Salinas, Ecuador - Polarsteps

Salinas, Ecuador, a city of about 50,000, 35,000, (two different sites with different numbers), or 170,000 (that's the entire metropolitan area), is the furthest west point of Ecuador. The only references I can find for the date of foundation say the "19th century." Its economy is based on fishing, tourism, construction, and salt production. Archeologists have found evidence of this area being populated back to 8600 BC. Salinas has four major beaches. They include San Lorenzo Beach which has big waves and is favored for surfing. Mar Bravo Beach with its incredible sunsets and banned swimming due to its dangerous water conditions. Chipipe Beach has calm waters and is a favorite for families with children that want to play in the water. And La Chocolatera which is actually located on the Naval Base. Here the waves crash into the caves in the cliffs which causes the spray and foam to resemble that of hot chocolate. Salinas has a beautiful touristy downtown, the suburbs are as you'd expect. The whole place is too big and noisy, has too much air pollution from the busses, trucks, cars, and motorcycles, and I didn't really like any of it.