14 de Mayo - Guayaquil, Ecuador
Ecuador is lush, green and humid in comparison to Peru. Here the official currency is the US dollar, so we went from calculating the exchange rate of 3.25 Peruvian soles per dollar to using American dollars in Ecuador. They use Ecuadorian coins alongside US coins. This is the first time in over 4 months that we have seen quarters, dimes, pennies and nickels. There are also many US-minted bronze dollars in circulation here, and neither of us have seen those used back in the States for years. During the bus ride from the Peruvian border to Guayaquil we passed time by looking out the window at the many banana plantations alongside the Panamericana. Rice paddies flooded with water and surrounded by thick greenery looked silver and swampy in the light of the setting sun. The green countryside was dotted with white egrits and silhouettes of palm trees and the golden sun hung low in the sky above. Our first busride in Ecuador was very picturesque.Billy loves Ecuador so far. We got some ice cream at a creamery called Pinguino downtown in Guayaquil last night and the two young girls behind the counter were giggling and staring up at Billy. When we asked what they were talking about, one of the girls said something about the color of Billy`s eyes and let out an embarrassed chuckle. Billy turned bright red at the compliment and the other girl behind the counter excitedly asked us questions about where we are from and what it is like in the US. Billy was so flustered that he couldn`t speak. As we were leaving, the girls wanted to know when we would be back for more helados. People in Guayaquil are either very friendly, or they don`t see many gringos here. For now, we are enjoying being a novelty in this strange place.
The Spanish we have heard so far in Ecuador is very different from the Spanish spoken in Peru. We are having trouble understanding new words and their accent so far. We have spent our time in Guayaquil walking around the downtown area, exploring the city, and trying to beat the heat. Guayaquil is Ecuador`s largest city and chief seaport, so it is a center of industry and commerce. In the downtown areas of other South American cities, we have noticed pharmacies on every corner, but here there are electronics stores on every corner. We have read that since the 1990s Guayaquil has spearheaded an effort to gain autonomy for Ecuador`s coastal provinces, so this is a very prosperous part of the country. In the park in the center of the downtown area there are iguanas living in the trees and feasting on the green grass. These animals are only a preview of what we should see in the Galapagos Islands. We are excited to fly to San Cristobal tomorrow to make arrangements to see the islands.
posted by The Blaus @ 9:46 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home