Chocolate in the Jungle

So we're back from another amazing jungle trip to Pomarrosa, a small organic finca on the outskirts of Machalilla National Park. Anthony, our school director, 8 adventurous students and I made the journey, and it was definitely worth every minute. The beautiful scenery, and amazing food, the thrilling horseback journey, hiking, coffee roasting, and my favorite part, CHOCOLATE.

Benito, the manager of Pomarrosa, walked us through each step of processing cocoa, starting with the pod, and ending in a rich delicious cup of cinnamon hot chocolate.

Step One: Go out into the bush and find some cocoa pods!
Cocoa grows out of the trunk, not on the branches, and can ripen all year round, and even at different times on the same tree.

        

Anthony finds a ripe one!

Step Two: Pull out the beans inside the pods and roast them

The "roaster" that we used is a traditional ceramic oven made from local clay. First build a fire inside and wait until the coals get and hot. Then you put another ceramic bowl over the first one that's holding the fire. Then you throw in the cocoa and keep it moving around so it doesn't burn.

               

Step Three: Peel the cocoa beans by hand, leaving the shiny inside part.

By the way, this is the perfect moment to grab a few and pop them in your mouth. 

Pure dark cocoa-y goodness.

Step Four: Throw all the beans in a grinder

A warning: As you grind the beans, your face is over the bowl and there will be an intense chocolaty smell bathing your face. This causes uncontrollable smiling (as seen in the photo below), and makes you ignore the pain in your arm muscles from working the grinder.

Flavia grinding away

Step Five: Ball up the cocoa paste and boil it with water, milk, sugar and cinamon until it's creamy, hot and delicious.

First bring the water to a boil with the cinamon. Then add the cocoa and let it simmer until the cocoa flavor is imbued in the water. Then add lots of milk and sugar to taste.

Step Six: ¡Disfrutalo!
This is the easy part. You will notice a bit of on oily sheen on the surface, and lots of sediment at the bottom. This is normal. That's how you know it's the real stuff! And by real stuff, I mean experiencing the richest, smoothest, freshest chocolate you ever had in your life.

Cocktail Alley - It’s a Montañita Thing!

So you’ve headed to Montañita, you’ve enrolled in one of our epic Spanish classes,
brushed up on your vocab in the morning and spent the afternoon surfing beautiful warm
waves.

It’s been a hard day by backpacking standards so you’re searching for some downtime. A
way to let loose and socialise.

Chill by the gorgeous Cabana pool? No not today - that’s too mellow.
Beach fire? Nah looking for some more people to meet.
Hit the clubs? Too much chaos for your liking.

So where to go and what to do?!

Luckily Montañita has the perfect solution - it comes in the form of Cocktail Alley.

CA is a road leading from the main street of Montañita down to the beautiful golden
beaches. During the day it’s simply another path to the sand where surfers mingle and
people apply some last minute sunscreen.

In the evenings though it’s the epicenter of pre drinking and nightlife.

Lining the street are over 20 cocktail stands - each brandishing an impressive array of
spirits and with epic amounts of choice. Simply choose your poison!
The beach vibe spills into the street with reggae and salsa filling the air and each thatched
bamboo stand has its own individual feel.

Many of the owners flash lights to the sound of the music or have a full on cocktail making
show going on - simply pick one that takes your fancy (or simply has some space!) and get
your order in!

People dance in the streets, sip ice cold cubre libres and run down to the beach for a
cheeky midnight swim. It’s the perfect balance of party, mingling and alcohol. You can
have a quiet daquiri or two over some friendly banter or use it as a bouncing point for a
long night in the clubs.

It’s a unique experience that I’ve yet to come close too anywhere else in the world - and
the best part?
At on $2.50 a cocktail (and a strong one at that!) it won’t even blow the tightest of
backpacking budgets!

...mines a mojito by the way!

By Chris Stevens

Our awesome surf intern

Montañita = Paradise

Chris, our awesome new Surf Intern, gives the scoop on Montañita:

Montañita sits on the Ecuadorian coastline - around a 4 hour bus journey from the
southern capital of Guayaquil. It’s a beautiful mix of beach life and backpacker chaos!

If you’re heading our way soon then this mini guide to the town will give you an insight into
what’s in store for you!

Surf

Montañita is firmly established on the South American surf scene - in fact it’s one of the most
consistent and classic waves on the continent. The beach break offers a large stretch of
sand to paddle on from and is great to learn in on a smaller swell.
For those more experienced the point break at the northern end of the town offers a large,
hollow wave which can break up to 15 foot!
If there is little or no swell (which is a rarity in Montañita) the town lays nestled on a surf
rich coast, and a short bus ride or drive will mean you can find waves everyday.

Even if you can’t surf the locals and visiting surfers will always put on a show which is
great to watch while topping up your tan!

Nightlife

With the influx of backpackers and travellers comes a vibrant nightlife - and Montañita has
it by the bucketload!
The infamous “cocktail alley” takes over a side road at night, with heaps of bar shacks
serving up everything from mojitos to white russians. It’s a great place to start the night,
and dancing in the street until the early hours is the norm!

If you’re wanting more of a club seen Nativa Bambu offers a great vibe and it’s open air
balcony overlooks the beach. The beginning of the night sees live reggae bands and then
the in house DJ’s take over with a mix of music.
For those with a little more laid back taste in music Caña Grill fits the bill! Another partially
open air club it hosts live ska and reggae bands - and with a floor covered in sand it’s a
great place to kick off your flip flops and bust out your salsa skills!

Food

Every taste is covered on the Montañita food scene. Whether you’re drunken munchies
find you craving a hamburguesa completa (a burger topped with ham, grilled cheese and an
egg) or you fancy a more upmarket restaurant experience you’re sure to find something to
hit the spot.
The street food is pretty mixed too - and for a few dollars you can pick up everything from
empanadas, burritos, corn on the cob and even a tasty bowl of fruit, granola and yogurt for
breakfast.

...and don’t worry if you’re vegetarian - the hippy vibe in Montañita means you’re happily
catered for!

Accommodation

There are heaps of places to stay in town - for every budget and taste. You could go for the full Ecuadorian experience with a homestay or even flashpack it up with a hotel.

The Spanish School Cabanas are pretty epic though - and thats not even a bias opinion!
A quick stroll from town means everything is in walking distance, but you can escape the
noise of the town for a good nights kip.

With privates and dorms - complete with a pool and jacuzzi what more could you ask for?!

If you’re studying here it’s got a great vibe, with students brushing up on their language
skills in the evening before heading to the beach for sunset or town to dance the night
away!