Unbelievable place to stay in Olon Ecudor. We were only 2 miles from the breathtaking Pacific Ocean which we could see from the Mirador Trail that the Resort had for guests. The prices were extremely reasonable considering this was a resort. We had a hot tub in the room. All the rooms overlook the Pacific Ocean. The gardens were like no other. The croutons and all the indigenous plants were everywhere. This is definitly a Honeymoon spot or a Valentines Day spot or an Anniversary for a romantic getaway! On the grounds they have a type of zoo with the rare and indegenous animals of South America. The owners have people which tend to the animals all the time. While hiking on Mirador trail, which if strolling leisurely it will take about an hour to get to the top to over look the Pacific Ocean, make sure you stop and listen to the gentle sounds of nature and breathe deeply the natural smells of your surroundings. On the premises they have additional farm animals to include the horses which we rode on the beach. We were only two miles from the beach and we payed to ride for two hours, so we truly enjoyed horseback riding for the entire two hours.

What a place for a romantic getaway.    We stayed at El Retiro which was a honey moon place to go.  But the prices were not to much that we couldn't afford because Olon Ecuador is so much less expensive than grandiose cities in US.    We had a hotub/jacuzzi in our room.  Our room overlooked the Pacific ocean and the hillside at the same time.   The dinner we had was as private as you could get.  We had the entire dining room to ourselves right in front of their fish tank. 

The dinner was superb.  I had a wonderful piece of Corvina, which is a local fish in the South America Countries, with a peanut sauce on it and we had platanos served two different ways.  My favorite style was with the honey.  I guess I like my Platanos sweet rather than salty.  I suppose it is personal preference, even though they are generally served or prepared with salt or deep fried and nude. 

We went swimming in the evening at their swimming pool tool.  It seemed like we were the only people staying there.    I can't wait to go back again!!!! 

We got all showered up and started walking looking for a nice place to eat.  I have only walked on cobblestones a few times in my life and this was one of them.  What a romantic evening to be had!

We found a restaurant up on top of a long hill we climbed and over looked the city at night.  When we arrived at the restaurant we asked to be seated at the top of the stairs over looking the river.  What a sight!!!

We got serenaded by a singer and a strikingly handsome man who played the accordian.  Mucho Gracias for a wonderful rendition of a serenade of Placido Domingo my favorite Spanish Opera singer......

The meal was spectacular.  I think we had to much to drink that night though.... Sangria can get you good if you are not ready for the effects.  But like mi mejor amigo was there for me in Iraq,  he also carried me back to the room that night too and took care of me again.....

We got to Guayaquil while it was still light, so we decided to relax for a bit, but not to long since there was so much to see and do and not enough time to do it in!  Mejor Amigo showed me this 'hidden secret' in downtown Guayaquil.   I couldn't ever imagine something so beautiful as this even in my dreams.   I was even more convinced that something as beautiful as this park surely couldn't be free either...... Well it was!!!!   One has dreams of getting married in an amazing park as this.  We even walked across a bridge which he jokingly said  "this is the path of our wedding"......   I think I went thru at least two rolls of film on this day.  

So if any of you are thinking about going to Ecuador please please go to Guayaquil and see the Ecological Park, which is maintained 24 ours a day, 7 days a week 365 days a year!!!

My travel partner and I picked Hotel Ecuador because it was recommended by a prestigious guide book. Apparently, you cannot believe everything that you read. Our room had lots of bugs, practically no windows (there was one window, but it did not let in any light), and, despite the presence of a fan, totally stagnant, hot air. Sitting in the room made me feel so claustrophobic and warm that I often became ill. The surroundings were not an improvement. We were near Parque Centenario, but we were also near a dangerous neighborhood. One day, when we were walking back to the hotel, a man followed us for five blocks. It was unsettling. It should be noted that we did not feel unsafe in the hotel because there was a security staff.

DAY 3
(OUR TRIP CONTINUES)



We had to fly here to top off the fuel and pick up passengers. It was a 30min stop in the process we picked up, Willam, one of the naturalist of the Galapagos Islands that will be our guides. This was an hour flight from Quito. i slept the whole way through, from Guayaquil to Baltra, Galapagos Islands is about a 2hr flight.


