Anita’s father picked us up from the airport in Esmeraldas and drove us to the Sales home approximately 45 minutes away in Atacames. The Sales had recently arrived in Ecuador as well. Orlando owns a construction company in Cockeysville, Maryland and that is where they live for the majority of the year. The couple frequents Michael’s Café and that’s how Christina met them. When we arrived, we were greeted by Juliana, the Sales' youngest daughter. 
Once we arrived we were shown to our room and given careful instructions about the mosquito nets to be used when we’re sleeping. Apparently, by Orlando’s account “The Mosquitos come in here in the evening and will carry you out if you don’t use spray and the nets”. I wasn’t going to argue.Their home is beautiful and located right on the beach. However, to get to the beach you have to walk thru a grove of palm trees with coconuts and hammocks dispersed thruout. It's quite inviting, beckoning you to just kick back and relax....I for one was not too hard to convince.
The next day, we woke up and had breakfast on the patio. It was warm, but overcast at that hour in the morning, it didn't matter to me.....like I said, it was warm.
:0) We were having coffee and Tamales for breakfast. Anita was telling Christina and I that a local woman makes the best tamales so she orders a lot when she comes to Atacames and they were delicious.
Later that day; Anita, Christina and I took a Moto-taxi into the town of Atacames. Of course the purpose of this excursion was to SHOP!!!! And that is what we did.
Atacames is located at the coast of the Pacific 38 km south from the city of Esmeraldas and 350 km north of the capital of Ecuador, Quito. The small beach resort town of Atacames has a very popular nightlife and is immensely popular for visitors from Quito, as well as from Colombia, and apparently gets very crowded on weekends and holidays. We were only there for 3 days over the New Year and the place was packed!
A huge plate of delicious ‘ceviche de camarones’ with a cold beer, sums up the joy of life on the beach in Atacames. With New Year’s Eve looming large, we had graciously been invited to join Anita’s family in Esmeraldas for the celebration. So – we readied ourselves, with the help of the girls, to head into the big city.
Celebrating New Year's Eve in Esmeraldas:
But first, a little history about Esmeraldas:
In the northwestern corner of Ecuador, cultures with roots spanning the globe come together amidst jungle, river, and sea. This intriguing nexus of peoples and ecosystems is the essence of the province of Esmeraldas, and its primary allure for the visitor.
European feet first touched Ecuadorian soil here, when the Spanish landed on the Pacific coast in 1526. The conquistadors were astounded to find Indians bedecked in emeralds awaiting them on shore. Convinced that the region was abundant in the brilliant gems, they named it Esmeraldas.
While today's Esmeraldas harbors few emeralds, it does live up to its other name, the "Green Province." The northernmost of the coastal provinces, Esmeraldas is also the lushest, riddled with estuaries, mangroves, and flooded tropical forest. Its wild and remote inland areas, accessible only by canoe, make Esmeraldas the ideal staging ground for an epic river safari.
Esmeraldas' greatest attraction, however, is the openness and joie d'vive of its people. The majority are Afro-Ecuadorians, whose ancestors arrived in Esmeraldas in the 1600's via wrecked slave ships or escape from Colombian sugar plantations. The isolation of Esmeraldas (roads did not reach the north coast until almost 30 years ago) has helped these people retain their African roots, vibrantly evident in the hypnotic drumbeats and sensual dance steps of the marimba. Newcomers over the past 100 years have made Esmeraldas the most ethnically diverse province in Ecuador.
Before arriving at Anita’s family’s home, we spent the time between the hours of 9 - 11 driving (actually crawling) the streets of Esmeraldas. The city was so crowded and alive with preparation for the celebration of the New Year. Extravagantly detailed and decorated Año Viejos could be seen everywhere. They were on balconies, store fronts, tied to the roofs of vehicles and complete stage set-ups. There were pickup trucks loaded with fruit and vegetables in their backs found throughout Esmeraldas. Anita purchased a bunch of grapes for our celebration later.
Feliz año Nuevo:
New Year's Eve is known as Noche Vieja. It is a custom to stay at home till midnight and at midnight people eat twelve grapes. The people of the Ecuador pick and eat twelve grapes from a bunch just as the clock strikes twelve on New Year's Eve. When it is midnight, each time the clock chimes, they put a grape in their mouth. By the time the clock has finished chiming, everybody has to have finished their grapes and the New Year starts, but nobody finishes eating the grapes on time. This tradition started in Spain because one year when there was a big grape harvest, the king of Spain decided to give grapes to everybody to eat on New Year's Eve. This tradition is said to ensure twelve happy months in the coming year and are performed for the health, wealth, prosperity and protection of each member. Christina and I performed this ritual as well, but not until we were sitting at the dinner table well after the clock struck 12.
Prior to the strike of 12, everyone is partying outside of their homes, along with the Año Viejos. When it was midnight, the Año Viejos were dragged across the street and set on fire. In some areas, it’s traditional to jump across the burning object for good luck in the New Year. However, Orlando warned us about the firecrackers that were put in our Año Viejo so we skipped that part. Family, friends and neighbors walk up and down the street hugging and wishing “Feliz Año” along the way. It’s really a cool way to bring in the year.
The family sits down for dinner at 12:30 After the family dinner and the grapes, many people attend New Year parties at pubs, discotheques and similar places (these parties are called cotillones de nochevieja, after the Spanish word cotillón, which refers to party supplies like confetti, party blowers, party hats, etc.). Parties usually last until the next morning and range from small, personal celebrations at local bars to huge parties with guests numbering the thousands at hotel convention rooms. We went to a party at a hotel. I think we arrived at approx. 2:30 a.m. and the place was empty. We were drinking scotch and water (Chivas and Johnny Walker Black mind you) something I never drink, but hey – it was a new year after all. About an hour later, this place was jam packed. There was no room to dance even if you wanted to. It was a blast and a celebration to remember. We made it back to the house and in bed at around 7a.m. and that my dear friends is one for the record books. :0)
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