We head out after breakfast for a walk along the beach which is beautiful. The map on the right is all of Ecuador where Salinas is the red dot. The map on the left is the peninsula where Salinas is. Our hotel is the blue dot. We start out walking west along the Malecon or boardwalk and then move right down to the beach to wade along the water. We are not dressed for a swim yet so wading is fine, the water feels great and the temperatures are warmer than we have had so far this trip.

There are many tents and umbrellas along the beach. Sometimes they are 3 or 4 deep where the depth of the beach allows. Where it narrows they are only one deep. The waves are crashing in and children and adults are washing back and forth with the surf. The kids are especially gleeful. The photos today are all my cell phone as Stu didn’t bring his camera.

Great walk along a very very busy beach. As we walk the tent vendors approach us. They tell us that we can rent a tent and 4 chairs for $15. We will keep that in mind for tomorrow.

It is near noon and we are near the equator. This is how short our shadows are here.

We walk as far west on this beach as we can so we start back and find a very nice place for a cold beer. It is shaped like a ship and is right on the Malecon. Here is the view we are forced to endure while we drink our beer!!

After we finish we head back the beach to walk east from where we are. The farther east we go the fewer tents and umbrellas there are. Greg and Stu are farther ahead than Leslie and I. There is a spot with some larger rocks and the beach is very very narrow at that point. Greg and Stu have to run to escape some larger waves. Leslie and I wait for a bit and then attempt to get past. Large waves start to crash the little bit of beach. We turn our backs to the waves they but are soaking us up to our chests. One wave comes in and the sand under my feet gets sucked out and I fall. I have my hat and sunglasses on, I am carrying my cellphone in a dry bag and I also have my water bottle in an over the shoulder strap. I am trying get back up but the sand is sliding away under my feet. Leslie is trying to grab me but the waves are so strong that I am rolling in and out with each wave. Greg runs in to grab me while telling Leslie to run. He gets me up and I run to the bigger beach where Stu is. My hat, glasses
are still one my head and my phone around my neck, but my Swell bottle fell out. It is bobbing near by and Greg rescues that as well!

I am drenched, but that’s OK. I have sand everywhere. I had my travel wallet in my pocket. It was one that we got in Morocco in 2011. It is red and the dye is obviously not set. The last photo below shows 4 $20 bills that are now stained red. Pretty sure the merchants down here will not accept them.

We head back to our hotel where I deposit about a pound of sand in the shower.

We end the day at a restaurant nearby that is owned by a Canadian. We have a really great meal here. It is expensive compared to the Ecuadorian restaurants we have been eating at. But it was excellent.

Fabulous day and Leslie and I survived!!! 🙂