I'm in South America - only two more continents to go in this Amazing Race. Austrailia and Antartica. Maybe i should just keep heading south on this leg and I will end up in Antartica????

Carolyn and I arrived in Guayaquil Ecuador mid-afternoon, took a taxi to a guesthouse I had written down but not reserved and got their last room. Lucky lucky because it turned out to be really really nice, ok price - $20 each with breakfast, and best of all perfect location right in the center of the city.

Downtown Guayaquil had a major facelift in 2000 when they built a magnificent Malecon ( river walk). It has some of the most interesting public spaces I have seen anywhere. Another really unusual sight was 'Iguana Park".   Just as the name denotes, it is populated with Iguanas.....not just populated, overpopulated, crowded, filled. Hundreds of massive Iguanas wander around with the pigeons, competing for food little kids throw. Some of the Pigeons land on their backs and cruise around, some fight for the crackers and stuff on the ground. Everywhere are Iguanas and they are the most active I have seen - they actually move pretty fast. Usually I see small ones just lazing about - here they are moving - in the trees, in the grass, on the sidewalk - everywhere - Iguanas. Kind of like the Rat Temple in India last year. You had to look where you walked they were so plentiful.

This city used to have a very bad repetition for crime and grime and they sure have made improvements on every level. It is a really nice place to be. doesn't fit into my precinceived idea of what a South American city would look like, but very nice and walkable. Easy to spend time in Guayaquil.