Surfing and Sunsets in Canoa

We were thinking of nipping out to the west coast before heading south, and the ever-helpful Crystal from our travel company in the Galapagos recommended Canoa, and particularly Hostal Baloo, where, as well as accommodation, they do surfing lessons and yoga J  So, we boarded the overnight bus in Quito at 11:30pm, and arrived in Canoa at 7:30am the following morning.  This was not really a peaceful night’s sleep.  Here’s me looking very glad to have reached our beach hut home for the week.

Canoa was a small fishing village until recently, and then surfers arrived, attracted by it’s beach breaks.  There used to be only a ferry connecting it to the nearest big town, but about 18 months ago a causeway was built.  Since that time, the town has doubled in size, and is popular with weekenders also.  We’re here for Easter, so heaven only knows what it’ll be like.  At the moment, though, it’s quiet, with a fantastic empty beach.

Diane likes it, anyway.  We went walking on the beach every morning, before the heat really kicked in at about noon.

We really did try surfing and yoga, too !  Ignoring the fact that I am, I think, a man, we did both with Betty Surf and Yoga, based at our hostel.  Here we are on our first surfing lessons, trying to master the pop: that is, to move from prone on the board to standing in a single, fluid motion. Diane decides staying on both knees is quite stable actually.  I’ve got my right flat foot on the board here, and now I’m wondering how to get off my left knee.

Well, it didn’t happen in the first lesson, but I did manage it on the second, helped by Roxy, the instructor’s surfing dog, who kept trying to climb onto my board.  It probably would have helped to have at least one animal on board that knew what they were doing.

And here I am, surfing with style.  Bad style.  Lord only knows what I’m doing with my hands.

And here’s Diane emerging from the Pacific.

As you might expect, the sunsets here are spectacular, so here’s one.

The tide was getting bigger and bigger during the week, and reached it’s peak over the Easter weekend itself.  It went through some of the sun shelters on the beach, and down towards the Malecon, the dirt road along the back of the beach lined with restaurants and bars.

All good fun.  Nobody really seemed to mind, but then I suppose it happens fairly regularly.  We had a lovely time, but heavens it was hot, and the mosquitoes are both prolific and active, so we’re off back to Quito briefly, and then down to Baños, in the Andes.  Here’s a final sunset anyway.