It is something only seen by a traveller or a travel journalist doing his job, but in the past few days I have been treated to one of the greatest surprises in my working life.
Having been led to believe that Guayaquil was nothing short of being a cursed city with rocks falling from the sky, it amazes me now to say that I was nervous upon arrival.
I guess what frustrates me the most is that I actually believed what the people told me, which may explain why there is just one backpackers hostel in a city of 3 million people. "Guns, robbers, looting, murder," were just some of the things I was warned against. Apart from that it's expensive, humid and horrible.'True, to spend a night in Guayaquil will cost you $10 a night as opposed to $5 that the capital offers and there is no getting away from the fact that in the day it does get hot. Nevertheless, from 6PM when the sun cools and you walk up Octubre 6 with a cold bottle of beer in your hand, with an incredible breeze blowing off those last pieces of sweat accumulated from the day, there is no better place in Ecuador. And now the place is just dying for another backpacker's hostel business to come down here.
Enclosed by buildings either side, and on streets that a clean enough to eat your shawama from, you are free from all the noise, hustle and bustle of Quito. Whereas in Quito, you are constantly harassed from beggars, mothers carrying babies and children themselves the area next to the River Guayas, known as the Malecón 2000 is the safest area I have come across in South America.
Walking towards the East will bring you to Las Peñas. This sold the whole city for me in a heart beat. On a 100 foot mound of houses, bars and restaurants, anyone can walk through the equally safe nooks and crannies to find excellent local restaurants serving pastas, pizzas, local food and naturally the essential cold beer thirst quencher for a single buck. Nearly everyone serves up a spectacular view of the harbour and of Guayaquil, and all with that gentle breeze that carries on right throughout the night.
It is the place to go either for lunch or to start off you night before you head to Zona Rosa at midnight when the real party begins. The area has taken off in the last couple of years, and has yet to really get into many of the guide books, hence the lack of knowledge amongst tourists of this city. Here are a further 30 clubs and bars to see you through until 9AM.
The most popular club in town, however, is one not there at all: it's called Fizz and exsists in the commercial district of the city. With a 1000 person capacity and a full foam machine to get everyone soaked, and with girls getting in free before midnight with free drinks all night, the ratio is 3:1 in favour of girls.
Guys pay a $15 entrance fee, but are also entitled to a free bar thereafter.
In a place where I was supposed to hate afterwards, I think every other tourist will be surprised at the richness of Guayaquil.
