So after an unexpectedly loooooong flight with Delta we made it to Guayaquil after 14 hours of traveling! We got here around 1 am and I was greeted with extremely friendly Ecuadorians and a mild, but humid temperature. It seems to me that the people here don't speak a lot of English, which in my case is much better because it forces me to speak Spanish. I find myself having to rephrase things, think of new ways of saying things and using words I know to describe words I don't know. These are all things that are important for language development and something I really try to support my students with, even though I might know what they are trying to say.
After a very pleasant cab ride through the street of Guayaquil I noticed how clean the streets were, but by one in the morning, very empty. This morning I woke up to a rather loud breakfast happening outside my room, but pushed myself to KEEP SLEEPING! At about 9 am Bridget and I got up to get ourselves a betida. A betida is a delicious tropical juice drink that is somewhat like a smoothie. It has condensed milk blended with fruit. I had papaya and it brought me right back to the streets of the Dominican Republic trying to cool down with a fresh drink. We walked around the city today for about three hours. We went to a park that had iguanas in trees, on the ground, on benches; they were all over the place! Then we walked to an artisan market where I got to definitely practice some Spanish and bought a pancho!
So far, I find the Ecuadorian people polite and patient. Even in the market they were not pushy; they even laughed at a few of my Spanish jokes. It is really amazing to see the similarities and differences in the culture here to the other Spanish speaking countries I have been to.
I just got back to the hostel for some food and I am now going to take a quick siesta. Tomorrow we are going to get up at 5 am to get an early bus that will take us to Banos. The bus ride should be about seven hours. Not looking forward to the bus ride, but I am looking forward to watching the picturesque view of the Sierra (central Ecuador) pass through my widow. Here is a link to where we will be staying. I hope to try horseback riding around a volcano! Banos also offers hot springs, climbing, canyoning, and even more. I am VERY excited to get there!
Some pictures of Guayaquil: Iguanas, Meat Market, and Everyday City Living
Meat Market a Vegetarian's Dream!
Looks like the gentleman if feeding the Iguanas. They are pets aren't they? Please don't tell me they are going to end up in the meat market.
ReplyDeleteHAHA I hope not!
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