22nd March, Guayaquil, Ecuador

22nd of March Guayaquil, Ecuador.

Alex sporting this seasons must have, a monkey hat

We arrived in Ecuador and from the moment we got off the plane it was clear that the rules had changed. At customs in the States we had barely escaped the rubber glove treatment. However in Ecuador, customs seemed to be a far more relaxed affair. Kids just ran through customs without even a second glance from the officials. The lady at the desk just smiled at us, stamped our passports and off we went.

We stepped outside to be confronted with total bedlam. Dozens of taxi drivers and armed police surrounded us. A taxi guy told us he would take us to the hostel for $5 we managed to get him down to $4 and off we went, pleased with our bartering skills, only to later realise it should have been $2.50 (Ecuadorians 1 : Gringos 0).

Alex with monkey

After we managed to get into the hostel we lay in our beds sweating until we eventually fell to sleep. The next day we awoke to realise we were actually staying in a zoo. Parrots and monkeys seemed to be everywhere. They were particularly interested in Alex for some reason. We spent most of the day at the hostel, as they tried to sort out a trip to Galapagos for us. Alex was source of huge entertainment for the baby monkeys, and they took it in turns to drop onto her head from the trees in the garden. Then sit cleaning her hair and looking into her ears, which she enjoyed as much as them I think.

Over the course of the next few days we had numerous terrifying taxi journeys into Guayaquil in taxis which I can only assume where some kind of training school for the Ecuadorian stock car racing team. These guys had no fear. Imagine a late 70s Datsun in yellow with flames painted down the side, add huge wheels, a flashing disco light and random chrome trims and you have the average Ecuadorian taxi. As far as fares went we seemed to get a completely different one every time we got in a cab.

Iguana Park

The very centre of Guayaquil is modern and safe. There are Police officers and security guards on every street corner. The general idea is that if you are a tourist you get a taxi from your hotel to wherever it is you're going. However as our flip flops probably cost more than the average person earns in a month, it isn't that surprising that it is not really safe to wonder around outside of the very centre and water front areas alone.

One of the cool things to see in the city centre was the Parque de Boliva, or the iguana park as it is also known. On our first visit at night we left disappointed having seen nothing. The next day however, with daylight we arrived to find the park teaming with the ugly beasts. The trees and ground were covered in them, stairing out the kids for snacks. The biggest danger was getting hit by a falling iguana or one of their monster turds. Beats Traffalger Square.