Ecuador Living

Well, it was time to hit the road and see what was new on the Manabi coast since I was down there a year ago. I’d been to Esmeraldas a few months ago but Manabi is totally different. Esmeraldas is more humid, or maybe tropical sounds better, whilst Manabi is closer to the equator, drier and less humid .. Go figure!

Bahia is, according to the Rough Guide series on Ecuador, “.. one of the most agreeable coastal resort towns”. It’s difficult to disagree with that assessment. The roads coming into town could do with a good overhaul regards filling in the holes but once past that minor inconvenience it just gets better and better. It’s clean, tranquil, has a noticeable center with some facilities, but is not so large that you’d ever think there were too many folks.

Eco-City on the Pacific

Bahia sits on a narrow peninsula; on one side is the wide River Chone estuary and on the other you have a promenade lining the Pacific Ocean. Maybe ten years ago Ecuador was in a boom cycle and many condo high rises were built. These still exist and all things being equal we’ll probably get to see one or two on the upcoming coastal real estate tour.

Condos in Bahia

An earthquake struck Bahia a dozen years ago and as a consequence of that and the fall off from the end of the ‘boom’ years, Bahians decided they wanted to live in an ‘eco-city’. There are many conservation projects in place and even daily cleaning of the beaches by three locals who clear off what mostly amounts to driftwood. As I watched them they worked diligently and seemed quite content as they swept and chatted to each other.

Bahia beach patrol lady

There’s restaurants lining the esplanade serving up just the freshest seafood meals. How about a set lunch with plantain ball soup for a starter and grilled Mahi Mahi as a main course plus juice or cola all for under $2?

Our group eats lunch whilst looking out over the estuary where international yachts moor in the new marina

There’s a wonderful beach here and pedestrian and car ferries run across the estuary to San Vincente on the other side - from there it’s 20 minutes to the trendy surfing resort of Canoa which arguably has better beaches although less facilities. Ice-cream vendors on bikes cycle right up to you. We thought one was over-charging so when his companion turned up for a piece of the action we asked him the price and it was less. Vendor number one looked non-plussed. Ice cream wars have commenced over lesser slights.

Ice-creams in hand we strolled along the promenade; on a Tuesday afternoon with everyone working it was almost deserted. Down on the beach a few locals launched blow up floats in the gently lapping wavesor paddles amongst the rocks.

One of two beaches in Bahia

Strollers in paradise?

The ladies we were travelling with found Chilian wine in the local supermarket at $5 a bottle and we stopped and drank capucinos in a wonderful hotel called La Piedra right on the beach. I couldn’t help noticing a wonderfully constructed model fishing boat made in large part with local shells.

Swimming pool of the La Piedra hotel

Alan Wormington, our visiting bird expert even pointed out a peregrine falcon sat on the window ledge of one of the condo buildings. All in all quite a wonderful town if you want to escape the hustle and bustle of a larger city (such as Manta) but still have facilities on hand.