Atacames, Ecuador

We left Canoa after a nice three days relaxing at the Posada de Daniel and headed further north to Atacames in the province of Esmeraldas a slightly more touristy beach town than we had been at along our coastal journey. Apparently this is a closer place for quiteños (people from Quito) can reach for a getaway vacation than the other smaller beach towns down the coast of Manabi.

We arrived hours past sundown and found a really shitty place right on the malecón – the main beachfront strip that most beach towns have. The beds lacked any kind of padding and I could feel the boards underneath supporting the mattress. The Saturday night music blared all night from the row of 25+ seaside huts across the street, but strangely there weren’t that many people out when we decided to take a walk to check out the scene. I think they turn up the volume to try to bring more people out.

The next day we woke up late and went for a walk down the sea-side strip again. The beach was very wide and probably 4 km long. Towards both ends the steep mountain cliffs seemed to come right down to the sand. For lunch we decided to try the ceviche a cold seafood soup marinated with lime juice and garnished with tomatos, onions, and cilantro. I had the ceviche de camaron (shrimp) and Paul tried the mixto mixed with various kinds of shell fish and shrip. Definitely worth repeating.

This would be the last beach we would be seeing for a while, so we took our last swim in the ocean and drank a few beers as we watched probably the best sunset we’ve seen yet dip down between the southern cliffs that drop to the sea and a small island right off shore. Tomorrow we head into Quito, 6 and a half hours inland.