Ecuador - The Rough Guide to South America on a Budget - page 617

pla ce to han g ou t and the breakfasts are top-notch. Dorms
$6 , doubles $20
Hotel Italia Bolívar, at Checa T 05 269 1137. A cut above
the budget options, this mid-range place has cle an, s imple
rooms with private baths and a café downstairs. $25

colonial charms and Guayaquil's hot,
humid vivacity. Guayaquileños (or
Guayacos ) are fiercely proud of their city
and they have a centre that is worth
showing off. Guayaquil's 3km-long
Malecón and renovated artistic district of
Las Peñas are great achievements, as are the
new airport, bus terminal and museums.

EATING AND DRINKING
Arenabar Pizzeria Marañon, at Bolívar. Good pizza and
lasagne ($5-7) plus eclectic celebrity decor.
Colombius Bolívar. A cheap place for set lunches of
chicken and fish ($2-3).
Muelle Uno Malecón. One of a string of restaurants on the
pier near the docks, serving man-sized barbecue platters
and seafood dishes for $4-8.
Puerto Amistad Malecón. This place is owned by an
American sailor and offers quesadillas and crêpes as well
as meat and fish dishes ($5-10).
Tropihelados Bolívar. Indulgent ice-cream sundaes and
filling fast food ($2-3).

6

WHAT TO SEE AND DO
Be aware that the heat and traffic pollution
can make sightseeing an uncomfortable
experience, so get up early. The weekend,
when the city is quieter, is the best time to
explore. Outside the centre, Guayaquil is
not picturesque and remains dangerous,
particularly at night.

El Malecón
he Malecón (daily 7am-midnight)
running alongside the river is a public
space that is easily the highlight of the city
- enclosed, pedestrianized and patrolled by
security guards. The best point to enter is
La Plaza Cívica at the end of 9 de Octubre.
Start at La Rotonda , a statue of South
America's liberators, José de San Martín
and Simón Bolívar, shaking hands in front
of a semicircle of marble columns. Past
the plush Guayaquil Yacht Club is the
23m-high Moorish Clock Tower, and
further south The Henry Morgan , a replica
of a seventeenth-century pirate ship,
is docked. A one-hour trip on the river
costs $5 (hourly departures afternoons
and evenings).
Further south is Plaza Olmedo , with its
contemplative monument of José Joaquín
de Olmedo (1780-1847), the first mayor
of Guayaquil. The southern end of
Malecón reaches La Plaza de la Integración
and an artisans' market, selling traditional
indigenous clothing and crafts.

MANTA
Ecuador's second port used to be a pleasant
expat haven, but a deteroriating security
situation means that the city is best
avoided. There are far better beaches
elsewhere too. However, you may need to
pass through Manta on your way up or
down the coast and change at its unsightly
bus terminal in front of the fishing boat
harbour on Calle 7 and Avenida 8.

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
By bus There are regular services to Bahía de Caráquez
(hourly; 3hr), Puerto López (hourly; 2hr) and Montañita
(daily; 3hr 30min), as well as departures to Guayaquil
(hourly; 4hr) and Quito (hourly; 8hr). There are also daily
buses up the coast to Esmeraldas.

Guayaquil
GUAYAQUIL is Ecuador's largest city and
its economic powerhouse, handling most
of the country's imports and exports. The
heat, dirt and danger used to be reasons
enough to stay away, but the city has
undergone quite a facelift in the past
decade and the waterfront and city centre
have enough to keep visitors occupied for
a day or two.
Arriving from the mountains, the
contrast is striking between Quito's cool

Botanical gardens
North from La Rotonda is a large
children's play area packed with families at
weekends. Further on is a stunning set of
botanical gardens with more than three
hundred species of coastal vegetation.
The gardens are divided into four zones:
ornamental trees, humid forest, palms and
coniferous. There are two plazas within
the gardens: the Pre-Columbian Plaza,