BRIEF FACTS OF QUAYAQUIL


Santiago de Guayaquil, or just Guayaquil (pronounced [waʝaˈkil]), is the largest and the most populous city in Ecuador, as well as that nation's main port. Guayaquil is on the west margin of the Guayas River, which flows into the Gulf of Guayaquil in the Pacific Ocean. The climate is hot and generally dry. Though during El Niño years rainfall is very heavy between January and April and flooding usually occurs, from May to December and outside El Niños, there is almost no rain as the city is influenced by the Humboldt Current. Fog is a normal occurrence during the dry months, so that sunshine hours are actually a little higher during the "wet" season.




Guayaquil is at 2.21°S 79.90°W, about 250 km south-southwest of the capital of Ecuador, Quito. According to the most recent census (2001), its population was 1,985,379. However, the estimated metropolitan population was 2,489,865.




Guayaquil is the capital of the Ecuadorian province of Guayas and the seat of the namesake canton. (In Ecuador, a cantón (canton) is a second-order subnational entity below a first-order province.)




The city is the center of Ecuador's fishing and manufacturing industries.





The city's new airport, José Joaquín de Olmedo International Airport (IATA airport code: GYE), though using the same runways, had its passenger terminal completely rebuilt in 2006 and was renamed. The old passenger terminal is now a convention center.




Guayaquil was founded on July 25 (see note below), 1538 with the name Muy Noble y Muy Leal Ciudad de Santiago de Guayaquil by Spanish Conquistador Francisco de Orellana. Even before it was founded by the Spanish, it already existed as a native village.




Note - July 25 is the legal holiday in Guayaquil. Historians have not yet reached a consensus about the date of Guayaquil's foundation or founder. The city might have been founded more than once. Another possible founder might be Diego de Almagro.




In 1600 Guayaquil had a population of about 2,000 people; by 1700 the city had a population of over 10,000.




In 1687, Guayaquil was attacked and looted by English and French pirates under the command of George d'Hout (English) and Picard and Groniet (Frenchmen). Of the more than 260 pirates, 35 died and 46 were wounded; 75 defenders of the city died and more than 100 were wounded. The pirates took local women as concubines. Quito paid the ransom demanded by the pirates with the condition they release the hostages and not burn Guayaquil.




In 1709, the English captains Woodes Rogers, Etienne Courtney, and William Dampier along with 110 other pirates, looted Guayaquil and demanded ransom; however, they suddenly departed without collecting the ransom after an epidemic of yellow fever broke out.




In October 9, 1820, almost without bloodshed, a group of civilians supported by soldiers from the "Granaderos de Reserva", a battalion quartered in Guayaquil, overwhelmed the resistance of the Royalist guards and arrested the Spanish authorities. Guayaquil declared independence from Spain and José Joaquín de Olmedo was named Jefe Civil (Civil Chief) of Guayaquil. This would prove to be a key victory for the Ecuadorian War of Independence.




On July 26, 1822, José de San Martín and Simón Bolívar held a famous conference in Guayaquil to plan for the independence of Spanish South America.




The Guayaquil of today continues its tradition of trade, and now is in the process of a fundamentally economic bet on tourism. This is reflected by changes in the ornamentation of the city and an improvement in the self-esteem of the citizens. This process has taken years, comprising the last two municipal administrations. Despite having few historic buildings, renovations and expansions of levees, squares, parks, and some districts have turned to Guayaquil into a national and international tourist destination. It is now a headquarters for fairs and international events.




The main source of income guayaquileños are formal and informal trade, business, agriculture and aquaculture; trade in the vast majority of the population consists of SMB s micro s, adding an important informal economy occupation that gives thousands of guayaquileños. [1] Despite this Guayaquil is city with the highest rate of unemployment (about 40% of the economically active population and unemployment (about 11% of the economically active population ) of Ecuador.




Guayaquil maintains an infrastructure for import and export of products with international standards. Among its major trading bridges are: the Seaport, the main in Ecuador and one of the biggest influx of shipping on the shores of the Pacific and José Joaquín de Olmedo International Airport. Additionally, it has an infrastructure of roads to other cities and provinces, which are considered the best in the country.




