Roaming South America

Playas, Ecuador

December 23, 2022

Playas, Ecuador: Less than 40,000 live in the city of Playas, but in the entire metropolitan area there are around 70,000. The major industry here is tourism, followed by fishing. The area is known for it's seafood restaurants. There is a large shrimp farming industry, and many farms are growing the pitaya fruit (dragon fruit). As for any historical info, there isn't a lot. The city dates back to the colonial era (there's nothing more specific than that). From the pre-Columbian era there are traces of indigenous communities along the coast in this area, which survived until the Spanish conquistadors conquered the area. In 1901 the powers-that-were in Guayaquil decided to turn the area of Playas into an actual town. Then in the mid-20th century, it started to grow exponentially.

The climate here is dry at only 443 millimeters (17 1/2 inches) of rain per year. With an average of 26° C (79° F) during the days and 22° C (71° F) during the nights.

So, my impressions: I like this town. The place is small yet has everything needed to live here, including a new mall. The city center is compact and walkable and surprisingly busy. Bus service to other towns is exceptional. I will put Playas on my top-10 list.

My goal is 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, 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 countries mentioned above 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, Montecristi, and Playas.

Next up: Milagro.