Section 07: Arure – Valle Gran Rey
To stay our course we had to backtrack to Arure in order to continue our route as planned. Also, we did not want to miss the La Merica high plateau and views! We dutifully waited 25 minutes at the bus stop before I hailed a taxi to drive us up to Arure. I was certainly glad to see the last of this town for now … . The hike down to VGR is super beautiful. It’s downhill all the time and no shade, so bring water, sun smart clothing, a hat, and poles (at least if you value your knees as much as I do). You will be rewarded with breathtaking coastal views, also views of Taguluche, VGR, and even Fortaleza. The hike itself is fairly easy, so plenty of time to take in the vistas. Speaking of Taguluche, we did not do our side trip down to this little village and backup but opted to take the weekend off in VGR instead. Why? Well, it would not have offered anything beyond what we’ve already seen and walked so far. Since everything was superdry, there was really no point in hiking down there and back up again. Simple as that. So plenty of time to eat lots of ice cream, enjoy the fresh fruit juices, sunsets, and wash some stinky clothing in VGR.
