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 Peñas. 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-
