Guayaquil - First Airbnb

For various reasons, including tight budgets, legal policies and some substantial visitor travel costs unexpectedly charged to the area legal department, the lawyers in our office rarely (as in, never) travel outside of Lima, although we deal daily with lawyers, church employees and mission presidents throughout the five countries in our area. But our efforts to purchase some property in Quito, Ecuador, for a temple site reached the point where we really needed to meet the local attorneys working on the project and the attorney and general manager of the company that owned the property we would like to purchase. So, Evie and I, along with the interim ALC Richard Johnson and his wife Jennifer, made a trip to Ecuador.

Unfortunately (or rather fortunately) by the time all the approvals for the trip were obtained, only expensive first class seats were available on flights from Lima to Quito for the days the meetings had been set. We solved this problem by leaving a day earlier on relatively inexpensive flights to Guayaquil, Ecuador, where we would stay a day and then fly to Quito. (The Johnsons, with some other commitments, would meet up with us in Quito.) Guayaquil is near the coast and Ecuador's largest city. With its ocean port, it is the commercial center of the country.

Evie took charge of hotel arrangements and decided for the first time to book an apartment for two nights through Airbnb (a service I think everyone in our family, but us, have used). Nonetheless, it was a rather adventuresome move for us in a city in foreign country that we knew nothing about and that was not one of South America's most prosperous (and with a left wing government). Here's how it all turned out.

This is where we landed, the José Joaquín de Olmedo International Airport, a modern, clean and efficient airport less congested and of a more manageable size than Lima, which is sort of the "O'Hara International"  of South America. (I'll add later a note on the impressive infrastructure in Ecuador.) We, however, arrived at night and our first challenge was to get a taxi to take us safely (emphasis on safely) here:

	3er Pasaje 5 Northeast Pedro Menéndez Edificio bellini 2. Ap. 702, Guayaquil, Guayas 090514, Ecuador

Despite our efforts with google maps, we actually had no idea where it was and, as it turned out, the folks at the taxi counter inside the airport (which are the safest and most reliable) did not either. Nonetheless, after considerable discussion, they eventually found a taxi driver who claimed to know where it was and, as it turned out, he did. He took us here to an apartment tower in a very nice development project on the "Malecon" along the Guayas River.

The interesting squiggly building in front is not where we stayed (a bit "up market" for us). We were in the apartment building behind it on the right (which was nonetheless very nice). 

This is inside the aprtment. Nice, although we were hardly ever there except to sleep and so never took advantage of the "amenities," such access to an exercise room and Jacuzzi and a parking space. Evie did well!

This is what the "squiggly" building looks like at night. It changes colors and the color changes "move" progressively up and around the building. Interesting, ostentatious architecture, like what you would expect to see in downtown Dallas.

Some pictures along the Malecon. The statute of a famous musician and singer of traditional music (I didn't get the name) actually has a recording so you hear these beautiful old sad, traditional ballads as you walk by.

Eating an early dinner (or late lunch) along the Malecon. The Malecon is lined with apartment buildings and a hotel, with restaurants and high end retail shops on the ground level. Similar to developments in the US (e.g., Highland Village and New Park), the restaurants are lively and crowded and the retail space less so (in fact largely empty).

This is a pizza, but with the crust made from green bananas (it was really good). Banana (platanos) in place of bread is the specialty here.You can order sandwiches on "bread" made from bananas. 

Hanging out on the Malecon isn't the only thing we did in Guayaquil, but that's for the next post.