Ecuador 2012: Hitting the beach

After our awesome time in Guayaquil we decided to head up the coast and find out what Ecuadorian beaches are all about. While there may be prettier beaches in the world, they do have an undeniably addictive vibe. There's nothing like sitting on the beach, beer in hand, watching the waves and enjoying the best fish and ceviche the country has to offer. 

The coast is dotted with small fishing villages. The perfect atmosphere to relax and unwind…

A local shaper putting the finishing touches on a new longboard.

I think I heard that local guy in tan pants say “Are gringos falling from the sky?!?”

Yeah… just a few bags. When you’re traveling with a crew of 12—some of which have been traveling for a long, long time—finding where to stash the bags after checkout / before bus ride is a tough challenge. Thankfully, once again the brotherhood helped out—more than once on this trip we had local friends we didn’t know offer to watch our bags for us!

This is the sorriest excuse for a batmobile I have ever seen.

Our group. All Kiwi’s except for a few of us. The accent started rubbing off, and by the end of the trip we all sounded like Bret and Jemaine from Flight of the Conchords.

Montecristi is a great place to buy handicrafts—and oddly enough, the birthplace of the Panama hat (who knew?!?).

Panama hats for sale. I was kinda disappointed this guy didn’t have them all stacked on top of his head. I bet he’d sell way more that way!

One of many beautiful sunsets along the coast.

Fishing boat.