Paradise Found

This might be it.  We might have found paradise on the Pacific coast in Ecuador.  

Glad for no surprises on our short flight to Manta, we enjoyed the meandering drive south along the coast.  Smoothly paved roads seemed fitting for this smooth leg of our journey.  Fishing villages like the one below punctuate the otherwise vacant sandy shoreline.

Our destination was in the tiny village of La Entrada. (Check out our new Map page with the tab above the beginning of our article on our blog.)  The sleepy village looks something like this:

There are miles of sandy beach in each direction.  No crowds.  Hardly any people at all.  The boys love the waves which are sizable enough for surfing but small enough that Shelly and I can comfortably allow the boys to play in them.  The beach in Montanita, a town 15 minutes south of us, hosts an international surfing competition annually.

When trying to decide where to visit after Guatemala, we knew we wanted to be near the coast where the water and air were warm and where rainy season wouldn't be a damper.  We also knew we wanted to be in a Spanish speaking country.  And finally, we wanted to relax.  Shelly found a spot where we could do all of this: a bed and breakfast right on the beach.

And this bed and breakfast comes with lots of perks.  First, the hosts (named Marsha and Shell, believe it or not) are extremely warm.  They drove the two hours to the airport to pick us up and gave us a multi-stop tour of the coast on the way to the villa.  They've catered to our needs very well so far.

But the list of perks keeps going.  A pool with a slide.

Atticus is already rapidly improving his swimming.

A beach volleyball court.

If you knew Shelly's phobias, this last perk might surprise you: a chocolate Labrador aptly named Choco.

At three years old, this Lab is both playmate and protector for the boys.  He never tires of fetch and prefers to bring back more than one ball at a time.  It's been a pleasant bonus to have this mild-mannered and playful dog with us.

It'll be many sunsets until we tire of this haven by the sea.  Good thing I got my passport extended!