Whales at Puerto Lopez

What an amazing trip out to isla Plata.   One of the best short excursions we've taken and it felt like a bargain at $40.  Whales leaping out of the water right next to the boat, watching va mother humpback whale teach her baby to jump, bird colnies, snorkeling and a nice basic lunch.  Fantastic.  The company was called Palo Santo and they were some of the better guides we've had.

We got picked up at the hotel at 9am to go to the office,  where we were fitted with life jackets and marched through town to the docks to take off in a small cabin cruiser.   There were 16 of us on board, including captain and guides.  By comparison,  the interisland Galapagos ferries packed 25 and more people on these boats, then added crew and guides.   A cozy trip I'm glad I've bought motion sickness pills for.  At 25 cents each, it's a bargain for a three hour tour.

By comparison,  the isla Plata trip was pure comfort.  We got out into the bay and were immediately in search of whales.  Within 20 , minutes,  we were getting closer to the acrobatics of several males that were being called to by a female.   Females have no vocal chords, so she slaps her flukes on tge water repeatedly and the males respond by leaping out of the water dramatically.   We got so close that you could loudly hear them slapping down onto the water before being sprayed with the mist from the splash.  I was lucky enough to get out on the bow of the boat for a prime view and some great pictures with my large SLR camera. 

After half an hour of non-stop showing off from the whales,  we left them to go for our hike on isla Plata. 

We were also visited by about a dozen sea turtles while we waited to get on shore.  Sadly,  our guides threw them lettuce,  which really isn't what they typically eat, but it was amazing to see them come so close.   We've seen a lot of turtles down here and I am still not bored of them yet.

Once we got on land, we decided to take the highest trail to see blue footed boobies nesting and a colony of frigate birds, many of which had their red throats inflated in an impressive display I'd been wanting to see since Galapagos. 

 

Puerto Lopez, whales and the beach

This is what we can hear as this quiet town rolls up the sidewalks long before 11pm on a Sunday night...Chickens really have been a defining sound while we've been here:  the Andes in the north and south, Galapagos,  the coast,  chickens.   Folks don't live too far apart from their food.  Even in Quito,  where the guy on the roof opposite our hostel had a pretty sizeable chicken coop, with rooster crowing. 

Puerto Lopez has been really nice.  The main drag has a kind of rough charm about it, but the beach and ocean views have been amazing.   staying at maremonti,  our b&b, has made all the difference.   It's up above the town, providing amazing views.  Our hosts have been so pleasant,  it really feels like we're leaving too soon.  our room is a private room with its own bathroom, a screened in porch so that the last things you hear (after the noises of the road and the chickens die down) is the slow, constant roar of the ocean.  Bird songs from 5-10 different varieties of birds start the day.  

This place has one of the best views that I have seen in a hostel.   The town is a bit tough to get to, though flights and buses aren't too far, but the 10 hour overnight bus ride to Quito might discourage some.  It's closer to guayaquil and would be a great way to pass several days along the coast.

The main draw to this town right now is whale watching and the beaches, but I wouldn't be surprised to see it expand.   the whales here are the most unbelievably acrobatic that I have ever seen.  That's reason enough to come.

Coming to a stop Manglaralto, Ecuador

Basically, the reason we came to this town is not here.  The one place that we decided we would go well out of our way to visit no longer has that reason to be here.  Unfortunately,  the lady that ran the place became ill 2 years ago and the restaurant closed. 

La Calderada, the restaurant Anthony bourdain said was fantastic here, is closed.   What is here is a lovely,  superquiet hostel and a town without a restaurant.   Maybe if we hadn't spent the last few days chilling out, it would be cool.  But what we really want is a reason to be somewhere,  like whales and Puerto Lopez.

Our hostel,  the manglaralto sunset hostel,  is excellent,  the owner is a great host, but the combination of off season isolation and our own interest in being closer to the natural attractions nearby will have us moving 15 miles up the road to Puerto Lopez tomorrow, which will be that much closer to Machalilla national park, where wildlife and some of the coast's only remaining raw forest exists. 

The Pacific waves breaking on the beach a block away is yhe defining sound of the area and the temperature is a perfect 70 degrees,  but it's maybe just a bit too quiet for us at the moment.   We had a nice ceviche and an overall very average meal at Caeda del Sol in Libertador Bolivar,  where we were the only people there, closing the restaurant before 7pm.  It was a 15 minute,  $2 cab ride away, right on the beach, but still not doing it.  I felt sure it would be better in season,  but with the 2 of us, it wasn't good.  We then went onto a beachside bar with just us and the bartender.  

That day, the bartender told us that whales were sighted right off the coast, some 15 meters out and the whole town came to a stop to get a good look.  We then shut that place before 8pm.  If we had a bit more time  or if there were just one decent place in town,  we would spend more time.  This seems like an excellent place to just slow down.