The Economic Spectrum

Sailing Awards - very exclusive private Salinas Yacht Club

Relatively speaking, our 'life' in this beautiful country will be a short one.  Six months is barely enough to savor the exotic flavours deeply, or to ponder and reflect upon how such economic diversity exists in a country so small.  I suppose we are limited by own inhibitions, reluctant to do anything other than observe without judging, partake without indulging.

Sailing teams competing from across South America. A sport for the privileged, but wonderful to watch.

Guayaquil and Salinas showed us evident wealth,  not just amongst the ex-pats who have chosen to come here to live.  In fact, we've met several of that ilk who are existing on very little - all that is left to them after losing everything in the crash of the US dream.  Salinas has been primarily the playground of the Guayaquil well-to-do, until it was revealed (for the most part by the International Living viral publications) as a likely investment destination for retirees, enterprising entrepreneurs and just plain speculators.  Now it appears that Playas, another coastal town about mid-way between Salinas and Guayaquil is destined to be the next target for development.  Right now, it's where city folks go when they just want a day out at the beach - sun, surf, and go home at night.  But we hear that the capital has plans to pump big money into cleaning up, beefing up the infrastructure, and developing the sea-front.  Certainly if one has enough years left to sit it out, it would be a good place for investment dinero from abroad, because the potential is great. 

Just about the only highrise in Playas so far

A day trip with friends to Playas was an eye-opener for us.  It was, I suppose, a view to what Salinas must have been like ten or fifteen years ago, before the Malecon, before the white condo towers, before the back streets were tarmac.  Before Guayaquil wealth moved in. When the 'gringo' hadn't yet made a mark and redefined standards acceptable to western sensibilities.  In other words, a bit rough..

Our day plan was to take the main Guayaquil highway and branch off to Playas, have some lunch, walk around and explore, and then search out the thin thread of a coastal road that we could see on Google maps that should, by all rights, take us back, along the ocean to Anconcita, very close to Salinas. 

Part one and two went off flawlessly.  Drove around the town a bit, parked (for free...a marvelous thing in this country..no paid street parking.  As yet.  Although one does sometimes pay a guy a quarter when he motions you to a parking spot, and then another when he watches you back out, or pull out safely into traffic), and then wandered around the central square, looking for somewhere to eat lunch.  Glaringly obvious was the lack of tourist or ex-pat presence.

Observed: plywood Christmas tree, decorated for the season; the biggest iguana I've ever seen; a bar with a sign indicating 'senorita es necessito', meaning no single guys (!); tuktuks, like I haven't seen since Cambodia; gorgeous beach..always the gorgeous beaches. 

And the brilliant thing is, President Correa says all beaches in Ecuador must belong to the population of the country.  No one can buy property and make the beach private, no matter how big the hotel might be, or how much money is on offer.  The beaches are free for everyone.  It's a blessing, because it's simply endless beauty, stretching from one end of the country to the other.

Cute little bar - 'Es necessito senorita' sign - only guys with ladies!

I will say the food was disappointing that day.  We did not make the best choice of venue (tough choices), opting for a beach hut, where we were ushered to a table with commendable enthusiasm that failed to carry through to good service.  Three of the four of us did not enjoy our choices, but one of us thought his was delicious.  Then when the bill came - after our waiter spent about five minutes trying to add up the four entrees and four drinks - we had to do our own calculations, when his sum was at least $10+ too much.  Calculator? Not too common in these small places, it seems.  Wished I had one to leave with him...  Although he was wearing an awesome watch!

Then off we head for the part of the day I'd most looked forward to - finding the back road to Anconcita. I do love exploring those roads less traveled, and not doing enough of it these days!

The first five miles or so were uneventful - empty single track road, low mountains in the distance, desert on the right that could have been Nevada, and on the left, the Pacific.  Nice.  A few mules standing at the side of the road watch us pass.  We argue...are they burros, or mules?  Never mind that, they are mules - bigger, with handsome horse faces and very long ears.

Always - futball! National sport of Ecuador

Then we see some low buildings ahead - we are coming to a small town.  And the first things we see are pigs.  Everywhere.  Big black pigs - rooting around in the garbage around the houses; sows with litters of eight or so piglets trotting behind (no pun intended); like dogs, they run loose wherever they wish to go.  I bet there are more pigs than people in that little village of Engabao.

Once we get over the pig proliferation, we notice how poor the village really is.  I've been somewhat comfortable telling myself that in this country no one lives poorly.  Why should they, I think?  Oil is abundant here, as well as natural gas. The ocean is rich with marine life.  Fruit and vegetables of one kind or another grow abundantly. (And clearly pork is readily available...ha!)   But that just makes me naive, and poorly read.

Almost 5% of Ecuadorians live on $1.25 or less per day and most of that number is in the rural areas. Although statistics show a decline in the number of people living in poverty (2004 World Bank report shows 1 in 2 Ecuadorians couldn't meet their basic needs, with no social systems to support), that number has declined by 20% today - so there is some recovery following a collapse of their economy in 1999. But you don't see it in much of the rural areas, and some of the urban barrios, where squalor is still everyday life.

Close shave for tonight's dinner. Mmm. Can taste that cracking!

Hog tied - truly

Nevertheless, we felt a sense of industriousness in this little village. We stopped to take pictures of a freshly slaughtered porker being very closely shaven, and and noted Swine #2 hog tied (literally) in a narrow space.  I guessed these were destined for spit barbeque, skin on, which just made my mouth water.. 

Rolling the boats into the surf

Over a rise we came to an outlook over the beach, where a hundred or so beautifully painted fishing boats were readying to head out to sea.  These local fleets are all over the coast here, dashing out over the surf with 90 HP outboards, using rod, lines and nets to haul whatever they can and bring back to shore, before heading out again.  Back and forth all day...every day.  Fish are plentiful here, a blessing.

And that, sadly, is where we ran out of road.  A couple of Policia on motorbikes, relaxing by the lighthouse, told us with great amusement 'you can't get there from here'.  So, back to Playas the same way we came - back through Engabao where we see Swine #2 has been slaughtered and is getting his close shave, whilst Swine #1 is about to be readied for the spit.  Just so you know....did not put me off pork in any way!!  No fine sensibilities here!

We took the highway back from Playas, but did cut into Anconcito closer to Salinas, and ran the last few miles down the coast, along playa Enojado which means 'angry' because the surf here is roaring, with a wicked rip tide, and swimming is highly risky at the best of times. 

Another good day.  I'm starting to really get a sense of the discoveries lying ahead, and looking forward with excitement to getting up into the 'highlands' in a couple of weeks- on a bus, climbing up into the Andes, and exploring the wider spectrum of what this country is about.

Now, where are my hiking boots?!?