Sometimes you have a day where everything just comes together nicely. Our last day in Mindo was one of those days. We decided to go to the El Quetzal restaurant for breakfast. We ordered and were pleasantly surprised with the best breakfast we’ve had in quite a while. Then we found out that the owners of the place also make their own chocolate.

A mot-mot spotted from our campsite in Mindo.

Having been on three or four coffee tours we had been wanting to learn a bit about chocolate. Add a trip to a winery and you might possibly have the three most important things in life covered. So without delay we signed up for their chocolate making tour. Our tour guide showed us everything from the plants to the raw beans to the drying and roasting process, similar to coffee. Then it was on to the most important part, the tasting.

We started with a small bowl of 100% pure chocolate that was the consistency of molasses. Unsweetened, it tasted dark and bitter, but still like chocolate. Then she added sugar, which made the taste much more palatable. Next we sampled the chocolate accompanied by ginger and ground chili peppers. The results were amazing, and we left with several items from their store, including a chocolate BBQ sauce that we can’t wait to try.

Our stomachs full and happy, we hit the road, descending toward a town on the Northern coast of Ecuador called Esmeraldas. The roads, as with most roads we’ve been on in Ecuador, were great and after a quick stop for groceries we rolled into a campground on the beach that other travelers had told us about.

The place was owned by Judith, an American who had spent virtually her entire life traveling. She had even driven a VW camper around in West Africa in the late 60s. She had been living on this beach in Ecuador for 23 years and was fascinating to talk with.

Since the day had gone so well up until then, we decided to cap it off with beer and lobster. A perfect end to a perfect day!

One of the local trees was losing its yellow flowers, and it looked as though they spread out a bed of flowers for us to camp on.

Our next stop featured a nice beach with this helpful sign indicating that we are now 5000km from some unknown point in Canada.

The place was funky, with a lighthouse serving as the bathroom and shower.

Our next stop was a short drive down the coast where we met a couple of American surfers driving a van registered in British Columbia. The van had apparently never actually been to BC, having been imported from Japan. Since then it’s been sold and resold to travelers and has probably seen more of South America than anyone alive.

Sunset on the beach in Canoas

Next stop Puerto Lopez, a small fishing town. It’s got a laid back atmosphere, and you can sort of tell it won’t be long before big hotels start pushing out the fishermen.