🇪🇨 Guayaquil | 3-Hour City Tour

In the morning, I asked the concierge at Wyndham to arrange a half-day tour of Guayaquil. The price was a bit steep, but I accepted it because: 1) "YOLO"—since I was already here, it’d be a waste not to explore �; 2) It basically meant hiring a driver and a local bodyguard, so safety was somewhat guaranteed 🛡️. The tour lasted about 3 hours. First, we drove to the Main Cathedral and Iguana Park (Parque Seminario). The cathedral was closed because it was Sunday 🏛️🚪, but the park was full of iguanas—big ones! 🦎 They were everywhere: on the ground, in the trees, and even being fed lettuce by visitors. There’s also a statue of Simón Bolívar in the park. Next, we walked to a central square and then to Malecón 2000, a waterfront promenade built for the millennium 🌊. There’s another statue here, commemorating the historic meeting between Bolívar and San Martín. From the riverbank, you can see the city’s public transit cable car system �. After that, we drove to Cerro Santa Ana (Santa Ana Hill). The weather was perfect—super sunny ☀️. Climbing the 444 steps was a workout (and sweaty 💦), but the view from the top was worth it! There’s a lighthouse 🗼 and a small chapel ⛪, plus a panoramic view of the city, including that weird ice-cream-swirl-looking skyscraper 🏙️. Finally, we drove through the southern and western parts of the city—the rougher areas. We didn’t get out much, but we saw: The workshop where they make giant paper effigies (like anime characters , Sonic , and even Messi ⚽) for the New Year’s Eve burning tradition 🔥. A cemetery and the stadium of Barcelona SC, Ecuador’s top football team ⚽🏟️. Then, back to the hotel! 📍 Visited Spots: Parque Seminario (Iguana Park) 🦎 Catedral de Guayaquil ⛪ Plaza de la Administración 🏛️ Malecón 2000 🌊 Cerro Santa Ana 🏞️ Avenida Barcelona 🚗 #Guayaquil #Ecuador #TravelDiaries #CityTour #Iguanas #SantaAnaHill #Malecón2000 #SimónBolívar #NewYearTraditions #BarcelonaSC