Ecuador- All this and beaches, too?

In addition to the Equator and The Andes Mountains and lots of amazing volcanoes, Ecuador has a gorgeous Pacific Ocean coastline. We had to drive over the mountains and take a look for ourselves. The first section of beach was dark sand and cloudy skies. Nica enjoyed the long walks with us. And we encountered a seriously challenging game of volleyball in the surf.

We also watched the fishermen as they dragged their boats to shore after a long day on the seas.  A little further up the coastline we met a very nice man who offered us a driveway to park in. We enjoyed the opportunity to rest, do laundry and fill the water tanks. The house is right on the water in a peaceful area. So we relaxed a bit and watched some gorgeous sunsets.

Our next stop on the coast included an odd little museum.  There are several archeological areas along the Ecuador coast. But they are not well researched or improved for visitors. In this museum we were able to see a few incredible artifacts. It is shocking to see how the salt and sand has preserved the ceramic structure and also the natural coloring and dyes.

But as you can see from the parking lot, a museum of this caliber seems a little out of place in this rough little community. They just don’t have the tourism game going strong!

We also stopped to check out an area that was known for ceremonies and special visits of area tribes in early times. The focus of this area is a muddy, sulphuric pool of warmish water. Much pottery and many incredible artifacts have been retrieved from these waters, thought to be sacred. There were a few people using the hot pool, but the smell of sulfur was too strong for us to venture into the murky water.

Our next campsite was right on the water also. This nice location was much more popular with tourists. And we even met up with some of our overlanding friends there.

Our evening fun included a yummy wood-fired pizza and some VERY strong mojitos. This section of the Ecuador coastline is a bit jungly, and with that comes the creatures. This lovely spider set up house next to our house overnight. We moved.

This final series of photos is from a modern art museum that we stumbled upon. The museum was a welcome respite from the heat. So we hung out in the air conditioning and explored a bit. This unique, 3-dimensional work of art features the iconic worry-dolls of Ecuador, displayed in bulk. Enjoy……

After a few days on the Ecuador coast we had enough hot and sticky. We were ready to head back to the mountains and explore the beauty. It took two days of driving through the Andes to reach cooler temperatures and refreshing spring-fed rivers. But we finally cooled off and continued our travels through Ecuador.