There is much to be said about the scenic area at "The Boca" in San Jacinto, part of the San Clemente, San Aleo, San Jacinto area in Manabi province, Ecuador. While it is preferable to visit and take it all in here are some highlights and informations about the infrastructure:

 

 

Location, location, location

 

Nestled directly at the Pacific ocean San Clemente/San Jacinto is far enough away from it all to achive the serenity and tranquility we cherish as a way of life: Overlooking the ocean, detached from the stress and  "rat race", finally able to truly relax  yet close enough to all the modern amenities we don't want to miss.

 

Portoviejo,

the Capital of the Province of Manabi is just a 30 minutes drive away and features numerous hospitals,  doctors, dentists and other professionals like lawyers, engineers, etc. The two universities welcome many students and for your shopping needs there are two modern malls with Super markets and a variety of other speciality stores. For those who prefer there is also a daily Farmer's market laden with fresh produce. If you like to see the latest movie releases in Spanish and English, there is a modern six screen movie theatre. Public transportation is easy and several bus connections between San Clemente / San Jacinto are very frequent.

 

Manta

about 45 driving minutes away, offers the closest Airport with direct connecting service to Quito and there are plans for direct international service to the US in the future. Several Malls with many stores and shops and a large number of services and professionals are at home in Manta. The new bus terminal is under construction and should be operational in 2016. Manta is the Tuna fish capital of the world and the busy port caters not only to the fishing industry but also welcomes cruise ships as a stop on their voyage along the Pacific coast.

 

Bahia

a smaller town to the North can be reached within 30 minutes. It offers a new mall (the multiplex movie theatre will be open in 2016), a Farmer's market, hospitals and all types of healthcare providers and one of the few Marinas in Ecuador. Sailors are choosing Bahia as port of call before they set sails to the Galapagos Islands on their circumnavigation going West.

 

While the three cities mentioned above are providing many amenities they offer the "real" oceanfront lifestyle to a much lesser degree. Portoviejo is inland with no ocean access. Manta, while sporting many  Condo buildings (quite expensive, up to $2,000/sqm and higher), does not offer a nice beach. The same is true for Bahia which is a much smaller city but not really a beach lover's first choice.

 

The area of San Clemente / San Jacinto

provides just enough infrastructure with restaurants, bakers, small markets and shops to cover the daily necessities. Local doctors and pharmacies are present as well should the need arise and two government health facilities (Centro de salud) are also located right here.

 

The villagers are living mostly from fishing, especially for shrimp and the local variety of lobster. Other seafood is caught as well from the many colorfull small boats the fishermen take out almost daily, fishing with the nets they make and maintain themselves. Almost every day one can buy seafood fresh from the ocean. Therefore the local cuisine offers a large variety of seafood dishes.

 

The beach invites long walks or, at low tide, even rides by bicycle. The length of the beach is about 7km (4 miles) from the "Punta Bikini", the big cliff in the North of San Clemente to "The Boca" in the South of San Jacinto, where the Portoviejo river meets the Pacific ocean. Especially the Boca area in the South of San Jacinto attracts the attention of newcomers from the US, Canada, Australia and Europa, with the construction of many larger homes.

 

The Malecon (the Beach Boulevard) is still an unpaved road however the budget is earmarked and the plans are finished for the complete overhaul of the beach area with a paved access road, limited traffic in some areas. The elevation of the new road will be about 18" above the existing street level. Casa Ola has been planned accordingly and is already positioned 6" above the upcoming new road level. Most of the existing Ramada at the beach will be taken out in order to provide a better access and a nicer beach experience in the future.  There are talks about a small Marina to be build for the local fisherman just North of San Jacinto.The new beach promenade will create a new business opportunity locally: a soft driven tourism without the high-rise buildings and concrete plastered areas found in other cities. 

 

As many of us living here know, one of the most important Spanish words to learn is "mañana" which means tomorrow but can also mean next week, next month, next year.... It is South America, where the clocks are running a little differently. The beach promenade is coming... for sure it will be "mañana"