If you must ask, yes, those are my feet :3
You know how for the Language Tales post series I promised no grammar for the next post? Well, this is it.
I haven’t gone to the beach in a little over a year, and if you’re a ‘Costeña’ View Spoiler », that earns you some suprised gasps. On the holidays, be it Christmas, New Year, Easter, or a birthday, most Ecuadorians kind of gravitate towards the beach.
A lot of people say our beaches are beautiful. I know there are some incredibly breathtaking beaches out there in the world, but I love, love mine to death too.
But just in case you were wondering, what does a writer/reader like you and me does at the beach precisely?
First, you get yourself a tent and a couple of chairs
Don’t let anyone con you. A tent + four chairs is about $10, don’t let anyone charge you more than that unless you need more chairs.
But how do you get these items anyway? Well, you can bring your own, but nah. Or you can rent them, which isn’t that hard. Literally, all you have to do is be in general proximity to the sand and the people with the tents and chairs will come to you. Don’t forget to make sure that in your haste to be close to the sea, you’re not that close. The water goes up during the day, so you might want to keep your distance.
Of course this only applies to the main beaches like Salinas, Playas, Atacames… There are a ton more, where there aren’t any vendors and it’s Bring Your Own Stuff.
Once settled in the chair of your preference, well, read
At your own peril, though. My shirt was soaked so I accidentally got a page of Scarlet, by Marissa Meyer wet. D: Maybe a kindle or nook would be safer?
Nothing is safe from the beach, anyway.
Lay back and salute the people who walk by your tent selling you glasses (Maybe buy a hat)
I like deserted beaches, don’t get me wrong, but if you come to an Ecuadorian beach not in holidays and on an ordinary day, you can peacefully enjoy your day there even if it’s one of the main ones. You do not want to visit Salinas in Carnaval, or Easter. There’s not space to even stand with your arms at your sides!
The best way to enjoy your Ecuador beach day is to visit a main beach on a plain, mortal ordinary day. And if you don’t want people offering you food and other goods while you’re trying to relax, pretend you’re asleep, or reading :3
Feed yourself
I cannot stress this enough. To get the full (in this case) Salinas experience, you must get some chavelitas. Like with everything else, just stay in your seat for long enough and they will come to you. They’re these delicious butter biscuits that are a lot like those amazing danish ones.
As for something more subtancious, same rules apply. About noon, the food guys will parade around and offering people menus. You order your food, and they deliver it to you right there at the beach.
Well, and don’t just stay there! Your butt will thank you if you get it off that chair!
The sea is right in front of you and the water is delicious! (Please refrain from drinking it, though). Or, if you’re more of an adrenaline junkie, or you just want to do some exciting stuff, get on a water motorbike! I’m a danger to civilians on those things so I don’t do it much, but you should totally try this! Last I knew, it’s $15 for 15 minutes. Excellent for a better idea of how to write those car/motorbike chasing scenes!
Right now, I’m back to the crazy weather of my city, but the two-hour trip was completely worth it to get some real sun. If you ever drop by, I completely recommend visiting Salinas, Santa Elena, (the city). Plenty of places to stay, restaurants, and lively nightlife. However, I do not recommend Salinas (the beach). If you ask around, or consult with a map, you should find pretty easily this beach called ‘Chipipe’, which has parking spaces, and it’s just cleaner. It’s located in Salinas (the city), so don’t worry!
And yep, these pics were taken there, in Chipipe.
I love this! I’ve never been to a beach where people walk around selling sunglasses and food and rent tents and chairs. My beach days have always just involved sandy towels and usually some chips and sandwiches that I packed lol. Oh, also injuries. I’ve rarely managed to go to the beach and not get hurt somehow. It’s like a curse. Your beach is so pretty though! The photos are great 🙂 And I think you’re onto something with that whole chair and tent thing, seems much more comfortable!
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Hahaha yes, all the major beaches here have people selling jewerly, dresses, sunglasses and food. Thanks!
*bookmarks page so I know what to do when I get stranded on an Ecuadorian beach*
GAH IT LOOKS SO PRETTY
Though bookishly speaking… wouldn’t your ebook reader get attacked by the water as well? And then you wouldn’t be able to read anything on it… *gets scared*
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I guess you have to be super careful. My page just got wet because I forgot my shirt was wet. It was such a dumb mistake! Glad you liked the post!
Ahh you make me want to go to Ecuador so much!! It looks gorgeous, and the perfect reading spot! Thanks for sharing, Pam!! 😀
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Thanks for reading! And yes! I managed to cover some chapters and even take a nap XD