Guayaquil is Ecuador’s second largest city and, along with Quito, is one of the access routes to the Galapagos islands and the next big destination on our itinerary. The main purpose of our 2-night stay was to find a last minute cruise (in the nicest sense of the word), which would accommodate us for as many of our 7 nights as possible.

We spent the following morning racing around town, skipping from agency to agency but all we were offered were 3 night/4 day cruises, which wasn’t what we were after. We had expected there to be travel agents tripping over themselves for our $s, however, it seemed that the Galapagos Islands were busy and whilst Lolo continued on foot, Ed retreated to our hostel (Tomo) to cool down and continue the search online.

Just before lunch we were sent by our hostel to Hostal Suites Madrid, where, we were told, their travel agency would be able to help us. Several phone calls later and we were mulling over an offer of a 6 night/ 7 day cruise on a small catamaran, called Lonesome George. It’s official class was ‘Tourist Plus’ – there are 5 classes; Luxury, First, Tourist Plus, Tourist and Economico. With nothing else on offer and limited scope for haggling, we took it.

 

We missed lunch that day since we were being escorted to the only bank in Guayaquil that would allow us withdraw cash on our credit cards – it’s amazing how helpful agency staff can be in situations like this. Cash is king here – you can use a card but the charges are 8-20%. Come 3pm and following a merry-go-round of cash machine bingo, our booking was confirmed and we left the office considerably poorer than when we’d arrived!

We immediately set about putting our solitary afternoon and evening in Guayaquil to good use and headed north along the impressively manicured Malecon 2000. This long urban waterfront promenade is popular with locals and tourists alike, offering cafes, shops, a botanical garden, an IMAX cinema and good views of the shoreline.

Our destination was Cerro Santa Ana, which consists of brightly painted homes and cobblestone alleyways, which are lined with restaurants, neighborhood bars and small sweaty dancehalls.

Being one of the original favelas it wasn’t a surprise to see so many police around, who were always on hand to direct the tourists. We climbed the 444 steps to the lighthouse at the top and enjoyed 360-degree views of the city.

That evening we ate at La Canoa, billed as Ecuador’s most popular restaurant in the guide books, serving local food to over a thousand people a day. The place was practically empty when we arrived and we were clearly given the more expensive and less adventurous tourist menu, however, the food was good.

The next morning we packed-up, kissed goodbye to Guayaquil and took-off to the airport, excited at the prospect of a week in the Galapagos Islands.

Next stop: Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

Highlight:

• Hostel Tomo; friendly helpful staff, comfortable beds and a good breakfast
• Exploring Cerro Santa Ana