I could not resist adding this last photo – Joe took this while we were sitting at Jimmy’s on the malecon waiting on our sunset.
Take a close look at the reflection in the glasses
And stop laughing at the schmo hat!
One final photo of Puerto Lopez
Finding our Paradise in South America
Our South American Adventure
Finding our Paradise in South America 
Thanks for starting this blog. We live in Panama – Altos del Maria, near Coronado. My wife’s sister lives in Gauranda, Ecuador and we’ve visited once in 2007 or 2008, can’t remember at my “advanced stage of maturity!” I’d like to move to Ecuador but my wife is from Panama, although she spent 36 years in the USA, and has lot’s of friends and family here. I’m also a member of a Yahoo News Group – Ecuador Expats.
I look forward to your comments about living in Ecuador.
Mike Eberhard
Panama
Good to hear from you Mike – We moved here from Dolega, Chiriqui, Panama – we loved it and lived there for almost 4 years but we were starting to see some crime and it was turning violent so we decided to go to the beach. We had been looking at Ecuador for several years. It was so funny as House Hunters International just did a story last night on Panama and there was a home in Altos del Maria — very lovely area. I’m not familiar with Gauranda we have spent some time in Quito, Puerto Lopez, Manta and now Salinas we should start to do some traveling when Salinas is in season which we hear will be very busy.. that would be a good time to get out of town ha ha.
Hello Nancy,
I am stumbling around on the net looking at Equador and came across your blog. I am very close to your old neighborhood of Dolega – I am in Boquete and have only been here for just over a month. After such a short time, I do realize that this is probably not the place for me – a bit too remote – as I discovered recently after looking forward to a drive to Los Lahas expecting to see people and dogs on the beach enjoying themselves. On a Sunday, there was one other man there. I have not looked at Panama beaches yet as I am afraid I could not afford to run the air conditioning there.
Is it possible to live in or near Salinas for reasonable rent and also reasonable electicity? I am a Floridian who moved to Costa Rica and then made the move here. I miss the beach terribly but felt that both here and in Costa Rica I could not possibly afford to live near the ocean.
Any pointers you could give me – or forums you feel may be advantageous, would be most appreciated.
Gracias,
Karen Rall in Boquete
Karen, thanks for your comments. I will answer your questions off line in an email. Nancy
Hi Nancy and Joe: I am still in India and am so happy to have read almost every post that you have made! I spent two months in Nepal and loved it there. I stayed at the Buddhist Meditation Center in Pokhara; it was lovely. I am just waiting for it to cool off a bit so that I can explore more of India. I read with interest and delight all your observations and experiences in Salinas; it sounds just beautiful and I see that you are roughing it, living right on the beach with a balcony with a million dollar view! Eventually I plan to return to Ecuador and I certainly plan to check out Salinas when I do. I found it to be just too cold in the Andes, but the beach looks so inviting and clean. I love your enthusiasm and appreciation of the culture there. And I should have known that you love to cook and are a food afficienado. Your posts are delightful. I have subscribed to receive them. I am looking forward to receiving them and meeting up with you again in the future. Best wishes, hugs, Patricia
Hi Patricia, It is so good to hear from you. I did just love the pictures that you sent. How long have you been in India now? I understand about the cooler weather, Joe and I just could not take cool weather. At this point. Salinas is just right, warm and sunny part of the year and cooler and overcast the rest. — It works well for us. Please email me and let me know what all you have been up to and of course pictures are always welcome. nanlevin@gmail.com — be well, Nancy & Joe
I found your blog by accident, googling a question about a post office in Salinas, Ecuador. I have realy enjoyed reading it! My husband and I visited Ecuador in October-November 2011 and now plan on moving there. Your blog both brought back wonderful memories, and gave me some good information!
Hi Terri- glad that you are finding some info in the blog. I don’t remember what I had posted regarding the post office but I found out later that what I was told was totally wrong. It is not necessary to open a PO box and spend the $20 a year unless you want the ability to drive to the post office and pick up your stuff yourself. If the post office has an address for you they will deliver your mail to your address, we lived in a condo on the malecon and several times Joe had mail from the US delivered right to the guys downstairs in the building. Packages are not easy to get from the US so we stopped ordering everything period..the last time we had something come from the US the PO customs held it up so long that it was bad when I finally got it out and it took several months, many letters and visits to the Salud (health department) and many calls by them to customs — if you really need something like that from the US bring a 6 month supply with you and make friends who will bring it back with them when they go back…it was very frustrating and my lack of Spanish skills made it even worse.
