Z - Zen

“And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.”

I have a couple of thoughts to end this column, but before I do I want to share two other items.

The first is a Q&A posted on Facebook last year. I think this short dialogue might describe my town better than anything I could say (minor editing by me):

Christos: Hola Puerto Lopez,

I'm currently enjoying the grand hospitality at the DD in Playa Santa Marianita, both of which I highly recommend:) However, along with the much larger Crucita to the north, I find it lacking in the basic services which I hope to find in PL.

So, ***does*** PL have a butcher, a baker and a barber?;) (And perhaps a shop selling the fresh fish being caught daily?!?) Oh, and maybe at least one tienda selling fruit and veggies (and Rum;~)? I get that the Ecuadoran Coast is relatively new as a travel destination - ergo many beach towns are entirely dependent on Manta, Porto Viejo, Guyaquil, etc. - but I'd like to hear that PL is more self-reliant than what I've seen to date. I'm looking at buses and hope to meet some of you as my guests for some humble meal or drinx as your time and inclination may afford later this week.

Ciao, C7

(resident response): PL has been a well kept secret, at least from you, lo these many years. At least 14 barbers, a major fish market on the malecon with breakfast & lunch, major mercado, who knows how many tiendas, 3 large grocery/general stores that stock wines from Chile & AR along w/rum & other spirits. Also Banco Pichincha & ATMs. Actually we shouldn’t be sharing all this!

And this statement from another resident (who also doesn’t wear a wrist watch):

The realization is that when using less stuff and owning less, I've become way more relaxed and focused. Both very hard things for me in the past. Also, the lifestyle here has made me realize that the biggest thing that you can share with someone is your time. Meaning 2 things to me, start spending more time with the people l love, and stop waisting time on things and people that are not worth the time.

I also can't say that this is all peaches and cream. The street dogs will get to you, the dust gets old quick, like everywhere there's it's highs n lows.

Puerto Lopez is a fantastic place to live. It is not the life for everyone, but it is for me. I enjoy watching the town grow and modernize; it will be very interesting to see what it looks like in twenty years.

Anyone who reads this blog is welcome to drop me a line. If you happen to be in town, let me know; I’ll meet you at Victor’s for a beer.

(Except on Thursday)