Queer Adventures with Familia in Guayaquil, Ecuador
2019 March — The trip by bus to Guayaquil from Baños took us through the mountains and down towards the coast. The bus ride was beautiful. The views of the lush green mountains are magical. The first thing we learned when we arrived at the bus terminal, after the fact that it was significantly hotter and more humid, was that Guayaquil is not walkable like Quito. Everything is spread out. Driving is the primary method of transportation and it generates a lot of traffic.
We were picked up by una prima (female cousin), as per their recommendation instead of getting a taxi, and we went back to their place to shower and relax after the six hour bus ride. Then we drove to abuelito (grandfather)’s house. We all had a glass of wine and conversation with him. He talked a lot about his days in Italy and his work as a carpenter. He still has a wood shop above the house in which he makes furniture pieces on occasion. Afterwards, we got back in the car and went to Las Peñas to hang out with more primas.
Las Peñas is a very magical waterfront area. It has small cobblestone roads and beautiful architecture. It is right by the water and it has such a quaint and romantic vibe. We started our cousins-night-out here in a bar called La Paleta En La Roca. The place had such good vibes and amazing electronic music that made me want to dance. We shared a jar of delicious sangria. No other sangria in the States can top the sangria here in Ecuador. Next we had dinner at another restuarant in Las Peñas called Artur’s Cafe. There was a great view of the water from the upper floor. We enjoyed more sangria and a few beers before going to the after-after party. Everyone piled into two cars to continue the party at another prima’s house. We drank and bonded until 5am. It was a party marathon!
We spent the next day experiencing the intense life of haggling with taxis and vendors in crowded markets with a 93 year old grandfather. He was fearless in the streets of Guayaquil. With his cane in hand, he boldly walked into the streets and every speeding car would stop on a dime for him. When he hailed taxis, he made sure he got the best deal — then would proceed to become best buddies with the driver during the trip. It was a level of adept social and city skills that I had never seen before. He took us to Mercado de las 4 Manzanas and it was packed with people and vendors. It was a labyrinth of stalls. The heat and humidity was intense. You could find just about anything there. My favorite part was getting to sit down and eat almuerzo from one of the food stalls under a pavilion. I love almuerzo in Ecuador because you get a bowl of soup and a massive plate of food for super cheap — anywhere from $2–4 USD and there’s no exchange rate issue as Ecuador uses the US dollar.
After almuerzo, I had a Latin America toilet paper experience. I need to begin by saying that you should never forget to bring emergency toilet paper with anywhere in Ecuador and in Latin America. Everywhere you go, toilet paper will not be 100% guaranteed. Most public bathrooms either don’t have it, have it outside the actual stall and/or require you to pay for a strip of it along with use of the bathroom overall. This means public bathrooms can better cared for, but it’s always best to free and clean bathrooms whenever you can. Otherwise, I make sure to save napkins I don’t use at restaurants and I always have 2 pockets with napkins or tissue or toilet paper stuffed in them just in case. In this experience, I had forgotten to check for toilet paper before going into the stall. Luckily, I had some in my bag.
The week we were in Guayaquil was also the weekend of Carnaval — a national holiday in which everyone gets Monday and Tuesday off for a four day weekend of partying and celebrating. We celebrated one night partying with cousins. It started out with pizza, drinks, and conversation. Then we took some shots before running around outside spraying each other with silly string and the water hose. There was a kiddy pool setup outside as well. We jumped in and had epic splash fights. When things settled, we all squeezed into it, still fully clothed, and chilled for a bit. When we got back inside, we all changed into dry clothes and continued the party. There were more shots, more drinks, and dancing. So. Much. Dancing. Literally until 5am. Another party marathon! Apparently, this is normal! I am really into the party marathon life.
Not all parties are created equal! We went to another family member’s home for a birthday party which was actually a church service disguised as a birthday party. There was a lot of food, which is always my favorite part. However, when it came time to stand up and sing all the songs, I was pretty awkward. I didn’t know what to do. After the first song, we took shelter outside with the children until it was time to sing happy birthday and eat birthday cake. I wish I had known at least a couple of the songs. Usually I enjoy singing along, even if it is for a religion that I don’t completely identify with. All in all, it was another great bonding experience.
Another day we got to take a nice tour of the downtown district Guayaquil near the Rio Guayas. It is a waterfront area that is extremely picturesque. It was the first day where I actually felt compelled to take pictures like a tourist.
There is a park of Iguanas which was wild. They were just walking around, roaming free in the grass, on the pathways, and in the trees.
After taking photos of the iguanas and of the architecture in the area, we went to a cool monument by the water called “Hemiciclo de la Rotonda.” It is apparently a scandalous sculpture because the poses of the men are very suggestive of a more intimate relationship between the two. I don’t know if it is legit or not, but I did like seeing the way those two looked at each other. It was cute. Unfortunately, this doesn’t go over well in the conservative Guayaquil, which brings me to a very important and impactful part of our stay in Guayaquil: it is very religious and conservative. We couldn’t always be a couple together. We had to pretend we were friends most of the time whether it was in public situations like at a community pool in the residential area or around older family members who wouldn’t be so accepting… It was quite taxing.
In Samborondón, a residential town a bit outside of Guayaquil, we went to a beautiful place called Plaza Lagos Town Center on two separate evenings. One night we got dinner at a very nice restaurant that served us what felt like Ecuadorian gourmet tapas. Then we walked around the lakes and enjoyed the spectacular views. There was a cute playground with a see-saw. Having another person to see-saw with you makes all the difference. On another night, we went back to Plaza Lagos to have our last dinner with cousins before leaving Guayaquil.
Overall, it was nice seeing the city from the perspective of the ones who have been living there for a while. It truly was the first non-tourist experience I had while in Ecuador.
