Interesting Sights Of Guayaquil From The Open-Top Bus
With just a short time to spend in the city of Guayaquil, Ecuador, we had to make the best of it to see as much as we can. And courtesy of our hotel (again), we got on a complimentary hop-on open-top tourist bus which took us on a ride around the city.
Guayaquil is now trying to expand its tourism appeal by beautifying the city. Indeed, even though Guayaquil doesn’t have many historic buildings, the city has been renovated over the past few years.
Did we mention that Ecuador’s official currency is the US dollar?
Here is the La Rotonda, a monument at Malecón 2000 that signifies the historical meeting between Simón Bolívar , the liberator, and Jose de San Martin, that determined the formation of the great Colombia (integrated by Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador) and the farewell of San Martin.
The Palacio Municipal is located in front of the Malecón and holds the political offices of city and provincial officials. Built in a neoclassical style, it is considered one of the most important architectural works in the country.
The entrance
On the sightseeing bus. Here the street sign reads “9 of October”.
In 1896, the ‘Great Fire’ burned huge parts of the city to the ground
Traffic light with Cerro Santa Ana behind
This part of town near the Malecón is relatively safer than other parts of the city, but in other parts of town, foreigners are advised to take a taxi from point to point instead of walking.
Most of the cabs are the old Lada cars, looking like a funny box
Don’t let the modern look of the Malecón fool you into thinking the city is safe. Security level is very high, and outside almost every store (even a clothing or food store), you can see armed security guards. While going around the city, we saw a convoy of two armored military vehicles protecting an SUV as the man went from store to store. Obviously, he must be an important person with some enemies, or someone who likes to go shopping in style ;).
Approaching the hill
Las Peñas is Guayaquil’s oldest neighborhood, and much of it is now being restored to showcase the beauty of this historic area.
Telecommunication towers stand atop Santa Ana
Guayaquil achieved its independence from Spain on October 9, 1820, and was an independent province until Simón Bolívar annexed it as part of Gran Columbia in 1822. In 1830, Bolívar’s experiment failed and Guayaquil became part of the newly formed republic of Ecuador.
A residential neighborhood
This is typical of the suburb neighborhood
In the evening, we chose to eat in the hotel restaurant rather than the fast food chains nearby.
Salad
Pasta appetizer
Grilled chicken
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