My cruz del sur bus from Trujillo (Peru) to Guayaquil (Ecuador) typically ended up taking 22hrs instead of the planned 18hrs, but eventually I made it. I was starting to worry a bit because we didn't get in till 9:30pm and I'd read that the hostel didn't have 24hr reception. When I got of the bus I happened to ask the gringa (female American traveller) next to me what hostel she was going to and it turned out to be the same one, so we shared a cab. We checked in and then wandered along the main street, searching for food. We found a tasty burger and milkshake place which was exactly what the doctor ordered.
The next morning I bumped into the gringa, Jaqueline, at breakfast and she said her and another girl were exploring Guayaquil today, and asked if i wanted to join them. We walked along the rejuvenated malecon (seafront) which was full of families as it was a Sunday afternoon. At the end of the malecon was the small suburb called Las Peñas, positioned on a hill with lots of colorful houses and narrow cobbled streets. We made our way to the top, taking in the views of the city from the small blue and white lighthouse at the summit. As we were descending we decided it was time for food but this turned out harder than expected as everywhere was closed! We wandered for a while before settling on an Ecuadorean version of Starbucks. I tried a nice gluten-free green plantain dumpling with bacon and cheese and followed this up with a delicious mini brownie cheesecake! Afterwards we walked to the small nearby Parque Bolivar, in front of the cathedral. Here we saw big land iguanas just chilling on the grass! We had fun taking photos and getting really close to them. Afterwards we looked around the modern cathedral before heading back to the hostel.
Later, we went out in search of dinner. The burger and milkshake place we were craving was closed so we went to a local Ecuadorean diner. After deciphering the menu, Jaqueline and I shared a bowl of beef and vegetable stew with plantain dumplings and also some yuca (similar to potato) balls.
An enjoyable day in Guayaquil and finally I have reached the warm weather - feels like ages!