Life After an Earthquake in Canoa, Ecuador by Tim Ghazzawi:
In 2016 a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck northwest Ecuador. Over 600 people died, thousands more were injured, and the tiny surf town of Canoa, near the epicenter of the quake, went into recovery mode. The government dispatched police officers and aid workers. Set up food and water distribution centers. A state of emergency was declared and the nation mourned.
When I arrived in Canoa last week, three years after the catastrophic event, there was still evidence of the devastation. Beachfront property had yet to be rebuilt. Graffiti covered piles of rubble. The town’s unpaved roads bumped alongside the wooden cabañas of the beach’s boardwalk. It was Thursday afternoon and the pace slow, the energy slumped.
I met a woman there. She runs a smoke shop called Cosmic Charlie’s and sells tobacco paper, bongs, pipes, and all sorts of fun paraphernalia. She’s lived a life, this woman. I could tell by the deep wrinkles in her skin and the weight in her step, not to mention the fact that she’s from Las Vegas and I’ve never met a person from Las Vegas who hasn’t lived a life. The store hadn’t opened yet, she said, but my house was leveled. And she pointed to a structure in the distance that she claimed was the only structure in town to have survived the quake at all.
Despite these reminders of the past, there are signs of a spirited recovery if you accept them in small doses. I passed a man repainting the sign of his recently reopened hostel and was offered surf lessons on multiple occasions by the town’s countless wave riders. Each of the beachfront cabañas were decorated in designs so clever and colorful and unique (and very much unlike the generic-looking cabañas of other beach towns I visited). I saw more fresh pineapples and limes and coconuts waiting to be made into smoothies than I’d seen on all of my coastal travels. New hats, sunglasses, and bracelets were sold exhaustively by the different vendors that walked the streets.
On Friday night, reggaetón and disco lights sprang from the same sleepy smoothie-producing cabañas I’d passed earlier in the day. I couldn’t help but feel invited to join in on the fun. On Saturday, Ecuadorian families from near and far poured onto Canoa’s beach for a sunny reprieve. That same evening, one lingering beachgoer sang her heart out to her husband at an empty karaoke bar. A live band performed a few doors down.
Perhaps most encouraging about Canoa’s recovery has nothing to do with its beach at all and instead with a community center constructed in the center of town. Multiple basketball courts and soccer nets are installed there. So too is a play area and a plaza for small events. I watched some local kids shoot hoops one night and couldn’t help but smile. These were Canoa residents, they had to be, enjoying the town as any 10-year old anywhere would love to enjoy their weekend: alongside their friends in a community built and designed for them.
A bar owner who’s lived in Canoa for 10 years told me she fled to Quito for months after the earthquake. To this day, tremors are still common. And while she said Canoa remains a work in progress, she also said that there’s no rush. It’s not our style, she said simply. As I sipped my mojito from her open-air cabaña, that style felt just right.
THE FACTS
I traveled to Canoa near the end of my journey along Ecuador’s coast. To get to there from Puerto Lopez in the south, I took a series of buses to Manta and then San Vincente and was dropped off not along after that. I’ve talked to some who find Canoa a bit too quiet and boring for their taste. I stayed for three days. Others I know fell in love with the place and didn’t want to leave.
Malecon Carlos Cassis y Calle s/n
Canoa, Ecuador
contact@hostelcocoloco.com
+593-959-10-1554
I recommended walking the small beach boardwalk until you find a cabaña that peaks your interest. You can’t go wrong with the seafood dishes and smoothies they serve.
I remember having a delicious breakfast with mounds of fresh fruit at a place called Mr. Waffle. I dined at Suki’s for a tasty order of shrimp and chips. I also had decent pizza and shawarma at other local joints in town.
- Leaving Canoa is complicated given the lack of a transportation terminal. Walk ~5 blocks straight into town from the colorful “Canoa” sign by the beach and you’ll reach a small bus agency office that can help you book your ticket to your next destination.
If you enjoyed reading about my trip to Canoa, you might also check out the other two stories from my recent trip to Ecuador:
- “In Cars with Strangers: A Reviving Return to Cuenca, Ecuador” by Tim Ghazzawi
- “Shoe Strings: My First Week in Ecuador” by Tim Ghazzawi
