Manta

One of the larger cities here is Manta. It's a little bit over an hour away, North on the coastal bus which costs about $2.00 from Las Palmas and another $.30 for a local bus.

They have large grocery stores and shopping malls. Mall de Pacifico is not exactly Mall of America but it hits all of the highlights: shoes, clothes, books, electronics, home goods and a food court. And the Megamaxi grocery store is similar to a super Walmart in scope (but with fewer options). In general everything you could need can be had with pretty little effort as long as you don't mind hauling stuff home on the buses.

We've been twice now each time adding to our more specialized pantry. We added peanut paste, coconut oil, basalmic vinegar and jalapeños none of which are available in the local tiendas.