Thursday, 7 February 2019
Guayaquil, Ecuador
Quick scoot around Cusco after breakfast for half an hour before I have to leave for the airport and my flight to Lima. A quick scoot around doesn’t do Cusco justice but have been here before so am not unduly worried. My memory is playing tricks on me again as the central plaza is not how I remember, nor the hotel’s location relative to it. Early morning so shops still shut. Plenty of photographers plying their trade though outside the cathedral. Given the preponderance of selfies these days wonder how they make a living.
Flying Cusco to Lima, 2hr stopover then Lima to Guayaquil in Ecuador. Waiting for the Guayaquil flight, two young lads with dodgy haircuts and tattoos are quizzed by immigration officers. Passports are taken for inspection and then both lads are whisked away. Not sure why but do notice something I haven’t seen since leaving the UK. Lads with tattoos. The more I look, the more I see. Wonder if this is something gang related rather than the usual tattoo trash. Am heading into drugs territory, so could be?
Board flight and recognise the steward from the Cusco flight. All the crew are on this flight too. “We’re following you!”, he says.
Arrive at Guayaquil airport and can immediately tell this is a bit more upmarket than Peru. Has a nice organised newness about the place. Passport doesn’t seem to be recognised by the Ecuador computer. Which says no. Asked if I’ve ever been to Ecuador before. No. It takes some time and a lot of finger tapping on computer keyboard before computer says yes.
Arranged a transfer to the hotel. Female driver turns up with my name handwritten on a sheet of paper. My first name is an anagram with a letter missing and replaced with another letter that doesn’t feature in my name.
Ecuador does Countdown.
Short drive to the Hotel del Parque (https://www.hoteldelparquehistorico.com/). A little bit of Colonial luxury to end the day.
And why not.
Walk out of hotel restaurant after dinner to find the waiters telling me to stop where I am. There’s a snake a few feet away.
I kid you not.
It’s tentatively brushed up into a pan and taken across to the woods to be relocated.
Crikey.
Now on the equator and it’s hot and steamy now. Gone are the cold days of high altitude. Now at sea level with critters and mosquitoes and other creepy crawlies.
Lovely.
