We had made previous plans with Leigh Frost in Olon, EC to work our way up the coast and visit her while were were in Salinas. Chuck being the consummate host that he is, said he would drive us up the coast and we could arrange to meet up with Bob & Rox in Manglaralto as well! We said good idea Chuck! Nancy stayed home, she needed a down day.
I don't know if many of you know our friend Chuck, but he is disguised as a mild mannered gentleman.. well he is that and more.. he is quite the adventurous sort. So any trip with him will involve some navigating by the seat of his pants. We headed out bright and early, Chuck was determined to find the Market in La Libertad., after some driving around we did find it, and then he said we could just cut through town to the Ruta del Sol which would get us up the coast... well we wound around and around on some interesting mostly unpaved roads...we then saw the coolest place... our best bud Eddie in the U.S. will be happy to know that he has a place here in Ecuador!
Randy and I being the laid back people we are were not concerned that no one was really certain where the Ruta del Sol was, just finding Eddys Hostal was fun enough. Randy wanted to stay here in homage to his buddy, but he was vetoed, lets face it, its not even a 1 star....Eddie should have better taste. So we ventured on up the dirt road only to find this great place at the end of the road.
This is Farallon Dillon. (http://www.farallondillon.com/) The current owner was a man of the sea for 30 years. He and his wife designed this as a monument to all things seafaring. It is a tremendous place. This coast is notorious for ships being sunk on rocks, and one such shipwreck was found by sunken treasure seekers; who stayed in their place for a year while they pulled up treasures! They have great pieces of the ship in a museum built on the side of the hostal. There is a huge balcony for whale watching, a swimming pool, and steps to the beach so you can lay in the shade in a hammock overlooking the waves. A great place to stay, just up the coast from Salinas in Ballenita!
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| Authenic pieces of the mast |
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| Authentic cannon from the shipwreck |
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| Balcony of the restaurant. |
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| Mermaids leaping from the sea into the pool! |
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| Our hostess and Owner of the Hostal. |
We were very impressed and to jump forward in this narrative.. we came back on Saturday and ate a late lunch..
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| Swordfish, perfectly cooked, $9 |
We traveled up the coast to some interesting places that, Chuck as tour guide, was very familiar with. Randy and I invested in the local economy and were pleased with our purchases. As well as this one particular place, it was noted as a fair trade business.
We arrived at our 1st real destination at 11:30, Bob, Rox and Coquita were very welcoming and showed us all around their incredible home and the cosy rental they made downstairs is wonderful! I can see myself relaxing there. They have a nice breeze so its not too warm at all!
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| Driving up the drive |
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| Entrance to the downstairs rental |
We visited for a short time and then we were off to have lunch at Casa Blanca in Montanita. We met up with Leigh and had a great lunch!
We are very happy to have such fun friends who invite us to visit, and in turn introduce us to other wonderful folks. This was a fun day. Chuck went on home and we continued our day with an over nite visit with Leigh and Todd in Olon... next blog..
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