Puerto Amistad

Bahia de Caraquez, Ecuador

Here are some pictures of the approach to the Rio Chone, as seen from the shore...

Can you pick out the pass through the sandbars?

The Puerto Amistad marina is a very pleasant spot.  It is just on the edge of the town of Bahia de Caraquez, everything within easy walking distance.  This town is a bit of a resort, with high-rise condos and lots of restaurants and such.  Unfortunately, the place was somewhat devastated by land slides and earthquakes in 1998 and they have not completely recovered as yet.  There are lots of vacant looking buildings and the local businesses are a little hungry for clients.

The marina itself consists of a very nice restaurant and bar, clean washrooms and showers, and a nice cozy area for the cruisers to congregate and access the internet, complete with lots of handy plug-ins for laptops and such.  Very friendly and helpful staff.  So far, we have had lunch at the marina restaurant once and at another establishment a short distance away yesterday.  The food is very good - tasty and inexpensive.  The beer here costs $2 and that buys you a gigantic 600ml bottle - now that is what I call value!

 The marina has a dinghy dock but no docks for bigger boats.  They have about 14 moorings, which are all taken at this time.  At this point, we have had to anchor out and put our names onto a waiting list, in hopes that someone decides to leave in the near future - we may have to leave the boat at anchor for the season, which is not something we really want to do, but probably have no choice.

That bridge is new in the last 5 years, and pretty well prevents any sailboats from venturing any further up river.
All lit up and very pretty at night though.

Meanwhile, Susanne is busy checking out some alternatives for some local travel.  We would like to see some more of Ecuador, and certainly want to visit the Galapagos islands while we are in the vicinity, either now before we leave the boat for the season, or later when we return in the fall, whichever works out better.

{GMST}00|36.367|S|080|25.383|W|Puerto Amistad Marina, Ecuador|Puerto Amistad Marina, Ecuador{GEND}