Hi Nancy, My husband and I are staying in Playas for a month and Salinas for a month Jan & Feb.2013. We want to take a bus to Puerto Lopez. Do you have any suggestions of a place to stay in Puerto Lopez and is there a bus from Salinas?
Hi Joanne, There are two places that Joe and I stayed while in Puerto Lopez, remember this was two years ago, but I would think they both would be relatively the same even after two years. Hostel Itapoa, http://www.hosteltrail.com/hosteriaitapoa/ Maria the owner is wonderful, speaks perfect English and is so helpful, this is a rustic beach hut type hostel we paid around $17 a day for the room and breakfast for both of us with the best coffee ever and the family makes chocolate so if you get a chance to buy some do it, excellent. We have also stayed at Hotel Pacifico http://www.hotelpacificoecuador.com/Index.php?action=&language=en just wonderful family that owns this hotel, exceptional rooms, pool, good food more expensive I think we paid $25 a day which includes breakfast – hpacifico_ec@hotmail.com this is the email address, they did not speak a great deal of English but you can use Google Translate and they will understand what you need if you email them. Both are located on the malecon and from our experience both would be excellent choices…Yes, you can get a bus from Salinas that goes to Puerto Lopez, it probably travels through the town of Santa Elana where you may need to change buses…There are many Expats living in Salinas and if you walk on the malecon you will meet many of them. Because they live there currently they can tell you much more about the buses than I can as we have been in Playas for 9 months now. Hope this helps a bit, please let us know how your trip goes. Nancy
Wow!!! very nice photo!!!!
Puerto López is a great place. Relaxed, nice food, beautiful beaches.
Hi Nancy First, I am so glad I met such a wonderful person. I enjoyed reading
your site, please continue, it makes my mind go back to that paradise and
every time I go for a visit I realize how lucky we are to have it as part of our
lives. Regards to Joe.
Hola Carmen, You are just so sweet, thank you for your kind words. It was a beautiful day in Clemente the first Sunday that the sun was shining all day long, so sorry you missed it. When are you visiting again, nothing can be that important in Quito that you cannot come to the beach for a week or two…see you soon, N
I have just started following your blog, stumbled upon it when I was looking at some google images of Salinas and Ballenita. You are very committed to your blog, excellent pictures. As I have more time to look through I will probably be in touch with some more questions/comments. We are from BC Canada and are always interested in looking at new areas to travel to and maybe one day retire to!
Good Morning Nicole, Our blog is the journal for our adventures in Eucador. I have lost pictures while traveling when a hard drive dies or when a lap top was taken so now if I put photos and our travels on the internet it is always there for Joe and I to look back on. Like that great shot Joe took of me sitting watching the water in Puerto Lopez, what a great “memory trigger” for our time there, sitting having a mohito at D’Jimmy’s…just great memories. You are more than welcome to write me off blog at hammock11@hotmail.com and I will try to answer questions as best as I can. Today we are waiting on the return of our refrigerator from the shop, lets say a prayer that the refrigerator part is cold today…thanks for your comment, Nancy
Hello Nancy,
I just got back last night from 10 days in Guayaquil and Montanita. We had a great time, but those towns wouldn’t be retirement type places for us. One is to busy and the other is to slow. Do you think Salinas falls in the middle? We really wanted to go there, but ran out of time.. I loved every minute of Ecuador.
Marcia
Hi Marcia, sorry it has taken me so long to get back to you. I is a shame you did not have the time to see Salinas, we loved it when we were there. It is in the middle, not too busy all the time like Guayaquil but not quiet like Montanita…Salinas has many advantages, in my opinion plus when you want fast paced hop a bus or the van to Guayaquil for the day, when you want peace and quiet go to Hosteria Farallon Dillon in Ballenita for a few days…The area is larger, has more shopping, mercados and because of Guayaquil if it is available in Ecuador one of the first places you will find it would be Guayaquil…I am glad you enjoyed your time here, we feel blessed to have found our little beach hut and our good town..hope you find what you are looking for. Nancy