Montanita, Ecuador - the Loose Town

One word to describe Montanita - LOOSE!

Some say they have great beaches but to me, it was too over-crowded with beer bottles and cigarette buds everywhere.

Having said that, it was worth a visit and we stayed there for 2 nights. I would recommend anyone to stay over the weekend so you get the craziness on Saturday night and chillness on Sunday night.

Such cliche with cocktail streets, hash pipes, jugglers, dread locks, people wondering mindlessly on the streets.

It's a loose place I tell you! We finished dinner at 10pm, started partying and the next thing I knew, it was 3am!!! There were still tons of people on the street like it was 9pm so you don't even realize how late it is! We danced some more and it was 8am!!!

I don't even drink or dance and I hate parties, but there was something about Montanita that would make you loose and party like there is no tomorrow.

The Galapagos Islands - wildlife paradise

The Galapagos Islands are nothing like you have ever seen. It's bloody expensive but it's worth every single penny.

The wildlife in the Galapagos Islands is unreal - giant tortoise (bigger than me), land and marine iguanas that look like mini-dinosaurs, Sally Lightfoot crabs that are bright orange, sea turtles, sea lions, sting rays, manta rays, white tip sharks, Galapagos sharks, hammerhead sharks, blue-footed boobies, flamingos, penguins, Frigate birds with heart-shaped red pouches, over 1,500 species of birds and much more.

The best way to get around the islands is by taking a cruise where you do island hiking with knowledgable English-speaking guides and snorkeling and get fed like a Queen each day.

To dive and snorkel with sea lions who come up and blow bubbles in your face and hammerhead sharks, is such a privilege and amazing experience.

It's the best biology class I've taken.

Did you know that 'sharks attack' is NOT due to the fact that they mistake humans as seals due to poor eye sights? In fact, their eye sight is as good as their smell (senses); Sharks attack because when we splash water, it sends magnetic waves to the sharks that resemble the ones caused by distressed animals, like something is injured? So sharks come up and check you out or take a nibble.

Humans are not in their food chain, tests has been done and proven that sharks move away when they smell human blood, even when they can see a tuna but with human blood around it. Also, they belong to the ocean, not us, after all, we invaded their territory at our own risks, it's not the shark's fault.

I have dived with a good number of sharks (not aggressive ones like great white or tiger or bull shark but still...many other species of sharks) and they are not threatening at all. In fact, they are phenomenal and one of the most beautiful creatures in the world.

It breaks my heart when people hate on the Chinese for eating shark fins. I promise you, it's because many of them are not aware of the process and they need to be educated. Just like you don't question how baby lambs are made or cows are slaughtered. The younger generation is more aware but if you are reading this, tell everyone you know (but please be polite and aim to bring awareness, don't challenge them and become a nightmare because how would you feel if someone had a go at you for eating meat)?

There are over a billion Chinese and we need to start somewhere. We can make a change, maybe small but we can. I have started a while ago, if you haven't already, start now.

Quito, Ecuador

We strolled around Quito´s Old Town today which is declared a World Cultural Heritage Site by UNESCO (oh I love old towns and things).

The Old Town is an old but has pretty and colorful colonial buildings with balconies, and many magnificent churches and chapels.  We strolled around the busy plaza and had a great time visiting all the different churches - La Mecred, Cathedral of Quito, Santo Domingo, San Francisco, Basilica del Voto Nacional etc

Our favorite is La Compania, it has the magnificent exterior of the Cathedral in Mexico City and the incredible interior of the Santo Domingo in Oaxaca City.

However, here isn´t much to do, you can tour the whole Old Town in a day.

The strange thing about Quito is there is no one on the streets after 9pm at night.  And I mean NO ONE.  We looked out from our balcony and everyone has their windows shut, gates down.  It´s like a ghost town you see in a zombie movie!

Anyhow, I got to go, we have problems booking our Machu Picchu Inca Trail...x

Playa Del Carmen - Mexico

Ok I take back what I said about Playa Del Carmen in my previous blog. We stayed in Cozumel for 3 nights (by the way I didn't dive because I got food poisoning) and came to Playa today so it's easier to go to the airport tomorrow.

After being in Cozumel, Playa seems way better.

This is because there is a gorgeous beach right next to the busiest part of town but weirdly, is not so busy on the beach, the beach is relatively quiet. In Cozumel, you have to make an effort to go to the beach, rent a car or scooter. We sunbathed all afternoon, the girls were hot, hotter than Tulum but Tulum is stll nicer (beach-wise).

Further, the beaches in Cozumel we're really rocky so you have to be really careful but you won't have that problem in Playa.

Also, there is more happening in town in Playa whereas in Cozumel, it's just dead because most people are from cruise boats during the day.

My hubby went diving but said it was just average. The visibility was great but to call it one of the best diving sites was over-rated.

By the way, Mexicans are hilarious. They are so friendly and welcoming, at Playa, they will sell you stuff but won't harrass you, just politely say no and the will leave you alone.

Below was a funny conversation between us and a random Mexican on Fifth Avenue (if you also have my facebook, you will see it on my status):

Mexican: Do u want hotel?

Us: no thanks

Mexican: do u want cigars?

Us: no thanks

Mexican: do u want to look at my shop?

Us: no thanks

Mexican: do u want to party?

Us: no thanks

Mexican: do u want to get high? I've got weed

Us: lol WTF????

Cozumel, Mexico

I woke up, got the hump because I felt scammed into coming to Cozumel and we could have stayed in Tulum, our paradise.

But as usual, my hubby explained to me that it is what it is and we just have to make the best out of it.

So we rented a jeep thing (it's not a jeep but looks like one) and drove around the island, expect your rented car to be old, ours couldn't lock and none of the meter readings worked so we had no idea how much gas we had, how fast we were going and the only light that was on was "service engine soon".

Although it's still miles away from Tulum, the sky cleared and we found a few beautiful beaches. We found a particularly quiet one and sunbathed.

Then, we drove around the rest of the island. Just remember don't rent a bicycle or a scooter because the island is small but not that small. The heat, the road and the fact that you need to carry towels and backpack justify the renting of a car/jeep instead. Pay a little more for insurance, it's worth it.

We will go diving tomorrow and I can't wait as Cozumel is one of the best places in the world to dive.