Walking down the city beach, we see a huge freighter nearby that is full of new cars. The closer we got, the more massive it appeared. I’ve always said I would love to take a tour of one of these huge ships.
We enjoyed our walk with Greg and Lisa and Amber (their rescue dog) of course. Amber loves chasing the wee crabs on the beach and it is about the only time she barks ... when she is harrassing one !! As tiny as these little crabs are, they put up quite a fight and display their little claws in a very brave way!
Here is Amber telling a crab what she thinks of it !! We think Amber is from the Kelpie breed (thanks to friend Beris in Australia!)
Manta has always been know for its tuna fishing fleet and what I didn’t realize that when the boats full of frozen tuna finally arrive in port, they have likely been at sea for months !! Not days !!
Here is a fun little fact about Ecuadorians... the $2.00 bill is good luck !! My friend Jan educated me about this and actually gave me 5 bills to use for the taxis. Most of the time, the taxi drivers face lights up when he sees you have handed him a $2 bill .
As much as they use US Currency here in Ecuador, the $2 bill is not a priority for the banks which means there is a scarcity of them here meaning there are very few in circulation. It’s that scarcity that gives the bills their allure. So much so that there’s even a black market for the $2 bill. A clean, crisp new bill might sell for $4-$6!! The superstition is that if you possess a $2 bill, more money will come to you! So if you plan on travelling to Ecuador, and you plan on using taxi’s, bring a stash of $2 bills.
On Friday, we drove to San Lorenzo beach which is just south of the Pacoche Reserve we visited a week and a half ago. It is another stunning, sandy beach with some gorgeous rock outcroppings for added beauty. In the rock outcroppings, there is a cave you can walk through during low tide.
This beach is a turtle conservation area. When we arrived at the beach, we noticed several small roped off areas which information signs on them. These signs indicate when the eggs were laid by the turtles. Approximately 45 days later little turtles hatch and make their way to the sea. Usually they do this at night because the moonlight reflecting on the water is their ‘guide’ to where they should be heading. Sadly, some see the street lights up behind the buildings which is away from the beach and the head in the wrong direction. They usually become bird feed or the sand crabs eat them.
This is the view of the village from the road above. We enjoyed another $5 resh seafood lunch in a beachside grass shack restaurant here.
Here we are on the beach and near the cave entrance.
We noticed a “Hostel” or “B&B” on the beach called Lookout Hostel. We dropped in to see it and discovered the owners are George and Christine from Oyama in the Okanagan !! Right around the corner from our home in B.C. They retired here 3 years ago and built this lovely B&B right on the beach. Tonight we are spending the night because last night our friends Michael and Marla Finch (from Calgary) stayed over and were witness to hatchlings making their way to the sea by moonlight.! Tonight it is our turn.
Next post will be turtle hatchlings I hope !! Until then....
No comments:
Post a Comment