GUAYAQUIL is the largest city and main port of Ecuador with a population of around 3 million. It is the provincial capital of Guayas and is situated on the west bank of the river Guays, it’s nickname is”The Pearl Of The Pacific’. The economy is driven by big business, agriculture and of course the port.The majority of the workforce is in small to medium business’s and a growing tourism industry, some of the global big players are being enticed to the fast developing city.The hottest time of the year from January to April, average 30c, is also the wettest. The drier months, 22c, are predominantly cloudy with chilly evenings.
HOW TO GET THERE.
The city is served by Jose Joaquin de Olmedo international airport which is named after the first mayor and former president. The second busiest airport in the country it is capable of handling over 7 million passengers a year. Do your research and there are some good deals to be had,
LAN Airlines is one of the front runners with a good international reputation. The airport is only 5k from the city and has good transport links to the center and it’s hotels.
WHAT TO EAT.
The only problem the visitor encounters here with food is the sheer choice. Cuisines from all four corners of the globe are represented, from France to East Africa and of course Central and South America. Seafood is plentiful in this port city with many local delicassies to be had.Surprisingly though the most popular dish seems to be rice with lentils and grilled beef while breakfast is deep fried plantain mashed with cheese.
WHAT TO SEE.
Take a leisurely stroll through the historic Malecon and visit the tall sailing ship the Guayas (no surprise there )which is at anchor here or see the architecturally important Palacio Municipal. The two main parks are the Centanario and the Seminario both very different, the former being home to a Statue Of Liberty in the center of it’s tree shaded paths and the latter featuring Iguanas, some are as long as 5 feet, which you are allowed to feed and the Japanese fish pond. The largest market is the Artesanal which sells indigenous arts and crafts in over 200 shops. For the art lover take in Las Penas where local artists and galleries sit side by side in converted 400 year old houses.
SHOPPING.
Apart from the previously mentioned, for more conventional shopping visit the Urdesa area popular for it’s larger stores and restaurants. For electronic goods, toys and clothing go to the Bahia market and soak up the atmosphere.
Remember, never travel without travel insurance! And never overpay for travel insurance!
I use HeyMondo. You get INSTANT quotes. Super cheap, they actually pay
out, AND they cover almost everywhere, where most insurance companies don't (even places like Central African
Republic etc!). You can sign-up here. PS You even get 5% off if you use MY LINK! You can even sign up if you're already overseas and
traveling, pretty cool.
Also, if you want to start a blog...I CAN HELP YOU!
Also, if you want to start a blog, and start to change your life, I'd love to help you! Email me on
johnny@onestep4ward.com. In the meantime, check out my super easy blog post on how to start a travel blog in under 30 minutes,
here! And if you just want to get cracking, use BlueHost at a discount, through me.
Also, (if you're like me, and awful with tech-stuff) email me and my team can get a blog up and running for
you, designed and everything, for $699 - email johnny@onestep4ward.com to get started.
Do you work remotely? Are you a digital nomad/blogger etc? You need to be insured too.
I use SafetyWing for my digital nomad insurance. It covers me while I live overseas.
It's just $10 a week, and it's amazing! No upfront fees, you just pay week by week, and you can sign up just for
a week if you want, then switch it off and on whenever. You can read my review here, and you can sign-up
here!
As you know, blogging changed my life. I left Ireland broke, with no plan, with just a one-way ticket to Thailand and no money. Since then, I started a blog, then a digital media company, I’ve made more than $1,500,000 USD, bought 4 properties and visited (almost) every country in the world. And I did it all from my laptop as I travel the world and live my dream.
Got a question? Wanna comment? I'd love to hear from you
Comments are closed.