Santo Domingo is a very crowded city that basically serves as a transportation hub between the coast and the mountains. It is impossible to compare to any American or European city that I have visited. There is always a dusty haze in the air. It feels and looks as if it might start raining at any moment. It is very difficult to distinguish the classes in Santo Domingo, as no home appears particularly wealthy from the outside. Apart from the mall and the movie theater, there is not much to do in Santo Domingo. Fun Fact: In Ecuador, they do not use the Spanish word for shopping - they simply say "Voy a shopping".
Thus, Laura and I are taking the opportunity to explore more of Ecuador each weekend. This past weekend, Laura and I traveled to la Isla de la Plata (literally - Island of Silver), which is also known as the "Poor Man's Galapagos". It is a very small island off the cost of Ecuador and is part of Machalilla National Park.
But let me start with the beginning of our trip. To visit la Isla de la Plata you must stay in Puerto Lopez and take an hour boat ride to visit the island. In order to reach Puerto Lopez, we took a bus from Santo Domingo to Portoviejo and then a second bus from Portoviejo to Jipijapa and then a third bus from Jipijapa to Puerto Lopez. Upon arriving in Puerto Lopez, we took a motorcycle taxi to our hotel. Clearly we have mastered Ecuadorian transportation!
Our hotel was called La Barquita (the boat) and was located right on the beach:
We took a wonderful tour of la Isla de la Plata and we were able to see many birds, dolphins, fish and turtles. We attempted to go snorkeling. However, there were too many jellyfish in the water that were releasing a liquid that felt like tiny electrical shocks all over one's skin - thus, it was not very enjoyable.
On Sunday, we returned to Santo Domingo and prepared for the week!
This looks BEAUTIFUL! have fun kate!
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