My Hate/Love Relationship With Guayaquil

Monday morning I was up at 9am. I popped on the tube for some background noise while I showered, shaved, unpacked everything and gathered up my dirty clothes. "Friends" was on. I got sucked in. I know, I really hate that show. But it was the first American show I had seen in English since I arrived in South America. I was hooked for two episodes. Don`t judge me until you are in the same situation.

When the second episode ended and Dawson`s Creek began, I was able to pull myself away the tv to actually get the earlier mentioned things done. I shoved all of my dirty clothes into my daypack along with my two cameras and a few memory cards. Down I went to confirm the location of the laundry the guy at the desk pointed out on a map the night before. Yep, still there.

Two blocks later there was no sign of a laundry. I walked down a few other blocks just to make sure I didn`t miss it. Nothing. No laundries any where. I decided to go looking for an internet cafe, hoping to find a laundry on the way. I was wearing my clothes from the previous day and really wanted something fresh for the next day.

Guayaquil is just a big city. There is nothing really unique about it aside from it being the biggest city in Ecuador. It is not really in close proximity to anything so tourists tend to skip it. I did not see another gringo all day. Just lots of Guayaquillanos going about their daily business. I eventually found an internet cafe near a large park square (but no laundry) and darted in. It was hot out and I desperately wanted to cool down in the air conditioned room. Here I killed 3.5 hours uploading and editing the 1000 pics I took in the Galapagos. I emailed friends, took care of banking duties, and added a few blog entries. Around 2:30 I realized I had not had anything to eat all day. I grabbed my bag full o` dirty clothes and hit the streets in search of food.

As I made my way further and further down the road, the businesses got smaller and poorer. People selling random things from the sidewalk were everywhere now, in front of tiny shops selling other random things. When I had not hit the river front after 11 blocks I pulled out my map and realized I had been walking down the wrong street, deeper and deeper into the city. Time to take a break and get something to eat, anywhere. There was a hole in the wall Chinese restaurant to my left with all the cooking being done right at the door. It did not look in the least bit sanitary. But I was starving. And the menu scribbled on the wall said a plate of chicken and rice was $1. Sold.

I ordered and waited. Out came a huge plate of chicken and rice. I looked over to where my dish had just come from. Refrigerated meat? Ha! Not here. I dug in anyway. It was really good. Or I was just really hungry. As I wolfed it down I noticed a man who was eating behind me walk around to the entrance and buy a cup of coke from a guy selling portions of a bottle outside. When he returned and sat down, I turned to ask him how much the cup was, bumping his table in the process and spilling some of the drink. Ugh. He did not look happy. I apologized and asked again. He told me 10 cents. I offered him 20 cents to pay for the spill. He now looked really happy. And this began a broken conversation about where I was from and where all he had been. Oh, he had been every where in the world. So he claimed. All over the U.S. too, except, where was I from?, no, never been to there. I agreed he was quite the traveler, and tried to return to eating. But wait, he had been to other places. Finally he finished his food and said it was time to go. Then he ran out after a girl who had walked by. I was now able to finish my meal. And study a map.

I paid $1.25 for my large plate and a bottle of water and headed back up the street in the opposite direction. I bumped into a large market area of vendors selling everything one could possibly want. I tried walking through the maze and quickly got lost. There was no map of this area. Being the only gringo in there, I received lots of attention. This kept me from taking candid shots, but it helped when I asked for directions out. Clearly I did not belong. Nor did I want any of the hundreds of Tupac shirts.

I exited the maze right at the riverfront and Guayaquil`s pride and joy: Malecon 2000. It was still full of families. I took a stroll and enjoyed the serenity of it all. Guayaquil wasn`t so bad; you just need to appreciate it as a large city, built for it`s residents, not tourists. I cut back into the city to check out a few of the parks, including one with dozens of iguanas crawling around. People were out enjoying everything the city had to offer. This area was actually quite attractive. I passed monuments to independence and past leaders, large beautiful churches, and trendy little restaurants full of people. Back to the Malecon 2000, I made my way to Las Peñas, a hillside section of the city made to look like a Spanish town. Up the numbered stairs I continued taking in the lively colors and music coming from its many small bars. And finally at the top I had a magnificant view of Guayaquil and the river. Not a bad city at all. Even though I was still carrying my daypack full of dirty laundry.

It was now 5:45 and I decided to take a cab to the bus station to find out departure times for Cuenca the next day. The cab driver told me about the wealthy people of Guayaquil and pointed out the areas where they lived in mansions with heavy security. When he dropped me at the bus station I paid him $4 and went off in search of a ticket. A ticket to Cuenca cost $6, but I would have to buy it the day of my departure. Buses left every 45 mins so I said I would be back at 8:30am. Then I took another $4 cab back to my hostal. $8 to find out I could buy a $6 ticket to Cuenca the next day. Mental note: just buy tickets when you are ready to go.

Back at my hostal I organized my pack again, stuffing the dirty laundry inside. "Seinfeld" was now on and I got sucked in again. Two episodes later I forced myself out to take in the city again at night. This time I enjoyed it more. Christmas lights were starting to appear. People were out enjoying the park squares, eating ice cream, kids dancing around costumed characters. Every one seemed proud of their city. As well they should be. Guayaquil is a great city. You just need to know how to appreciate it. And come with plenty of clean clothes. I finished the night washing a pair of underwear in the sink...

For pics of my time in Guayaquil, follow this link:
http://flickr.com/photos/15233918@N00/sets/72157603375798858/