Sand, Surf and Spanish...

We got back to Guayaquil last night after spending a week in Montañita. It was a fluke we arrived in Montañita on Sunday as the Spanish school has classes a week at a time, Monday to Friday. So 8am Monday morning we were into it, 2 hours twice a day of study, plus homework! Pretty intense for the week, but it was really good.

View from our classroom

Looking up the beach towards the point break

Our accommodation - not too bad for US$8 each per night

Montañita is a crazy little place, pretty chilled out in a way, but also a party town, parties every night till all hours of the morning. We at least had one day there where we did not have to be at class at 8am! We had originally thought we would hire boards for the week, only the swell was huge for most of that week! Huge as in 8-10ft waves, with maybe a few bigger ones. The point at the end of the beach has the best break, crowed with amazing surfers, we sat for hours several times just watching, it was like watching a live surf dvd. Pretty much no wave goes to waste, and everyone is ripping! We saw some guys getting full stand up barrels. We got out there a couple of times (when it was a bit smaller!), such a novelty for us to surf in water +27°.

Would you believe we have already bumped into several people from NZ, even a pack of 9 ex Dunedin Uni boys, carnage. Some we knew from Dunedin too. They were definitely making the most of “cocktail alley” were some very tasty/strong cocktails started at US$1.5!

"Cocktail Alley" by day...

and by night.

Yesterday we got a bus down the coast to Playas, where we had planned to stay for a few days. Only we got there and it was bigger than we thought, and not really what we wanted so jumped on a local bus back to Guayquil, and have decided to head to Cuenca earlier. I think we are just keen to get cycling soon! We will bus there tomorrow, hope to do some more Spanish lessons and set up the bikes. We thought best to avoid the insane roads/drivers out of Guayaquil, and the 4000m pass within 3 days of riding if we were to ride to Cuenca. This will also give us time to acclimatise in Cuenca at 2530m.

Next update to come from Cuenca, Ecuador.

First couple of days...

After 16 hours in the air and a 3 hour stop over in Santiago we made it to Guayaquil, Ecuador. As soon as the plan touched down and the air con was turned off we could feel and see clouds the humid +30C outside air rushing in - welcome to the equator.

We had pre booked a hostel and the google maps print out was able to translate to the taxi driver where we were headed although, surprisingly to both of us, Leanne managed to get a price out of him before we took off. From the outside the hostel, with its high walls and electric fence, looked more like a gang pad. Inside felt safe and secure though and the caged parrots and monkeys lightened the mood.







After a good nights sleep it was time to make a plan about where exactly we are going to go now that we have arrived. Our trip has always been based around a start and finishing point and a very vague route in between.

After tossing around many ideas we‘ve decided to head east to the coast to Montañita, a surf town with a Spanish school where we can do a crash course. After experiencing the taxi ride and seeing the chaos on the roads of a city with over 2 million people (half of whom drive demolition derby cars), we think the safe option is to take the four hour bus ride out there. The hostel will mind our bikes and in a couple of weeks we’ll return before catching a bus west out of the city to begin riding.

We don’t plan for this blog to be a day by day account of our trip but here are some highlights from day one in Guayaquil.

- Using our very basic Spanish to ask questions in shops and not understanding a word of the reply.
- Watching a middle aged man casually jump out the open door of a bus in front of us as it was accelerating out of corner.
- Security guards at the banks armed with pistols, similar to what we saw in the States, but to see guards with pistols outside McD’s, the stationary shop and even a mall car park toll booth was odd. The most intimating guard however was the one standing outside the Sony shop with his pump action shot gun!
- The baby monkey hanging at the hostel with one of the owners, its about 7cm long, cute.
- Exposed wiring in the shower.





Until next time.

Time to go

After a 5 day delay due to the recent earthquakes in Chile our bags are now packed, bikes have been boxed and we are ready to go.

We fly out tomorrow afternoon (19th) to Guayaquil, Ecuador via Santiago, Chile.

Will keep you posted.