January 7 – Last day in Puerto Lopez

Pam/ January 7, 2012/ Travel

The hike and heat yesterday (and a not very good night’s sleep) left me feeling low on energy today so the plan was to stay in Puerto Lopez at the pool and beach. On my walk through town this morning Johnny, my moto-taxi driver, suggested I take a trip to Agua Blanco. There’s a museum there and he said they would be open all day, but I passed.

I chickened out on ceviche with Javier. My stomach just wasn’t up to it. So, we had lunch instead, ordering batidas (a yogurt fruit drink) and seafood tortillas, which turned out to be a shrimp omelet on top of a bed of rice. Like everything, it came with a couple of fried plantains. I hung out at the hotel, rested and once I felt better I wandered over to the market and took some photos.
The market is not unlike other markets around the world: small booths with an assortment of fruit and vegetable stands. There were a couple of things different than the Ann Arbor Farmers Market. First, the fish monger. Just caught fish were being filleted right in the booths. On the other side of the market, chickens (and other slaughtered animals) hung from hooks and a pig’s head on the counter. There was one booth selling plastic stuff: chairs, containers, buckets. At least three booths had barber chairs and men were getting their hair cut. That was something new to me.

After finishing my book in the hammock at the pool and a walk on the beach, I went out for pizza with Javier. On our way out of the Italian restaurant, Johnny, the moto-taxi driver and friend of Javier, passed by. He picked us up and took us to the top of the hill where there is an outlook where you can see the lights of Puerto Lopez.

It’s my last night in Puerto Lopez. I say adios to the coast tomorrow and will be on the road most of the day to Quito.

I’m glad I came here. It was a burst of summer at the beginning of my trip, beginning of the year, the beginning of the winter.