Ecuador: Guyaquil

 January 30 & 31, 2023 Guyaquil, Ecuador

The US State Department has level 3 and 4 advisories for Guyaquil, by city area, due to violent crime. I was somewhat amused by this since all our Peru ports were canceled due to political unrest, and Guyaquil was substituted for Peru. 

The Guyas River is big, and the port is located in the delta of the river. The working port is rough, and there are a series of gates with armed guards to get in or out. There was a giant Cosco ship being refueled by a smaller ship as we docked. 

Dancing girls in white and blue traditional dresses greeted us when we disembarked. Also a lot of police officers. They were very friendly, and one young woman officer was holding a police officer puppet. 

We took a tour because of the dire warnings about this port. The puppet police officer, rode on the tour bus with us into the city center. The guide, Christopher, was excellent. We did a fast tour of the MAAC museum (the only museum open on Monday). It was a great combination of art that was thousands of years old, and very modern art. We loved it. 

Framed at the museum

Near the museum, Las Penas is a neighborhood of colorful houses built on a hill, and there are 444 steps (all numbered) to get to the top. Our tour included a walk to the top. Some tourists opted not to do this, but we were not among those. We climbed to the top, resting periodically for a view of the river. It was hot and extremely humid. A mix of homes, bars, art galleries, and restaurants line the path up, and the people who live here have to carry everything up and down. There are also people who do that for a living. The walk up was lovely, and at the very top was a small church and a lighthouse. Charlie felt compelled to climb to the top of the lighthouse as well. He said the view from there was even more spectacular. 

Starting up the hill

Steps are numbered from 1 to 444

Grandparents on the bottom, adult kids on 2nd floor, adult grandkids on 3rd floor, etc.

Yay! Made it!

That is Charlie at the top

View from the lighthouse

We had some casualties on the way down: one young woman slipped and fell, and her older companion became weak from exertion and dehydration. We stopped at the bottom to rehydrate and rest, then continued around the bottom of the hill, past a historic neighborhood with trees full of nesting royal herons. Once we were back on the ship, it was nap time!  

For our second day in Guyaquil we decided to throw caution to the wind and take the Port Authority’s free shuttle to the city. The first shuttle was completely full even though we were 20 minutes early. The next shuttle wasn’t for another hour. We went back on the ship to escape the muggy heat and wait in the comfortable lobby when word came there might be another shuttle on the way. And there was! Along the way into the city we saw long convoy of small pickup trucks loaded with boxes headed toward the port. There was an armed guard on each truck. No idea what that was about.

Once downtown, we toured a museum with people we knew from the ship and a large contingency of well-behaved school children in blue uniforms. It was another great combination of amazing anthropological and historical displays and modern art. 

We wandered up the Malacon, a large beautifully-landscaped area along the river that is well-policed for tourists. There's a big ferris wheel, an attractive botanical garden, shops, restaurants, and a tram that goes over the river one direction, and over the city in the other. We split off from our companions at this point, since they were headed for the museum we visited yesterday.

On our way to the tram, Charlie couldn’t resist talking to and posing by this incredible guy.

Bird hitching a ride on some foliage floating down the river.

The tram is a tourist attraction, but also practical transportation for locals who work in the city. It’s a wonderfully smooth and quiet ride with fantastic views. For a little over a dollar (senior rate) we bought tickets that took us across the river to Duran, a working class neighborhood a little rough around the edges. There is also a small ferry for vehicles to get back and forth across the river and we had a great view of it. Duran has a park along the river, not as polished and sophisticated as on the other side. We walked around Duran a bit, interacting with people who were eating at a tiny restaurant with one thing on the menu: fish soup.  We had lunch at another local restaurant—delicious food for $6 total.

Ferry across the Guyas River between Guyaquil and Duran

Back on the tram, we again crossed the river and stayed on for a fabulous view of the colorful hillsides and city proper. Highly recommended. After the tram ride, our plan was to take the 2:30 pm shuttle back to the ship. 

Our $6 lunch in Duran (half eaten)

Las Penas from the tram

Impressive mall on our way back to the shuttle bus

We made it back to the shuttle bus, and puppet policewoman was there along with several other police on motorcycles. This is when we became aware of the first violence encountered by a shipmate. Someone ripped a woman’s earrings out, and her ear lobes were bleeding. An unfortunate reminder not to wear valuable jewelry ashore.

We did a lot of walking over these two days which is always good. We didn’t have an opportunity to shop at the local market, so that’s something for next time. On the plus side, the second day only cost an amazing $8 (not counting the cruise ship!). The tourist-friendly, developed areas are attractive with lots of foliage and great views of the river. 

Peace & love,

Jill & Charlie