Roaming South America

Puerto Lopez, Ecuador

December 21, 2022

Puerto Lopez, Ecuador: The Spaniards settled this area in the early 1800s although there has been evidence found that shows the area has been populated as far back as 3500BC. It has only been since the 1840s that the town has experienced much growth. Fishing is the primary industry, as well as tourism. There are many hotels, hostels, and restaurants, especially along the very nice malecon (boardwalk). Whalewatching is popular here and there are several tour outfits that will take you out to see the whales. Not far offshore, about 40 kilometers, is Isla de la Plata (Island of Silver). There are stories that pirates hid their treasures on the island. Now it is a wildlife refuge and only a small number of tour operators are allowed to take visitors to the island. It is also known as the 'poor mans Galapagos'.

So, my impressions: Puerto Lopez is nice if you stay at the malecon and venture only as far inland as about 4 blocks to the main highway through town. Beyond that the place is a typical dirt-street town with nothing to attract anyone. Yes, the malecon with all its restaurants and hotels is nice, but you can't just live within an area of a few blocks. The central square has a church but it is undergoing extensive renovations. The plaza is nothing special and the city is not centered around it. They do have one supermarket and a few other smaller grocery stores, and a few cash machines along the malecon. For me, this town doesn't cut it as a potential new home.

This is my goal: to find a new place to live. So to reach that goal I am traveling most of South America, visiting the countries of Ecuador, Perú, Bolivia, and Chile, passing through Argentina, visiting Paraguay, passing through a bit of Brazil, and finally visiting Uruguay. I have a list of towns, about 70 towns, that meet these qualifications: Cities with average day temperatures of 22-28° C (72-83° F) and night temps of 14° C (57° F) and higher; and a population between 28,000-300,000. I analyzed climate and population data of around 700 towns in the above-mentioned countries and then pulled out the ones that meet the previously mentioned criteria, which leaves about 70. My preference leans towards towns of less than 100,000 people. Of the 70 towns, about 20 have populations of 100,000 - 300,000. And, now that I've been here on the coast for a few days I've decided I will probably want an inland town. I love the beach and walking in the warm water, but, getting sunburned is just too easy, even on a cloudy day. At least, here in Ecuador. I've also decided that any town with more than 100,000 population will be too big. I've decided that any small town that meets the temp specifications and has a supermarket and ATM is one worth considering to live in.

At this point in my journey I have two towns on my top-20 list - Jipijapa and Montecristi.

Next up: Salinas.