Olon, Ecuador - Days 3 & 4
Thursday, February 24
Thursday in Olon was another slow-moving day. Tory is feeling like herself again, but Andi had a terrible headache today so we felt it best to stay put at our airbnb. The four of us spent most of the day relaxing in our boathouse, doing school, working on our computers, etc
Tory and Aden swam in our airbnb’s pool after they finished school this morning. It felt so good to relax in the sunshine for a few hours and the kids had a lot of fun swimming together. The property we’re staying at this week is gorgeous, secluded and quiet. The perfect place for some R&R.
This week is the first time during our Ecuador travels that we’ve eaten at home! It feels strange to cook for ourselves and is not nearly as delicious as the authentic Ecuadorian meals we’ve been enjoying across the country. This afternoon, Andi and I pieced together a “snack lunch” for the four of us which included deli ham and cheese, apple slices, crackers and green plantain chips called chifles. We have a kitchen inside the boat house where we’re staying, but it’s very small and doesn't have a lot of cooking supplies.
Around 5:00pm, the four of us decided to go for a walk along the beachfront. Once again, we had the entire beach to ourselves. It was so peaceful. The sand here is very compacted which makes it easy to walk along, ride a bike or play a game of frisbee.
The closest community to our airbnb is called Las Nuñez which isn’t more than a few dusty streets with a convenience store, small school, and a bakery. We followed the water for about a 10-minute walk to the town and found a group of locals playing volleyball in the street and an ice cream motorcycle peddling around treats. Other locals were sitting on front porches and a few sweeping the sidewalk near their homes and businesses. A sleepy, quiet town in Ecuador.
Andi bought three ice cream cones from the gentleman selling them on his motorbike for $.50 each. He and the kids ate their treats while we walked back to our airbnb along the shore.
Olon is the closest “big” town located about 15 minutes by taxi from where we’re staying. Andi and I weren’t sure what we were going to eat for dinner tonight as neither of us felt like taking a taxi to go somewhere. We’d hoped to find something in Las Nuñez we could take to-go, but there weren’t any restaurants there that we saw. Andi had the great idea to send a WhatsApp message to a taxi driver he’d used earlier in the week and ask the guy to buy us some fresh shrimp & then deliver it to us at our airbnb. Bold request, but he agreed! Less than an hour later, we had the makings for dinner delivered to us for $15. A pound & a half of fresh-caught shrimp cost $5.
The kitchen in our boathouse is very small, so we decided to utilize the outdoor kitchen near the pool area to cook dinner tonight. Tory and Aden swam in the pool while Andi and I worked together to prepare the shrimp, beets, and potatoes. Cleaning and preparing the fresh-caught shrimp made Andi and I appreciate the work that goes into eating such a meal! I’ve never seen shrimp that had eyes before. We had to watch a quick YouTube video to figure out how to clean the shrimp and then Andi and I set to work peeling and deveining the shellfish.
Aden gobbled up the cooked shrimp in a matter of minutes & Andi and I both wanted to tell him to slow down because those shrimp were a lot of work to prepare! They tasted super fresh and buttery.
Andi and I cleaned up the outdoor kitchen and then called it a night. I read to the kids and tucked them into bed & then Andi and I turned in shortly thereafter. The evenings are so quiet here at this airbnb — the only thing we can hear is the roar of the ocean waves a few feet from our windows.
Friday, February 25
Today is the last day at our airbnb outside Olon, Ecuador. We spent a good portion of the day the same way we’ve spent the rest of our week here — doing school this morning, working on our computers and swimming in the pool at our airbnb. Neither Andi and I were feeling 100% — we both had pounding headaches all day.
Andi took Aden boogie-boarding in the ocean for a while this afternoon. Aden absolutely loves the water. Andi said Aden is so light that he just coasted on top of the waves.
Around 4:00pm, Andi and I decided we’d all take a taxi to the nearby town of Montañita, Ecuador for dinner. Montinita is known as a party town located right on the beach, and several locals we spoke with advised us against staying there. Andi and I wanted to see the town though, and we were running out of time to do so since we leave the area tomorrow. We figured a few hours there would give us a good feel for the place.
Montañita has a surfer vibe with thatched-roof restaurants and bars & a gorgeous stretch of beach central to the town. Since this upcoming weekend is Carnival (Ecuador’s version of Mardi Gras), the beach was full of tourists swimming, surfing and lounging under umbrellas.
Andi picked an outdoor restaurant on the beach called Lido Beach Grill for our dinner. Tory and Aden were amazed that the tables were placed right in the sand. We all ordered juice smoothies & our choices for dinner — Andi had fried seabass, I had panko-crusted tuna, Tory ordered pizza and Aden had sachipapa which is a fried hot dog & French fries. The food honestly wasn’t that great, but it felt good to be outside on the beach and we got to watch a beautiful sunset from our table.
After dinner, the streets of Montañita were starting to liven up. Probably the cue for our family of four to be on our way. One street in particular reminded me of a place Andi and I traveled in Patong, Thailand with alcohol stands lined up on both sides, bars pumping loud music and women dancing in the windows. I bet this town gets crazy at night, especially on a party weekend like Carnival.
We hailed a taxi back to our airbnb and were home by 8:00pm. One last sleep in our boathouse near Olon, and then we’ll move up the coast to another beach town tomorrow.
