Meandering Mukluks: Ecuadorian Coast and Bringing it Back to Lima

Surfing!

Our last leg of the trip around Las Tunas and the surrounding communities was a perfect way to enjoy the little time that remained in South America. Las Tunas is a quiet beach town that hasn’t yet been spoiled by hordes of tourists similar to that in nearby Montanita . We were able to surf daily and take in the last rays of sun and truly warm weather we will see for a while. We stayed in a fantastic spot that had few people, kitchen access, friendly staff and beach front views. Each day we got to drink a morning coffee on our private balcony over-looking the waves and there couldn’t have been a better way to start the day. We also met and got to know one of the local stray dogs named ‘Surfing’ who we grew fond and who grew fond of us too.

Surfing and his new friend Iain

Mirada al Mar

He ended up following us everywhere and was the most eager passenger to step foot into the car whenever he was allowed to tag along for a car ride. He was a hard dog to leave behind and just one of the few awesome strays we befriended while away that desperately needed care and attention. However, the best part of Cabanas Mirada al Mar, were the lovely, hard-working owners who graciously agreed to house our trooper until we return next which was a relief and surprise.

We spent a long time trying to figure out a way to sell the car, but none of the plans formulated into much. Anyone that bought the vehicle would have ended up acquiring a number of problems with it that weren’t worth there hassle.

Searching

Additionally, we were starting to think the little amount we could get for the car in Ecuador or Peru was more work and travel time than we really wanted to deal with. So in the end, we decided to leave the car in Ecuador and return back to it at some point to pursue other adventures.

Coastal Ecuador was the perfect place to maximize the car’s use since we could travel to nearby locations depending on the surf. We also took the bed out and made room to give rides to our Finnish companions which was great since we needed to get rid of the bed anyway and we could all ride together.

We both had some great days in the water which was super fun and rewarding. I surfed mainly in La Entrada which had a really good learning wave that was small and less intimidating than some of the more powerful breaks around us. It felt really good to solidify my surfing experiences with catching some green waves and finally get down the line (riding the actual wave or the ‘green’ part as opposed to the white wash ahead of the break), which I had been trying to do since we left Peru). We also sold my Bic surfboard and rented a glassed 7’6” which was such a treat after being dragged around by the plastic beast on the shore break. My last session I went out alone because Iain had hurt his leg and it was amazing to be able to paddle out and catch my own waves solo style.

Iain's best Ecuadorian waves

He's in there...

Iain accompanied me on all of my La Entrada sessions as well as catching waves at Las Tunas, Ayampe, and Rio Chico. Iain’s best day was the last day when the waves were barreling. As soon as he looked out the window first thing in the morning he quickly geared up and ran full steam ahead for the ocean. Iain got two barrels and the last one smashed his leg up a bit. Nonetheless, he was perfectly content with the experience and left the coast happy with all his waves.

Sunset session

After saying goodbye to the trooper, Las Tunas, and the Finnish crew, we started heading back towards Peru by taking a bus from Montanita to Guayaquil and then embarked on an epically long bus journey from Guayaquil to Lima that took approximately 30 hours. Thankfully, we booked the ride with bus company Cruz del Sur which is by far the most prestigious contender in the bus travel business. We paid a little extra to ride VIP style in the lower deck of the double-decker machine and had a ton of room to relax and sleep.