The best thing in Guayaquil are the iguanas. They cover the entire Parque de la Seminario where they climb the trees and if you are not attentive you may get a gift from heaven placed on your shirt. They seem to come out of the Simon Bolivar’s dream whose statue is in the middle of the park, a dream that had to remain just a dream.

Not much remained from the old architecture of Guayaquil, a harbor of Ecuador close to the Pacific. But what made the news is the remarkable rejuvenation of its Malecon, made into an elegant promenade along the river full of attractions, restaurants and terraces. The city has a “aero via” a funicular that connects the river shores and continues on top of the city till Parque Centenario at the end of the main avenue of the city, “9 Octobre”. It’s a cool thing to take a ride in the “funiculario” and watch from above a not so appealing city marred in sprawling urban development.

A nice walk was climbing the Santa Anna hill covered in tiny old houses, an explosion of colors that seem to cascade towards the river bellow. On top of the hill with great views around are the ruins of the old Spanish fort that defended the city and the lighthouse that guided ships for centuries.