Guayaquil is the biggest city in Ecuador and is located on the the western bank of river Guayas as it meets the Pacific ocean. Having spent the past three weeks in Andean highlands, the moment my bus from Cuenca descended from the mountains into the coastal belt, the scenery changed from eucalyptus trees to palm trees and people shed their alpaca jackets in favour of loose cotton tshirts. I was going to be in Guayaquil for about 24 hours which, as most people told me, was more than enough to see the main attractions.
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| ↑ Iguanas have habited the Simon Bolivar plaza of downtown Guayaquil for generations. Very friendly and virtually domesticated, these lizards are one of the top attractions of the city. | |
Over the last decade, Guayaquil’s progressive city council has transformed the once crime ridden industrial town into a vibrant city with parks, museums, plazas and tourist friendly locations such as the historic downtown, the waterfront promenade called Malecon 2000 and the colourful neighbourhood of Las Peñas.
Dreamkapture
I stayed at Hostel Dreamkapture which is located in a northern suburb of Guayaquil. Owned and run by US American, Canadaian and Ecuadorean folks, Dreamkapture has a distinctly backpacker character and a friendly vibe. Along with features such as wireless internet, desktop computers, guest kitchen, entertainment room, hammocks and a small pool, the hostel has uber-essential fans or ACs in each room. I had not appreciated the need for these gadgets until I came to Guayaquil and I am so glad my room had AC. Breakfast is simple and is served in the cafe on the second floor.
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| ↑ Nicely kept and clean interiors. There are numerous dream catchers hanging at the windows. | |
Although downtown is a logical area to stay if you want to see the attractions, this hostel has the advantage of being located ten minutes from the bus station and the airport. A taxi cost me $3 from the bus station and to go to the airport I flagged one down on the street, also for $3. There is one city bus route that goes directly to downtown ($0.25), passing through various neighbourhoods and commercial areas in a hot and sweaty 40-minutes long journey. I took this bus earlier in the day, checked out all downtown attractions, and returned at night.
The staff is very friendly and they helped answer all my questions, including some odd ones such as where I could find Inka Kola, the Peruvian soft drink. Dreamkapture actively volunteers in the community to help local families in need, and also assists the operation of an animal rescue organisation (there were numerous rescued birds here.) Overall, a good karma place and definitely a thumbs up.
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Note: While my stay was provided by the hostel, I was completely free to write about my experiences (good or bad). I would never write about something that I didn’t believe in.
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I am scared of lizards but these are so big that I have to recategorise my fear for these iguanas. did you touch them? how was it?
Hi Fiona, Yes they appear mildly ferocious but in fact these lizards are very friendly. I didn’t touch any though, I was feeling bad. The poor creatures get manhandled a lot, like this boy was holding its tail and dragging it.
It’s great to see organisations pay attention to bloggers. Cool stories, hope to catchup soon when I return from Mexico.
Heyo Josh, looking forward to seeing you too. I have noticed a remarkable shift in attitudes towards bloggers. Once we were the rebels, now our work is quite mainstream. All these press trips, promotions and opportunities are fun.
It’s look like is a very nice place, I never been in south America and day by day I feel like I have to go….
Ciao
Hi Chris, south america is fantastic, there is something for everyone. I’m sure you’ll like it!
These are scary! People are so brave!
PS: How do you find places you want to stay at?
Hi C&R, nice to hear from you! The Iguanas have been exposed to an urban lifestyle for a while, so they are very docile and harmless. kids (even babies) touch them and play with them, although that dangerously borders on abuse. You should try it!
I don’t often find places, the places find me, lol, if that makes sense. However, this one in particular had good reviews and after my awful experience at a fancy 5-star place in Cuenca, I was only interested in a more down-to-earth hostel.
[...] Good and cheap food is easy to find in Ecuador. Though not as flavourful as Mexican or Indian food, I enjoyed trying new types of soups and entrés. The selection of fruit and juices is enormous… I think the country survives on potatoes, meat and fruit. The flavours change as you travel from the highlands to the Guayaquil coast. [...]
Hi Priyank, Great post and wonderful pics! Good to see your blog going strong. I have been a little unsocial with my blog pals during the past year or two due to increased work-related travel. Hope to be back more often. Take care!
[...] to climb, went to new excavations in the bush which the tourist groups were not interested in and watched an iguana catch a grasshopper.Uxmal is a great ruin to visit, I liked it more than the insanely popular [...]