Mompiche

Mompiche is another sleepy surf town on the northern Ecuadorian coast. The town is charming and one of my favorite places that I've been to in the last 10 months. There are about 500 residents and only a handfull of gringos. The locals were friendly and happy. The town was simply relaxed. The beach is wide during low tide and very narrow at high tide with warm water and nice waves. I was able to rent a beachfront apartment for $10 a night with two friends and the apartment had a full kitchen.


I woke up at 7am in order to buy fish brought in just minutes before from local fisherman. These two fish cost 50 cents each. We had to gut and scale the fish but that was part of the fun. Getting other supplies like fresh vegetables could be difficult, with trucks delivering produce tri-weekly and with inconsistent hours, but that was Mompiches charm.


Mompiche had some of the best and cheapest seafood on my trip. Across the street from my apartment was an amazing restaurant and the Shrimp Apanados was a favorite dish of mine.