January 4 – Manta to Puerto Lopez
Manta seems like a dirty dry town. The guidebook says that this is one of the few towns in Ecuador that is more conducive to cars than foot traffic. Its along the Pacific, smells like it, and is humid as all get out.
This part of Ecuador is dry. Even with a daily rain shower, the land looks barren and stark. A little like Texas looks, that tan lifeless color, except hilly. On our route, locals will just stand by the side of the road and the bus stops to pick them up. During the drive it became crystal clear that Im not in Kansas anymore. The houses are mere shacks, the land dry and barren, the people dirt poor. At one point there were men on horseback with a couple of long logs of what looked like bamboo attached to the horses dragging it from one place to another. At another point, the bus driver slowed and swerved slightly to miss some cattle that were on the road.
Puerto Lopez is right on the beach, a small fishing village that also has a tourist business tours to Isla de la Plata and whale watching.