On Day 5 of my trip to Ecuador, I explored Puerto Lopez while Sierra attended her scuba diving rescue course.
Montanita to Puerto Lopez
Puerto Lopez is a fishing village about an hour north of Montanita on the west coast of Ecuador. Buses run frequently along the west coast and are a common mode of transportation for locals and tourists. We paid just a few dollars per person each way.
The road between Montanita and Puerto Lopez is windy and a bit rough. The buses may sound a little rickety but they’re comfortable coaches and the drivers handle them like Formula 1 race cars!
Puerto Lopez
Puerto Lopez felt less charming than Montanita and perhaps a little chaotic. Buses, like ours, race down the highway/street as they pass through town enroute to farther destinations. Taxis and mototaxis (tuk tuks) shuttle people around town. The harbor is full of boats, including many fishing boats. And, on the beach near the boats, is a bustling fish market. Restaurants and shops line both sides of the street along the waterfront. It was in one of these shops that Sierra was registered for dive rescue training.
While Sierra practiced scuba rescue in a nearby hotel swimming pool that morning, I strolled along the waterfront. I visited the shops and relaxed with a smoothie in a restaurant with Wi-Fi. I had planned to join Sierra for the ocean dive part of her training that afternoon. But, after seeing the area near the pier where they were diving, I decided to save the $50. Later, Sierra agreed it was a good choice. The water, during her training dive, was murky with nothing interesting to see. I spent the afternoon exploring whatever else I could find along the waterfront until she returned from her training dive.
It was a long day for both of us. We were hungry but didn’t want to be stuck in Puerto Lopez after dark. So we caught the next bus to Montanita and enjoyed a late dinner of giant empanadas at Tiburon.
Slideshow
Here are pictures from Day 5 of our trip to Ecuador.
Expenses
I'm doing my best to track expenses in this spreadsheet for anyone that's interested in a similar, relatively low-budget trip.
Ecuador Fun Fact
Tipping is not required or expected in Ecuador. If you’re happy with a service, you might round up to the nearest dollar. If you’re extremely happy with a service, you might tip a few dollars. Nothing is expected but anything is appreciated.
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