I’ve been in Ecuador almost exactly 24 hours now. It’s been a busy 24 hours.
I arrived last night and quickly went through customs and got a taxi right to my hostel. I stayed up posting my blog from yesterday and while I was sitting the common area with my little computer I met a fellow traveler. She too had just arrived. We started talking and soon realized that we had both left Austin, TX that morning. We had been on the same flights from Dallas onward. Yet I never once met her in Austin or even in the airport or on the plane. It took booking the same hostel in Guayaquil, Ecuador for us to meet.
Our hostel is located on the Malecόn. This area is a renewal project of the city that has turned one of the most dangerous parts of the city into a haven for tourists and locals. One of the things I’ve noticed in my first day in Ecuador is that lack of beggars. In the 6 or 7 square blocks I explored today I didn’t see a single beggar. There were a few women with disabilities in front of the entrance to the Church – but I didn’t see anybody on the street just begging. The hostel is a nice place to meet people and has decent rooms.
Stairs we climbed in Las Penas
Today we explored the city. We started with the Museo Nahim Isaias . It was an interesting place to spend a an hour or so. Then we wandered over to Las Penas. This area is one of the few that survived the multiple fires that have razed the city over the centuries. We wandered up the cobblestone stairs of this old neighborhood. Finally we decided to stop for “almeurzo” or lunch. After attempting to go into a little house marked “cafe” we were directed to another house across the street with no signs on the outside. This small house had two tables, a few stools, a large flat screen TV and delicious food. We took a seat and ordered 2 lunches. In Ecuador lunch is not something that you order, per se. They are serving what they’re serving that day and you better like it. We were soon served two steaming bowls of soup with beef, hominy and some sort of dumpling . Then came the main plate: rice with pulled chicken and a sauce. Finally we had Cantelope juice to drink. There were about 2 other customers in the “restaurant” who came and went while we were eating. The large TV was tuned to the telenovela where overly made up men and women paraded around overacting. Lunch felt like we were part of the Ecuadorian family.
Finally we went back to the hostel where we rested until the evening CouchSurfing meet up. I found a group of Couchsurfers who meet to practice their English. We met at a cafe and had a great time answering “Have you ever…” questions. Some great examples; “Have you ever admired a sunset?” or “Have you ever been in a blackout while you were showering?” Dinner was at a restaurant that served typical Guayaquelleno food – Arroboles (rice bowls) .
Muy delicosa
The night ended early in preparation for Friday. It just so happens that my new friend’s birthday is Friday.
More stories to come 🙂
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