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Tiendas – Puerto Lopez, Ecuador’s neighborhood stores #AtoZChallenge
Neighborhood tiendas (stores) are part of the fabric of Puerto Lopez, Ecuador. They supplement larger grocery stores by stocking single rolls of toilet paper, small containers of milk, yogurt, ice cream, cooking oils, sugar, and other daily essentials. Tiendas have daily necessities Let’s say you are seven years old and helping your siblings fix a bike in front of your home. Your mom is making dinner and realizes she is out of milk. She calls to you, hands you money and sends you to get milk. Tienda door visible on far left Two tiendas are about a minute from your house, one in each direction. The tienda uphill…
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Sunrise in Puerto Lopez, Ecuador #AtoZChallenge
My favorite place to watch the Puerto Lopez sunrise is the south end of the bay. For an overhead shot of this area, click Boats in Puerto Lopez. As the sun rises over the eastern hills, I love the reflections in the bay. If you read my post, Rainbows and the rainy season in Puerto Lopez, Ecuador, you know overnight cloud cover is common this time of year. I took the first three photos on the same day as the clouds shifted while the sun rose. They managed to hide the sun itself the entire time. We do sometimes have clearer skies during sunrise. I personally prefer the sunrises with…
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Rainbows and the rainy season in Puerto Lopez, Ecuador #AtoZChallenge
Puerto Lopez sunrise rainbows are most common during the coastal Ecuador rainy season. The same is true for Puerto Lopez sunset rainbows. The rainy season, December through May, is also the time for cerulean blue skies. This causes confusion when people are planning their visit. They see blue skies on social media photos yet all of the guide books say it is the rainy season. When does it rain during the rainy season? Rain usually falls at night though certainly not every night. The above photo was taken at the Victor Hugo Hotel in February at 10:00 pm. Hours earlier, I walked there in the sunshine. I was drenched when…
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Quake: Puerto Lopez two years after a 7.8 rocked Ecuador #AtoZChallenge
April 16, 2016 at 6:58pm, a 7.8 earthquake shook Ecuador’s coast. If you have not read my reliving of that night in Puerto Lopez, find it here. Some have asked what the buildings in the photos look like now. What follows are the photos from April 17, 2016 and the same location two years later. The first building was torn down and has not been rebuilt. The second building was rebuilt with some finishing work still to be completed. The fire house had to be completely demolished. Puerto Lopez has turned the land into a parking lot and the fire department has moved to a new location. The night…
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Oeste de Puerto Lopez (West of Puerto Lopez), Ecuador #AtoZChallenge
You may be surprised to learn that if you cross the Pacific ocean 993 kilometers west of Puerto Lopez, you will be in Ecuador. Specifically, you will be in the Galapagos Islands’ Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. Thanks to Hosteria Mandala‘s directional sign, you can find out how far it is to other places around the globe. A few distances from Puerto Lopez: Jacarta, Indonesia is 18824.80 km west. London, England is 9463.62 km NNE. Ottawa, Canada is 5210.32 km north. Nairobi, Kenya is 13999.18 km east. Buenos Aires, Argentina is 4331.64 km southeast. Cape Horn, Chile is 6143.12 km south. Come to Puerto Lopez, learn a bit of geography! __________________________________________ A look…
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Nets, Fishing Nets Made in Puerto Lopez, Ecuador #AtoZChallenge
As you walk around Puerto Lopez, you will likely find someone working on a fishing net. One of the steps in creating a new net is to string rope between two posts and attach the net. As one long section is completed, the rope is moved along and retied, finished portion on the ground. The fish market I wrote about recently (see it here) is behind the guys in the first photo. In the second, they are working along a river walk 5 minutes from the fish market. __________________________________________ A look back Last year, I wrote Nurturing Owl Parents.
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Mototaxis – Second Most Popular Way to Get Around Puerto Lopez, Ecuador #AtoZChallenge
Walking is the most common way to get around Puerto Lopez. Riding in a mototaxi is second. Dogs welcome Puerto Lopez is a casual town. Sometimes you will even find a mototaxi driver who brought his dog to work. Hiring a mototaxi Wave your arm when an unoccupied mototaxi is approaching to flag them down. Unless they are already on a call, they will pick you up for your trip anywhere within Puerto Lopez. There is no central dispatch. If you regularly need pickup in less traveled areas, get a couple of driver’s phone numbers. Want an informal tour? Hire a mototaxi! Many drivers are…
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Lights Reflecting Off the Ocean, Puerto Lopez, Ecuador #AtoZChallenge
Stand at the end of the Puerto Lopez pier after dark. Street, building, and beach cabana lights dance to create a symphony of color reflecting off the water. The photo for E (see Emily in Puerto Lopez here) is a daytime picture from the spot above. Next, walk to the south end of the malecon to see the pier lights reflecting like in the photo above. The pier has all white lights. In this photo, many are turned off because it is after 11:00 PM, when about half of the lights go dark. Purple and red lights from the nearest beach cabana are the only cabana lights visible from this vantage…
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Kayaks, Puerto Lopez, Ecuador #AtoZChallenge
Puerto Lopez bay is a good spot for kayaking. There is even an annual kayak race. While contemplating what to write for K, I wished I had photos from the race. Then I looked at my April photos. What a nice surprise – I found several Puerto Lopez pictures with kayaks in the background. Perhaps “Kayaks in the Background of Puerto Lopez Beach Scenes” would have been a more appropriate title for this post. Kayaks are not the focal point of any photo here. Do you kayak? Several locations around town rent kayaks. Contact me when you are coming to Puerto Lopez and I will give you up…
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Javico, A Puerto Lopez Grocery Store #AtoZChallenge
You will find several grocery stores in Puerto Lopez. Family owned and run Comercial Javico is one of the two largest. The store is on the main through street, the only stoplight is a few steps away. If you click here to view it on Google Maps, you can see Javico is right in the middle of Puerto Lopez. Alberto, in the above photo, seems to work every day and always with a smile and kind word. Javico sells to the public and to small businesses, who in turn sell the products in their neighborhood stores or use them in their restaurants. Bulk foods are carefully weighed and packaged…
