Viviendo en Guayaquil

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I arrived in Guayaquil, Ecuador yesterday. The largest city in Ecuador, it holds about 2.5 million people. Guayaquil resembles what you may expect of a large 3rd world city; children peddling merchandise at stop lights, trash in the streets, stray dogs roaming about, worn down, poorly constructed buildings, a general haze of smog and an odd odor filling the air. The poverty of the area is very apparent. There are some nicer areas (parks, malls, a newly constructed riverfront area (the Melecon), fancy hotels, gated communities), but the majority is stricken with poverty. 70% of the people in Guayaquil are considered poor, families surviving on about $45 a week. I hear that there has been much improvement in the last decade to clean up the city and make it more tourist friendly. For instance, they've decorated the underpasses with colorful tile artwork and transformed the riverfront from a shady, drunken hangout, to a safe, romantic park. But these improvements are like putting a bandaid on a severed limb, only partially masking the serious underlying problems. As long as the distribution of wealth remains vastly uneven, the majority of wealth belonging to the minority of people, (5% of the population being rich) the poor will continue to suffer. For them there seems to be little hope for a significant increase in their standard of living without major political and economic reform. But still, many people seem content with their lives, strong family bonds, friendship and people selflessly helping others offer glimpses of hope.

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Photos

El canal
Sorta smells like something died

Guitars and Bums
Taking a nap

Go Banana
Under the overpass

Una Parque
A park near where I'm living

Cannon
Prepare for the attack, there are pirates on the horizon

magic
I'm in the Matrix