Ecuadorean beach lifestyle

The decision is to head southwards to the beaches in Ecuador, rather than heading to the pacific coast of Colombia (here are the ports from which the cartels ship the cocaine) or the Atlantic coast of Colombia (relatively touristy and developed). Mompiche is the destination, so. 

Warnings of kidnapping south of popayan, mean a daytime bus for me this time. It was worth it, the landscapes between popayan and the border are some of the most spectacular I have seen - majestic mountain passes, varied flora, rocks I have never seen before. 

The border crossing with Ecuador is a most relaxed affair, proving their strong historical and political alliance. It is best to get your passport stamped, but there is no actual barrier through which one must pass. My guide through the border was Taka (from Japan), who has actually done his research on Ecuador and we travelled as far as Quito together. 

No CS host found in Quito, so it's an overnight bus to reach the coastal town of Mompiche. It was really worth all the trouble to get here. It's a small fishing village, to which surfers and other beach-inclined travelers migrate and has not (yet) become loud and overbearing at nighttime. The beach is impressive and the waves are "going off", "sick" or "totally tubular". There is a left-handed point break which can get to a few meters at times and is not heavily populated. 

I grab a single room for 10$/night with cable TV and 30 meters from the beach... the sounds of the waves send to me to sleep at night. 

I stay in my very comfortable surrounds, swimming daily for the next 12 days. The rainy season (March-April) starts to set in. When it rains here there is a large risk of mudslides, painful roads for long periods of time. I decide to head back toward Bogota, where, i have been informed by email, my plane will be three days late.

There be dragons in dem der waters. The after effects of a jellyfish with a penchant for fair Irish skin. 

Popayan - whiter than white

Popayan (the white city) becomes that bit more whiter before Easter week, with all the walls of the buildings getting another coat of white paint.

Time to try another style of backpacking - staying at a hostel. And what a hostel! Those windows belong to the hostel right on the main square. 

Hanging about the city, eat some amazing fruit and then picnic on this hill overlooking the city. 

However, inspiration strikes when others tell me of the golden surf-washed beaches to be had in Ecuador. Not part of the original plan, but now I'm off to Ecuador. As usual, I am assured that the next leg of my journey, is definitely a little risky. "Don't travel by night" is the common refrain... sounds a little like "stay off the moors" to me and I have yet to see any werewolves here. Hmmmm, it's so much more efficient to travel by night.