Out On The Yellow Brick Road

It’s hot today (not surprising as Guayaquil is almost directly on the equator) so it was rather bizarre to be serenaded at breakfast with the theme song from Frozen!

I’ve finally finished 496 pages of total drivel entitled Port Mortuary by Patricia Cornwell. It’s pretentious, turgid, slow moving and dull. I’m just pleased I only bought it second hand in Havana so I’m hoping I can, perhaps, find some more entertaining tomes either at the airport or in Lima. I did look in Panama airport but the only book I could find in English was Fifty Shades of Grey! I do have iBooks on my Apple computer/iPad/iPhone etc but it’s not quite the same as a proper book or a Kindle if, of course, I had one.

I haven’t been able to find the Bacchanalian side of Guayaquil. I have seen few people drinking anything other than modest amounts of alcohol and yet something must have been happening last night. A function of sorts, maybe? Either way I was kept awake until 2.30am by a constant stream of giggling and loud people passing my door and then at around 6.00am it started again. Maybe it was a different lot of people at this time but, nevertheless, I had a very disturbed night. Incidentally, here and in Panama, Honduras and Cuba, if you are into wine drinking then the tipple of choice is red wine with ice! A barman in Panama I talked to said he kept bottles of red wine both in the ambient temperature and in the fridge so he could satisfy all customers. Each one to their own, I suppose.

If the national animal of Ecuador is the iguana

then the national colour is certainly yellow . It’s everywhere. It’s the colour of the licensed taxis

it’s on the police uniforms,

it’s the colour of the lottery slot machines,

it’s the colour of everyday clothes

and on market stalls.

This market is much more local and interesting than the more touristy handicraft mercado I saw the other day.but, as with so many others around the globe, is dominated by phone accessory shops.

There are some higher end fashion stores in Guayaquil

but also others offering products that might not be quite to western tastes.

And there’s always food close by, either in a small restaurant

where you can buy a beefsteak for $3.25 including a juice drink or chuzos (meat on a stick, a bit like satay) for a mere $1.00! But if that doesn’t appeal you could always have an egg off the street seller.