First Week in Salinas, Ecuador

“Mommy, I can’t believe it! I can’t believe we are going to see the country where you grew up” the squeaky voice of a young girl chirped behind us as we descended into Panama for our layover. Many people get annoyed sitting near kids on airplanes, but I tend to love it. I love seeing the world through their eyes. Everything is new, exciting, even scary. Maybe I resonate with them because I feel the same way when I travel. Particularly after a year and a half of no international travel, the excitement of that little girl was palpable to me. Tears welled up in my eyes as I reflected on all that has happened since we had last been in another country.

The gratitude and wonder ground to a halt when we landed in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Immigration, health check forms, hot airports, and long lines tend to do that to a person after 8 or more hours of flying. It’s funny how quickly our attitudes can change. But before too long, we were in a taxi on our way to Salinas. My nervousness started mounting as I realized our taxi would drop off us at our accommodations and that was the end of the plans I had for Salinas. I had not planned a single thing to do in town. Were we crazy for showing up in a country where we hardly speak the language and don’t know a single person with no plans? Maybe, but we tend to believe the best in people and have faith that things will work out for us.

Our first week was spent settling into life in a new place. Finding the grocery store, laundry, garbage, all simple tasks we take for granted when we are home. Yet figuring out these things is part of the fun of traveling. We also made several blunders with the Spanish language as expected.

At the grocery store, I picked up a few things to make some simple meals with. I figured some pasta, and a jar of sauce would make a quick meal. Grocery shopping turned out to be quite the task when you do not know the store or speak the language well. One afternoon I decided to make the pasta for lunch. After several bites, Jacob and I looked at each other knowing something wasn’t quite right. The pasta had way more tang than it should have. Jacob’s faced soured and he asked if the sauce could possibly be ketchup. “Of course not” I retorted. Offended that he thought I could make such a mistake. After a few minutes, I decided to set my ego aside and plug the words from the package into google translate. Sure enough, salsa de tomate is indeed ketchup. We laughed at ourselves as we choked down the last of our lunch. Later in the week, we went out for ceviche and the bottle of ketchup on the table mocked me with the clearly printed words “Salsa de Tomate” across the front.

After butchering lunch myself, we decided to try almuerzo (lunch) out the next time. It is hardly worth cooking for yourself it is such a good deal! Most restaurants serve almuerzo between $2 and $4. Our first time out we got juice, soup, chicken, rice, and pasta salad for $3 each. Almuerzo is traditionally a fixed price and fixed menu. Places will typically display their Almuerzo specials outside the entrance to the restaurant. This way you can see what they are serving and the cost before going in and sitting down. We have developed a fondness for almuerzo with the low price, healthy portions, and tasty food. It is our favorite meal to go out for. Plus it is always nice to step away from your computer in the middle of the day.

The Market

Saturday morning we were up early to get to the mercado. At first, the mercado was a bit overwhelming. Blocks and blocks of city streets are lined with vendors selling anything from toilet paper to tuna. The bulk of the vendors sell produce. We were hoping to stock up on produce and buy some seafood at the fish market. Our taxi was $3 from our apartment in Salinas to the mercado in La Libertad, and the ride took around 15 minutes. The driver dropped us off near the fish market, and I quickly realized I can’t even identify most fish with the scales still on.

After wandering around the market for a good while, we decided that produce would be the easiest to try and buy first. We purchased broccoli, avocado, cantaloupe, pineapple, onions, and tomatoes with relative ease. Several people we had met in Salinas let us know approximate prices for things, so we knew we weren’t totally being ripped off. We have the expectation we will over pay for a few things given that we aren’t from here and don’t speak the language well. Then I tried to buy some garlic. The vendor told me it would be $0.50 for 1 pound of garlic which I understood and assumed would be way too much for us. But my limited vocabulary slipped from my mind as my awkward personality took over. Rather than asking for less garlic, I walked away the proud owner of 1 pound of fresh garlic. More than Jacob and I could possibly eat in our time here.

The last produce item I wanted to get was limes. Here’s the thing. I love limes and use them on almost anything. But I misheard the guy who sold them to us. I was expecting 4 limes for 25 cents. What I got was an entire grocery bag of limes for $1. He had already bagged them up by the time I realized how many I was getting. So I took the limes home and made two delicious pitchers of limeade. That wasn’t the plan, but I loved how it turned out. Definitely something I will be making more back home too.

At this point, our bags were getting heavy, we were overwhelmed by the fish, and I wasn’t too thrilled with the idea of cleaning the fish in our apartment. We decided to get a pound of shrimp which was only $2.50 and head home. All in, we spent $10 on everything we picked up at the mercado and had a blast even with the miscommunications.

The Beaches

We are staying right on the malecon (boardwalk) along Salinas beach. Salinas beach is perfect for families and its proximity to restaurants. On the weekends, it can be quite crowded. The yacht club is one reason Salinas Beach seems more crowded than Chipipe, only a 10-minute walk apart. When the yacht club was built, it caused the water at Salinas beach to rise and cover half the sand on the beach. We love being right on the water and enjoy the views. But if we want to swim, we make the walk up to Chipipe beach. The people are more spread out and the water is clearer. We have gone swimming at both beaches and prefer the experience at Chipipe. If you are looking for proximity to things, Salinas Beach will put you closer to restaurants, bars, and other amenities. If you are looking for a quiet, more relaxed beach, Chipipe is the place to be.

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The Sights

Doesn’t everyone love a 5 mile walk that turns into 10 miles? That is exactly what happened to us Saturday afternoon. We hit the road on foot to enjoy a walk along Chipipe beach before heading to La Chocolatera and La Loberia. This was such a fun part of our day, but it is difficult to write about. I guess it is hard to accurately describe the beautifully simplistic things in life. A walk along the beach to a beautiful viewpoint together. At the simplest level, that is what filled our Saturday afternoon. We were already tired by the time we hit La Chocolatera, but the waves swirling and crashing against the coast reenergized us. After taking in the views, we walked leisurely down Playa del Mar Bravo (beach of the rough sea) admiring the waves and taking in the wildlife. We were surprised when we wandered upon an international surfing competition. We were amazed by the talented surfers and were so happy we caught a glimpse of this sport. Before starting our long walk home, we spotted the sea lions hanging out on the rocks. Of course, we stumbled across an ice cream shop on our way home. Nothing soothes tired feet like coffee ice-cream.

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Our first week in Ecuador has been filled with language barriers, kind strangers, and beautiful views. We are thoroughly enjoying our time here even when it is filled with embarrassing moments. We are so looking forward to sharing more adventures from this amazing country.