Gyauaquil: From Highlands to the Coast

Some sights on the road down through the Andes between Riobamba and Guayaquil




Guayaquil

took the bus from Riobamba to Guayaquil today.
suffice to say this city is quite a change from sleepy little Riobamba.
its smokey, noisy and extremely hot.
for just $4.75 the bus takes you on a 4 hour trip down through the Andes to the western coast, where unlike the lukewarm highlands, this is where you get the kind of temperatures you expect from being on the ecuator. you could compare it to going from northern france to southern spain in four hours.
having been five weeks between 1800 meters and 3500 metres, the air at sea level feels like a thick syrup, i went half deaf for a while during the journey the way you do when your on a landing airplane.

by the time i arrived i was already in need of a change of clothes.
the hotel offered me a choice of a room with hot water or a room with air conditioning, the fact that they even gave me that choice led me to think that air conditioning might be the better option.

anyone i have spoken to so far has had quite a snappy not very helpful city slicker attitude whichcertainly suits the intensity of this place but differs greatly from the chatty and warm highland people. however i also know some wonderful people from here so im sure Guayaquil will show its better colors in time , better be quick though cos im tempted to hop on the morning bus to Montañita beach if only for some peace.

View from my balcony window in Hotel sander, Guayaquil