Guayaquil

1st & 2nd January 2010

The journey over the mountains from Cuenca to Guayaquil was probably one of the most beautiful journeys we have taken in Ecuador. The road was really good (which made a real change) and the views as we crossed the mountains were spectacular. I'm convinced that it was at least as stunning as anything I have seen in Switzerland or Italy etc.
As we started the climb up into the mountains we stopped to have a breakfast of Humitas and Maize pancakes, the best we have had, and then it was up, up, up into the mountains.
We passed through Las Cajas National Park at the top of the mountains. We were warned as we entered that we had half an hour to get through the park and out the other side (14km) or we would be charged an entrance fee for the park. We were given a time stamped ticket and so we charged through, but we managed to stop and take some pictures of the lakes at the top with llamas sitting around - just a fantastic sight.

Then down and down the other side of the mountains through amazing cloud forest and huge 'Jurrasic Park' ferns, down into the humidity and the heat of the coastal region. There were large canals along the edge of the road with large hawks sitting eyeing their territory, each being about 200m apart.

As we drove into Guayaquil we drove straight past the hotel that mum would be staying in on the 2nd before her flight to the Galapagos and, directly behind the hotel, we could see the spires of the Cathedral, a place I particularly wanted to visit due to my memories of the Iguanas that lived in the park infront of the church.
So we did a loop around a couple of blocks and found a hotel to stay in that started on the 7th floor of a multi-storey car park. It was a little more expensive than we were used to paying but it had air conditioning which was a real necessity, and internet access, it was close to where we wanted to be and had secure parking for the car.

We dropped off our bags and went to visit the park. What a treat, even better than I remembered, there are free living giant iguanas just roaming around or lazing in the trees. We spent nearly an hour watching and photographing them along with the turtles, fish and tortoises that also inhabit one corner of the park. Then into the coolness of the church (again too gaudy for my liking) through beggars around the gates who send their children to tug on your shirts and look up at you with their big dark eyes asking for money.

We then wandered down to the waterfront. Guayaquil is a coastal port which sits on a huge tidal estuary that is covered in water hyacinth. Most of the imports and exports to and from Ecuador pass through here so it is quite affluent in some places, but with a large number of poor too. It was quite a contrast to Cuenca with its pleasant climate and cleanliness, to this hot and humid place with rubbish strewn about the streets. But the waterfront area had been kept quite clean and we stopped in a mall to eat some lunch there overlooking the water with a tourist boat plying its trade up and down the river.

We were all a bit overwhelmed by the heat so after wandering through a covered market we returned to sit in our air conditioned room and have showers. At around 5pm mum and I returned to visit the Iguanas again as it was much cooler and later we went out for a meal in a rather expensive restaurant, but it was all that we could find open.

The next morning we emerged to face the heat again from our air conditioned room. We went to buy some lettuce, brocolli, cucumber and bananas and returned to the iguanas once more armed with our booty. They loved it, they ate out of our hands and tried to swallow more than was possible. Their favourite was the bananas which they would climb one atop the other to reach. Fantastically beautifully ugly creatures, and each with such a distinct personality.... just a wonderful way to spend a couple of hours.

Then we took mum round to her posh hotel (from where she will travel to the airport to go to the Galapagos tomorrow) and said our farewells. We left Guayaquil at noon for an 8 hour drive back to Quito. It took us a while to leave the city in the right direction because there were absolutely no signs; then we passed through huge swathes of banana plantations, groves of balsa and palm trees and all the time the humidity pressing in around us. There are lots of houses on stilts in this region due to frequent flooding but not much water was evident due to the recent droughts. However, the cattle, that have been dying in their hundreds during the drought, all looked quite healthy, they are the Indian kind with the humps on the back of their necks and always seem to be surrounded by flocks of small white egrets.
After heading north along the coastal plain for about 5 hours we started the climb up into the mountains along a winding road that followed a river. As we drove many small flocks of the white egrets flew past us in the other direction and the river tumbled over huge stones by the side of the road. It was quite spectacular but lots of people were returning to Quito after the holidays so the traffic was quite bad. We travelled in long queues behind the really slow lorries climbing the hills whilst maniac drivers whizzed past us on the wrong side of the road around blind corners. How there weren't accidents I don't know but we witnessed 2 very close shaves.

When we got to Quito I recognised one of the street names on a signpost and we were lucky enough to find an easy route down to the flat... amazing. We rang mum to check she was ok and then just lazed about for the rest of the evening... it's so nice not to be in a hotel, you really appreciate the ease of making a cup of tea or getting a snack after you have been living in hotels for a while.

Now all that remains for us to do is get the car papers sorted out... I'm sure that will be another saga in itself!