Back In Ecua-Land - Guayaquil & Salinas (Ecuador)

In Guayaquil

It was a long drive from Mancora. We set off about mid-day, took the short ride to the border (through arid desert and coastlines) before crossing the frontera back to Ecuador. The paperwork getting back over was nothing more than a formality this time around. From the border, we took the long drive around the southern part of the country (through all those banana plantations) towards the large city of Guayaquil. Actually we wern't spending much time here. We were just passing through. We stopped for dinner and had a look around before continuing on our journey. I had passed through Quayaquil a number of times, as its the main hub for travelling on to a number of places in the south of Ecuador. Most of those previous occassions I had only driven through the city, so I never really got to see the place up close. This time however, despite it only being a whistle-stop tour - I did actually manage to get out the car this time and see some sights properly.

Guayaquil is Ecuador's largest city and despite not being its capital, it certainly is its economic hub. Because of this and the fact that it has a reputation of being dangerous, not many backpackers bother to stop here. However, underneath its shell of business and robbers its actually quite a cool town. The city is located away from the high altitude mountains and so its climate is more tropical, being hot and humid for most of the year. The city has a number of things to keep the average tourist happy, but nothing more so than the Malecon, which is often seen to define this place. The Malecon is essentially Quayaquil's river-side promenade, where people come to shop, walk and eat - and often all in one go. The promenade runs along the huge Rio Guayas (Guayas River) which is used as a major trading route. During the short time we had in Guayaquil - we spent it on the Malecon, for a night-time stroll. We started at La Rotonda (a famous statue depicting the meeting between Bolivar and San Martin that took place here in 1822), before continuing south, past the clock tower and yacht club as well as a whole host of other night time delights!!! It would have been nice to spend a bit more time here and in the city in general, but we were pressed for time, so we eventually got back in the car and continued on our way.

It was less than two hours to reach our destination - Salinas. The town lies on Ecuador's southern coast and it is here that Maisa and her family have a holiday home. The place was only a few minutes from the beach and after a bit of a spruce-up (the house hadn't been lived in for over a year), it felt like home. I had been to Salinas before. About 6 months previously I participated in a scientific conference where I presented a talk to 200 Ecuadorians on the explosive activity of Tungurahua Volcano. The conference was held at a university in the nearby town of Santa Elena, but we all stayed on the Navy Base in Salinas - so I got to see a bit of the town then. From afar, Salinas looks like Miami Beach - with tall hotels and apartments lining the shore. Yachts dock just off the bay and during the months from December to April - they often come from all over the world.

In the few days that we spent in Salinas we spent most of our time along the beach-front, eating in the restaurants and admiring the many market stalls. We also had time for a couple of expeditions though too. We went to a famous and dangerous part of the coast in Salinas called the Chocolatera - which is where a series of ocean currents meet, crashing against the cliff-side rocks. We stood precariously on the top of those cliffs and watched the ferocity of mother nature in action below us. We also took a drive up the coast including the two hour ride north to Montañita. I had spent some time in this small, party town (and once for a crazy New Years Eve night) but Henry had never been and wanted to see what all the fuss was about. We didn't stay for the evening so he didn't get to experience it in all its glory but he got a taste of what the place is like at least.

After some days, we had to continue on our way again. Our trip was coming to an end and we had to get back to Quito. Before our return journey though we still had some time left................so we ended up driving north to stay in a Jungle house and attend a party with 200 family members. Of course we did!!!