Montañita, Olón and Salinas

So I'm back on the free wifi at Guayaquil airport, as I was about 18 months ago towards the start on my Ecuador visit. Then I was heading towards Montañita to train as an English teacher, now I've finished teaching in Ecuador and returning from a weekend break to Montañita. I only really went to visit somebody there, and to stay nearby. Montañita is the hedonist capital of Ecuador. It is full of Ecuadorians, Argentinians and gringos from various countries. They come for the beach, the bars and the drugs. It is either a tropical paradise or a tourist hell-hole, depending on your perspective. For me it's the latter, but lots of people seem to love it.

Sewage collection truck bearing the message: 'Montañita  Tourist Paradise'

Montañita

We only spent one night there, and most of that was at Playa Kamala, a couple of miles up the coast, the site of the CELTA training course I took back in September 2010.

Next, we stayed one night in Olón. This is the next village along from Montañita, much more sleepy, but still very much a tourist beach resort. Ecuadorians love the beach and flock to them during the public holidays, Olón is one for the Ecuadorians, not a lot of foreign tourists here. Although Olón is somewhat nicer than Montañita, it is still very much a basic-level weekend break resort.

Much more up-market is Salinas, this is the holiday resort for the rich Ecuadorians, known here as 'pelucones', which translates as wig wearers. Salinas is not just a beach, but has lots of high rise hotels and a maritime port, popular thus with yacht owners. We stayed two nights here, but unfortunately on the second night there was a torrential downpour. Cooled the air nicely but flooded the streets and the drainage system. The stench completely destroyed my desire for an ice cream.

Salinas, affluence and effluence