Category: Guayaquil

And so Back to Cuenca

Guayaquil was a nice change.  Luxurious sheets, well appointed room, Sangria brought from the bar and something besides Animal Planet on TV.  We met a nice couple bicycling around the world who were staying in the hotel while she recovered from an accident and another couple at breakfast who were astounded that we had traveled on a bus.  So the level of adventure does vary from traveler to traveler.  We hired a driver to bring us back to Cuenca and I am not so sure we were any better off than on the bus, but the ride was beautiful if a bit scary.  Leaving Guayaquil we were struck by the stark poverty that we saw in contrast to the natural beauty of the landscape.  Dirty little towns and shacks sat along  the road with open air restaurants were full of local resi ents eating lunch and drinking coffee.  Their houses are little shacks on stilts each with one opening for a door and no windows.  Some have new tin on the roof, but most the them have a rusty roof that would do little to protect the homeowner.  A few scrawny chickens peck in the muddy dirt hunting for insects or worms.  The people have no garden space to supplement their obviously poor diet.  However, their native artistic sense is evident in their fruit stands.  Mangoes, bananas, papaya, and watermelon are beautifully arranged on carts in a manner that best shows off the color and shape of the fruit.  They are selling cut melons that were artful.  We are always impressed by their merchandizing ability. They do not seem unhappy with their lives.  They swim in the river have picnics by the water and play like children.  Maybe the simple life suits them or they simply do not know any other way to live.  The huge agribusiness fields are well tended and stretch as far as the eye can see while the smaller plots are worked by hand.    I am sure many of the folks work for the agribusinesses  when it is time to pick the crops.  Small trucks loaded with bananas  head west to Guayaquil to be sold to markets.  We leave the flat lands and head up the mountain.

This is where the trip gets scary.  The road is slick and curvy and we are soon in the clouds.  The driver does not slow down.  Troy tries to sleep so he can ignore this Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride.   He does not sleep and I do not try.  I think Manuelo believes  that PILEGRO ZONA DERRUMBLES  means drive like hell and no passing really meant TAKE OFF WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO LOSE.  Honk the horn and everybody must get out of the way.  WE stop for lunch which was chicken soup with a wing and a boiled egg in it which  we bolt  down and hit the road again.  The scenery is gorgeous.  Huge philodendron, ferns, lichen grow out of the mountain which constantly nourishes them with water and minerals.  Lack of sun light means there are  no flowers except for an occasional lupine.  There is no sign of human activity until many miles later and then we sight small hotels, fishing camps and some ranching activity.  This area is much more prosperous.  There are garden plots, roses and Shasta daisies growing in the yard, children  wear school uniforms and play alongside the road.  Much of this area is  CAJA NATIONAL PARK and the residents benefit from the park visitors.  Soon Cuenca appears.  This beautiful little jewel of a city nestles in the valley of four rivers.  The Old Cathedral and the New Cathedral wait patiently for us.  The maid did  not come to the apartment as we wished but it doesn’t really matter.

Adios,

Sally

 

Guayaquil Hot and Humid

 

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.

 

On the Road to Quayaquil

Monday Morning, January 2 found us at the Terminal Terrestre hunting a bus to Guayaquil.  We purchased our ticket just inside the terminal, saving ourselves .20 and  having to fight through the turnstile.  We also got assigned seats so if the bus filled up we would not get kicked off.  For $17 we had a seat that would let us enjoy some of the most beautiful scenery in Ecuador.  The route takes us through the upper part of Parque Cajas one of the many national parks in Ecuador.    Along the road are  beautiful trout streams and fields of the fattest dairy cattle ever.  The bus climbs to the top of the mountain and llamas graze peacefully as they have done for centuries.  Pristine volcanic lakes glimmer in the sunlight and every shade of green imaginable dots the mountainside relieved by huge boulders.  WE see few people.  Occasionally a farm house or two dot the country side.  The route begins to descend the mountains and the landscape changes from rocks, lakes and trees to scattered banana plants.  Locals stand beside the road trying to sell their fresh bananas.  Suddenly as far as we can see there are banana plants with the full stalks of bananas wrapped in green plastic wrap to protect them from birds and other damage.  On the opposite side of the road there are papaya plantations.  The road is littered with dirty little towns that provide places for the plantation workers to live.  Here it is evident that we are visiting a third world country.  The towns consist of shacks that hardly seem livable, a number of cafes which are all full of people eating lunch and a sad little church or school.  Children and adults swim in the swift moving river alongside the towns.    Nothing much changes until we reach Duran,  a small town on the outskirts of Guayaquil.  Vendors appear with water bottles, rags to clean windshields and in some cases they break dance or juggle for a few pennies.  I admire their optimism. About half the passengers leave the bus at Duran and the rest continue the journey.  In about 30 minutes we reach Guayaquil bus station which is a mad house.  We grasp our belongings and finally make our way through the terminal and find a taxi.  A price is negotiated and we are soon at the Palace Hotel.  Guayaquil is very different from Quito and Cuenca.  It is not a colonial city and the buildings are modern and unimaginative.   When we check in the handsome young clerk proudly points to the Iguana Park and tells us to watch out for iguana poop when we go. It is good advice.   The hotel is lovely, a nice change for us and Troy is already looking for plane tickets to return to Cuenca on Thursday.  The thought of that bus station is almost too much.