Guayaquil Continued
So today’s agenda starts with changing hotels to the place we started at yesterday! (After breakfast of course!) The ride across town was dotted with colorful sights and statues. Houses on the hillsides are packed in with seemingly no space between them.
Statues pay homage to Monkees and Children playing.
The hotel, Wyndam, is a 5 Star modern building, very unlike the rest of the city. But comfort and catering to tourists is of utmost important to this hotel chain. The view out of our 5th story room was spectacular, looking over the Rio Guayas and down at the Embarquedero.
We were happy to find that Ecuador has adapted their electrical grid to mirror that of the United States. Everything is 120 volts, US plugs. Even though I always travel with electrical adapters, they stayed in our suitcases for the entire vacation! The other thing we found is that Ecuador has also adopted US Currency! Remember when the US started minting Susan B Anthony Dollar Coins? We saw them in circulation for maybe a year or two and then they disappeared? Well, this is where they ended up! No need to change currencies and then back again at the end of the trip. Just spend US money. Their product values are also comparable to the US Dollar, so not too much work to figure out if you’re getting value for your money. Because they are a poor country, everything was about half what you would spend in the US. A great deal for all!
So, we’re in our new hotel and again, no time to rest! Let’s go see some more things in this beautiful place! We find the “Parque Historico Guayaquil” a short taxi ride away and head over there! Colorful birds abound, monkeys climb their houses, and an attendant is there to wrap a powerfully friendly Boa Constrictor around your neck! What fun!
Stepping out of the zoo part of the park, we find scenic vistas and old historic buildings to check out.
Even Vendors, selling everything from Caricature Paintings to delicious foods. It’s still early and breakfast was a short time ago, so we admire, but don’t partake!
And there’s always that one friend in the crowd that loves to have fun with a photographer, either Photo Bombing his shots or mimicking the actions of his camera. All in good fun! After all, that’s what we’re here for!
So we contemplate our next move and take a short break to discuss what to see next. On our way out of the park, we stumble across a live action historical play being performed. I even come across an actress waiting in the wings for her cue to step out on stage!
Have you ever heard of a fruit that grows as big as a watermelon, yet it grows in trees? Well, we haven’t either, but here are some!
Back at the hotel, some of us take a quick nap while Elee and I take a walk on the Embarcadero in search of something cool to drink to assuage the heat! Ahhh, a cool glass of Sangria hits the spot!
After our friends recover from their nap, we all meet up for a stroll along the Embarcadero to see the sights. Fountains and waterfront fills our vision for the first half mile.
Then we came to an area where it appears that locals live. The houses are quaint with nice gardens, an actually nice place to live.
We kept walking and found ourselves in those clean streets and views of the hill we climbed yesterday with the tower on top.
Even street vendors hoping for a sale as the day lengthens!
Getting near sunset, we decided to try and find some altitude for a view. So, for $3.00 each, we took a ride on the “La Perla” that lasted about 40 minutes.
Before it got totally dark, we came across “Casa Pilsner” for a cool drink in the heat and humidity. A nice open air bar with great ambiance and a fun fountain outside!
The walk back to the hotel at twilight gave my cameras some fun shots as the street lights started coming on. There were fountains and a building that appeared to be twisted next to our hotel.
We even found an Art Deco Building that could easily have been in Miami.
And as the night came to a close, I took my trusty camera gear out into the Embarcadero for some night photos and time exposures.
As I was shooting this shot on a tripod, a guy and his family approached me and his daughter flirted with me to get me to walk away from my rig. It didn’t work and as the guy tried one last ditch effort, he grabbed my tripod (with camera attached) and tried to run. But I grabbed it right back a millisecond later and spoke some sharp and harsh words to him (I think some of the words I spoke I couldn’t repeat here). Luckily for me, he took his family and walked away, not to be seen again.
Goodnight! Tomorrow will be another busy day!
Around the World in 80 Trips (Or Less) 