Porque Olon?

February 16, 2012

Most of the small town “grocery stores” along the coast are essentially just a storefront with a barred window, where you stand outside and point to the items you desire. We’ve always been lucky in Olon to have the Oloncito Super Market, which is larger, and one could walk around inside to pick up the things needed.

Our friends, Antonio and Patricia Zamora who own the Oloncito Super Market moved last month to a new location across the street from their old tienda (to read more about them, please see “Trash Truck Groupy” written a couple of posts back). The new store is bigger and better, with several aisles, larger inventory, and – this is a real novelty for our area – actual shopping baskets to use while gathering your stuff and cash registers. We are tickled to have it nearby, and thrilled for Antonio and Patricia, who told us a few weeks ago that this was “a ten year dream” in the making for them. Eventually, they want to add a restaurant above the store.

We really love our little town of Olon, and proud to call it home. Unlike many of the little towns along the Ruta del Sol (Spondylus), Olon’s road’s are paved, we have a beautiful new central park with a stage, a gazebo, and a sandy playground area for the kids.

Along our beach are a number of cabanas that serve fresh seafood (Lolita’s and Tito & Hannah’s are a couple of our favorites), and our beach now has a “cocktail stand”.  More restaurants are opening in town that serve great food at great prices and offer other choices (rather than seafood) such as grilled pork chops, chicken, “chuzos cuencanos” (chorizos). “Leila’s” next to the park is still the most popular; several of their neighbors have recently opened similar eating establishments outside their homes – we haven’t tried them yet – but we hear they also serve yummy food too. 

Another restaurant called “Nettuno’s” is now open; the owners are super-nice (he is Italian) and they serve decent pizzas and cheeseburgers. *

A new Columbian restaurant (along the Ruta, across the street/diagonally north from the Olon CLP station) opened awhile ago (called “Chalen – Country Latino”) and on many nights, a talented Latin acoustic guitar player (Cantautor Guitarrista – Diego Jiménez) serenades with  some of the most delicious music that we can hear from our new back patio.

Also, para-sailing adventures are now available during “the season” on the Olon beach (I think around $45/pp), and it’s fun to watch while enjoying a cerveza.  Todd and I can’t wait to try it (“double sail” offered).

But most of all, the local people of Olon are wonderfully kind and patient and have a great sense of humor.

Some of the pictures on this post were taken last month during the “6 de enero Reyes Magos” (also known as the “Dias de los Inocentes y Reyes Magos”). This holiday is celebrated on the sixth of January in many countries and we enjoyed watching the festivities here.

In Ecuador, the 6th of January is celebrated.  The customs of the “Festival of the 3 Kings” may vary according to each town/traditions here.

In a a recent email comment about Olon:

                                                                                            

“The nice thing about Olon, is that it has all the necessities needed for any vacation. There is a wonderful atmosphere in the town, fantastic locals, and an extremely quiet ambience at night…

The best part of the "Jardines de Olon" is that it’s in its own little community of tranquility, and just outside the gates you have one of South Americas most beautiful beaches, and a great little town filled with life and good energy” 

Daisy's Auntie Beth & Todd
Birthday party hats optional.

For the most part, there are some great gringos buying and moving here, many with special talents, skills and passions.

But one of our most favorite neighbors is Elizabeth (aka known as Daisy’s Aunt Beth) who is from South Carolina with a heart for rescuing animals both there and here, and the one who convinced Todd and I to adopt/rescue the Daismeister beach stray when we move here permanently (we think she was around 7-9 months then, hadn’t been through a heat yet, and Aunt Beth paid for her sterilization.

Elizabeth just started a website called homeolon.com, dedicated to the care of the strays in our Olon area. Please see that website, and if you want more details and specifics, please contact Beth directly at  homeolon@gmail.com.

Elizabeth is selling tee-shirts and hats with the logo “Leave Me in Olon” and to quote her website:

“You can help eliminate the needless suffering that results from over-population by purchasing one these products. $10 from the sale of each of “Leave Me in Olon” hat or shirt goes toward spay/neuter in Olon, Ecuador.

We love our new
Olon tee-shirts and Todd's hat.

* Nettuno’s is getting ready to move to a new location, as yet undetermined, but presumably somewhere still in Olon.