They have stores almost the same as in the USA. They also have many many little shops on the streets that sell anything and everything. And then there are the open markets. I have not ventured into the open markets yet. I want to know more Spanish first. They look very interesting, but everyone says you have to 'bargain' with them, especially if you are a Gringo.

Which brings up a very interesting word, Gringo. That is what they call most Americans. It is not derogatory. Some say it came from the times when American soldiers went to South American and they had "Green Coats", which was shortened to Gringo.

Back to shopping. I go mostly to the new stores. There are two big grocery stores here. The SuperMaxi and the Coral. The Coral is like the Ecuadorian Walmart. Some of the prices are: a large head of cabbage is 38 cents, 3 nice tomatoes are 32 cents, stalk of celery = 79 cents.

Of course veggies and fruits are cheap because the growing season here is year round. I love it.

The Coral is connected to a Mall. It is called the Mall de Rio. River Mall.

In the mall are high end clothing and electronic stores and of course a food court. Mostly local chains, but they do have Burger King, Kentucky Fried Chicken and some others. I now prefer to make my meals and eat out only occasionally.

Their main meal is lunch, which is called 'Almuerzo'. You can have 4 courses at lunch at the local restaurants for about $2.50 to $3.50. It consists of, fresh juice, soup, rice, meat, veggie and dessert. I have tried several different eateries and they are very good.