Back to the Pacific

After a rainy day browsing Incan ruins outside of Cuenca, I took a short flight to Guayquil, then a car to reach Montanita, on the south-central coast of Ecuador. On reaching the Pacific, I realized that I hadn’t seen the ocean in a month! However, I was greeted by onshore winds that put a mushy crumble on the little (1-1 ½ foot) swell that was in the water.

I had chosen Montanita to sample the Ecuadorian coast for a couple days – it happens to be the epicenter of the Ecuadorian surfing scene. If I could get in a surf, it was most likely in this place. It turned out to be a backpacker haven, although I have a hard time understanding this since the prices are 30% higher than elsewhere in Ecuador (which are already high in comparison to other similarly situated countries). Every other shop has the word “surf” in its name, the streets are lined with bars and restaurants catering to foreigners, and sunburned gringos with dreadlocks have set up tables displaying cheap trinkets for sale.

The surf breaks themselves are a beach break (described as tolerable in my Lonely Planet) and a right point (that happens to be right outside my hotel room). Unfortunately, today the wind made such a mess of things, I couldn’t get motivated to get in, despite the hoards of enthusiastic beginners taking a turn in the slop ( I also noticed that most of the locals were wearing fullsuits…), and a trio of enthusiastic sea kayakers. For those you from San Diego, think Pipes on a blown, overcast day…..