Coastal Manta is Crazy, Gorgeous, and has Good Surf

April 16th 2008

I woke early and headed towards the beach. Behind a group of soccer players there was a jumble of men with trucks on the sand hauling things from boats and what looked like to be the early stages of an open market.

When I got close I was flabergasted with what was going on. These men were hauling HUGE fish to the trucks. There was every type of fish you can pluck from the sea (Tuna, Hammerhead, etc.). I was snapping photos and then one guy warned me this was VERY private (in Spanish) and I couldn´t take any more photos. I quickly got the feeling that what was going on was illegal fishing and they made me promise I wasn´t going to publish this in the newspaper. I digress (this is not a newspaper and it is for a private crowd).

Behind the market was a line of large boats that looked like they were being repaired. No, the boats were being built from scratch. These guys are artists with their chainsaws!

I returned to the market and found out that I could get huge chunks of Tuna for 3 dollars a pound and the more rare fish for about 6 dollars a pound. That was without bartering!

I was finally finished here and jumped in a cab to go to the surfing area. After a difficult time finding a surf board, I finally ended up getting help from the surf school a block away hidden in a large building.

On the way to the beach the sun was between 32 and 40 degrees celsius and like a fool, I slowly meandered onto the sand. When I got half way my brain receptors finally received the signal that the sand was too hot and I was smack dab in the middle of the grass and the ocean. I starrting running with the surf board but my poor feet fell victom to more blisters.

Good thing I have a little med kit!

Feeling hungry for lunch, I searched my travel book for a highly recommended seafood restaurant and found El Marino; situated across the street from the beach mayhem of the AM. After what I witnessed this morning, I had no doubt that the fish would be fresh. I was right! I ate the most delicious fried filete apanada de cherna with salad (so, so tasty my mouth is watering right now thinking about it and I don't even know what Cherna is!).

I have a few hours to kill before my flight back to Quito. Tomorrow night I head off to Santiago de Chile. Wine country here i come!

New event (currently sitting at airport):

Right before the airport I thought I would stop off at the beach and check out the volleyball games I saw out of the corner of my eye. Of course, I went to the nicest part where there was a crowd of people.

Bad mistake, the first thing that happened was eye contact by one of the spectators who yelled across the volleyball game "coca? coca?" and produced a well animated gesture of doing a line.

The next ten minutes I spent playing dumb ("no comprendo", "no se", "no entiendo") fending off request for the rich ¨American¨ to buy the group coca-colas or water, give them money, give them my shoes ("Que marque tus zapatos? Cuanto cuesta? Ciento? Dos ciento dollares?"). My instincts told me to get out as soon as I could.

"Mucho gusto", I said while turning and giving them a sideways-fisted-thumbs-up. They sideways-fisted-thumbs-upped me back and I was off. Close call, but the truth is it would have been fine if I had nothing to lose but my shoes and the 7 bucks in my pocket.

In this case, i had my back pack on with all my stuff (visas, passport, money, DL, bank cards, camera, ipod, computer (who brings these electronics to SA? This guy!))

As i walked off i wanted to snap a photo really bad from afar but I thought I had better not push my luck. I somehow managed to smooth out a situation I would expect Kubrick to have dreamed up for one of his movies.

It is amazing how comfortable I was feeling in a foreign country and how quickly that can turn into discomfort.

Back to Quito I go, where I have friends.