Ongoing projects seek urban regeneration as a principal objective to the growth of the city's commercial helmets, the increase of capital produces imcome. These projects in the city driven by the recent mayors have achieved this goal after investing large sums of money. The current municipal administration aims to convert Guayaquil in a place for first-class international tourism and business multinationals.




Guayaquil's current mayor (alcalde) is Jaime Nebot [ˈxai.me ne.ˈβot], a well-known member of the political party Partido Social Cristiano. Jaime Nebot began a campaign of construction projects for the city in the late 1990s to attract tourism, that included the "urban regeneration", which reconstructed the city in all levels including sidewalks, parks, sewer system, it took the power and telephone lines underground, it saw a lot of reconstruction of the city's chaotic transit system with the construction of multiple infrastructures (streets, speedways, overhead passages, tunnels, etc.).[citation needed]



In August 2006, the city's first bus rapid transit system, Metrovía, opened to provide a quicker, high-capacity service. One of the main projects was called Malecón 2000 [ma.le.ˈkon ðoz ˈmil], the renovation of the breakwater (malecón) along the Guayas River with the addition of a boardwalk in 2000. Another project was the creation of the Nuevo Parque Histórico, a park in a housing development area that is called Entre Ríos because it lies between the Daule and Babahoyo rivers (which confluence to form the Guayas river), in a mangrove wetland area. The park cost the city about 7 million dollars. It is a refuge for fauna and a zone of historical-architecture preservation, and has a traditions-and-history exhibition center. The idea of the creation of this park came from Ecuador's central bank in 1982, as part of their "Rescate Arquitectónico" ("Architectural Rescue") program.

On the way to Guayaquil we had to cross the border into Ecuador. I'm not sure at what time we got there but I had already been asleep and was enjoying some deep dreams when we were suddenly shaken awake and led into the immigration offices, first on the Peruvian side and then on the Ecuadorian side.

I had no problems thanks to my trusty EU passport but the customs official was taking his time with Nicole's passport. Then someone else was called who took the passport away to a backroom and we were left standing there wondering. I inquired as to what the problem might be but the customs officer told me that there was no problem so we just had to wait. Nicole was starting to look nervous which was no surprise after what happened in Colombia and now again there was an unexplained and unmotivated delay. We both had the same stamps and 30 day visas so our documents were definitely in order. Sure enough after 5 minutes the door opened again and the passport was returned. I tried to enquire another time what the issue had been but was told that there hadn't been a problem so it will forever remain a mistery. Anyway, I was quite tired and happy to get back into the bus to carry on sleeping. Other than that little incident the formalities were quick and painless and they didn't even look at or search our bags despite this having been described as one of the worst border crossings on the continent in some of the guidebooks.


We arrived in Guayaquil an hour early at 5am instead of 6am. The terminal is very nice and organised though and together with two swiss girls (who I noticed kept switching between Swiss-German and French mid sentence - they were from Fribourg which apparently is bilingual) we looked around for a bus to Montanita. There was a direct bus but we would have to wait 2 hours so instead we took a bus to Santa Elena where we would have to switch buses again but at least it left immediately.

Guayaquil is an inevitable stopover whether on your way to the Galapagos or entering the country from Peru. My advice: schedule around weekends. We arrived Saturday at noon & most of the town was already shut down, just the sketchy Bahia market was active. Sunday was even worse. we walked for 2 hours trying to locate breakfast and could only find hotel buffets for $13 - $15. Lunch wasn't any better. we ended up at the food court on the Malecon, which was the only meal we had in 2 days.

Hello All,
I slept in a bit today. I woke up just in time to get my free breakfast at the hotel. I had to kick myself into spanish mode for breakfast. So far, in my short time in Guayaquil I have yet to find an english speaker. I guess that is to be expected, as this is not really a tourist town. Most foreign tourists are just stopping for a night, either here or in Quito, on the way to the Galapagos Islands.

My hotel is near the main university, and it is a pretty good neighborhood. The main problem is the proximity to the airport. Mine was likely the last flight to arrive last night, and I don't think there were any more departures, so I had yet to experience the sound. But had there been any I would have been shaken from my comfy bed by the sound of jet engines at full song. I don't think I have ever heard louder takeoffs anywhere. Maybe a pilot could explain, but they must be forgetting to shift or something because the noise is unbelievable!

