Guayaquil is a tropical city and very different from Quito and Cuenca. We spent the morning in some very typical Texas weather. We visited Las Penas on the north end of the Malecon which represents the old Guayaquil. That area has been destroyed by fire, flood and faced an epidemic that killed thousands of its citizens. Las Penas is now an artist colony, boutique shopping area and a Bohemian settlement with some of the old wooden houses. They are built into the side of a hill almost on top of each other. They are pastel,and shuttered with interesting open design panesl to let in air. Some of the most famous Ecuadorian citizens had homes there. A fort protected Las Penas from invaders. I loved the interesting houses and the attempt to use them today.
A giant Ferris Wheel slow turns along the Malecon giving the visitor a chance to see the old city and the new city and the busy river at the same time. Further down the Malecon there are beautiful gardens, a children’s playground a wide assortment of restaurants. The most beautiful statuary is of Simon Boliver and Jose de San Martin who worked to gain independence for countries in South America. We finished our sightseeing at the Museo Central which houses a number of pre Columbian artifacts and portraits of more Ecuadorian presidents that you would ever hope to see. Interestingly the museum is free, but they checked out passports and dutifully recorded the number in a dusty old notebook. Why we don’t know. In an attempt to cut down on crime there are volunteers about the city who wear a vest with the oxymoron “authorized vigilante” on the back. They watch parked cars, small parks and other public areas to make them safer.
