Day 5 - Guayaquil
We were all so relieved to find out we didn’t have to tackle another day at the airport and that we would be transported to Guayaquil by air conditioned buses. It’s a three to four hour drive over beautiful mountains, which became more and more tropical as we drove. We were supposed to leave our hotels at 6:30, but due to late breakfasts and having to wait for one person who didn’t get a wake up call, we didn’t get on the road until around 8:00. It was a beautiful ride, but most of us missed a great deal of it because we were all so exhausted from days of late night excitement and early morning rises.
Guayaquil is a modern city of nearly three million people, the largest in Ecuador. We were taken first to the Convention Center, where we were treated to a light buffet and some local entertainment. We were supposed to have a city tour after this, but because we were so far behind on our schedule, we proceeded to the Guayaquil Historical Park. We strolled through the lush, tropical gardens along wooden pathways to view all the animals and birds which they have rescued. At the end of our tour, we had our lunch.
Next, we did a short tour of the city, then proceeded to our hotels. Ours was the Oro Verde Hotel. It’s a very nice hotel located near the downtown area. There’s a spa here and they offer a 60 minute massage for $36. I might just have to sample on of those!
That evening, there was an optional tour of the city on a double decker bus, but when we arrived, all the seats on the upper deck were taken and we decided we didn’t want to spend more time on the inside of a stuffy bus again, so we went back to our hotel to finally get an early night.
The next morning we had breakfast at our hotels. The bus picked us up for the two hour drive out to the Hacienda San Rafael. We watched a performance by the caballeros, dancers, hat makers and our favorite, the chocolate makers. We also had the opportunity to ride the horses, and there was a lake where you could take out a small boat or kayak. After lunch, there was a band and everyone danced. Some even danced atop the bar! Travel agents are wild!
Most of us slept on the two hour drive home, so when we arrived back in Guayaquil for our city tour, we were all refreshed and ready to go. We visited Centennial Park, the Administration Plaza, and we walked along the Malacon (waterfront). We next walked through Iguana Park -- not the real name, but it’s called that because it is full of iguanas. There were iguanas on every branch of every tree, crawling all over the lawns and side walks, and one even crawled over Augie’s foot while he was taking pictures. He almost jumped out of his skin!
We returned to our hotel with just an hour or so to get ready for our farewell party. We were taken to a large glass building on the Malacon, where we stood around small tables as waiters brought trays of drinks and small samplings of local cuisine -- empanadas, pork sandwiches, crab claws, ceviche, fried plantains. A band played and some people danced, then we went out to the water’s edge to watch a fireworks display. Finally, we returned to our hotels. Most people will be heading home tomorrow, while some (like us) are doing extensions.
Notes on Guayaquil: Some places of interest we didn’t get to are Las Pinas, a 19th century neighborhood, Santa Ana Hill, where you can climb the 444 steps up to the lighthouse, and the Santo Domingo Church, the oldest in Guayaquil. There’s also the Santay Islands Wetlands, and humpback whales can be seen here from June to September. And of course, there’s the beautiful beaches. They even have some all inclusive resorts.
We were all so relieved to find out we didn’t have to tackle another day at the airport and that we would be transported to Guayaquil by air conditioned buses. It’s a three to four hour drive over beautiful mountains, which became more and more tropical as we drove. We were supposed to leave our hotels at 6:30, but due to late breakfasts and having to wait for one person who didn’t get a wake up call, we didn’t get on the road until around 8:00. It was a beautiful ride, but most of us missed a great deal of it because we were all so exhausted from days of late night excitement and early morning rises.
Guayaquil is a modern city of nearly three million people, the largest in Ecuador. We were taken first to the Convention Center, where we were treated to a light buffet and some local entertainment. We were supposed to have a city tour after this, but because we were so far behind on our schedule, we proceeded to the Guayaquil Historical Park. We strolled through the lush, tropical gardens along wooden pathways to view all the animals and birds which they have rescued. At the end of our tour, we had our lunch.
Next, we did a short tour of the city, then proceeded to our hotels. Ours was the Oro Verde Hotel. It’s a very nice hotel located near the downtown area. There’s a spa here and they offer a 60 minute massage for $36. I might just have to sample on of those!
That evening, there was an optional tour of the city on a double decker bus, but when we arrived, all the seats on the upper deck were taken and we decided we didn’t want to spend more time on the inside of a stuffy bus again, so we went back to our hotel to finally get an early night.
The next morning we had breakfast at our hotels. The bus picked us up for the two hour drive out to the Hacienda San Rafael. We watched a performance by the caballeros, dancers, hat makers and our favorite, the chocolate makers. We also had the opportunity to ride the horses, and there was a lake where you could take out a small boat or kayak. After lunch, there was a band and everyone danced. Some even danced atop the bar! Travel agents are wild!
Most of us slept on the two hour drive home, so when we arrived back in Guayaquil for our city tour, we were all refreshed and ready to go. We visited Centennial Park, the Administration Plaza, and we walked along the Malacon (waterfront). We next walked through Iguana Park -- not the real name, but it’s called that because it is full of iguanas. There were iguanas on every branch of every tree, crawling all over the lawns and side walks, and one even crawled over Augie’s foot while he was taking pictures. He almost jumped out of his skin!
We returned to our hotel with just an hour or so to get ready for our farewell party. We were taken to a large glass building on the Malacon, where we stood around small tables as waiters brought trays of drinks and small samplings of local cuisine -- empanadas, pork sandwiches, crab claws, ceviche, fried plantains. A band played and some people danced, then we went out to the water’s edge to watch a fireworks display. Finally, we returned to our hotels. Most people will be heading home tomorrow, while some (like us) are doing extensions.
Notes on Guayaquil: Some places of interest we didn’t get to are Las Pinas, a 19th century neighborhood, Santa Ana Hill, where you can climb the 444 steps up to the lighthouse, and the Santo Domingo Church, the oldest in Guayaquil. There’s also the Santay Islands Wetlands, and humpback whales can be seen here from June to September. And of course, there’s the beautiful beaches. They even have some all inclusive resorts.
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