After that I headed into downtown Guayaquil to check out the waterfront. The desk clerk said that the walk would take maybe 30 minutes, so I figured I would save the $2.50 or $3 that a taxi would cost. It was a nice walk, and the area I went through was made up of businesses and parks. I was amazed that there were street signs at every corner, a rarity in most countries (and places like Boston).

After a leisurely 45 minutes I arrived at the Malecon 2000, a three kilometer long promenade located on the banks the wide River Guayas. It was as clean and nice as any river walk I have ever seen, and there was a nice selection of views, shops, and people to watch. The whole area was fenced and patroled heavily by security and police, and my tour book thought it was secure even at night.

After walking most of the length of the Malceon I ended up at the Parque Seminario, a lovely little urban park in front of a church. The park is known primarily for one thing, the iguanas. I haven't seen any numbers, but there were certainly over one hundred of the prehistoric looking creatures wandering about. Once on the ground they were scrutinized and photographed by a throng of happy onlookers. The lizards seemed to have become a bit jaded by the whole experience, but could still be roused into excitement by a banana, mango, or confused dog.

There was a television travel show being filmed while I was there, but I didn't recognize the host. They didn't get much success interacting with the critters until the sound man returned witha bunch of bananas. At that this bloke was surrounded by hungry iguana. I was surprised how the iguana never really fought each other for the food, they would just aggresively try to get at it. Even resorting to climbing onto suprised holders of food items.

After mustering some courage I was able to pet some of the larger, older iguana. The younger ones were a bit skittish, but I guess with old age comes the realization that most of these people are not going to do you harm. It was very cool to be so close to these critters, and the black squirrel and turtles. It wasn't the wild, but it's not likely I would have been anywhere near as close if it was.

I checked out a few other hotels, a couple of casinos, and some travel agencies to see what the area offered. The tours to the Galapagos were all pricey, and none of them included airfare or park admission. I went to the TAME airlines office and checked into flight only prices. They were also expensive, considering how cheap it is to fly anywhere else in Ecuador. I later learned that Ecuadorians pay half that price, and Galapagos residents pay 25% of the full foreigner price. Makes a little more sense now. I've run into two level pricing before, and it doesn't really bother me. But this is the first time I've seen it with airfares.

By the way... I love my new camera!! My old camera, a 3.1 megapixel with a 1" screen, had been slowly dying for a few years and is woefully outdated. On my last trip to the Middle East I had to fall back on my mobile phone camera for most of the trip. The new one is a Casio Exilim 7.1 megapixel with 7x optical zoom. It is amazing! Some of the shots I got of the wildlife in the park are the best things I've ever taken. Now I just have to make sure not to lose it, damage it, or get it stolen on this trip. Fingers crossed.

During the day I ate at a chain restaurant that served Brazilian style grilled meat. I got my own little grill at my table with beef, pork, chorizo, blood sausage, kidney, and what I think was an intestine with the business end still attached. The first three were fabulous, and I tried the kidney, but I wasn't even going to try the other two. I have a sense of food adventure, but I guess that was my limit with the other tasty options. Later I had a hamburger with a fried egg on top from a street vendor for $1. It was very good also. Guayaquil isn't cheap, but there are bargains to be had.

At night I walked over to a smaller, closer Malecon or an estuary of the Guayas. Not as busy or large as the 2000, but still nice and seemed very secure.

I think I've decided I'm going to just show up at the airport and try to get to the Galapagos tomorrow. All flights are full for the next few days, but there are cancellations and some tour agencies cancel their reserved spots when they don't sell. We'll see if I can do this on the cheap, or somewhere cheaper then the exorbitant prices I've been seeing. If not I'll lay on the beach over there instead of on the coast here. Wish me luck.

Later, Phil

Hello All,
I kicked off the trip yesterday with a late morning flight from Milwaukee to Guayaquil, Ecuador.  I changed planes in Houston, and enjoyed one of those first class upgrades I get occasionally.  I tried hooking up my GPS to the laptop to see if I could get a signal along the way, but I didn't have any luck.

