the bus station.  I decided to hang out in town on my own and give Ani and Ed a little family time, so Ani accompanied Ed to the bus station.  I decided to head to the beach, read a book, and enjoy the sunset.

Sunset on the beach.

More sunset on the beach.

A few tips for cycle tourists:

• Overnight buses to Quito can fill up so make sure to buy a ticket early.  Ed got the second to last seat and he was at the bus station a couple hours early.  Bus companies cannot guarantee space for a bike, but we never had a problem so long as we hopped on where the bus originated and got there early to make sure we could load early. 

• Isla de la Plata tours can be booked every day, however, sometimes the weather or sea conditions don't allow a tour to go.  Ani and I were anxious to get back on our bikes but decided to give it one more day and were in luck the next day.  We noticed that at this time of year, if one day was cloudy and windy, the next day seemed to be blazingly hot, less windy, and sunny, so we figured it was worth waiting.  Most hostels have some sort of up charge on the boat tour, which set us back $35 per person.  Our hostel charged just $1, but we saw other tour agencies that added up to $5 for the booking fee.  For those on a tight budget, it is worth shopping around.

• I probably have already said this, but the set lunch or set dinner is the best deal, and is always more food than I can eat for anywhere between $2-$4.  It usually includes juice, soup, an entree with one to three sides of something breadlike or starchy (rice/lentils/fries/plantains), and often a dessert.  It can get boring after a while as many of them are very similar.  It is always good to ask if there is an almuerzo (set lunch) or merienda (set dinner) because sometimes it is not listed or advertised.