Blogs from Guayaquil, West, Ecuador, South America
Wait, when you say 3 you mean month three not week three...
Published: May 29th 2012South America » Ecuador » West » Guayaquil
May 29th 2012
So one of the best parts of backpacking is meeting the people who are doing the same thing, yet everyone had their own story. Mike, or miguelito as I found out what others called him, was a guy from NY and had been in south america for 3 months, 2 of which were spent in columbia (some great stories there). He had been working at the hostel, colonial house for about a month and plans on being there for another 2 months or so, but long story short, he made the stay far more enjoyable and it is people like that I hope to run across in every city I see. Day 2 started a little later than planned, much thanks to the numerous "Pilsners" consumed the evening prior. Even so, managed to take in all ... read more
May 13th 2012
Today I write in between worlds. From the Guayaquil bus station to be exact, half way between lofty Cuenca and the mellow Pacific coast. These two places couldn't be more different, both in attitude and aesthetic - one is proud and proper, a true colonial city with churches and plazas on every corner; the other is seductively hedonistic, where hippie culture and the party scene colide, and your biggest conundrum of the day is which type of fruity cocktail to order on the beach. Cuenca is a true Beauty. Situated on a small river and adorned with gorgeous architecture, clean cobbled streets and quirky street art, this is the kind of colonial capital I had wanted Quito to be. I spent a lot of my time just wandering around, soaking up the atmosphere. To put the ... read more
April 29th 2012
We arrived in Guayaquil to the main bus terminal about 3:00 in the afternoon. Guayaquil does it right, their bus terminal is gigantic, has a mall and sits right next to the airport. We grabbed some US$ from the ATM (so wild that they use the USD as their currency). In the food court we grabbed some Pizza Hut. Talked to information. Then took a $3 cab ride to the city center. We had the cab driver drop us off near Iglesia San Francisco near the Malacon district, the Miraflores of Guayaquil (aka gringo safe spot). The Malacon recently underwent a massive facelift and is now the nicest part of the city. It is about a 2km long section that hugs the Rio Guayas. The Malacon was quite different than Miraflores. In Miraflores most buildings were ... read more
March 12th 2012
Our apologies to anyone who thought we had disappeared over the last few weeks! Lima was a really pleasant city, with a great boardwalk along the side of the ocean with restaurants, shops and entertainment a plenty. In a post Oscars impulse, we ended up going to the cinema to see the Artist the following day which was great because we didn’t need to worry about any dodgy Spanish dubbing, a very nice change! From Lima we were heading north and although we were very ready to get to a beach we had one final city to visit. Trujillo in the North of Peru was in itself not the prettiest town, but it is rightly famous for its pastries and cakes and there are few better things than playing cards in a sunny café with a ... read more
March 10th 2012
Hello world! It is your lucky day! This blog post is brought to you by none other than the Rummy champion of the Harte household and, dare I say, the WORLD! Yes that’s right folks, it’s Adrianne! Please, please! Applause is not necessary (although it is appreciated). On this beautiful, warm, sunny Friday in Ecuador (suck it, Canadian winter), my family and I had a blissful day of almost complete sloth. My brother and I did nothing but enjoy carbonated beverages, BBC with Spanish commercials, and a lovely swim in the pool. The parental units enjoyed much of the same, plus massages. The Female PU had a massage that she describes as “disturbingly invasive”, a category that appears to be becoming a trend with our vacations (some of our more dedicated readers may remember their massages ... read more
February 26th 2012
Hola... Quito > Tena > Banos > Riobamba > Guayaquil So far Ecuador has far exceeded any expectations we might have had about the country. The people are super chill and go out of their way to help, always with a smile, and the landscape is ridiculously beautiful, I have never seen a country this green. But to start off....the plane ride from HELL!!!!!! So Van to Houston was no big deal, minor layover in Texas, then we get on the plane to Quito. All seems OK for the first minute, then the devil baby from hell in the seat right behind us starts to let loose. Teri and I look at each other thinkin just our luck, hopefully she (satan's spawn) will sleep. NOT. Imagine a consistent baby cry for the whole flight. On a ... read more
Guayaquil, Ecuador (Scaly Beasts and Generosity)
Published: May 26th 2012South America » Ecuador » West » Guayaquil
January 23rd 2012
It's hot. Beads of sweat drip down my face. Lost; I can't find my way around town. My 50 pound backpack is weighing heavy in the mid-day sun. I'm walking. Current mission; find a place to sleep. Smoggy air, trash-ridden sidewalks, traffic is bumper to bumper. First impression; I'm not getting good vibes from Guayaquil. Three hours later I am here. I rest my bones and wait for the morning light...the monsters await. Leather skin, sharp claws, beady eyes. They stare you down; fearless creatures. I glance to my left and see one attack a child; the boy is crying now. I can't help but laugh. Call me an ass. Call me evil. But trust me; iguana's are harmless. Downtown Guayaquil is home to an array of churches and museums. This fact is of no interest ... read more
September 25th 2011
Sunday 25th September The time seems to be flying by so fast now! We arrived in Guayaquil on Friday at the Hostel Suites Madrid - a quaint, roomy, very clean and most importantly to one of us, very cheap place in the heart of the discoteque district it seems. We have booked our Galapagos trip AND a trip to the Amazon from here. Mucho exciteda! We have secured ourselves 5 days/4 nights on a luxury catamarran called Millenium for Monday 26th. Poor Sixto is still looking a little pale having had to empty the wallet and the bank account to pay for these 2 treasures. Never fear - he'll get on that boat tomorrow and see that it was all worth it. LOL Shane says: Pale's not the word. This girl (Rio) justs loves spending. I've ... read more
August 2nd 2011
Leaving Peru we crossed the border into Ecuador late in the night, our final night bus of the trip. We arrived in Guayaquil around 6.45 am and quickly jumped on the 7.00am local bus to Puerto Lopez on the coast. Again we were looking for somewhere to relax, enjoy the beach and hopefully continue to have some hot weather. Unfortunately Ecuador didn't start out how we hoped. It was cold, wet and clouds covered the sky. Our first afternoon in Puerto Lopez was spent exploring the small fishing town and eating rice, chicken and beans for $2 dollars. We have become used to eating well for cheap!!! Puerto Lopez is famous for its Whale watching, especially in July and August when humpback whales come to have their babies. As we were there at the perfect time ... read more
Guayaquil : rapide séjour dans l’enfer urbain équatorien
Published: July 8th 2011South America » Ecuador » West » Guayaquil
July 8th 2011
Bon, autant le dire tout de suite, Guayaquil, c’est horrible ! Nous en parlons brièvement étant donné que nous y avons passé 1 jour et demi (de trop ?) et qu’il s’agit en soit d’une étape, mais bon… Guayaquil est la capitale économique du pays, plus de 2 millions d’habitants et une terrible réputation. Guayaquil est connue pour être inhospitalière pour le visiteur, laide et tout sauf sure. Et bien même si nous avons voulu croire à une exagération de sa renommée, nous n’y sommes pas arrivés ! Nous confirmons, Guayaquil nous a semblé totalement inhospitalière, laide à cœur, franchement pas la ville qui vous met à l’aise, malgré les milliers de policiers engagés il y a quelques années pour quadriller certaines zones de la ville et les rendre « potables ». En effet, on rencontre ... read more
