Guayaquil, Equador

A half day city tour today, took us to some of the interesting buildings in the financial capital of Ecuador, Guayaquil. The city burnt to the ground in the late 1800's as it was built of bamboo. Rebuilt with bricks and concrete, the buildings are of neoclassical design, with many having been modeled on European buildings. We walked along the water front, of the river and saw many monuments to the good presidents and freedom fighters when Ecuador gained independence from Spain. The old town was recreated as close possible to the old design, so has houses built steeply up the two hills. The brightly coloured paint helps to liven the place up, though it is becoming a haven for artists and artisans. The city parks have the mainland iguana, which has a beard, something no longer required in Galapagos. They also sit in trees, warming themselves which can be dangerous to walk under when they do start to warm up!! Our last stop of the tour was to one of the flower markets. Such a variety of blooms, as the highlands grow many cold climate flowers !(roses, dahlias) while the lowlands grow more tropical (bird of paradise). A very interesting tour of an interesting city,