First Couple of Days Take Two

Things I saw in Guayquil take 2:



This is an agave plant that is filtered to make tequilla. 

This is a plant that is used in the panama hats- the closed leaves ares used to make fibers which are used in the hats. 

I believe this is the main cathederal which is 85 yrs. old.  The old one was made completely out of wood!

It is hard to tell, but the trunk of this tree is green!  It is a typical dry forest tree called a Ceibos Pentandra.  It has adapted here during the dry seasons.  The trunk usually turns green around Aug. and then flowers bloom and there are used to make cotton. 

 On average, Guayqauil gets approx. 15-18 ft. of rain during a four month period (rainy season)!!

This is the Main City Hall that was built in 1928.  In 1896, the old building became infested with rats! Some people had the idea that they should set a fire to kill the rats!  The old building was made of wood (we all should know what happens when you set wood on fire!) the fire spread and became out of control spreading through the city and six people lost their lives.   This marked the beginning of a new city! 

These are pictures from the RiverFront which used to be the main port of Guayaquil until the 1970's when the city decided to build another port on the south side which took over. 

This is a pirate ship reproduction.  A pirate took over the city (not sure when this happened didnt catch that part) and this is a replica of his ship. 

This is a view from the dock.  It was very beautiful!

This is the view looking across! 

Ecuador has 52 different types of mangos, but they only export approx. 5 of them!!  This is a picture of a mango tree!

If you notice on the top of this monument, there are flags of countires that were set free from the Spanards. 

Before we departed from Guayaquil, we were able to see some of the parade that was going on.  October 9th is a day in which they celebrate the Independence of Guayaquil!  There were so many people everywhere, it was somewhat overwhelming to me but glad I was able to see some it!!

On our way out of Guayaquil, we stopped at Mall de Sol (a very big mall) to eat lunch. This is where I truly felt out of place because I could not read anything on the menus (but also did not McDonalds, Taco Bell, or anything else that is typical in the State) so I ordered some pollo and fries (chicken and fries)! 

From here we were going to the Country Side of Cuenca to stay in another hotel!