Oh craziness! I arrived and caught a cab – got ripped off before I was even out of the airport, so the game was on! It is really disappointing to have to be ‘on-guard’ and play hard ball with negotiations in some places we travel in the world, but sometimes it’s necessary to avoid being taken advantage of, while at the same time being respectful of fair wages and actively participating in sustainable tourism… such fine lines!
I arrived at the ‘fort knox’ (because it was a caged in fortress of walls in a randomly quiet neighborhood)… and I was already a tad skeptical. I went with the flow, arrived and met a super-cool new dorm-mate from Canada, who I began a conversation with. Luckily, she was willing to venture into the streets with me so I could go in search of some local food for dinner. We found a little strip of local seafood cafes in one tiny strip-mall like area, which was packed with locals. It was arroz con congrejo (rice with crab) for me – probably one of their most popular dishes in this area of Ecuador, along with ceviches.
Amidst bright sunshine and intense heat, Alana and I ventured to Malecon Bolivar the next morning and explored the new waterfront walkways and shops during a big festival with the coast guard, army, navy, etc… Kids were performing dances and singing, and booths lined the walkway with different information. Tucked a couple streets into the city were the highway-underpass markets, which are choc-full of all the cheap knock offs you could want in place of just about anything you can imagine.
A lunch back along the waterfront greeted me with one surprise – a 3ft. iguana strolled underneath my chair as I sat with Alana awaiting my meal – too frickin’ cool… this would be an immediate restaurant shut-down in the US… but here, it is just normal everyday hangin’ with the local wildlife – gotta love it!
The busy-city vibe of Guyaquil was a tad overwhelming for me, after just spending time in nature-laden New Zealand, and multiple days I the city of Santiago, so I caught a cab to the airport with Alana and decided I’d try to find somewhere else to go… this is such a wonderful experience (which I am starting to become a little too accustomed to) – just show up and pick a flight to somewhere, anywhere!... hmm, Galapagos and come back to find work immediately to recuperate the $1,000+ for a handful of days, or - QUITO! – bring on the local busses, walking and tiny food joints! 2-weeks for the price of 2-days in the Galapagos… heck yeah! (for now anyways – I’ll definitely journey to the tourist-trapped turtle-lovin’ islands once I have one of those paycheck things again someday! ;))
I arrived at the ‘fort knox’ (because it was a caged in fortress of walls in a randomly quiet neighborhood)… and I was already a tad skeptical. I went with the flow, arrived and met a super-cool new dorm-mate from Canada, who I began a conversation with. Luckily, she was willing to venture into the streets with me so I could go in search of some local food for dinner. We found a little strip of local seafood cafes in one tiny strip-mall like area, which was packed with locals. It was arroz con congrejo (rice with crab) for me – probably one of their most popular dishes in this area of Ecuador, along with ceviches.
Amidst bright sunshine and intense heat, Alana and I ventured to Malecon Bolivar the next morning and explored the new waterfront walkways and shops during a big festival with the coast guard, army, navy, etc… Kids were performing dances and singing, and booths lined the walkway with different information. Tucked a couple streets into the city were the highway-underpass markets, which are choc-full of all the cheap knock offs you could want in place of just about anything you can imagine.
A lunch back along the waterfront greeted me with one surprise – a 3ft. iguana strolled underneath my chair as I sat with Alana awaiting my meal – too frickin’ cool… this would be an immediate restaurant shut-down in the US… but here, it is just normal everyday hangin’ with the local wildlife – gotta love it!
The busy-city vibe of Guyaquil was a tad overwhelming for me, after just spending time in nature-laden New Zealand, and multiple days I the city of Santiago, so I caught a cab to the airport with Alana and decided I’d try to find somewhere else to go… this is such a wonderful experience (which I am starting to become a little too accustomed to) – just show up and pick a flight to somewhere, anywhere!... hmm, Galapagos and come back to find work immediately to recuperate the $1,000+ for a handful of days, or - QUITO! – bring on the local busses, walking and tiny food joints! 2-weeks for the price of 2-days in the Galapagos… heck yeah! (for now anyways – I’ll definitely journey to the tourist-trapped turtle-lovin’ islands once I have one of those paycheck things again someday! ;))
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