Unlike many of you, instead of spending Christmas huddled inside from the cold winter winds, sipping hot chocolate next to a sparkly tree, I spent Christmas drinking from coconuts and doing acro-yoga on the beach.
Before I proceed, I should say that we had a Christmas party at the reserve where we did Secret Santa, had dinner, and then I whooped everyone at foosball. It was great to see all the staff and volunteers at the reserve spending time together.
Figure 1. Happy group photo from all of us at the reserve. ¡Feliz Navidad!
Following the Christmas party, I took a 9 day holiday and spent the majority of it on the sunny coastlines. The first stop was Canoa, about 5 hours east of Sto. Domingo. This small, sleepy surf town consists of one main road that intersects with the waterfront street lined with bars and youth hostels. This town is popular with locals and internationals alike, as visitors flow in to spend their Christmas vacations surfing on the beach.
I stayed at Hostal Coco Loco, the most happening youth hostal in town. For New Year´s Eve, the hostel hosted a potluck dinner and caroling. Dinner was fantastic (as potlucks typically go), and caroling was…umm…interesting. I couldn´t describe us backpackers as a choir of angels exactly, but I do believe we managed to bemuse some fishermen and startle many pets. All in all, it was a good evening of merriment-making.
I spent Christmas morning surfing, or trying to rather, and Christmas afternoon napping (as I had very little rest the night before, winky face). Later in the afternoon/ evening I attended an acro-yoga class. That is, acrobatics and yoga. This consisted of partner positions that were both very challenging but lots of fun. In the evening, I had the atypical Christmas dinner of ceviche. For those less familiar with culinary jargon, ceviche is seafood, usually fish, shrimp, or shellfish, cured in lemon/lime juice and served in a cold soup of tomato, onion, and cilantro. It´s one of those foods that, once you get a taste for it, you keep on thinking about it until you have it again…and again…and again.
In Canoa the hot breezy air and chilled out atmosphere makes it difficult to get anything accomplished in a day. I very quickly started missing the cool, clean air of the reserve and being able to focus in on whatever book I was reading. I feel a bit like a first world brat, missing being at home reading while lazing in a tropical paradise. It was just too much sand and sunshine for me. After a few days it was time to pack the bags and hit the road again. Next stop was the crazy party town of Montañita.
Figure 2. Panoramic of a sunset in Canoa.
It seems that the entire country, and more, headed to Montañita for New Years. After arriving and checking in on many overbooked hostels, I had to settle in a place called Iguana Hostel. They charged 15 a night, and my accommodation was a mattress on a rooftop terrace shared by 20 other people (and I forgot to take a picture! Ugh!). The sidewalks of Montañita are lined with vendors selling tropical drinks, artisanal jewelry, and street food, and the streets are filled with…well, drunk people. One of the greatest delights I encountered on the street was a jovial coloured woman selling special brownies. On the first evening in Montañita, I encountered some friends I had met previously in Quito and had ballin´ time clubbing with them. Crazy enough, I met another salsa aficionado from Montreal and we had some amazing dances (and I did the dirty dancing move!). I slept through most of the next day, or at least didn’t do anything really worth mentioning on here. The evening was a similar routine of chilling and hanging out on in town. We purchased some cheap fireworks to set off on the beach. The first two were splendid and the last was a major safety hazard as it toppled over and blew up on the beach. I would not recommend this activity for the intoxicated and still feel a burn of regret when I think about how I let an explosive off in public. Hallelujah no one got hurt.
After two days I had had enough of this crazy beach town and headed back up to Quito to meet up with some friends (you can get from Montañita to Quito by taking a 2-3 hour bus to Guayaquil and then a 9 hour bus to Quito). On December 31st the streets were filled with people in ridiculous costumes up on floats blasting Latin music. People were wearing ridiculous wigs and fake eyelashes. I don´t quite understand the custom. Unfortunately I can´t comment on how New Years itself went because I snuggled into bed, couldn´t be bothered to get out, and missed the New Years countdown. The sad thing is I was so warm and content in bed, I´m not even sorry. Everything in Quito was closed the next day so I went back to the reserve. Travel tip: Avoid travelling on January 1st. I waited in line to get a bus ticket for two hours.
Figure 3. People dressed as Simpsons for New Years. I don´t know what´s happening.
Cloud Mountain 