The rains come and the rains go and they provide only a brief respite from the voracious mosquitoes.  There is a fan in my room that runs 24/7 to help keep me cool and to help dry the clothes that I wash in the shower.  I’m getting used to the lack of hot water;  my landlord was right – it’s nice to take a cold shower when it’s so hot and muggy. 



Wanted: DEAD
Have you seen, heard, or felt this mosquito?
Warning: Armed and Dangerous

  There is a bar/restaurant called Artur’s about 20 steps from our front gate, and I’ve become something of a regular already as it’s the only option in the area that doesn’t have karaoke blasting down the doors.  They feature a pair of guitarists one of whom always seems to be playing and I’m getting know the songs and even hum the chorus occasionally. 

Valentine’s was crowded as you might imagine.  In this corner of Latin America, as in most others, every night is couple’s night, so Valentine’s is a really big deal.  And not in the way it is in the U.S., where I suspect every diamond-peddler is licking his chops and the commercial promotions are dizzying, but in a less economic, more palpable way.  People who love each other and spend a lot of time together anyway use it as an excuse to dress up and flaunt their love.  At Artur’s that night, things filled up quickly and I had the last table in the place.  Two elderly ladies, one about 70 and dressed in a red satin blouse, crowded in on me as if I was one of the family and sat down in the empty chairs!   

Guayaquil is not a tourist town, but has its charm and the dearth of gringos is something of a blessing.  The food is great, although I have been suffering from a virus of some sort that has kept me peeing out of the wrong orifice for the past few days.  My favorite dish is called “encocado de pescado” which is basically fresh fish in this fantastic, butter coconut sauce, with tasty rice, vegetables and of course, fried bananas. 

In the mornings (when I have the energy and it’s not raining too hard) I climb the cerro behind my house to get a bird’s eye view of the city and rivers.  It’s hard to see much beyond the city, because the city is so large and it’s usually cloudy.  Sometimes I’ll jog along the Malecon, which is a new riverside park with museums, shops, foodstalls, and little parks and playground equipment.    It really is a peaceful and convenient setting. 



Game on!



The city, on the other hand, is not peaceful.  It’s noisy and polluted and the traffic is kind of ridiculous and the buses are packed with people no matter when you try and ride.  I have been warned incessantly about robbers and bandits, and given very specific instructions about where to walk, shop, what to wear, and how to be less of a gringo.  Unfortunately, one of my favorite restaurants, an internet shop with a printer, a great little bakery, AND a Laundromat with a dryer I just found all happen to be on a street I was told to avoid!  It’s also a short-cut to work and very convenient.  We’ll see if Los Banditos want to bother taking the $10 or so and my cheap watch that I carry to work every day.