Atacames

According to the Ecuadorian girl I met on the bus to Guayaquil, Esmeraldas was a top place to visit in her country. But I was disappointed. A dodgy looking little town, I couldn't see any touristy places or even the ocean. But I thought to give it the benefit of the doubt and stay a night to do more exploring in the morning. I learned however, of Atacames nearby, which was geared more to tourists and took a cab there.

I found a hotel for $10 a day situated fifteen seconds from the beach. It was an awesome place; great beach, a long street of thatched bars and restaurants on the sand, pumping music to compete with their close neighbors. There were many hotels, internet cafes and places to eat. The food was quite expensive though the portions large and delicious... apart from the cebiche.

I was prepared not to judge Ecuadorian cebiche after one sample in the inland town of Mitad del Mundo and hoped that on the coast it would be better. It wasn't. The lime juice was dilute and the main meat was prawn and not raw fish. How could they get it wrong? Ah, my Peruvian bias!

The town was set up perfectly to be a tourist party town but it wasn't. Why? Well, it was dead. Maybe the season was still low, but I saw many tourists and no one at the bar restaurants. Someone needs to put this place on the map.