Some friends and I jumped on one of the local buses and headed south the other day. Our destination was a small town we had heard about from some of my friends here. The town is called "Ayangue," pronounced "Ah-yahn-gay," and as we soon discovered,  it just happens to be a great place to enjoy a day at the beach.

After exiting the bus, we grabbed a cab into town. Our taxi driver dropped us off at one of the local cabana restaurants on the beach. We had asked where we might find the best seafood, and he brought us to a place we might not have seen if we had just gotten off in the center of town. After introducing us to the owner, he left, and we decided to take a walk along the beach before eating.

One of the first things we noticed was the amount of kids playing in the water. In Olon, where we live, our beach is beautiful, but our waves come hard and fast, making it difficult for young kids to handle the surf. Ayangue is a natural harbor, protected by cliffs on both sides, and the resulting waves are just gentle rollers that anyone can deal with.

Another thing we noticed that really impressed us all was how clean the beach was. With so many families, and lots of children, you would almost expect to see signs of trash scattered about, but there was next to nothing. It was refreshing to see a beach so well cared for. As we strolled through town later we saw that the whole town was very well kept, leaving a lasting impression on all of us.

After walking the beach and taking lots of photos, we made our way back to the restaurant the driver had brought us to earlier. Lunch was very good; here's a photo of mine. It's a Pacific spiny lobster, with rice, salad and fried patacones (plantains). Plantains are a staple of the Ecuadorean food service; we get them fried like this, and they also cook the very ripe ones in coconut oil. They're a tasty addition!

We had spotted a very unique building at the end of the beach, snuggled up against the cliffs, so we walked up to it to explore it a little further. It was a fairly new hotel with one of the most fascinating roof lines of any building I've ever seen. The manager gave us a tour of the place, including the top floor. It was a huge open area designed to host functions, with a beautiful view of the harbor. The entire roof and support structure were made of local bamboo, and the effect is striking. Here's a shot of the workmanship.

Bamboo is used extensively in building construction here. It's a very renewable resource that grows
very quickly here in the Tropics. It is used to construct entire homes, fences, roofing, and just about anything else that comes up. It is extremely tough and durable, making it perfect for everything. And it's hard to beat for giving you that tropical feeling you like to have when you're in a place like this. Could you pass me the sunscreen and my coconut water, dahling? 

This is the hotel itself, and as I said, the roof is amazing! And there's two big party areas; one in front, and the one on the beach to the back. Pretty cool, don't you think? I can just picture my next big party up there on the terrace. Anybody want to come?

  
Here's my friends and I on the terrace, with the harbor behind us, enjoying what turned out to be a nice little adventure on the coast of Ecuador. Ninety degrees and sunny; can't beat that for February!

Hasta luego; see you later! Thanks for reading!


Mark


For information on my books, please go to: Mark T. Bradbury, Author, on Amazon.com.

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