The plane got in at 12:25am, and I had one of the best foreign country arrivals in memory.  I got in one of six equal length lines for passport control, and then noticed that mine was the only one with two agents for one line.  Ten minutes later I was through the line, and I walked through the door into the luggage area.  I glanced at the monitor to find my flight's bags rotating in front of me.  Upon approaching the belt, my bag was the fifth one to pass by.  Total time...  one minute.  I threw my bags in the x-ray machine.  They passed through with no scrutiny, and I was on my way.  Out the door into the throng of waiting people, and there was my ride bearing a lovely sign with my misspelled name, ready to take me away.

It was about an eight minute drive to the hotel, and once there I was happy to find a comfy room with fully functional A/C, and about 70 channels on the cable.  There were a few mosquitos buzzing about, so I spent a few minutes trying to hunt them down.  I think I got them.

Tomorrow is the day to explore the waterfront and downtown in Guayaquil.  I will also look into what it's going to take to get me to the Galapagos.  I don't have my hopes up for cheap and good news.

Later, Phil

So we're just here for a quick stop-over before flying to Galapogas. It's bucketing down currently so I don't know how much we're going to see. to be honest it's probably a good thing as it's SO expensive here! At least 2-3 times more expensive than Manta and Quito. It's like being back in blighty! We've been here 3 hours and spent $65 on nothing-in-particular - kinda like London! :-)

Plus everything else is really western too - people speak english, there are shopping malls, kids in big brand clothes, the works. This, along with the fact we're staying in a Sheraton hotel in a nice room with a great big flat screen TV, king size bed and hi-speed internet access makes it feel like we're having a bit of a return to the norm. Although a bit odd, it's not unwelcome because the next week we're going to be in the middle of the pacific seeing wildlife and scenery that can't be seen anywhere else in the world. really looking forward to it

We flew from the Galapagos to Guayaquil. Guayaquil was founded in 1538, and is now the biggest city in Ecuador with 3 million people. The city was very festive, perhaps because we arrived on Bolivar’s birthday, or perhaps because the following day was the anniversary of the founding of Guayaquil. We walked to the central park, with its statue of liberal devoted to Simon Bolivar and the founders of Ecuador, and the Parque Bolivar where excited kids watched iguanas mating in the plaza. We saw the main Cathedral, originally built in 1547, but now a reconstruction after it burnt down. Our guide bought lottery tickets at the door and prayed inside for them to win (he was a terrible guide and acted like a tout). The waterfront of Guayaquil is beautiful, with lots of people running around and a perfect path to meander along. We saw the Presidential Procession as the President arrived in Guayaquil for the following day’s celebration, and we climbed the 480 steps up the Las Penas, the old town. We had dinner at an excellent seafood restaurant which did the most amazing mushrooms in garlic and wine sauce, but we had to leave early as Lydia felt ill.

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Just arrived back from an amazing week sailing around the Galapagos Islands, on a plush Catermaran called Nemo 1.  Was one of the best weeks from our trip so far. Spent 8 days on the boat with 10 other passengers, all really cool people from all over. Most of which are just starting thier trips!!  One of the highlight for me included getting the confidence back to dive (after shocker in Argentina) Saw White tipped sharks, Green sea turtles, sea lions (just like puppy dogs) Sting rays, sea snakes, 1 lone penguin & loads of fishies.  I was really pleased Mart persuaded me to go for it, as he did a dive before me aswell.   We visited lots of different islands, mainly all volcanic, but all slightly different. On land we saw tons of Iguanas and sea lions, and some lovely birds; Friggat birds, Pelicans, Albatross, Blue footed boobies, plus loads more. Have some great video footage of Albatross mating, the funniest sight ever and Pelican mothers feeding thier babies (looks painful) and Friggat birds inflating their red neck pouches to attract the ladies.... We were soo lucky to get so close as they not scared at all!!

All the crew on the boat were brilliant, we ate like kings and were looked after soo well. Loads of space for chilling in the sun too while crusing along.  Would highly recommend going to anyone who is interested in birds and animals as you will never get closer!!

Now back in Guayaquil, nout much to do here, Mart is in the room and has just got a pizza menu to get take away... Yum!! somethings never change!

Leaving tomorrow, to head to the coast to a small town called Puerto Lopez.