9th - 11th July
Way back when we booked the flights for our first RTW leg we arranged the flight between Lima and Guayaquil for free, through airmiles. The two hour flight flew by in the blink of an eyelid, so used as we are to these long hours on the road. In hindsight we could have probably managed the 22 hour bus ride across the border without too much stress!
We arrived in Guayaquil on a Wednesday lunchtime, knowing very little about the city, or indeed about the country, other than we planned to travel from here to Riobamba to do the Devil's Nose Train and onto Quito for a flight to Panama. At this point I'll consult the guide book…!
Guayaquil is hotter, faster and brasher than the capital. It is Ecuador´s largest city and the country´s chief seaport; an industrial and commercial centre, some 56km from the Rio Guayas outflow into the Gulf of Guayaquil. The Puerto Maritimo handles three quarters of the country´s imports and almost half of it´s exports. Industrial expansion continually fuels the city´s growth.
Having found a place to rest our heads and baulking at the price of the room (Ecuador currency is dollars and a far cry from the Boliviano and Sole we were used to) we set out to find the tourist information office. The agents there were immensely helpful on the attractions of Guayaquil, but we struggled to glean information on the Devil´s Nose Railway. The train leaves Riobamba three times a week and heads south to Alausi where you travel the Alausi loop and can experience the Devil´s Nose. The train then returns to Riobamba. We wanted to know if it was feasible to join the train from Alasusi, part way down the train track, just 3 hours from Guayaquil and thus travel the route (with our packs) on the loop and then onward bound to Riobamba, 5 hours away. Our concern was that even if it was possible to buy a ticket in Alausi, would we be able to board the train? This was a very popular tourist attraction... We also needed to decide whether to take the Friday train or the Sunday service.
Reluctance to head back into the Andes so soon after leaving (the balmy temperatures of Guayaquil did little to help!) we settled on taking the Sunday train and decided to stay in Guayaquil until the Friday morning. From here we would go the further distance to Riobamba and not risk being unable to ride. Having two days to spend in a large city is usually very easy.
Guayaquil is home to numerous museums, public buildings and a picturesque promenade on the river front, known as the Malecon 2000. This wide, tree-lined avenue features gardens, fountains, monuments and views across the Rio Guayas. There are cafes and a number of upmarket restaurants, an Imax cinema and another couple of museums. To the north of the promenade is the colonial district of Las Penas, a cluster of narrow cobbled streets and brightly painted wooden houses. You can walk through here, upwards by means of the 444 steps to Cerro Santa Ana, the lighthouse on the headland from where you can see the cityscape and the river below. The whole area is full of cafes and restaurants and numerous art galleries, giving an arty, bohemian feel to the place.
Unfortunately on the day we decided to hike the steps, as ever in search of some lunch at the other end, practically everywhere was closed. This seemed to be the general theme to most of our stay in Guayaquil, at least where eating and drinking was concerned. The city only really swings into action on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. We had been looking forwards to eating at one of the famous crab restaurants, but instead descended empty bellied and disappointed. A butterfly exhibition on the promenade cheered us up.
A tropical garden was engulfed in huge nets and we ducked inside to take a closer look at the six or seven different varieties that were fluttering around. Needless to say we took a few hundred photos trying to catch the perfect image, but the butterfly in mid-flight eluded us. We also spent some time in the Parque Bolivar, home to a gothic cathedral and a number of iguanas (some of whom were three feet long!), giving rise to the more common name Parque de las Iguanas. Check out the pictures! Next stop Riobamba and fingers crossed a ride on the Devil's Nose!
We arrived in Guayaquil on a Wednesday lunchtime, knowing very little about the city, or indeed about the country, other than we planned to travel from here to Riobamba to do the Devil's Nose Train and onto Quito for a flight to Panama. At this point I'll consult the guide book…!
Guayaquil is hotter, faster and brasher than the capital. It is Ecuador´s largest city and the country´s chief seaport; an industrial and commercial centre, some 56km from the Rio Guayas outflow into the Gulf of Guayaquil. The Puerto Maritimo handles three quarters of the country´s imports and almost half of it´s exports. Industrial expansion continually fuels the city´s growth.
Having found a place to rest our heads and baulking at the price of the room (Ecuador currency is dollars and a far cry from the Boliviano and Sole we were used to) we set out to find the tourist information office. The agents there were immensely helpful on the attractions of Guayaquil, but we struggled to glean information on the Devil´s Nose Railway. The train leaves Riobamba three times a week and heads south to Alausi where you travel the Alausi loop and can experience the Devil´s Nose. The train then returns to Riobamba. We wanted to know if it was feasible to join the train from Alasusi, part way down the train track, just 3 hours from Guayaquil and thus travel the route (with our packs) on the loop and then onward bound to Riobamba, 5 hours away. Our concern was that even if it was possible to buy a ticket in Alausi, would we be able to board the train? This was a very popular tourist attraction... We also needed to decide whether to take the Friday train or the Sunday service.
Reluctance to head back into the Andes so soon after leaving (the balmy temperatures of Guayaquil did little to help!) we settled on taking the Sunday train and decided to stay in Guayaquil until the Friday morning. From here we would go the further distance to Riobamba and not risk being unable to ride. Having two days to spend in a large city is usually very easy.
Guayaquil is home to numerous museums, public buildings and a picturesque promenade on the river front, known as the Malecon 2000. This wide, tree-lined avenue features gardens, fountains, monuments and views across the Rio Guayas. There are cafes and a number of upmarket restaurants, an Imax cinema and another couple of museums. To the north of the promenade is the colonial district of Las Penas, a cluster of narrow cobbled streets and brightly painted wooden houses. You can walk through here, upwards by means of the 444 steps to Cerro Santa Ana, the lighthouse on the headland from where you can see the cityscape and the river below. The whole area is full of cafes and restaurants and numerous art galleries, giving an arty, bohemian feel to the place.Unfortunately on the day we decided to hike the steps, as ever in search of some lunch at the other end, practically everywhere was closed. This seemed to be the general theme to most of our stay in Guayaquil, at least where eating and drinking was concerned. The city only really swings into action on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. We had been looking forwards to eating at one of the famous crab restaurants, but instead descended empty bellied and disappointed. A butterfly exhibition on the promenade cheered us up.
A tropical garden was engulfed in huge nets and we ducked inside to take a closer look at the six or seven different varieties that were fluttering around. Needless to say we took a few hundred photos trying to catch the perfect image, but the butterfly in mid-flight eluded us. We also spent some time in the Parque Bolivar, home to a gothic cathedral and a number of iguanas (some of whom were three feet long!), giving rise to the more common name Parque de las Iguanas. Check out the pictures! Next stop Riobamba and fingers crossed a ride on the Devil's Nose! 
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