New Years in Ecuador
by namastedc
Local custom in Ecuador is to burn an Ano Viejo (Old Year) at midnight.
Anos viejos are effigies of either a person, historical figure, or cartoon. A few years ago political figures and the devil were common, while lately it has been Spiderman, the Hulk, and Sponge Bob Square Pants.
There are many theories on where the custom came from, but the most common is that it dates back to a yellow fever epidemic that was particularly nasty, requiring mass burning of bodies. This makes sense because the anos viejos are almost always burned lying down instead of standing up - but who knows?
Be careful when you buy one, though - it just may be packed with fireworks!!
Parque Historic Guayaquil
by grandmaR
The name of the Parque Historico Guayaquil is somewhat misleading although the basis of the park is a couple of plantation houses which date back to the 1600s. This is of interest because most of the old buildings in the city itself have been destroyed by fire and/or earthquakes.
But I didn't see the historic building part which is called "Traditions Zone" and the "urban-architectonic zone" where there are original houses such as were destroyed in Guayaquil in the past by a series of earthquakes in the past century. There is music, typical food, and people dressed up with antique clothes. I did not see this because it was too hot. So I went back to the bus. These are Bob's pictures.
The entrance fee is $3 for adults, $1.50 for children and 50 cents for the third age. Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 9h00 to 17h00. There is a frequent bus service (every two hours) to the park on Sundays and holidays at Malecón 2000 starting at 10 am for about US$ 0,25.
Malecon 2000
by namastedc
The Guayaquil riverfront area, once a dirty dangerous place, has recently been renovated and is the number one attaction in the city.
At all hours of the day and late into the night, tourists can stroll the full 2km of its length, enjoying the gardens, buildings, river, restaurants, shops, and museums, without any worry of being harrassed or robbed!
If you have just one day to spend in Guayaquil, save at least 2 hours for the Malecon 2000.
The steps
by Joemidwest
444 steps sounds like alot, and it probably would be if you wanted to walk them all at once. It is a good thing for this 56 year old body that there are several places on the way up to have a snack or a cool drink. There are also some shops and good places for pictures.
A short stop in Guayaquil
by CaptainAmerica
Guayaquil is Ecuador's biggest city and the economic capital of the country. According to guide books and some travelers, the city worths spending a few days for its waterfront, its lively center and its night life.
However, I did not come to Ecuador to spend time in big modern cities (I may be wright or wrong but with three weeks only I considered having more interesting places to visit), and we did not expect to stop here. But I finally took a place to come back to Europe from here and we had two days quite interesting.
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Domestic airline, Equador
Bob and me getting ready to leave the ship
Local parrot
See the tree climbing iguanas
