Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Getting Lost in Guayaquil


As a creature of habit, I sometimes find myself forgetting what it's like to be truly uncomfortable. Uncomfortably fearful. A good fearful.  Fear that reminds us being comfortable doesn't make us move in our skin. I forget I can surprise myself.
When I stepped off the plane in Guayaquil, Ecuador a nervous tingle made me smile. A plane is so familiar to me. The United States is familiar. Even Italy is familiar. South America exploration fascinates me, and nonetheless, a city I had never heard of until a few days prior was, to say the least, intriguing. A friend asked if I wanted to go with her and there I stood, confused about which way to go. Which customs entrance to use. And it felt so good.

30 hours in the Ecuador's largest and most populated city wasn't nearly enough. There is just so much charm! My travel buddy and I, like any good tourists with limited time do, took a cheesy informational double decker tour bus. Safety isn't necessarily a priority in Ecuador, thus we had to hit the deck every time we glided under an overpass (the guide shuddering and shouting fearful exclaims in Spanish as my head nearly touched the first overpass). It only added to the excitement of the ride that only cost six dollars. Crossing the street to catch this bus, I saw my life flash before my eyes about six times and was propositioned about four. There were buildings of every kind and color: aqua blue six stories, camouflage green haciendas, and pepto bismol pink colonials. Surprisingly clean and up kept parks provided relief in the middle of highways. My favorite attraction is undoubtedly Las PeƱas. This neighborhood sits on northeast side of the city and is home to many of the city's artists. Some of the 400 year old homes have been converted to studios and galleries. The cobblestone streets were quite clean and there was an obvious respect for art that was refreshing. We stumbled across a place that was recommended to us on the plane called Casa de Pilsner. Who knew Pilsner beer was brewed in Ecuador?! After indulging in a brew we headed up the 465 stairs to Cerro Santa Anna and a gorgeous lighthouse. About half way up we decided a post brew would have been preferable. Rookie mistake. Although soaked in sweat, the view was well worth it. To think I never knew such a place existed 24 hour prior! After getting lost and finding a security guard/tour guide who we convinced we were famous on the way down, we figured out our tour bus forgot about is. I guess six dollars wasn't enough to make them come back for us. So, I put my Spanish to the test and we caught a taxi back to the hotel- accidentally went to the wrong hotel, oopsie. But I did have quite the interesting forty minute conversation in Spanish about politics with the taxi driver... in which after ten minutes of trying to respond elaborately, did a lot of head nodding and "si, si". I learned the President of Ecuador loves soccer and Metallica was coming to Guayaquil. He was a great guy and very patient. Not to mention he gave us an unexpected local tour Guayaquil. After showering I also learned that since Ecuador is so close to the equator, sunscreen is far more important there than at home. Never have I ever had such a lobster face! Never ever.
I hope you have the chance to visit this delightful city. And if you didn't know where Guayaquil is, that's okay because it's only one major city of 196 (if you count Taiwan) countries in the world!

 

cheers-



San Diego Vacay


Life's been a little bit of a whirlwind the past three months. Travel fever struck me good. I'm not mad about it. I wish I could say I feel really bad about being away from my blog but- it's been awesome. Although I've been to San Diego more than a handful of times in my life, this trip was special because my best friend is now resident of the beautiful city (aka no hotel rates! yahoo) It was considerably more fun experiencing the city from a local's perspective. They have the best spots for mojitos and fish tacos (South Beach Bar & Grill!!). It was a quick trip, with only a few days to get away, but we made the most of it. There was beach cruising, cocktail sipping, and beachwear shopping. Every morning started with an Acai bowl and iced chai tea, of course. We spent a day in La Jolla where we found wild sea lions and the best wine happy hour that overlooked the city and water. Needless to say, we had to have a few glasses to soak in the view. On our last day we meandered around Coronado Island and I gaped at every cutie house we passed by. I have an overloaded camera roll of strangers houses to prove it. Convincing ourselves to leave because we forgot we had real world jobs waiting for us was quite the task. I forgot how truly beautiful SD is! It won't be long until I'm at my friend's doorstep again, suitcase in hand.








cheers-